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Transcript
The Eastern Religions Name ___________________________________ The 5 Major World Religions Hinduism Hinduism is one of or possibly the oldest living religion in the world. It began about 4,000 years ago in the villages and cities of India. It took some of its ideas from the religious writings of the ancient Aryans called the Vedas. Since ancient times, the people of India have believed that rivers – especially the sacred Ganges River – were gifts from the gods. The Ganges River in India is a powerful religious symbol for most Hindus. In Hinduism, the river is a symbol for the soul. Just like a river, the soul is always the same, it’s endless, yet it’s constantly being reborn or reincarnated, from lifetime to lifetime just as a river starts in the same place, high in the mountains and is continually “reborn” as the winter snow melts. Hindus believe in the idea of reincarnation of the soul. This means that after a person dies, their soul is reborn into another, new living thing. As part of this idea of reincarnation, Hindus believe that our actions in this life determine the human or animal form our soul takes in its next life. This is called karma. An evil soul or a bad person, for example, might be reborn as a lowly insect. A good soul or someone who lived a good life, might be reborn as a prince, a priest, or a cow – an animal that is considered sacred to the Hindus. Hindus look at the cow as the most giving of all animals. The cow provides milk and nourishment for the people of India. They don’t however think of the cow as food (beef) like we might, because most Hindus are vegetarians. Hindus have also long accepted and used the Aryan and Indian idea of a caste system which is a rigid system of ranking people’s class or place in society. At first, people from all walks of life belonged to one of just four castes: priest, warrior, working people, or servant. Hindus believed that people who followed their caste’s rules and lived a good life could rise to higher castes in future lives after reincarnation. Those who did not, risked reincarnation as an untouchable which is a person with no caste who is ignored by society and mistreated. Today, India has officially outlawed the caste system, but Hindus still believe in the idea of being reincarnated to a better station or place in life or a worse one if you do not live a good life. The ultimate Hindu goal, however, is not simply to earn a better caste, but to win release completely from the endless rounds of rebirth, life, and death. Hindus seek to achieve spiritual perfection and to be free from the pain and suffering of this world. They believe that when you have perfected yourself and lived the perfect life, the cycle of reincarnation is broken for you and you are freed from the cycle of reincarnation to become part of the spirit and energy of the earth. Hindus, are polytheistic which means that they worship many different gods. The most important Hindu gods are Vishnu – the preserver of the world, Shiva – the destroyer and also the creative force in the world, and Shiva’s wife, called Durga the goddess of destruction who sometimes appears in different forms such as Parvati or Uma, the goddess of motherhood. In Hinduism, all of the gods and goddesses together make up one universal spirit, called the Brahma or Brahman. Hindus also worship some gods that are only part human, like Ganesha who is half man and half elephant. He is the god of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. Most Hindus worship individually either outdoors, in temples, or in their home. Many Hindus do, however, look to Sannyasis (holymen) and Gurus (teachers) to help guide them in their worship and spirituality. Many Hindu homes have small shrines dedicated to a god chosen by the family right inside the home so that people may worship while they are at home. Today, more than 700 million people follow the religion of Hinduism which makes up about 14% of the world’s people. Most Hindus live in India, but Hinduism has a strong following in other Asian nations as well. Buddhism Buddhists also believe that existence is a continual cycle of life, death and rebirth. Unlike other major religions, Buddhism does not stress a belief in a supreme-being or in powerful gods. Instead, Buddhists focus on the idea of spiritual enlightenment, which must come from within each person. Buddhism began about 2,500 years ago in northern India, with the teachings of one man. This man was a prince named Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha felt something was missing in his comfortable palace life. He was saddened by the death, the disease, and the suffering he saw in the world. He left his luxurious palace and gave away most of his belongings. At first, he denied himself all comforts and pleasures to try to find perfect spirituality. But in the end, he decided that suffering and denial were no better than luxury and laziness. So, he began to meditate, which means to think deep thoughts. According to legend, Siddhartha finally attained spiritual enlightenment while meditating under a bodhi tree, which is a type of fig tree. He then became the Buddha, which means “the enlightened one”. Today, millions of people in Asia follow the teachings of Buddha. They have built hundreds of temples in honor of Buddha – but they do not worship him as a god. They just honor him as a teacher who helped show them the true meaning of life. The Buddha’s teachings try to show others how to find perfect spiritual enlightenment. The teachings of the Buddha have been written down. They are the Four Noble Truths and the 8 Fold Path to Enlightenment. All Buddhists must try to follow what they call “the Middle Way” which is a path of moderation, neither giving in to your desires and wants, nor struggling to deny them. Instead, they seek a balance and control over their inner lives. This is based on the Four Noble Truths. Buddhists believe by controlling the mind and spirit they can achieve “nirvana”, which is a perfect state of peace and happiness. You do this by following the 8 Fold Path to Enlightenment. Buddhists believe that those who achieve nirvana can escape the weary rounds of death and rebirth or in other words, escape from reincarnation. Buddhists, like Hindus believe in reincarnation. By reaching nirvana, Buddhists believe that they can achieve a profound and indescribable joy in life itself. Though Buddhism began in India, it did not remain strong there after the death of Buddha. Instead, several forms of it spread throughout other parts of Asia – to China, Tibet, Korea, and Japan. Today, there are more than 300 million Buddhists which is about 6% of the world’s population. For Buddhists and Hindus, history and nature move in endless cycles. Life is a circle, a constant repetition of birth and rebirth. Peace and happiness have to come from within a person, not from the outside world.