Cults and World Religions
Eastern Religions
And their off-spring
Buddhism is an Eastern form of spirituality. . . . What is known as “Buddhism” is part of the common human heritage of wisdom, by which men have succeeded in overcoming the world, and in gaining immortality, or a deathless life. 240
As we complete our survey of cults and world religions, it is important to take a direct, albeit brief, look at Eastern Religions. While most of us think of Eastern Religions as the worry of the Oriental mission field, these groups have invaded the U.S. religious scene in a variety of fashions. The concept of Eastern Religions is both simple and complex. From a religious point of view, this field may properly cover the Asiatic and Oriental geographical regions. As such, Islam and Judaism may be considered Eastern Religions. Since we have already considered these two groups, we will not recover that ground.
And as we cover this new ground, it is important to keep in focus where we are going. The general tenor of Eastern Religions, mostly some variety of Hinduism or Buddhism, have been in existence for thousands of years. It is through their syncretism into the New Age movement which is of most importance to us.
It is also important to understand that this is a complex area, for Buddhism alone may support some 60,000 different sects. With all of those centuries to development, it is no wonder that these religions do not represent a simple formula. We will, however, attempt to make this fairly simple for our intention is not to undertake a detailed study of this area. For those who want more information, some references are given at the end of this chapter.
Hinduism
This is the father of Eastern Religions. There is a large sense in which all of the Eastern Religions may be found within the history and complexities of Hinduism. At the same time, it is important to remember that at various points in history, Hinduism takes on different looks – ranging from pantheism, to polytheism, to monotheism, to agnosticism.
Terms
- Brahman is the eternal Three-in-One God composed of Brahma, the Creator, Vishu, the Preserver, and Shiva, the Destroyer. Brahman worship has led to a wide range of sacrifices which in turn called for the development of a priesthood.
- Man submits to fate since man is a part of Brahman.
- The Caste System is determined by the laws of Manu. This is nothing more than a rigid social class structure.
- Karma is the law of sowing and reaping, that is, from good must come good and from evil must come evil.
- Reincarnation is a chain of rebirths whereby each soul can rise to a higher state.
- Transmigration or samsara is the endless cycle of reincarnation which man encounters.
- Nirvana is the final stage to be reached whereby the soul is fully emancipated from the cycle of reincarnation.
- Yogas are the disciplines whereby man learns to control his body and emotions.
- Dharma is the Law of Moral Order which each individual must follow to reach Nirvana.
- Krishna is the eight or ninth incarnation of Vishnu, one of the most widely worshiped deities.
- Gurus are teachers.
- Swamis and sadhus are holy men.
General Beliefs
Hinduism is difficult to summarize, for while the essence of the religion is the same, the practices are different among each sect. There are many different ways of looking at a single object. No single view point provides the whole picture of the object, but each will be correct in its own right. Rites, ceremonies, systems and dogma may lead beyond themselves revealing new truths, leading to clarity. Every work is a pointer to a higher truth. In this fashion, Hinduism is able to tolerate most other religions.
Salvation is achieved by:
- The way of works (Karma Yoga)
- The way of knowledge(Jnana Yoga)
- The way of devotion (Bhakti Yoga)
Any of the three will suffice.
The Hindus hold the cow, which is considered to possess great power, to be sacred.
The practice of popular Hinduism places great emphasis on the caste system. Originally there were four castes. These were the Brahmans (priests), the Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), the Vaisyas (craftsmen, farmers, artisans), and the Sudras (laborers, servants). Every one else were outcastes or untouchables. These social and occupational groups have now been divided into roughly 3,0000 subcastes. The true problem of the caste system is that Hinduism provides no mechanism to change castes.
From a practical view point, Hinduism has developed into a series of lesser gods. Practices include pilgrimages, diet restrictions, special postures and gestures, possession by the gods, sacred places, sacred formulas to be repeated, images and phallic emblems, and geometrical patterns.
Books of Belief
The Vedas, meaning wisdom or knowledge, are the oldest writings and appear to have been composed over the same general time period as the Old Testament (1400-to-400 B.C.). This is really a collection of hymns (“mantras”), prayers, and ritual texts (“Brahmanas” which deal with ritual practice and the “Upanishads” which deal with doctrine). Two epic poems are considered as part of the sacred books. The first is the Ramayana and the other is the Mahabharata. The Bhagavad Gita is considered the most sacred of the writings and was added to the Mahabharata during the first century A.D.
Footnotes:
240. Edward Conze, Buddhism: its essence and development, New York: Harper Colophon
Books, Harper & Row Publishers, 1951, 11.
