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Hinduism and Buddhism
Hindu Temple in Riverdale, Georgia
Largest Hindu Temple in the U.S.
Lilburn, GA.
Vocabulary
• Sect- a smaller group of people that have
differing beliefs from the larger group.
• Brahman- the collective soul.
• Swami- Hindu religious teacher.
• Sutra- Buddhist text.
• Caste System – belief system whereby social
class is hereditary and do not change.
• Vedas/The Books of Knowledge – a book
containing prayers, hymns and rituals of the
Hindu religion
Hinduism
• Developed in India
• 1500 BCE Aryans
moved to the Indus
Valley
• Vedas and other Aryan
beliefs led to the
development of
Hinduism
• Polytheistic
• The religion spread
throughout India
Hindu Beliefs
• All gods are part of a
supreme spirit (Brahman)
• All living thing have souls
(animals and people)
• Cow is sacred
• Many are vegetarians (no
meat)
• Reincarnation
• Karma
• Caste System
Caste System
1. Priest
2. Warriors and rulers
3. Merchants. Traders and
farmers
4. Peasants, field workers
___________________
5. Untouchables
NOT allowed to marry outside of
their caste, many jobs
determined according to
caste, and the government is
trying to abolish this system.
Hinduism vs. other religions
• During King Asoka’s
(crowned 273 B.C.E)
rule, Buddhism increased
in India and Hinduism
following decreased.
• Hinduism became
popular again.
• Buddhism and Jainism
practices mixed with
Hinduism.
• 7th Century CE Islam
becomes established.
• Islam 2nd most practiced
religion today.
• 80% of Indians are Hindu.
Vocabulary
• Buddhism – a belief that people could find
peace if they could reject
• Buddha – the name given to priest of the
Buddhist religion; also known as “The
Enlightened One”
• Four Nobel Truths – four phases of the
Buddhist religion
• Nirvana – name given to reaching a state of
perfect peace in the religion of Buddhism
• The Middle Way – the goals that were to be
accomplished by following what Buddha called
the Eightfold Path (eight rules for conduct) in the
religion of Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama
• Rich
• Founded Buddhism
around 500 B.C.
• Troubled by poverty and
suffering
• Left home and became a
monk
• Wanted to know why
people had to suffer
• Meditated and thought
• Concluded that to find
peace one had to reject
greed and desire
Gautama Cont…
•
•
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
Gautama accepted reincarnation and karma but did not
agree with the caste system.
His followers called him Buddha or Enlightened One.
He taught the Four Noble Truths:
Life brings pain
Suffering and sorrow caused by greed for material things
End suffering by giving up desires (Nirvana)
The Middle Way
The Middle Way (The Eight Fold Path)
Buddhist Beliefs
• The key to Buddhism is
unselfishness
• No need for gods or
priests
• Man can change evil into
good
• The Middle Way equals
perfect peace
• 6% of world population is
Buddhist
• 4th largest in the world