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World Religions 101

Kalidas

Well-Known Member
So I started this World Religions course at ym college. I am thoroughly enjoying it, and was pleasantly surprised with the Hinduism portion of the class. Our teacher ( a Catholic) said the class will be focusing mostly on the academics of the religions with some side notes from practitioners to tie it all together. Hearing that I was dreading we would hear from the likes of people like Wendy Doniger and her ilk, boy was I wrong and damn happy I was. First off everything I learned has been mostly mentioned by all of you, so apparently were all a pretty intelligent bunch that agrees with academics apparently :). The ONLY issue I had was the part where she showed the video of a practitioner, and it was really only one issue. The practitioner said that Hinduism deep down is monotheistic. I guess I could see that from a vedanta point of view but that is only one small part of Hinduism. Even our professor had said that there are many "paths" under the Hindu umbrella and it all DID start as a polytheistic religions that later formed new ideas such as vedanta. She(our professor) further said that Hinduism isn't so much as monotheistic(Brahman) but more or less monistic(everything is God). She had good things to say about Hinduism, and feels that it is a great religion that she feels many in America can learn from, yes my catholic professor believes America should look to hinduism for lessons on spirituality and morality.

The author of our college text book was actually a half Hindu(I'll explain lol). He was born in China was raised by his Christian missionary parents and studied world religions. He decided to adopt Hinduism into his religious life and and became a pseudo Christian/Hindu. At one time he was a minister of a church and the president of the vedanta society in his state (Massachusetts I believe). So our text book is VERY pro Hindu. Actually the book has this approach of telling the truth without being "rude".

Well now I have a question. we have a final project where we will present something, I have 2 ideas and am curious which would be the "better" option. I either want to explain puja and what puja means to practitioner. OR I want to give a presentation of Kali Maa. Feeling she is the most misunderstood and misrepresented of the deities (not to mention she is my main gal) to educate the students on her mythology and what she REALLY means to us her children I feel is important. What do you all think?
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Seems to me its more an effect caused b y much better promotion by the likes of HAF, the immigrant community, etc. Course I could be wrong. Religion bashing really isn't in vogue these days.

I think you should do a puja for them.
 

Kalidas

Well-Known Member
Seems to me its more an effect caused b y much better promotion by the likes of HAF, the immigrant community, etc. Course I could be wrong. Religion bashing really isn't in vogue these days.

I think you should do a puja for them.

Oh, but oh contraire! this man already passed away in the 80's He started writing and teaching Religions in the 50's. He was showing his students yoga in the 50's, a good 10 years before the Beatles made Hinduism "cool" in the West.

I'm not sure if I should actually perform a puja. Considering I'm sure my puja skills are probably very bad. I would totally bring my alter in and explain it all, I think I would even dress the part.
 

StarryNightshade

Spiritually confused Jew
Premium Member
Well now I have a question. we have a final project where we will present something, I have 2 ideas and am curious which would be the "better" option. I either want to explain puja and what puja means to practitioner. OR I want to give a presentation of Kali Maa. Feeling she is the most misunderstood and misrepresented of the deities (not to mention she is my main gal) to educate the students on her mythology and what she REALLY means to us her children I feel is important. What do you all think?

How about a puja specifically for Kali Maa?
 

Kalidas

Well-Known Member
I is a bad guesser ...

If I can find the video she showed us today I'll post it. It was about Taoism and confucianism. It started out that way then took a turn down Hinduism land, where he talked about his Hindu ideals and yoga
 

Fireside_Hindu

Jai Lakshmi Maa
maybe I can try and fit both ideas in?


Pujas can be very simple or very complicated but my instinct says it would be better to give them a full puja rather than a simplified one, so if you don't feel like you can do that I love the idea of dispelling some of the misconceptions about Kali from a practitioners point of view. I think people will get more out of that in general. I'm glad you are having a positive experience with the class. :)

:camp:
 

Andal

resident hypnotist
Oh, but oh contraire! this man already passed away in the 80's He started writing and teaching Religions in the 50's. He was showing his students yoga in the 50's, a good 10 years before the Beatles made Hinduism "cool" in the West.

I'm not sure if I should actually perform a puja. Considering I'm sure my puja skills are probably very bad. I would totally bring my alter in and explain it all, I think I would even dress the part.

With whom are you comparing your puja skills? When a puja is done from the heart there is no good or bad. It is a beautiful expression of devotion.

A puja to Kali Maa would be a wonderful presentation as it allows you to explain Maa and also show how beautiful she and her devotees are :)

Aum Hari Aum!
 

Kalidas

Well-Known Member
With whom are you comparing your puja skills? When a puja is done from the heart there is no good or bad. It is a beautiful expression of devotion.

A puja to Kali Maa would be a wonderful presentation as it allows you to explain Maa and also show how beautiful she and her devotees are :)

Aum Hari Aum!

aww shucks I aint beautiful but thanks for the compliment, :). Yeah maybe not such a bad idea.
 

ShivaFan

Satyameva Jayate
Premium Member
I would not actually DO a puja in a classroom setting even though I trust your devotion but the atmosphere isn't proper and frankly I do not think Kali would be given the sentiment from the "audience" due.

Instead, let me ask - are you allowed to use overhead projections (graphics) or even better yet, somehow share a video?

If this were my presentation, I would play slide projections, overheads or powerpoint graphics, or even better yet a video, of an actual puja. But with the ability to stop the video or pause the graphics as I progress through the presentation (which doesn't have to be very long actually), and as an accompany of my presentation I would have brought in all the puja items and accessories such as abhishek utensils, spoon, bell, agrabati and incense, dhoops and lamp, fan or other items displayed in the graphics of the actual puja, water and flower, etc., and as I traverse through the video or graphics of an actual puja and with actual puja items before me on a table, as each item is introduced in the video or powerpoint graphic I would then pick up the same puja item from the table, pause the presentation while holding up the actual puja item and explain what it is, what it is made of, the purpose and meaning of the lamp, spoon, use of the lamp, why the incense is used or fan waved, so on and so forth. I would note that the pujari would likely be speaking or chanting or singing in Sanskrit which I would explain some background on and include the comment that the language is not cummonly spoken by the devotional guests of the puja or temple.

The actual murti I would use both in the presentation graphics or video, as well as in relation to the puja items I would have displayed would be Saraswati the Goddess of Learning and "who is popular among students in school" and prayed to for learning. I would then explain each item She holds in Her hands and what it means.

But ... that is just my style.
 
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Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
.. but my instinct says it would be better to give them a full puja rather than a simplified one, ..
I would also opt for that right from initial washing of the place, worshiping mother Earth for providing the place, seeking permission from the kshetrapalas and digpalas, invoking Gajanana for success of the puja, invoking other deities, the 'shodasha upancharas', etc.
 

Maya3

Well-Known Member
I think doing a very small puja is fine. Maybe an aarati, offering of flowers and incense. Handing out petals so that everyone can participate.
Then you can explain the meaning afterwords and maybe show photos of a full puja and explain more.

Maya
 

Fireside_Hindu

Jai Lakshmi Maa
I think doing a very small puja is fine. Maybe an aarati, offering of flowers and incense. Handing out petals so that everyone can participate.
Then you can explain the meaning afterwords and maybe show photos of a full puja and explain more.

Maya


That's a good idea. You can explain that a "full" puja can be quite long so in the interest of time you are giving them the "basics" and then offer a verbal explanation. I also like Shivafanji's suggestion of using slides or short video clips.

:Camp:
 

DeviChaaya

Jai Ambe Gauri
Premium Member
I agree with ShivaFan about the overhead projector/video thing. I was going to suggest you find a video of a full Kali pujA and explain it to your class mates. 'We begin by inviting the deity to reside within the icon' etc. I'm bad, I rarely go through inviting the deity because I fell She is already with me 24/7.
 

Kalidas

Well-Known Member
I think doing a very small puja is fine. Maybe an aarati, offering of flowers and incense. Handing out petals so that everyone can participate.
Then you can explain the meaning afterwords and maybe show photos of a full puja and explain more.

Maya

Though this is a great and well natured idea, I can see it going wrong horrible horribly wrong. There a lot of people of many faiths in the class but the main populations is (unsurprisingly) Christian. It is one of the core tenets of Christians to not pray to idols, or to be another God before THE God (not saying I agree just trying to be respectful). I can only imagine how that would go.

Maybe if I gave them a choice?
 
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