RELS 2713 Assignment

In this paper, you will explore the way that Hinduism evolves and changes over time and in peoples’ lived experiences.  The following are some ideas to get you started, but they are by no means exhaustive.  If you prefer to write on a different topic, please be sure that your paper is comprised of an analysis of one or more of the primary texts from this unit.  You may use the textbook (Klostermaier) and lectures as background, but the use of outside sources is strongly discouraged. Most importantly, write about what has been most compelling to you such that you want to explore it further.

• Compare and contrast the theological concepts of lila and prema or kama and prema according to the Haberman reading. Why are these important for our understanding of Hinduism?

• How does Prahlad Tipanya’s understanding of Kabir compare with other forms of bhakti we have encountered – temple worship, for example? 

• Prahlad Tipanya’s understanding of Kabir includes a particular interpretation of non-attachment. How does this compare to other forms of non-attachment we have encountered in the course (in the Bhagavad Gita or in the Anandamayi Ma article, for example)?

• What aspects of Hinduism are most important to Vivekananda?  What does he choose to share with an American audience?  In what ways does that include or elide aspects of Hinduism as we have been studying it?

• How does Gandhi’s view of Hinduism compare to Savarkar’s? How do these various views find expression in the Ayodhya mosque/temple issue? What does this conflict within Hinduism tell us about religion more broadly?

• How does modern postural yoga differ from how yoga was historically practiced? Make an argument for or against the Hindu-American Foundation’s campaign to “take back yoga.” Whatever side you take, make sure you demonstrate the complexity of the issue.