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Resources for Unit Three: Early Indian,
Hindu, Jain & Buddhist Religion
Links checked Sept 28, 2006
If you have not looked at my
new asceticism page yet, be sure to do so. It has
important ideas relevant to all religions, but especially to
Asian religions.
I have also created a list of key terms, names and historical
concepts for the quiz. [Click
here.]
Indian Religion & Culture Resources
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Indus
Valley (Harappan) Civilization history, geography, images,
multimedia files, etc. Awesome site at Harappa.com |
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About.com's
page on Hinduism |
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An
Introduction to Hinduism (extensive and informative
web site) |
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Hindu
images and art, |
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Analysis
of the Sriyantra (image on the altar on cover of our
textbook) in terms of mathematics and geometry. Explains
its purpose and its connection to various aspects of Vedantic
religion. Looks rather interesting and well-informed. |
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Dalitstan Organization:
"The Dalitstan Organization is
a Human Rights Organization working for the Upliftment of
Dalits, the Black Untouchables of India. These form one
of the most oppressed ethnic groups in the World, enduring
the 2000-year Sudra Holocaust." This site is
strongly anti-Hindu, and defends religious freedom and tolerance,
especially for Islam and Christianity.
A proposed map for the the division of India & Pakistan
shows the major ethnic subdivisions of the area. The
term "dalit" refers to their caste status (or more
accurately, their status outside the caste system of
"twice born") as untouchables, but means "oppressed or
broken." Although the term carries negative connotations,
it is widely embraced by the people for political identity
reasons.
This
article explains the issue. Gandhi proposed
renaming them the harijans, or children of God (a
euphemism). The
term is now widely rejected as an insult, and the term
Dalit is now preferred. Officially and
legally, they are referred to as the "scheduled castes"
(yet another euphemism). The Bhangi are the
lowest caste among all the groups in India and are
relegated to the dirtiest jobs, such as removing excrement
from latrines. These people are all part of the
Dravidian people who were the indigenous people of the
subcontinent at the time of the arrival of the Aryans.
They probably left East African many thousands of years
ago, and represent the same racial group that colonized
Australia (the aborigines). Genetic testing has
verified their African origins, so many activists are
attempting to embrace them into the larger
Pan-African
movement of racial identity and social reform.
Because of their alienation from the Brahminic Hindu
culture, many Dravidians practice religions that do not
acknowledge the caste system--Jainism, Buddhism,
Christianity & Islam. A recent president of India (KR
Narayanan (Wikipedia
article)-- 1997-2002) is a Dalit. |
Jainism, Yoga and Indian Asceticism
If you have not looked at my
asceticism page yet, be sure to do so. It has important
ideas relevant to all religions, but especially to Asian religions.
The extreme focus on physical asceticism is unique to Asian
religions.
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About Jainism
a promotional web site by Jains. Fascinating in terms
of seeing a presentation of modern Jainism written by actual
practitioners. |
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Jainsamaj-Ahimsa
Foundation (flash introduction isn't in English) |
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Jainism:
Jain Links prof. Yashwant K. Malaiya at Colorado State
University, who is apparently a modern follower of Jain
philosophy. Some of the links are old and no longer
active. |
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Jainism
by Sanderson Beck |
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Jain
Art small selection
Jain temples and sculpture (Columbia Univ.)
More photos of temples |
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Yoga
at the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center (this
site is less Americanized than most web sites I found on
the net.) |
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Buddhist
& Hindu Tantras: scholarly essay by Octavian Sarbatoare |
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Tantrism--an
informative article about a controversial, sexual aspect
of Hindu religion. The source is not really
scholarly,
but the content here is accurate, or at least widely accepted. |
Other Religions of India
Buddhism
Because Buddhism is part of both Indian/South Asian religion
and East Asian Religion, I have put the Buddhism resources together
on the East Asian resources page.
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See
the Buddhism & East Asian (Units Three & Four) web
links. To keep this link collection simple,
and to fit with the organization of our testing units, I
have located these resources in the cluster with Eastern
Asian religion. Although Buddhism began in India,
it has largely disappeared there. Buddhism has the
largest populations in Japan, Southeast Asia, and the areas
of Asia bordering India. |
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