SUGGESTIONS FOR INSTRUCTOR
FOR MYTHS, NARRATIVES AND MEDITATION LESSON
MODULES 5
through 8 are not arranged in historical sequence nor are they in any
particular regional order. They are
designed to provide mythic and narrative introductions to some important Old
Indic themes. Module 5 (Shiva and Vishnu) begins with the somewhat late South Indian story and representation of
Shiva, namely, Shiva as the cosmic dancer (the Chola period, c., 10th, 11th and
12th centuries), which is now widely known in India and provides a useful entry
to some basic themes and notions in Old Indic spirituality.
The Module also includes the story of the cosmic sleep of Vishnu, which
is somewhat older (c. 4th thru the
8th century C.E.) than the Shiva story, deriving from a text called the Vishnu
Purana, and providing a dramatic representation of the notion of
time in Indic thought. Modules
6 focuses on early Jain and Buddhist traditions from the sixth and fifth
centuries Before the Common Era. Module
7 focuses on the great goddess as described in a text called the Devimahatmya
from the first centuries of the Common Era as well as from one of the oldest
philosophical traditions of India, namely, the philosophy of Samkhya.
Finally, Module 8 (Yoga and Yantra) is a later (c., 5th century and
later) largely Tantric tradition which makes use of some basic geometrical
symbols that portray some basic meditation notions in Indic spirituality.