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H - Relationships & Families (Beginning of family life (procreation,…
H - Relationships & Families
The four stages of life
ashramas
- the stages of life for Hindus (which are meant to complete spiritual development
ashrama dharma
- religious and social duties appropriate for each stage of life
the four stages
the student stage (brahmacharya)
the householder stage (grihastha)
the retirement stage (vanaprastha)
the world-renouncer stage (sannyasa)
The student stage
begins with
sacred thread ceremony
- when boy is 9-11, he's given a thread by his father/priest to wear over left shoulder -> shows that he's going to take religious duties seriously in future by using thread to focus mind when reciting Gayatri mantra x3 per day
The retirement stage
begins when first child has own son and carries on family traditions. Householder can move onto concentrate more on spiritual things. May go on pilgrimage with wife. Many Hindus prefer to remain in householder stage til they die
The world-renouncer stage
this stage is accepted by few Hindus today as it means giving up comforts of a settled life to become wandering sannyasin, spending life in meditation and prayer, with no income or home of own
The householder stage
when Hindu marries and takes responsibility for own family. He should practise
artha
(earning money for family's needs) and
kama
(enjoying pleasures of life responsibly). Householder's dharma - to provide for material & spiritual needs of family
Varsnshrama Dharma
varnas
- social classes or groups Hindus were born into
varnashrama dharma
- religious and social duties being appropriate for each social group and each stage of life
the system of organising society, bringing together the social group (varna), the stages of life (ashramas) and their duties (dharma).
original system of varna
- allowed people to move between social groups and interact - it was based on suitability for doing certain types of work
Overtime people insisted it was hereditary (positions based on birth) -> caste system
Caste system = more rigid, doesn't encourage moving between social groups
There were outcastes who didn't belong to any group - often treated badly
Vedas taught people to worship God and try to organise way people lived and worked (at time of when people of Indus Valley struggled to establish peaceful society). Was time of unrest and population change.
Existing social traditions merged with new ideas about how people should live, behave, interact
although Hindu caste system was a very unequal society, though very well-organised
Human Sexuality
heterosexual
- sexually attracted to opposite sex
homosexual
- attracted to same sex
third gender
- neither male nor female; combination
Hindu attitudes about heterosexual:....................................
kama (pleasures)
main purpose of sex was to have children
sex outside marriage - not accepted
student stage of life - no sexual relationship -> too young or too distracting for studies
Hindu attitudes towards homosexuals
diverse religion - same sex allowed
gods switch genders depending on mood etc
priests say love is the result of attachments from previous births and should be allowed in whatever form it takes
Hindu attitudes towards third gender:......................................
Gopi Shankar - 'gender activist' - identified more than 20 types of genders and named them in Tamil (local language)
third gender accepted (some people born mixed)
gender-neutral or transsexuals as a fact of natural biology ->
hijras
Marriage, cohabitation, same-sex marriage
Marriage
Hindu marriage partners = from same social group
marriage with non-Hindus - not encouraged
During marriage:.............................................................................................................................
gold and red worn
bride wears lots of jewellery
both wear garlands of flowers for parts of ceremony
puja performed many times in family home, both to family deities and Ganesha (good fortune)
bride offers prayers to Parvati and Shiva or other divine couples for blessing of prosperity, long life, health, children (particularly sons)
Hindus believe marriage should be based on more than just romantic love - many parents arrange weddings and are longlasting and happy
Cohabitation
cohabitation
- a couple living together and having sexual relationship without being married
frowned upon generally but now accpeted more because view in society (both in UK and India) have changed
many Hindus have been born into liberal world and have only heard about social traditions and religious traditions from parents and grandparents -> means they're less likely to stick to the rules of celibacy
Hindu weddings very expensive - another reason to cohabit (save money)
cohabiting is like trial marriage - don't have to spend all that money if it's not going to last long
women's role in society has changed - do have a little power, more than they used to
Same-sex marriage
Liberal Hindus don't have a problem with this
Traditional and conservative Hindus may not agree
can still have flamboyant marriage ceremonies and celebrations
Sex before marriage, adultery, divorce, remarriage
Sex, marriage, adultery
marriages still arranged as believed love grows
within
a marriage and so doesn't necessarily have to be a
start
of it
many believe if marriage only depends on emotion and passion, it will break down quicker
If marriage has problems, Hindus believe these need to be sorted out or tolerated
Sex outside marriage = not accepted by hindus
if girl had sex before marriage, she brings shame on family and after may not be able to find suitable husband
Hindus dealt with sex before marriage by marrying girls off young so they didn't have time to 'get into trouble'
adultery still not accepted but times are changing and Hindus starting to accept that
adultery not accepted - Hindu teaching is to respect each other and never allow selfish lust to govern sexual relationships
Divorce & Remarriage
Hindus intend marriage to be lifelong committment between one wife and one husband
divorce reluctantly accepted
man expected to remarry if marriage breaks down
also acceptable for women to remarry although second marriage is seen as less important because of the ancient teaching that she must be faithful to her first husband even after his death
Families & Contemporary Family Issues
nuclear family
- one mother, one father and their children. Even if grandparents live nearby, have own place to live and separate lives
Traditional Hindu ways -
extended family
- at least three generations all living together in same home
how are children brought up?
part of householder stage = teach children about festivals and traditions
taught how to clean and conduct puja at home
kitchen = clean place (washing takes place there before meals)
shoes taken off before entering
eat with right hand
men eat first
most are veggie and don't drink
many parents worry about child being friends with opposite sex (worrying as it goes against student stage of life)
elderly:
H's have strong sense of caring for all members of extended family
some prepared today to put in care homes (suits life better)
Shakti (organisation in Leicester) helping individuals affected by dementia and Alzheimer's. also offers emotional and pratical support and helps raise awareness for mental health issues in community
Beginning of family life (procreation, conception, contraception, family planning)
each person in family = expected to fulfil duties appropriate to each stage of their life and social class and to care for every other family member
H's understand there is a part of Divine in every living being, so to show disrespect would be disrespecting God -> all family members valued
Sacred textss emphasise that children should be loved and never neglected
procreation
- bringing babies into the world
In householder stage, man repays his ancestors by producing children with wife (procreation)
having sex without intention of procreating is 'lust' and is discouraged (although kama is recognised)
samskaras
- 16 Hindu ceremonies marking rites of passage or stages on the journey of life
conception
- when male sperm fertilises the female ovum
Hindus believe that life is cyclical - has no beginning and no end (conception not beginning of life)
some say that the body is born when a baby is born and the body dies when it ceases to breath
first 3 stages of samskaras are performed before baby is born
first samskara prepares womb for soul when it arrives in its new body at conception (new life of soul begins at conception)
second and third samskaras during pregnancy (prayers said for healthy development of baby)
Next 6 during childhood
Is contraception allowed?..........................................................................................
allowed if couples don't totally put off possibility of having children
unnatural
deliberately inferring with God's plan
today, Hindus believe family planning = good thing (population control = major problem in India and so now ideal family is boy and girl. Some Hindus wait til they've had a son - to carry on family traditions)
Gender Equality
When India gained independence in 1947, new laws were introduced, meaning every person in India was of equal status and of independent worth
Hindu scriptures say that women pass through three stages of life: when she is supported and protected by her father, her husband, then her son =
gender discrimination
gender discrimination
- to act against someone based on their gender (can be against the law)
polygamy
- the practice/custom of having more than one wife at a time
In the past, Hindu system of stages of life meant that many men became celibate - leaving morewomen than men sexually active -> any man not celibate would be able to take more than one wife
In India, polygamy made sure no woman was left unmarried and had sons to look after her in her old age
Hindus accept same-sex marriage and same-sex parenting but by H tradition, should bring up children and each have their role in parenting (but more often children are brought up by same-sex parents)