Download India and Hinduism PP Notes (2)

Ancient India & Hinduism
How and where did Hinduism
begin?
► Not
just one particular founder
► Indus River Valley Civilization >5000 years
ago
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Early cities had a precise grid system
Strong central government
Great deal of trade
Indus system of writing is not yet deciphered
► Reason
for decline is a mystery to historians
► The Aryans enter 4000 to 3500 years ago
 Aryans introduced the Caste System to India
What is Hinduism?
► One
of the oldest religions in the world
► The religion of the Indian people
► One main god but with multiple
personalities
► A philosophy and a way of life –
focused both on this world and the
next
Basic Beliefs
► Karma
- the law of cause and effect;
“you reap what you sow” or “what
comes around, goes around”
► Dharma - ones virtuous duty, governs
peoples ideas about a proper way of
living
► Moksha – a state of perfect
understanding of all things (once you
have reached moksha your spiritual
journey through life is complete)
Reincarnation
 Eternal
soul is reborn in different
bodies until it finds liberation, or
reaches moksha
 People
may be reincarnated at a
higher or lower level of existence
depending on their karma from their
present life
Caste System
► Brahmin
- priests
► Kshatriya - rulers
and warriors
► Vaishyas peasants and
traders
► Sudra - laborers
► Untouchables were considered
impure because of
their line of work
(butchers, grave
diggers, trash
collectors
Caste System
► Caste
system is validated by
karma/reincarnation
► If born into a higher caste then a
person had good karma from a past
life and vice versa
► Is still seen in parts of India even
today…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhUwKXI
Q5kM
Let’s think about it…
► Do
you think people questioned the caste
system? Why or why not?
► In our society, do we treat people
differently who are born into different
economic situations? Explain your answer.
► In American society, do we have different
standards for different groups? Do the laws
apply to everyone in the United States?
Let’s think about it some
more…
► How
is the class/caste system of Ancient
India like the class system of the United
States? How is it different?
► How have the teachings of the Hindus
influenced our society?
► Hindus believe in reincarnation. What is
your opinion of this concept?
Three Main Hindu Gods
► Brahma
- the Creator
► Vishnu - the Preserver
► Shiva - the Destroyer
The Vedas
 Hindus sacred texts
 The Vedas would be equivalent to
the Bible for Christianity or the
Qur’an for Islam
Effects on Society
► Joint
or extended family- all living
together
► Traditional Hindus are vegetarians and
have strict diets
Modern Day Traditions
► Worship
is led at home by the father
► No specific day of worship
► Usually pray in the hours before and
after dawn
Some of the many forms of
Hindu gods