Indian Religion and Religious Customs - Coursework Example

Indian Religion Introduction For many people, especially those of a Native Indian background, the body is a temple of their values and beliefs. They use their body to emphasize these various cultural anomalies through possible body art like tattooing, piercing, digit removal, shaving of the head, and many other extreme ways that to some seem very much like oddities. Furthermore, society looks at this as going to the extreme to voice your personal stance to the world but in reality, these religions (the Indian religions in particular) are only following along the trait systems that have been handed down to them through the ages. They are very steadfast and profound in their unique beliefs and the symbolic rituals that go along with them. This researched paper is exploring three very well known religions and their customs in order to more clearly define their religious customs and implied meanings. Moreover, it will be clarified as to how these cultural beliefs differ from the norms in routine societies. Religious Customs Doniger’s article (1997, pg.168) points out that for many religious Indian groups they use their body to emphasize their history and to preserve their beliefs. This is simply a religious practice that is very much a part of their traditional and cultural lifestyles. The body is viewed as a sacred temple and each detail of it outlines those religious customs of each secular belief in various religions. These symbolic expressions that are posed onto the body are cultural ways of stipulating what is most important within a specific group of people. Historians and a myriad of other researches who have studied ancient religions, and long standing religious beliefs have found that those of the Hindu, Sikh, and the Buddhist faith are the more pronounced out of all the native religious groups. The Hindu’s in particular consider the body from the very beginning of its design in a term that is coined, “embryology” (Doniger 1997, pg.169). The Hindu religion itself focuses on all forms of the body, every specific part has a role to play and they follow along many historic customs to define each part of their body’s from their head, to their feet, every detail of the human anatomy is covered. For example, the Hindu religion seems to carry a mythological structure in accordance with the parts of the body. The head, eyes, and tongue all seem to have some sort of sexual implication in the Hindu religion if the mythological stories are read in correlation to the meaning each body part has. Also, it seems that women were always given as an example with the various body parts, almost at times visualized as a reward, punishment, or as a penance to the Hinduism believer, for their various human thoughts or dreams that they would have (Doniger 1997, pg. 179). The Buddhist faith has similar characteristics to the Hindu religion but there are obvious differences between the two that are very notably detailed. Even though these two Indian religions can have these similarities, they obviously follow different ideals when emphasizing how the construction of the human body should be and what the hidden meanings are, even with regard to how they view interactions among genders (Doniger 1997, pg. 170). An exemplary difference between Buddhists and the Sikh is that Buddhists are known to shave their heads while the Sikh grow very long hair and beards. Both of these differences follow along a spiritual belief system, similar yet opposite in many ways (Nesbitt 1997, pg.289). Another unique difference between these groups is in the example, Collins (1997, pg. 184) defines on how the Buddhist religion depicts certain desires that the followers of this belief system hold very sacred. These humanistic desires are dictated by how their spiritual teachings instruct and guide them to behave. One of the ideas he gives is in how they view sexual desire. Buddhists are known to historically practice abstinence and do not have much contact with the opposite gender. Researchers feel that this is due to the fact that the temptation might possibly be too great if they did have fluid interactions with one another, and if they did so this would break their spiritual following in that they would believe they were engaging in a great sin against their own religion. Also, if one who worships the Buddhist religion does have interactions with a female then they are required to leave the sanctuary where the other Buddhists are studying. They also are never allowed to returned because, as was said this is a law that is dictated to those of the Buddhist calling, and to break the law is to get alienated from the rest of the religious group. Furthermore, although a similarity is shown between the Buddhists and the Hinduisms, there are still very pronounced differences. The Hinduisms do have sexual relations but believe in purging the body of all excrements to stay in a sacred sense of being while the Buddhists refrain from any form of intimacy with the opposite gender completely. Their views of sexual relations are the same as the Buddhist culture in how the Buddhists emphasize that sexual relations with a woman can be very dangerous and they compare it to that of having an intimate relationship with that of a reptile like a snake, due to how treacherous and devious they believe women can be. The Hinduisms also view women in a similar way when it is in regards to sexual relations. They believe that without cleansing the body wholly, it can set for adverse repercussions for the male population. They also have a similar belief about anything that enters into the body and is also excreted. Purification of the body is essential to the Buddhists in order to keep the body free from germs and disease. They believe that everything that enters into the body and exits it is either good or bad, there is no median (Doniger 1997). A Comparison of the Sikhs and Hinduism It has been discovered through various researchers that the reason the Sikhs grow their hair and beards so long, (also wearing turbans) is to distinguish their religion from that of Hinduism. This is very coherently understood, as was mentioned the Hinduists shave their heads while the Sikhs do not. There are other differences besides just these two very pronounced ones as well (Nesbitt 1997, pg.289). The Sikh have a very strong emphases on the teachings of spiritual Guru’s, and their physical appearance coincides with their belief system as they try and portray very saintly characteristics that are indeed highly spiritual. Historically, Sikhism developed in the community of Hinduism, so it can be regarded as part of the Hindu religion but as has been stated, there are very specific differentials between these two individual followings. The Sikh’s lives are ruled by teachings from different historical Guru’s, and they are ultimately known as a group that is in the thralls of constantly learning and studying their customs and beliefs. They have initiations and rituals just as the Hindus do but theirs are exemplified with different meanings. The Hindu’s focus highly on various aspects of the body, and there is even a mythological reasoning for every part of the body in the Hindu religion. They also believe that all things are made up of matter and in a way they focus strongly on metaphysics to explain their spirituality and their presence in the world. From the Hindu religion, it is perceived that there are three unique elements that make up the human body as well as three humors that have a strong impact on the wellness of the body also. These three humors are known as phlegm, wind, and bile (Doniger 1997, pg.171). These are considered to be what spreads disease in the body but what spreads evil in the mind, through their belief is energy and darkness. Through this the author shows another noticeable difference between these two groups as the Sikh’s focus more on the emotional characteristics of man kind to explain adversities, while the Hindu are more steadfast in the belief of matter and human excrements as being the cause of negativity in their religious stature and lifestyle (Doniger 1997, pg.171) One of the most remarkable differences has already been mentioned, and it is where the Sikh’s refrain from cutting their hair but they also abstain from any form of tobacco use as well as it is considered to be an adverse substance that enters into the body that can then develop into disease (Nesbitt 1997, pg. 290). In this regard of the thought concept of tobacco and it spreading disease in the body, the Sikh’s and Hindus have a common notion, but this idea gradually changes between the two, separating itself by their various spiritual beliefs. Of course, the whole thought in it draws the research back to the Hindu and how they also tend to believe in a very similar way in regard to what they put into their bodies and the various excretions that the human body expels. However, when more of a spiritual focus is included, there are quite opposite views among the two. In a spiritual sense, the Sikh’s believe that the way to devote themselves to God and to become closer with him is through constant devotion and study of his word. Also, they believe that the things that keep a person from God are the humanly desires and characteristics themselves, so in this regard they try and quell and conquer the body so that these obstacles can be dismissed from their lives. As has been said, Hindu’s are more apse to believe that it is what is put into the body, and the actual interactions of the human body that form a adversity between their ability to form a higher spirituality in their life, and their own sense of self understanding in a religious context. The difference is most obvious as the Sikh’s firmly believe the human traits of desire, greed, anger, lust, pride, and disillusionment are the main adversities preventing them from having a whole communal with the Lord, and that also encourage sickness and disease in the body and soul. So, as has been pointed out, the Sikh’s work to divulge ways to bring total harmony to their lives and to abstain from those characteristics that they feel block their spiritual path, while Hindu’s focus on what exactly is absorbed by their bodies and purging themselves from any impurities to cleanse their bodies and their spirits at the same time (Nesbitt 1997, pg. 291). The Sikh’s view of women is something that is again similar to the beliefs of the Hindu. They view women as very seductive beings, capable of taking their strength and power away from them. Though they view women in a more negative fashion they also honor them as in their religion it is realized that it is a woman’s body that brings life into the world and in that regard they state that it is impossible to denounce a form of mankind that has born kings, and great leaders as well (Nesbitt 1997, pg. 294). At the same time, both religions carry the belief that women have a certain power over men and that they can be extremely deceptive and destroy a male or they can promote their spirituality. The Buddhists are very negative in their viewing of women, much more so than any of these two followings are. Their abstinence from sexual intercourse and relations with women in general give validity to this statement (Collins 1997, pg. 184). The Sanctity found With-in Buddhism More than likely, the reason Buddhists have such a strong avoidance to women is that they feel the opposite gender does not benefit them in their strict religious teachings. Because they are very much a devout religious group and seek the most highest of spiritual realms, their view is one where women are not trustworthy or pure enough to be a part of that form of spiritual calling. Therein, is one of the strongest reasoning’s of their abstinence from intimacy with women. To try and refrain from earthly desires, Buddhists use a form of yoga to train their mind and keep their thoughts pure and clear. They wear plain robes and don’t divulge themselves in activities that create a desire to want more than what they need in life. This is a group truly too devout to their religious calling, and recognized heavily for their pureness of heart, mind, and cleansing of the soul through the way that they do believe. Of course, this is only based on various interpretations from researchers and historians who have studied the Buddhist religion, but it has remained this way for many centuries (Collins 1997, pg.184). In conclusion it can be seen that there are highly respectable traits found within all three of these religious teachings. All of these are extremely spiritual and it seems that more than anything their religious teachings all point to one main goal. That goal is to form a stronger kinship with their spiritual being, whether that is God or something they are seeking within themselves it all focuses on a very religious goal and purpose in their lives. In that regard they each have specific characteristics that separate them from the other religious groups and that emphasize each one’s spiritual unity within themselves and each other as a community. Evidently, the research has shown that there is no stronger guiding force in specific religious groups’ lives than their own spirituality and the connection that they have through worshipping what they are devoted too. Works Cited Collins, Steven. “The Body in Theravada Buddhist Monasticism.” Cambridge University Press 11 (1997): 184. Doniger, Wendy. “Medical and Mythical Constructions of the Body in Hindu Texts.” Cambridge University Press 10 (1997): 168-183. Nesbitt, Eleanor. “The Body in Sikh Tradition.” Cambridge University Press 16 (1997): 289-303. Read More