Download What is Hinduism?

What is Hinduism?
One of the oldest religions of humanity
The religion of the Indian people
Gave birth to Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism
Tolerance and diversity: "Truth is one, paths are
many"
Many deities but a single, impersonal Ultimate
Reality
A philosophy and a way of life – focused both
on this world and beyond
How did Hinduism begin?
No particular founder
Indus River Valley Civilization >5000 years ago
Aryans enter 4000 - 3500 years ago
Vedic Tradition 3500 – 2500 years ago:
rituals and many gods (polytheism)
sacred texts (Vedas)
social stratification (caste system)
Upanishads (metaphysical philosophy) 2800 –
2400 years ago
Vedic Tradition develops into Hinduism
What are the Sacred Texts?
Shruti (“heard”) – oldest, most authoritative:
Four Vedas (“truth”) – myths, rituals, chants
Upanishads - metaphysical speculation
Plus other texts
Smriti (“remembered”) – the Great Indian Epics:
Ramayana
Mahabharata (includes Bhagavad-Gita)
Plus others
What do Hindus believe?
One impersonal Ultimate Reality – Brahman
Manifest as many personal deities
True essence of life – Atman, the soul, is
Brahman trapped in matter (“That art thou”)
Reincarnation – atman is continually born into
this world lifetime after lifetime (Samsara)
Karma – spiritual impurity due to actions keeps
us bound to this world (good and bad)
Ultimate goal of life – to release Atman and
reunite with the divine, becoming as one with
Brahman (Moksha)
How does Hinduism direct
life in this world?
Respect for all life – vegetarian
Human life as supreme:
Four “stations” of life (Caste) - priests &
teachers, nobles & warriors, merchant class,
servant class
Four stages of life – student, householder,
retired, renunciant
Four duties of life – pleasure, success, social
responsibilities, religious responsibilities
(moksha)
What are the spiritual
practices of Hinduism?
The Four Yogas - seeking union with the divine:
Karma Yoga – the path of action through
selfless service (releases built up karma
without building up new karma)
Jnana Yoga – the path of knowledge
(understanding the true nature of reality and
the self)
Raja Yoga – the path of meditation
Bhakti Yoga – the path of devotion
Guru – a spiritual teacher, especially helpful for
Jnana and Raja yoga
How do Hindus worship?
Bhakti Yoga is seeking union with the divine
through loving devotion to manifest deities
• In the home (household shrines)
• In the Temples (priests officiate)
Puja – making offerings to and decorating the deity
images
Darsan – “seeing” the deity (not idol worship)
Prasad – taking the divine within your own being
through eating of food shared with the deity
Who do Hindus worship? –
the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Brahma, the creator god
Who do Hindus worship? –
the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Vishnu, the preserver god
Incarnates as ten avatars (descents) including:
Rama (featured in the Ramayana)
Krishna (featured in the Mahabharata)
(Each shown with his consort, Sita and Radha, respectively)
Who do Hindus worship? –
the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Shiva, god of constructive destruction
(the transformer)
Appears as Shiva Nataraj,
lord of the dance of creation…
and with his wife, Parvati, and son Ganesha
(the elephant headed remover of obstacles)
What about the goddesses?
Devi – the feminine divine
Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, consort of
Brahma
What about the goddesses?
Devi – the feminine divine
Lakshmi, goddess of good fortune, consort
of Vishnu
What about the goddesses?
Devi – the feminine divine
Parvati, divine mother, wife of
Shiva
What about the goddesses?
Devi – the feminine divine
Durga, protectress
Kali, destroyer of demons
Plus about 330 million other deities
All these deities are but
Manifest forms (attributes
and functions) of the
impersonal Brahman
And we too are manifest forms
of God!
“We are not human beings
having spiritual experiences;
We are spiritual beings
having a human experience!”
“That art Thou”
Hinduism is about recognizing the all pervasiveness of the divine
Buddhism…
The “middle way of wisdom and compassion”
A 2500 year old tradition that began in India
and spread and diversified throughout the Far
East
A philosophy, religion, and spiritual practice
followed by more than 300 million people
Based on the teachings of the Buddha
The “Three Jewels” of
Buddhism
Buddha – the teacher
Dharma – the teachings
Sangha – the community
Who was the Buddha?
Born Siddhartha Gautama – of noble caste in India,
563 B.C.E.
Raised in great luxury to be a king
Empathy for the suffering of others; at age 29 rejected
the life of luxury to seek enlightenment and the solution
to suffering
Followed a strict ascetic lifestyle for six years
Rejected this extreme, sat in meditation, achieved
Nirvana – an awakening to the truth about life, becoming
a Buddha, the “Awakened One”at the age of 35
Spent the remaining 45 years of his life teaching others
how to achieve the peace of mind he had achieved
Siddhartha = Buddha
What did the Buddha teach?
The Four Noble Truths:
To live is to suffer
The cause of suffering is self-centered desire &
attachments
The solution is to eliminate desire and
attachment, thus achieving Nirvana (“extinction”)
The way to Nirvana is through the “Eight-Fold
Path”
What is the Eight-Fold Path?
Wisdom:
•Right understanding Moral discipline:
•Right motivation
•Right speech
Mental discipline:
•Right action
•Right effort
•Right livelihood
•Right mindfulness
•Right meditation
The Eightfold Path
Right View
You must see the world
as it really is, not as you
want it to be.
All things are subject to
suffering.
“Life is pain, Highness.
Anyone who says
differently is selling
something.”
Right Intention
Resist your desires.
Give up greed and
selfishness.
Resist anger.
Do not intend to hurt
others.
Learn compassion for
others.
Right Speech
NO lying.
NO gossiping.
NO slander.
NO swearing.
NO idle conversation –
only speak when you
have something
important to say.
Right Action
NO harming of others,
especially murder or
suicide (all life is
sacred)
NO stealing
NO sexual
misconduct, such as
rape, sex for any
purpose other than
procreation
Right Livelihood
Wealth is OK if gained
through peaceful and
ethical means.
NO making or selling of
weapons, dealing in
living beings (man or
animals), butchering of
meats, dealing in
intoxicants.
Right Effort
You must always be
trying to improve
yourself.
Every effort to follow
the Eightfold Path and
to be a better person
adds to your karma.
Right Mindfulness
You must be aware of
yourself – all of your
thoughts, feelings,
strengths and
weaknesses.
You must be honest and
open with yourself.
Right Concentration
Not only can you not
DO the things that are
forbidden, you can not
even THINK about
doing them!
All thoughts must be
wholesome, good, and
pure.
How does Buddhism differ
from Hinduism?
Buddhism rejects…
Authority of the ancient Vedic texts
The Vedic caste system
The Vedic and Hindu deities
The efficacy of Vedic worship and ritual
The concept of Brahman
What do Buddhists believe?
Rebirth (reincarnation) results from attachments (karma)
Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state of mind
Achieving Nirvana means escape from the cycle of
rebirth
Once Gautama Buddha died, after 80 years of life in this
world, having achieved Nirvana and teaching multitudes
his way of life, he ceased to exist as a distinct being
Buddhism is non-theistic: Buddha is not the Buddhist
God – he is just a revered teacher
Buddhist Metaphysics
Dukkha: life in this world is filled with suffering
Anicca: everything in this world is impermanent
Anatta:the self/soul is also impermanent –
there is no eternal, unchanging self (“no soul” –
no atman)
Suffering is a state of mind – achieve a
balanced, peaceful, detached state of mind and
suffering can be extinguished (Nirvana)
What are some Buddhist texts?
Tripitaka (the Pali Cannon) – the “Three
Baskets”:
Vinaya (“discipline”) – rules for monastic life
Sutta (“discourse”) – sermons of the Buddha
Abhidhamma (metaphysical “teachings”)
Dhammapada – collected sayings of the
Buddha
Other texts used by specific schools
The Spread of Buddhism
Within two centuries
after the Buddha
died, Buddhism
began to spread
north and east into
Asia
By 13th century
Buddhism had
disappeared from
India
Schools of Buddhism Theravada
The “Way of the Elders” (a.k.a.: the “small
vehicle”)
Oldest school of Buddhism
Found in southern Asia (Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand,
etc.)
Monasticism is the ideal life for achieving Nirvana
A “do-it-yourself” approach to enlightenment
Focus on wisdom and meditation
Goal is to become a Buddha
Fairly unified in belief & practice (some cultural
differences)
Schools of Buddhism Mahayana
The “Great Vehicle”
Developed first century C.E.
Found in Northern Asia (China, Japan, etc.)
Lay Buddhism – Buddhism “for the masses”
Devotional – seek guidance from Bodhisattvas (“wise
beings”) & heavenly Buddhas (kwan Yin, Amida, etc.)
Focus on compassion
Goal is to become a bodhisattva and assist others
toward enlightenment (the “Bodhisattva Ideal”)
Diverse schools and sects including:
Pureland, Nichiren, Tendai, Shingon, and others
Schools of Buddhism Tibetan
Vajrayana – the “Diamond Vehicle”
Developed 7th century C.E.
A mix of Theravada & Mahayana:
Rituals (Tantra):
• Mantras (chanting)
• Mandalas & Thankas (symbolic images)
• Mudras (hand gestures)
Bodhisattvas, including living Lamas (Dalai Lama)
Meditation, monasticism, wisdom & compassion
Bardo Thodol -Tibetan Book of the Dead
Schools of Buddhism –
Zen
The “meditation” school:
Lay and monastic
Seeks sudden enlightenment (satori) through
meditation, arriving at emptiness (sunyata) and
the “Buddha Nature”
Use of meditation masters (Roshi)
Koans (paradoxical riddles to confound reason)
Beauty, arts & aesthetics – gardens, archery,
the tea ceremony, calligraphy, etc.