Hinduism: Questions for Reflection

Questions for Reflection
Hinduism

Religion: Hinduism

Purpose: to encourage students to think more deeply and creatively regarding issues related to the religion in question and to think about how these issues relate to the real world and even to the student's own life.

Cognitive Skills: application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation

Learning Styles: active (if discussed with classmates), reflective, sensing, intuitive, global

Intelligences: intrapersonal, interpersonal (when discussed with others), logical-mathematical

Use: in classroom, at home, on-line discussion board

For: individual, pairs, small groups

Estimated time: 2 - 5 minutes (or more when done as journaling at home)

Materials needed: none (other than pen and paper)

The Activity: several options for use

In the classroom: These questions may be presented in class for students to think-write-pair-share
At home: Questions may also be suggested to students for personal reflection and written response as a journaling exercise (which may be a graded assignment)
On line: Questions such as these would make for ideal on-line discussions for distance learning classes

The Questions: These are just some suggestions. Teachers may feel free to modify these or use additional questions they may think of themselves

We are not human beings!
Do you think of yourself as a body with a soul or a soul in a body? A Hindu friend of mine has said: "we are not human beings having spiritual experiences, we are spiritual beings having a human experience." How does that statement strike you?
Reincarnation
Had you ever heard of reincarnation before this class? How do you feel about this idea? Agree with it? Disagree? not sure? Argue the case for your position. Would you want to be reincarnated? Why or why not?
Caste
Do we have a "caste" in our own society - unofficial as it may be?
Think of some jobs in our society. Which caste group does each fit into?
How do you think caste distinctions might benefit a society? How might they be detrimental to a society
Ashrama (see also collage activity on this topic)
Think of different people you know. Which stage of life is each in? Which stage of life are you in? (See if you can identify someone for each of the four stages of life.)
Dharma (see also collage activity on this topic)
Of the four goals of life identified by Indian culture, which goal most closely approximates what motivates you in life? How about some other people you know?
The Hindu pantheon (see also webquest activity on this topic)
What would you say is the relationship between polytheism and monotheism in Hinduism? Would you say this religion is primarily polytheistic or monotheistic? Why?
Gurus
How do you feel about gurus? Do you think we need authorities such as gurus or can we learn spiritual truths on our own?

There are actually two kinds of gurus: sat-gurus and upa-gurus. A Sat-guru is a person - a spiritual teacher. An upa-guru can be anything (even an inanimate object). In essence, a sat-guru intentionally teaches while an upa-guru is more passive and relies on the students to take a more active role in their own learning. What kind of "gurus" do you have in your life?
All the world's a stage... (and life is but a dream)
Advaita Vedanta philosophy says that this world is not real - it's more like a dream, a game or play (lila) (remember the movie The Matrix?).
"Reality" is not that which is solid and physical; "reality" is that which is eternal and non-dependent on anything else for its existence. Everything in this world is temporal - it all comes into being at some point, from something before, and lasts for a limited period of time before it decays back into nothingness.
What do you think of this idea? What might be the ramifications for our lives and beings if this is true?
Meditation
Do you, or have you, experienced meditation? Tell us about it. What was it like the first few times you tried to meditate? If you have meditated for some time now, how does the practice affect you?
Gunas
In the Gita, chapters 14, 17 and 18, there is a discussion of the three gunas - attributes or qualities of human personality.

Which quality is strongest in your own life: Sattva (light, intelligence), Rajas (fire, passion), or Tamas (darkness, laziness)? Explain how these attributes manifest themselves in your life.
The four yogas (see also collage activity on this topic)
Thinking about your own religion or your own life:

In what ways do you pursue Karma yoga (action)?

In what ways do you pursue Jnana yoga (knowledge)?

In what ways do you pursue Bhakti yoga (devotion)?

Is Raja yoga (meditation) a part of your life?

Alternative possibilities: Reflective questions can be a developed for any course. The main point is to design questions that elicit creative, original thinking and encourage students to relate what they are learning to the real world and to their own life - to see and make connections.