Oxford Centre for
Hindu Studies Online
Oxford Centre for
Hindu Studies Online
How is Hinduism lived?
This course introduces Hindu religious practice and Hindu society: temple worship and ritual, the pursuit of spiritual knowledge through yoga, the caste system and Hindu opposition to it, the role and status of women in religious teaching and family life, and the modern reformers who have challenged and reshaped the tradition.
The course runs over seven weekly sessions, created and tutored by Dr Nick Sutton, with video lectures, 207 pages of course notes, and a tutor-moderated discussion forum. No prior knowledge is needed. It pairs with Introduction to Hinduism: Texts, History, Philosophy, which covers scripture, history, and doctrine. Each stands alone, and they can be taken in either order.
In this session we consider how devotional teachings are reflected in ritual and spontaneous worship. We also include a brief discussion of Vedic fire rituals and Hindu temple worship.
We continue our consideration of Hindu religious practice with a look at how spiritual knowledge is pursued, with an emphasis on yoga exercises.
Turning to social Hinduism, we now consider the caste system, and how it is related to Hindu beliefs. We also look at examples of Hindu opposition to caste barriers.
In this session, we consider the role and status of women in Hindu religious teachings as well as marriage and family life.
We begin to consider how a number of modern Hindu teachers have sought to reinterpret and reform the tradition. How have they challenged established practices in relation to caste and gender? How do they seek to establish forms of Hinduism appropriate for the modern age.
We move into the post-independence (1947) era, considering how Hinduism has been affected by secularism and the pervasive influence of modernity.
We conclude by looking at some of the most important Hindu texts, including passages from the Upanishads and Bhagavad-gita, as well as Hindu devotional literature.
Course Tutor
Nick is the Director – and the heart and soul – of the OCHS Continuing Education Department. He is a dedicated teacher with decades of experience in making sometimes-confusing traditions relevant. He has created over a dozen online courses and is working on many more. He has written translations and commentary on Bhagavad Gītā and the Yoga Sūtra. Nick received his Phd from Lancaster University (1995). His thesis was on the religious teachings of the Mahabharata.