Indian religions
Let an agent describe Indian religions as a family with attribution, describe shared concepts and differences between traditions, support respectful study and comparison, and remain neutral on contested and sensitive questions.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent describe Indian religions as a family with attribution, describe shared concepts and differences between traditions, support respectful study and comparison, and remain neutral on contested and sensitive questions.
The religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent, principally Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, together with tribal, folk and regional traditions such as Dravidian and Punjabi folk religion, sharing concepts such as dharma, karma and rebirth while differing in doctrine, practice and organisation, and described here in the terms of each tradition with attribution; Indian religions are among the oldest living religious traditions and have spread across Asia and worldwide.
What it is for: Religions originating in the Indian subcontinent.
It can be describe the family with attribution; describe shared concepts and differences; support study; remain neutral.
Distinguishing features
Subcontinental origin
Shared concepts
Diverse traditions
Global spread
What it looks like
Not physical; religious traditions.
How it is recognised
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and folk traditions
Shared concepts of dharma, karma, rebirth
Abrahamic religions originated in West Asia; religion in India includes imported traditions
Related models
is a kind of - category
is related to - religions practised in India today
is related to - a shared concept
is related to - another religious family for comparison
In practice
Families and kinds
Hinduism and its traditions
Buddhism
Jainism
Sikhism
tribal, folk and regional religions
Standards and regulation
Academic standards in religious studies
Constitutional religious freedom in India and elsewhere
Respectful representation guidelines
Failure modes and hazards
Conflating distinct traditions
Taking sides in sectarian or political disputes
Colonial-era categorisations
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What Indian religions are.
Attribution.
Family
The family.
Family
Family.
- Which religions are counted as Indian religions, and how do they describe themselves? provenance
- Is the presentation attributed and respectful? boundary
Shared
Shared concepts.
Shared
Shared.
- What concepts such as dharma, karma and rebirth are shared, and how does each tradition understand them? provenance
- Which entry fits a specific concept? action
Traditions Traditions and differences.
Attribution.
Differences
Differences.
Differences
Differences.
- How do Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism differ in doctrine, practice and organisation? provenance
- Which entry fits a specific tradition? action
Folk
Folk and tribal traditions.
Folk
Folk.
- What are the folk and tribal religious traditions of the subcontinent, described in their own terms? provenance
- Which entry fits a specific tradition? action
Society Society and debates.
Attribution.
Spread
Spread and diaspora.
Spread
Spread.
- How did Indian religions spread across Asia and the world? provenance
- Which entry fits a specific region? action
Debates
Contested questions.
Debates
Debates.
- What debates exist about the category of Indian religions and about religion and politics in the region, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Learn Study and teaching.
Education.
Texts
Texts and scholarship.
Texts
Texts.
- Which primary texts and scholarly works are standard for each tradition? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Teach
Teaching.
Teach
Teaching.
- How can Indian religions be taught respectfully and accurately? action
- Which misconceptions arise? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Should each tradition be a separate entry?
- How should primary texts be linked?
- How should folk religions be represented?