RELI 448N Week 2 Discussion: Hinduism
RELI 448N Week 2 Discussion: Hinduism
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
- Textbook: Chapter 3
- Lesson
- Link (online PDF): The UpanishadsLinks to an external site. (Skim the first few chapters or locate a specific section in the table of contents. You are not responsible to read the entire text.)
- Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook/lesson)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, respond to only one of the following options:
Option 1
Choose and describe one of the five (Brahman, Atman, Maya, Karma, Samsara, Moksha) key concepts from the Upanishads.
- Explain how this concept relates to any of the other four or to other expressions of Indian spirituality?
- Use a quote from the Upanishads to support your thoughts
- Why did you choose this concept and how does it relate to your own understanding or beliefs?
Option 2
Choose and describe one of the four yoga. Include the following:
- Describe, with examples, how this is a path to the Divine and leads a person to realization.
- Why did you choose this path to discuss?
- Determine how your understanding of your chosen yoga might relate to your professional standards of care.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to a peer who chose an option different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
Writing Requirements
- Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up)
- Initial Post Length: 300-500 words
- Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and one outside scholarly source)
- APA format for in-text citations (including page or paragraph) and references
Grading
This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:
- Link (webpage): Discussion Guidelines
Course Outcomes (CO): 2, 5
Due Date for Initial Post: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday
Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Sunday
This topic is closed for comments.
You will have two options to choose from for this discussion. You can either focus onone of the five key concepts from the Upanishads, the Hindu sacred treatises, or you can choose to examine one of the 4 Yogas.
Remember to use an outside Scholarly resource in the main post. For clarification, a Scholarly or peer-reviewed journal articles are written by scholars or professionals who are experts in their fields. Therefore, make sure any source you find meets this criteria.
Please make your TWO posts each week on any of the eight days allotted from preview Sunday to closing Sunday that work with your schedule. Both posts may be on the same day.
Don’t forget to look over the discussion rubric as a reference when you are writing your discussion posts. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. 
Also, to help you in your research, here are some links to some resources that past students have found to be very useful.
The Unified Universe – The Theory of Brahman https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/the-unified-universeLinks to an external site.
A Comparison of Process Theodicy and the Hindu Doctrines of Karma and Rebirth - https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=962eba42-4a00-4104-b642-55d61e27259a%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=83819240&db=a9hLinks to an external site.
The Aftermath of Life: Dying and Death https://web-a-ebscohost-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=63e27ce0-2178-4a7e-88ee-78b070df4431%40sdc-v-sessmgr05&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=77935432&db=a9hLinks to an external site.
Hindu Worldview in the Development of Selfways: The “Atman” as the Real Self https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/doi/abs/10.1002/cd.136Links to an external site.
Two Ways Hindudism Looks at Karma Yoga https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=6df5a3cf-eb2c-4160-8a20-9eb9c796bc3c%40sessionmgr4010&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=111471550&db=a9hLinks to an external site.
Yoga In Daily Life https://www.yogaindailylife.org/Links to an external site.
Effect of Raja Yoya Meditation on Pulmonary Functions of Young Obese Medical Studentshttp://www.indianjournals.com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:ijphrd&volume=7&issue=2&article=001Links to an external site.
Two Scriptural Sources https://chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=111471551&site=eds-live&scope=siteLinks to an external site.
Yoga: Fight Stress and Find Serenity https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/yoga/art-20044733Links to an external site.
Upanishads (Definition) https://www.ancient.eu/Upanishads/
I chose option # 2 which speaks about the different types of yoga’s in Hinduism. Raja Yoga “promotes meditation” (Molloy, 2020 p. 90). Meditation is a form of finding peace within yourself especially when life seems out of control. The Bhagavad Gita describes yoga as a basic meditation, a person can sit quietly to calm the mind (Molloy, 2020 p. 90). This type of tactic is a path to the Divine and can lead a person to realization by connecting with yourself, calming your nerves, calming your anxiety levels, concentrating on what is important, and emptying out the negative. As a result, stress levels are reduced and a new way of thinking can be concurred.
I chose this type of path because for myself when life is overwhelming for me, I am able to find peace by going to a quiet area of my home or any personal space to meditate. The meditation provides me with comfort. I am able to use my Christian religion to pray while I’m in my peace by closing my eyes and concentrating on what is important. As a Christian, in order to hear God, speak to you, a person must go to a quiet place and connect while emptying out all the negative that is attached. “Meditation practice does indeed increase the feeling of well-being, reduces negative affects (anxiety, depression), and enhances some attentional skills” (Droit-Volet, 2019).
I am able to use a meditation tactic as a professional when too much is going on at one time. For instance, whether in my past experiences of working physically in the facility or currently working as an RN case manager in the field,
it can be overwhelming; from the phone ringing multiple times repeatedly, to patients or patient’s family calling your name, or just the demands of your job. Sometimes, I have to take a step back, find a peaceful area to take a deep breath, say a quick prayer to calm my nerves and gain control of my situation. Meditation is helpful to me in so many ways with positive end results. Alternatively, I am able to teach or show my patients how to meditate when anxiety levels are increased due to upcoming tests, surgeries, unknown results, and any type of bloodwork that needs to be completed. Some patients are claustrophobic while getting an MRI, so patient teaching on meditation will assist in calming and preparing the patient for whatever it is that is causing their anxiety levels to be increasingly high.
References
Molloy, M. (2020). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill
(English) ; Abstract available. By: Droit-Volet S; Chaulet M; Dutheil F; Dambrun M, PloS one [PLoS One], ISSN: 1932-6203, 2019 Oct 18; Vol. 14 (10), pp. e0223567; Publisher: Public Library of Science; PMID: 31626645, Database: MEDLINE Complete PubMedLinks to an external site.
I was glad to see that you chose yoga to discuss. When I worked in the Oncology unit, I used a form of meditation for my patients and I did not know that it was called Raja Yoga. It really did help the patients by calming their nerves and anxiety levels, by helping them concentrate on what is important, and emptying out the negative. By the negative, I mean, the patients new that an early death for them was inevitable but by concentrating on what is important and at that moment was the here and now and what they can do with the time that they had left. In reading about Raja Yoga, I found out that I was doing it without knowing that I was doing it. I found your discussion very enlightening.
Thank you for the feedback referring to my post. My sister would have to take chemo and would become anxious on occasion as well, and meditation was one of her outlets that calmed her so this is very true for most patients.
One very common element that is found in most religions of the world is an element of seeking to become more spiritual. For the Hindus, this is found mainly in the Raja Yoga. There is something about the attempt to get away from the world and all of its noise and trying to connect to something spiritual. I think this very strong proof that a spiritual realm exists. Something that is beyond or outside of our everyday human experience calls to us, and connecting with it tends to be a very positive aspect of most religions.
I can not LOVE your points enough! I think every field in nursing comes with its own things that are extremely overwhelming. There have been more times than I can count where monitors are going off, call lights dinging, patients calling for help, ambulances rolling in, triage stats being called and I just feel like my head is going to explode. There are some times I just need to step outside and take a deep breath and decompress. I have never considered meditation but honestly I’m open to anything that is helpful.
“Sometimes this practice is coupled with being aware of the breathing or coordinating with it. In other exercises, the mantra is actually whispered very lightly and softly, as an aid to concentration” (Dienstmann, G. (2019, May 16). I think calming down plays a huge role in how you’re breathing at the time too, So definitely something to consider.
Dienstmann, G. (2019, May 16). The Ancient Powerful Practices of Hindu Meditation. Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://www.thewayofmeditation.com.au/hindu-meditation