CHAPTER 9: Eastern Peoples & Eastern Religions

1. CHAPTER 9:Eastern Peoples & Eastern Religions

2. Columbian Exposition • 1893 in Chicago • World’s Parliament of Religion • Swami Vivekananda • Anagarika Dharmapala • Soyen Shaku

3. Asian Exclusion • harassment & discrimination • immigration laws • 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act • 1907 Gentlemen’s Agreement • 1924 Oriental Exclusion Act • Japanese internment camps

4. Looking from Europe & the East Coast of the U.S. • Nearer East – Eastern Orthodoxy • Middle East – Islam & Baha’i • Farther East – Hinduism & Buddhism

5. Eastern Orthodoxy in America • Russian Orthodox • earliest to arrive • Greek Orthodox • largest branch in America • other national churches e.g.) Romanian, Serbian

6. Eastern Orthodox Churches • “right religion” • patriarchates: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem • autocephalous churches • autonomous churches

7. Eastern Orthodox Practice • Divine Liturgy • Hesychasm • Icons • point of connection to sacred • 8th- & 9th-century controversy

8. Eastern-Western Split within Christianity • opposed primacy of Roman Pope • “filioque” controversy • Pope excommunicated Bishop of Constantinople • 4th Crusade in Constantinople

9. Islam in America • Muslim slaves • African American Muslims • Nation of Islam • Arab & European Muslim immigrants • Immigration Act of 1965

10. Religion of Islam • Muhammad • Allah • Qur’an • umma • jihad

11. Pillars of Islam • confession of faith • prayer 5x a day • alms • fast during Ramadan • hajj

12. Forms of Islam • Sunni – caliphs • Shiite – imams • line of Ali • await the Mahdi • Sufi – sheikhs • mysticism

13. Developments in America • mosques as Islamic centers • Muslim Students Association • Islamic Society of North America • September 11th, 2001

14. Baha’i • “completes” previous religions • Baha’u’llah • age of universal unity & peace • equality & reverence for living things • forbids partisan politics

15. Hindu Religion • religions of India • Brahman & Atman • monism • polytheism • puja

16. Yoga • “union & the discipline to achieve it” • 3 broad paths to the divine • bhakti • karma • jnana • Hatha yoga

17. Early Export Forms of Hinduism • Vedanta Society • Vivekananda • raja yoga • Self-Realization Fellowship • Yogananda • kriya yoga

18. Later Export Forms of Hinduism • Transcendental Meditation • Maharishi Mahesh Yogi • ISKCON • “Hare Krishnas” • A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

19. Post-1965 Hinduism • temple culture • ecumenical • guru culture

20. Buddhism • Siddhartha Gautama • Four Noble Truths • Eightfold (Middle) Path • human suffering has a cause • the cause of suffering is desire • there is a way to end suffering • the way to end it is to end desire

21. Major Forms of Buddhism • Theravada – Southeast Asia • arhat • Mahayana – China & Japan • bodhisattva • Vajrayana(Tantric) – Tibet • mystical union with divinity

22. Buddhists in U.S. • early sympathizers • Transcendentalists • Theosophists • monks & lay Buddhists • Pure Land Buddhist immigrants • Tibetan refugees

23. Buddhist Meditation • popular export forms of Buddhism • Rinzai Zen • koans • Soto Zen • Vipassana Insight Meditation

24. Trends of American Buddhism • “Church” or “Temple” Buddhism • “Convert” Buddhism • “Missionary” Buddhism • Nichiren Shoshu • Soka Gakkai International, USA

25. Expansion, Contraction, & Combination • postpluralism • Healthy-Happy-Holy Organization • 3HO • Yogi Bhajan • kundalini yoga, Tantric & Sikh

26. OVERVIEW • Near East – Eastern Orthodoxy • Middle East – Islam & Baha’i • Farther East – Hinduism & Buddhism • ethnic & export forms in U.S.