Download Fitzgerald

Name –
Fitzgerald
Notes on Hinduism, p. 116 – 120
Take notes using
 Bullets
 Key words and short phrases
 Avoiding full sentences
 Follow class modeling of form
Question
How old is
Hinduism?
Answer
 Developed over 3,500 years ago
 One of the world’s oldest living religions
How did
Hinduism
develop?


Blending of Ideas
o Aryan culture mixed with India’s existing cultures
o New ideas and beliefs became part of existing Aryan
Vedas
o Became very complex over time
o Many different practices exist side by side
Believe that since people are different, need many different ways
of approaching God
How is
Hinduism unlike
other major
world religions?
1.
What is
Brahman?
Spiritual power that is in everything

2.

Why does
Hinduism have
many gods and
goddesses?

List some of the
most important
gods.







Has no single founder (like Jesus of Mohammed)
Have many great religious thinkers
Worship many gods and goddesses
But believe in a single spiritual power, Brahman
Hindus believe there is more than one path to understanding
the truth
The gods and goddesses stand for different parts of Brahman
Saying “God is one, but wise people know it by many ways.”
Brahma – born from a golden egg, created earth and
everything on it, not as widely worshipped as others
Vishnu
Shiva
Shakti
Ganesha – elephant, universality of creation, destroyer of
barriers
What is an
avatar?
A representation of a Hindu god or goddess in human or animal
form
Discuss the god
Vishnu.




Kindly god
Concerned with the welfare of human beings
Visits earth to guide humans or protect them from disaster
Avatar – Krishna
Discuss the god
Shiva.




Not concerned with human matters
Very powerful
Responsible for creative and destructive forces of universe
Wife - Shakti
What are the
Upanishads and
what form do
they take? Give
an example.



A sacred test
Means “sitting near teacher”
Written in the form of questions and responses, like student
to teacher
Example
Q – Who created the world?
A – Brahman is the creator, the universal soul.
Q – Describe physical form of Brahman?
A – too complicated for humans to understand, has no
physical form
Explain the
Hindu belief in
reincarnation.
 Define it
 Discuss how
actions affect
it
 Note the
ultimate goal
What is Dharma
and how is it
linked to
reincarnation?





Definition
 The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
 Rebirth of the soul
 Hindus believe that when a person dies, their soul is reborn
in the body of another living thing
How actions affect reincarnation
 Good behavior is always rewarded, bad is always punished
 Faithful followers of Hinduism will be reborn into a higher
position
 Those whose actions have been bad may be reborn in a lower
caste or as an animal
The ultimate goal of reincarnation
 To be freed from the cycle of life, death, and rebirth
 To become one with Brahman


The religious and moral duties of each person
Duties depend on a person’s class, age, and occupation
What is ahimsa?



Nonviolence
Hindus believe that people and all living things are part of
Brahman
Must be treated with respect
What is a dietary
practice of many
Hindus and to
what belief is it
linked?
What does the
word “yoga”
mean to a
Hindu?


To treat living things with respect according to ahimsa
Many Hindus do not eat meat



“union”
Yoga exercises help free the soul from the cares of the world
In this way the soul may unite with Brahman
Give examples
of different
yogas.

There are many yogas that may be used as paths to Brahman
o physical activity
o selfless deed - like giving to the poor
o knowledge – learning the sacred writings
o devotion – honoring a personal God
Discuss the
concept of
private devotion
in Hinduism.




Worshipping privately at home
Chose a personal god
Offer food, gifts, and prayers at a home altar
Devotion to the god brings the soul closer to Brahman