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Name: ______________
Date: ______________
Block: _______
Hinduism
Sanatana Dharma - The Eternal Religion
Origins of Hinduism
One of the ____________________________religions of humanity
No one is really sure who founded it
The roots of Hinduism can be found around ______________ BCE
Hinduism gave birth to Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism
Today it is the main religion of people living in India (about _______% in 2001)
What are the Sacred Texts?
Four _______________________________(“truth”) – myths, rituals, chants
The Rig Veda is the oldest of the four
Many Important Epics (or ______________________________________)
What do Hindus Believe?
One impersonal Ultimate Reality – _________________________________
Manifest as many personal deities
True essence of life – Atman, ________________________, is Brahman
trapped in matter (“That art thou”)
Reincarnation – Atman is continually born into this world lifetime after
lifetime (____________________________________)
Karma – spiritual impurity due to actions keeps us bound to this world (good
and bad)
Ultimate goal of life – to release ____________________ and reunite with the
divine, becoming as one with Brahman (Moksha)
There are a variety of ways to achieve moksha, but many Hindus believe
dedication to a particular deity is the most powerful, along with getting good
karma
Tolerance and diversity: "Truth is one, paths are many“
Dharma –This is the code of ethics for achieving good karma. The trick is that
it is different for each person in their life ______________________________
Ahisma – ___________________________________in thought, word or deed
How does Hinduism Direct Life in this World?
Respect for all life – ________________________________
Human life as supreme:
Four stages of life – student, householder, retired, renunciant
Four duties of life – pleasure, success, social responsibilities, religious
responsibilities (moksha)
Four “stations” of life (__________________________________________)
Brahmins - priests, _______________________________and rulers
Kshatriyas - nobles & _____________________________
Vaishyas – ______________________________________ and farmers
Shudras - _______________________________________
The_____________________________________________ (Dalits) are
so low in the caste system they don’t even get on the list. They are
believed to contaminate anything or anyone with whom they come in
contact, and therefore have no rights or privileges.
Mahatma Gandi
_________________________
Significant Hindu leader who inspired great social change and religious peace
with his non-violent protests
One of his main methods was _________________________________
He was assassinated at age 78
What Are the Spiritual Practices of Hinduism?
The Four Yogas - seeking union with the divine:
_________________________Yoga – the path of action through selfless
service (releases built up karma without building up new karma)
_________________________Yoga – the path of knowledge
(understanding the true nature of reality and the self)
_________________________ Yoga – the path of meditation
_________________________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)
______________ – making offerings to and decorating the deity images
______________ – “seeing” the deity (not idol worship)
______________ – taking the divine within your own being through
eating of food shared with the deity
Who do Hindus Worhsip?
* Brahma, the _____________________________ god
* Most people do not worship Brahma as their god of choice. There are a few
possible reasons for this, but mainly it is because his job in the world is
complete.
* Vishnu, the ______________________________ god
* Incarnates as ten avatars (descents) including:
- Rama (featured in the Ramayana)
- Krishna (featured in the Mahabharata)
* Shiva, god of constructive _______________________________ (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? (______________________– the feminine divine)
* _____________________________, goddess of wisdom, consort of Brahma
* _____________________________, goddess of good fortune, consort of Vishnu
* _____________________________, divine mother, wife of Shiva
* _____________________________, protectress
* _____________________________, destroyer of demons
* 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!”
* “____________________________________________________”
* Hinduism is about recognizing the all pervasiveness of the divine
What’s with the Cows?
Cows__________________________________life that can never be killed
To kill a cow is equal to killing ____________________________________
They are not worshipped, simply respected
Though there is a special festival one day of the year, normally cows can be
found wandering towns freely, and are often neglected.
Key Terms
Brahman
Atman
Samara
Moksha
Karma
Dharma
Gandi
Fasting
Brahma
Vishnu
Shiva
Ahisma
Caste System
Four Vedas
Rig Veda
Symbol of the Cow