Hinduism: the Existence of Ultimate Reality and Deity | OCR GCSE Religious Studies (J625)
Hinduism: the Existence of Ultimate Reality and Deity
- 73 questions
- 6 subtopics
- Group 2 paper
- Group 2 paper
Hinduism: The Existence of Ultimate Reality and Deity is examined in Component Group 2, religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world from a Hindu perspective (J625/10), if this is the perspective studied.
That perspective must be one of the student's two Group 1 religions. It covers Brahman, the gods and the Hindu question of deity, Hindu responses to evil and suffering, Hindu arguments about cause and creation, the purpose of the world in Hindu thought: cycles, samsara and karma, how Ultimate Reality is revealed to Hindus and Hindu religious experience: conversion, mysticism, visions and murti puja.
Sample questions from Hinduism: the Existence of Ultimate Reality and Deity
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Brahman, the gods and the Hindu question of deity
How do Vaishnava and Shaiva Hindus describe the nature of the Ultimate?
Show the answer
Vaishnavas and Shaivas describe the Ultimate as a supreme personal Lord with infinite good qualities. Devotees believe this Lord can be known, loved and served. -
Brahman, the gods and the Hindu question of deity
How does the Shakta tradition challenge a male picture of God?
Show the answer
Shaktas hold that the Ultimate is feminine, the Goddess who is both the power and the ground of all things. A Shakta saying holds that Shiva without Shakti is shava, a corpse. -
Hindu responses to evil and suffering
How might a Hindu reply to the claim that karma blames victims?
Show the answer
A Hindu might reply that karma explains suffering but never excuses cruelty or indifference. The duty of daya means Hindus must help those who suffer. -
Hindu responses to evil and suffering
How does the idea of lila (divine play) help some Hindus think about suffering?
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Lila is the belief that creation is the free, joyful play of God. Some Hindus accept that the reasons behind events in God's play may be hidden from humans. -
Hindu arguments about cause and creation
How might a Hindu use the teleological or design argument?
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The argument says the order and purpose in nature point to an intelligent designer. A Hindu might point to rita, the cosmic order praised in the Vedas, as evidence of Brahman. -
Hindu arguments about cause and creation
Why do some Hindus value the uncertainty of the Nasadiya Sukta in debates about creation?
Show the answer
The hymn admits that even the highest god may not know how creation began. Some Hindus see this humility as welcoming to scientific enquiry. -
The purpose of the world in Hindu thought: cycles, samsara and karma
What does Bhagavad Gita XII 6–7 promise to devotees caught in samsara?
Show the answer
Krishna promises to lift those who worship him with undivided devotion out of the ocean of death and rebirth. Krishna delivers such devotees swiftly. -
The purpose of the world in Hindu thought: cycles, samsara and karma
How might a Hindu answer the claim that the universe has no purpose?
Show the answer
A Hindu might argue that samsara and karma give the universe a moral purpose: the soul's growth towards liberation. The regular cycles of the cosmos show order, not chance.
The 6 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Brahman, the gods and the Hindu question of deity | Polytheism, monotheism and henotheism, Yajnavalkya on how many gods there are, why no description can be final, Vaishnava and Shaiva views, Brahman in every human, the Shakta challenge, and divine goodness. | 12 |
| Hindu responses to evil and suffering | Moral and natural evil, karma as an answer and the charge that it blames victims, maya, samsara, the spiritual value of suffering, lila, Shiva and Kali, an atheist challenge, and Prahlad. | 12 |
| Hindu arguments about cause and creation | Brahmanda, the cosmic egg, Aum, Udayana's argument for Ishvara, design and moral arguments, awe and wonder, Gita X 8, the Nasadiya Sukta's uncertainty, schools that reject a creator, and science. | 12 |
| The purpose of the world in Hindu thought: cycles, samsara and karma | Cyclical and linear time, destruction in the Trimurti, Gita IX 7–8 and XII 6–7, a world formed for humanity, karma and moral consequence, the purpose of one life, the Purusha Sukta, and Humanist views. | 12 |
| How Ultimate Reality is revealed to Hindus | Shruti as revelation, Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, figures from Hindu history, the epics, svadharma, the avatars, personal experience over scripture, an atheist challenge, and contradictory revelations. | 12 |
| Hindu religious experience: conversion, mysticism, visions and murti puja | Valmiki's conversion and modern converts, Ramana Maharshi's realisation, Arjuna's vision in Gita XI, detachment and liberation, worship before a murti, the Ganesha milk miracle of 1995 and its sceptics. | 13 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR GCSE Religious Studies Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,800 questions with their answers.