Download What is Hinduism?

What is Hinduism?
One of the oldest religions of humanity. A
philosophy and a way of life – focused both on
this world and beyond
The major religion of the Indian people.
There are 750 million Hindus in the world
today.
Most Hindus still live in India.
Gave birth to Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism
Tolerance and diversity: "Truth is one, paths are
many"
Many deities but a single, impersonal Ultimate
Reality
How did Hinduism begin?
No particular founder ( before 2nd century BC)
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
(Passed it on from Guru to Disciple)
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
Human life as supreme:
Four “stations” of life (Caste) - priests &
teachers, nobles & warriors, merchant class,
servant class ( Most Misunderstood and Not
so valid concept for the current ages)
Four stages of life – student, householder,
retired, renunciant
Four duties of life – Dharma (appropriate living), Artha
( the pursuit of material gain by lawful means), Kama
(delight of the senses), Moksha ( Release from rebirth)
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 with
his consort, Saraswathi (
Goddess of Knowledge)
Who do Hindus worship? –
the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Vishnu, the preserver god with his
consort Lakshmi
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, son Subramanya
son Ganesha
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
Contributions to the world from Ancient India
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Indians established Harappan culture in Indus Valley Civilization, at a time
when many cultures comprised of nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago.
The game of chess was invented in India.
The birth of Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus happened in India.
The Decimal and Place Value system originated and developed in India
In the 13th century, a poet saint named Gyandev introduced the game of Snakes
and Ladders. Known as Mokshapat during those times, the game had a
significant meaning. The snakes stood for vices, while the ladders represented
good virtues. The essence of the game was that the ladders or good virtues take
people to heaven while snakes or vices take people to a cycle of re-births.
In 700 BC, the world's first university was established in India, in Takshila. It
was one of the biggest achievements in the field of education, as more than
10,500 students came from all over the world to receive education in over 60
different subjects. The University of Nalanda was another milestone that was
achieved in the field of education in 4th century BC.
Contributions to the world from Ancient India
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The earliest school of medicine known to mankind was Ayurveda and it
originated in India. It was consolidated 2500 years ago by Charaka, the Father
of Medicine.
As many as 6000 years back, the art of navigation was developed in the River
Indus, which was known as Sindh then. In fact, the word 'navigation' is a
derivation of the Sanskrit word, 'Navgatih'.
The correct time taken by the earth to revolve around the sun was calculated by
the famous astronomer Bhaskaracharya. His calculation showed that the earth
takes around 365.258756484 days to go around the sun once.
In the 6th century, the famous Indian Budhayana mathematician calculated the
value of "Pi" and also explained the concept of Pythagoras Theorem.
In the 11th century, Quadratic Equations were introduced by Sridharacharya.
Indians used numbers that were way too big than European numbers. While the
latter limited themselves to 106, the Indians went a step ahead and used
numbers as big as 1053.
Contributions to the world from Ancient India
• Surgery existed in India even 2600 years ago, when Sushruta, known as the Father
of Surgery, conducted many complex surgeries. The valuable ancient scriptures have
detailed information on Cataract, Artificial Limbs, Cesareans, Fractures, Urinary
Stone Surgery, Plastic Surgery and Brain Surgeries.
• Anesthesia was used in ancient India and one finds detailed knowledge of the
human anatomy and its functions.
• Two major religions, Buddhism and Jainism were established in India in 500 and
600 BC.
• The oldest city in the world that is inhabited even today is Varanasi or Benaras.
• The art of Yoga that is now popular worldwide originated in India only and was
performed by highly revered sages, in the ancient times.
• Varahamihira: Greateest Astrologer and mathematician
Explore Hinduism on the Web:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism
Hinduism for kids:
http://www.chiddingstone.kent.sch.uk/homework/religion/hi
nduism.htm
Britannica:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/266312/Hinduism