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Hinduism
Vocabulary
Brahman
Hindu universal spirit translated as God
Dharma
Natural law that gives harmony and balance to the universe; collection of teachings
Guru
Religious teacher that leads Hindu worship
Hinduism
A major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, developed from Vedic religion.
Karma
Actions that affect future lives
Polytheism
Belief in many gods
Reincarnation
Rebirth in which a soul moves to another body depending on how well a person lives
his/her life
The Vedas
Hindu holy book
Introduction
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The vast majority of Hindus live in ____India__________________.
Hinduism is a ____mixture__________________ of many different religious traditions.
The word Hindu means “people living near the ____Indus__________________ River.”
According to Hindu scripture, Brahman is a spirit that cannot be ____seen______________ or heard.
Scriptures
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Unlike other religions, Hinduism is not based on one particular ___book________________ or text.
The earliest Hindu scriptures are called The Vedas, which means _____knowledge__________________.
The Bhagavad Gita is read _more__________________ than any other Hindu scripture.
Beliefs
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The Dharma is the natural law that gives harmony and _order__________________ to the universe.
For Hindus, to live according to the Dharma means doing one’s duty and living a virtuous life.
“One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self. This, in brief is the
__rule______________ of the dharma.”
The goal for all Hindus is to be united with Brahman after __death_______________.
The word reincarnation means “to be made flesh again.”
Reincarnation happens until the __individual__________________ achieves moksha or “liberation.”
What we do in one life impacts what happens to us in the _next____________ life is called the law of karma.
A bath in the Ganges _River_____________ is said to purify the soul.
Worship
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Hindus worship in a temple or a shrine at _home_________________.
Aum is the most recognizable symbol of Hinduism.
Yoga is a form of _training____________________ the Hindus use to break free of the cycle of reincarnation.
The Hindu house of _worship____________________ is called a mandir, which means “house of the deity.”