Describe the unique features of early Hinduism
What will be an ideal response?
Hinduism is markedly different from the religions of the West. It identifies the sacred not as a superhuman personality, but as an objective, all-pervading Cosmic Spirit called Brahman.Pantheism, the belief that divinity is inherent in all things, is basic to the Hindu view that the universe itself is sacred. While neither polytheistic nor monotheistic in the traditional sense, Hinduism embraces all the Vedic gods, a multitude of deities who are to this day perceived as emanations of the divine. Hindu religious texts, such as the Upanishads, teach enlightenment through meditation.
Unlike the nature deities of Mesopotamia and Egypt, Brahman is infinite, formless, and ultimately unknowable. While Mesopotamians and ancient Egyptians regarded human beings as separate from the gods, Hindus, guided by the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita, asserted the oneness of matter and spirit. Unlike the Hebrew Yahweh, Brahman assumes no personal and contractual relationship with humankind. Brahman is the Uncaused Cause and the Ultimate Reality.
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How did rulers of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires respond to the rising influence of the West in world affairs after 1500?
a. A tendency to underestimate Western capacities led to a failure to adopt Western military, technological, and scientific advances. b. Highly centralized drives to confront the West on the high seas thwarted Western encroachment on trade routes and port cities. c. They pursued increased diplomatic and military dependence on Ming and Qing dynasties in China to organize resistance to Western domination. d. Adoption of firearms and artillery enabled coordinated assaults on the homelands of the Western merchants. e. Gender roles in the Muslim empires began to more closely matched Western models, in particular greater opportunities for secular education.
Which commercial outlet during the 19th century helped composers achieve financial independence?
A) concerts for the aristocracy B) composing church music C) music publishing D) none of the above