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ayurveda:
ayurveda means science (Veda) of longevity. It was originally a Hindu medical system and had its beginnings more than two and half thousand years ago in the sixth century before the present era ( BC.). Ayurveda soon developed outside of the strictly Hindu community and was taken up and adapted by Buddhists and other religious groups. It has survived until the present day and is in fact undergoing a renaissance both in India and throughout the western world, which sees it as a necessary compliment to the Clinical model. par Ayurveda developed at about the same time as Buddhism and Hinduism and replaced earlier ideas on disease and Healing that were written down in religious texts such as the (Atharva Veda). Until Ayurveda cam e on the scene, disease was usually explained in terms of possession by various demonic disease entities. This earlier 'system' was perhaps successful because disease was less frequent. But with the growth of cities and a more settled way of life, new dis eases arose and as a response a new medical system was needed. \par Ayurveda is basically a humoural medical system that maintains that there are three essential humours which cause disease if they become imbalanced. These three humours are usually translated i n English as Wind, Bile and Phlegm. Occasionally in the surgical tradition a fourth humour - blood - was added. Surgery and physical Ayurveda became two separate traditions, surgery being more important amongst the Buddhists, who for one reason or another are less hung up about ritual purity and contact with taboo bodily products such as blood. According to Ayurvedic medicine most people are born in a state of equipoise but quickly loose it, either through bad diet, bad treatment or moving away from the ph ysical location most conducive to their natural constitution and temperament. Everyone is recommended to discover for themselves what the optimum conditions for them might be and to try to keep themselves on an even keel. The primary method for returning a nd maintaining the humours to a state of equipoise is diet. There are general recommendations of diet such as always eating hot food in the cold season etc. etc. However, more serious illness must be treated by a qualified Ayurvedic physicians, who has un dergone at least seven years of training. He or she will recommended a more finely tuned diet as well as special therapeutic techniques to attempt to redress serious imbalances of the humours. \par There is an ancient story, recorded also in the medical texts t hat explains the advent of these new diseases in mythological terms. It is called the Myth of Daksha's sacrifice. In this story, the god Shiva in revenge for not being invited to Daksha's wedding sacrifice, sacrifices Daksha! Sometimes it is said that Shi v a was angry because Daksha's feast was an incestuous wedding sacrifice. In the ensuing chaos the following diseases were engendered: gulma (tumours), prameha (diabetes), kushtha (leprosy), unmada (insanity), apasmara (epilepsy), raktapitta (haemorrhage) a nd rajayakshma (consumption). Medicine has a long association with the way of the warrior. Shiva, the god blamed for spreading so many new diseases is often associated with war. Another warrior god called Indra, is said to be have given 'the science of longevity' - \'c2 yurveda to humanity in order to rid them of these same diseases. So one god gives another takes away. In fact Shiva and Indra are very closely related, like two sides of the same coin. Perhaps it shouldn't surprise us that those who are most skilled at inflicting pain are also the very ones to remove it again. (Plato says a similar thing in the }{\i Republic}{) \par The warrior god Indra has an earthly son called Arjuna. Arjuna is the archetypal martial artist and participated in the long and bloody war that according to Indian tradition marks the beginning of human history. His story is told in the epic poem the }{ \i Mahabharata}{. In one very suggestive episode, Arjuna is forced to hide his identity and is able through his physical skill to hide his masculinity and assume the form of a eunuch. This episode has always reminded me of the supposed ability of some male martial artists to raise their testicles into their abdomen and thus protect them from injury. But be warned, although Arjuna eventually recovered his masculinity his was permanently barred from assuming the role of King. [As a Eunuch Arjuna taught dancing - another important link with Martial Arts] \par Another more obvious, connection between \'c2yurveda and the martial arts comes through its doc trine of vital points. It is perhaps more well known that Indian sexology describes a system of erogenous zones (candrakalas in Sanskrit) or points of arousal. These points are enumerated in texts such as the }{\i Kama Sutra}{ and }{\i Ananga Ranga}{ , erotic texts which take many of their source ideas from the medical tradition. However perhaps less well known is the counterpoint to the erogenous zones ; these are the points of vulnerability or marmas. Sushruta, who was an ancient surgeon who lived about 2000 years ago, identified about 140 marmas and some of these have been matched with corresponding pressure points in jujitsu and other martial arts. The following diagram, taken from a recent translation of Sushruta's medical textbook, shows some of the important marmas in the arms and legs. \par Martial arts tradition has it that Buddhist missionaries travelling from Indian in the first few centuries of our era took with them some early forms of martial arts, ideas that became the precursors of the Chinese and Far Eastern va riations. There is therefore a direct link between the surgeon Sushruta, whose work was widely studied by Buddhists and the highly developed system of pressure points and meridians. The terms may have changed but the underlying concepts of Ayurveda and th e fighting arts of Asia are surprisingly similar.
hinduism:
Hinduism differs from Christianity and other Western religions in that it does not have a single founder, a specific theological system, a single system of morality, or a central religious organization.It consists of thousands of different religious groups that have evolved in India since 1500 BCE. Hinduism has grown to become the world's third largest religion, after Christianity.It claims about 762 million followers - 13% of the world's population. It is the dominant religion in India, Nepal, and among the Tamils in Sri Lanka. There are about 1.1 million Hindus in the U.S and about 157,015 in Canada. Hinduism has traditionally been one of the most tolerant of religions.
Vaidika Dharma religion of the Vedas ,Hinduism most commonly used name in North America. Various origins for the datafield .It may be derived from an ancient inscription translated as the country lying between the Himalayan mountain and Bindu Sarovara is known as Hindusthan by combination of the first letter 'hi' of 'Himalaya' and the last compound letter 'ndu' of the word `Bindu. Bindu Sarovara is called the Cape Comorin sea in modern times. It may be derived from the Persian word for Indian Persian corruption of the word Sindhu It was a name invented by the British administration in India during colonial times .Early history of Hinduism
Beliefs about the early development of Hinduism are currently in a state of flux .The classical theory of the origins of Hinduism traces the religion's roots to the Indus valley civilization circa 4000 to 2200 BCE. The development of Hinduism was influenced by many invasions over thousands of years. The major influences occurred when light-skinned, nomadic "Aryan" Indo-European tribes invaded Northern India (circa 1500 BCE) from the steppes of Russia and Central Asia. They brought with them their religion of Vedism. These beliefs mingled with the more advanced, indigenous Indian native beliefs, often called the Indus valley culture. This theory was initially proposed by Christian academics some 200 years ago. Their conclusions were biased by their pre-existing belief in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). The Book of Genesis, which they interpreted literally, appears to place the creation of the earth at circa 4,000 and the Noahic flood at circa 2,500 BCE. These dates put severe constraints on the date of the "Aryan invasion," and the development of the four Veda and Upanishad Hindu religious texts. A second factor supporting this theory was their lack of appreciation of the sophisticated nature of Vedic culture; they had discounted it as primitive. Emerging The Aryan Invasion view of ancient Indian history has been challenged in recent years by new conclusions based on more recent findings in archaeology, cultural analysis, astronomical references, and literary analysis. One scholar, David Frawley, has established a convincing argument for this new interpretation. Archeological digs have revealed that the Indus Valley culture was not destroyed by outside invasion, but...[by] internal causes and, most likely, floods.The dark age that was believed to have followed the Aryan invasion may never have happened. A series of cities in India have been studied by archeologists and shown to have a level of civilization between that of the Indus culture and later Indian culture, as visited by the Greeks. Finally, Indus Valley excavations have uncovered many remains of fire alters, animal bones, potsherds, shell jewelry and other evidences of Vedic rituals. In other words there is no racial evidence of any such Indo-Aryan invasion of India but only of a continuity of the same group of people who traditionally considered themselves to be Aryans...The Indo-Aryan invasion as an academic concept in 18th and 19th century.Europe reflected the cultural milieu of the period.
Sacred texts the most important of all Hindu texts is the BHAGAVAD GITA which is a poem describing a conversation between a warrior Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna. It is an ancient text that has become central to Hinduism and other belief systems. Vedism survives in the Rigveda (. Rig Veda) a collection of over a thousand hymns. Other texts include the Brahmanas, the Sutras, and the Aranyakas. Hindu beliefs and practices At the heart of Hinduism is the panentheistic principle of that all reality is a unity. The entire universe is one divine entity who is simultaneously at one with the universe and who transcends it as well. Deity is simultaneously visualized as a triadCreator who is continuing to create new realitie VishnuKrishna) the Preserver, who preserves these new creations. Whenever dharma eternal order, righteousness, religion, law and duty) is threatened, Vishnu travels from heaven to earth in one of ten incarnations, the Destroyer, is at times compassio nate, erotic and destructive .Hindus follow one of two major divisions within Hinduism
HINDUISM_files Vaishnavaism: which generally regards Vishnu as the ultimate deity INCLUDEPICTURE "HINDUISM_ Shivaism: which generally regards Shiva as the ultimate deity. Simultaneously, many hundreds of Hindu Gods and Goddesses are worshipped as various aspects of that unity. Depending upon ones view, Hinduism can be looked upon as a monotheistic, trinitarian, or polytheistic religion. Humans are perceived as being trapped in samsara, a meaningless cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. Karma is the accumulated sum of one s good and bad deeds. Karma determines how you will live your next life. Through pure acts, thoughts and devotion, one can be reborn at a higher level. Eventually, one can escape samsara and achieve enlightenment. Bad deeds can cause a person to be reborn as a lower level, or even as an animal. The unequal distribution of wealth, prestige, suffering are thus seen as natural consequences for ones previous acts, both in this life and in previous lives. \par Meditation is often practiced, with Yoga being the most common. Other activities include daily devotions, public rituals, and puja a ceremonial dinner for a God. Hinduism has a deserved reputation of being highly tolerant of other religions. Hindus have a saying: Ekam Sataha Vipraha Bahudha Vadanti " which may be translated: The truth is One, but different Sages call it by Different Names" Although the caste system was abolished by law in 1949, it remains a significant force throughout India Each follower of Hinduism belonged to one of the thousands of Jats (communities) that existed in India. The Jats were grouped into four Varna (social castes), plus a fifth group called the untouchablesA person's Jat determined the range of jobs or professions from which they could choose. Marriages normally took place within the same Jat. There were rules that prohibited persons of different groups from eating, drinking or e ven smoking with each other. People were once able to move from one Varna to another. However, at some time in the past (estimates range from about 500 BCE to 500 CE), the system became rigid, so that a person was generally born into the Jat and Varna of their parents, and died in the same group. The caste system splits up society into a multitude of little communities, for every caste, and almost every local unit of a caste, has its own peculiar customs and internal regulations The Rigveda defined f our castes. In decreasing status, they are normally: \par Brahmins (the priests and academics Kshatriyas Sudras (peasants, servants, and workers in non-polluting jobs.
The Dalit were outcasts who do not belong to one of the castes. Until the late 1980's they were called Harijan (children of God). They worked in what are considered pollutin g jobs. They were untouchable by the four castes; in some areas of the country, even a contact with their shadow by a member of the Varnas was considered polluting. Practicing untouchability or discriminating against a person because of their caste is now illegal. The caste system has lost much of its power in urban areas; however it is essentially unchanged in some rural districts. The government has instituted positive discrimination in order to help the Dalit and lower castes.