... Hinduism and the lifestyles if its practitioners, this film succeeds in explaining the central ideas of the practiced religion as well as the philosophy of Hinduism. Several of those concepts examined include: the many Gods and Goddesses; the ritual practice of image worship; and the lives of ascetics who denounce society and wander off alone in search of enlightenment. Throughout the fifty minutes ... of this film, Gyre introduces his viewers to the realities of rural Indian life; the modesty of their existence, their strife during difficult times of drought and famine, and the traditi...

• Word Count: 704
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Graduate

... as a social matter, something that is practiced with others was also visible in the Hindu Temple, as devotees participated in the Prasad ("that which gives peace). Prasad is offered in material substance or food; the Lord is pleased even with the smallest offering. Offering symbolizes giving up ignorance to the deity for spiritual enlightenment; it is blessed with knowledge, then eaten, through which knowledge enters ... the body and makes attendees more divine. When offerings are shared, knowledge is shared. During the Prasad ritual, the members sang prayers, which were described by th...

• Word Count: 1573
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Graduate