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HINDUISM
Introduction to Hinduism
There is only one God, but
endless are his aspects and
endless are his names
What is Hinduism?
• A philosophy and a way of life – focused both
on this world and beyond
• Tolerance and diversity: "Truth is one, paths are
many"
• One of the oldest religions of humanity dating
back to 1500 BCE
What is Hinduism?
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A religion that began in India.
The religion of the Indian people
Gave birth to Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism
There are 750 million Hindus in the world
today.
Location of Hindus
The vast
majority
of Hindus
live in
India and
Nepal
Origins: The Aryans
• An Indo-European people.
• Migrated to India in about 1500
BCE from the Caucus Mountains.
• Brought the Vedas.
• No single founder-combination of
beliefs
Sacred Texts
• Vedas and Upanishads
• Rig Veda: Hinduism’s oldest text
nearly 4000 years old
Goal of Hinduism
• Moksha: release or liberation from the
endless cycle of rebirth (reincarnation).
• Infinite bliss and
awareness
• United forever with
the divine
Reincarnation
• Samsara: constant cycle of rebirth.
• Death is not final for Hindus they expect to
be reborn many times.
• People may be reincarnated at a higher or
lower level of existence depending on their
karma from their present life.
• People may be reborn as plants or animals or
they may be elevated to a higher caste as a
human.
Karma & Dharma
• Karma: Total of good and bad actions a
human soul carries with it from life to life.
• Karma determines all the particular
circumstances and situations of one’s life.
• Dharma: system of rules and values that
Hindus follow in their everyday life
• Atman
Festivals and Holy Days
• No set day of the week is holy-each days has its
possibilities
• Religious festivals may be solar or lunar-lunar
is preferred
• There are 125 special days in the Hindu year
with Diwali being an extra special celebration.
Diwali-Festival of Lights
Caste System:
Four major castes
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Brahmin: priests
Kshatriya: warriors and administrators
Vaishya: farmers, merchants, teachers, artisans
Sudras: servants, laborers
Untouchables lived outside the caste system.
Their presence was considered harmful.
Places of Worship
Hindu temples exist but Hinduism is
usually practiced in the home where
there is usually a shrine dedicated to a
favored deity
Shrines
Temples
The Ganges River
Falling from Its source of Vishnu’s feet onto
Shiva’s head and out from his hair, the water of
the Ganges is sacred enough to purify all sins.
The Major Gods Of Hinduism
Brahma:
the creator god
Shiva: god of destruction/
transformation so that new
can be created
Vishnu:
the preserver god
Sacred Cow of India
• Milk holds a central place in religious rituals.
• In honor of their exalted status, cows often
roam free.
• A citizen can be sent to jail
for
killing or injuring a cow.
Banaras - Hindu’s Holy City
• Pilgrims come from all over to bathe in the
Ganges.
• Countless Hindus come to die
• 1500 temples, most of them devoted to Shiva.
• It is a gathering place for the religiously learned
and their disciples.
What are the spiritual practices of
Hinduism?
• Yogas: seeking union with the divine
• Guru: a spiritual teacher
Gandhi: The Father of India
• For Gandhi, social concern was
deeply rooted in his conviction
of the sacredness of life.
• Gandhi believed that human
beings should strive to live as
simply as possible since
overindulgence often meant
that others may have to do
without their basic needs.
• Gandhi was assassinated by a
Hindu fanatic on January 30,
l948 as India was gaining its
independence.
Brahmins
Kshatriyas
Vaishyas
Shudras
Ms Stewart’s Rhyme
If you follow dharma then you will have
good karma the maybe in one of your lives
you will achieve nirvana!
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)
Mono OR Polytheistic?
http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/belief
s/theism.htm