Download Slide 1

Hinduism
• Video- Intro to Hinduism (From Discovery Ed)
• Discover Education
– Section 6.3
– Explore Tab
– Page 1
– Top Right-Hand Corner
Hinduism
• The 3rd largest religion in the world
– 14% of the world’s population
– Approximately 1 billion people are Hindu
• 6,000 years old
– The oldest “living” religion in the world
Hinduism in the world
• Practiced mostly in South Asia:
– India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
The largest Hindu temple in the world, located in Delhi, India
Hinduism
• Hinduism does not have one single founder
– It is a combination of Dravidian (People from
India) beliefs and Aryan beliefs that merged
together over time
• The Aryans brought several fundamental
beliefs to India:
– The belief in many gods and that these gods
lived in nature
– The Vedas are sacred texts (similar to the Bible)
• The Vedas is the holy book of Hinduism
– Written in Sanskrit
Hinduism
• Brahman- Spiritual power that created and
controls the universe
• Monotheistic and Polytheistic beliefs
– Believe in one “Universal Spirit”
– Believe that spirit is made up of many parts (many
different gods)
– Hindus believe all life is connected and should be
respected
Polytheistic
• There are millions of Hindu Gods and Goddesses
Brahma
Vishnu
Shiva
• Brahma- The Creator of All
• Shiva- creates and destroys the world
• Vishnu- The preserver of the universe. Guides and
protects humans
Words to Watch
• Reincarnation – the belief that the soul passes
from one body to the next (based on karma)
• Dharma- religious and moral duties of an
individual. Hindus believe in nonviolence and
believe family is important
• Karma - Law of action and reaction
– If you do good, expect good things to happen
– If you do bad, expect bad things to happen
Dietary Hinduism
• Vegetarianism- Hindus typically do not eat
meat
– This is not mandatory, but widely practiced
– Why do you think most Hindus do not eat meat?
Baby with eight limbs is thought to be
Vishnu reincarnated
Lakshmi- The name is derived from
Vishnu is known as the
the wife of Vishnu
She had an operation at 2 preserver of the
universe
years old and is now in
good health
Reincarnation
• If you could be reincarnated as any person, animal,
or plant, what would you choose and why?
– If you died and could come back to earth as anything
– Answer and illustrate
I would choose to be a kangaroo
because I love to jump around
Your own research
• Where do most Hindus worship?
• What are the major holidays celebrated?
• Describe the Hindu gods and goddesses
• You must list your sources!
Karma
• Can you think of a time where you’ve seen
karma in action or personally experienced
karma?
– Take 5 minutes to discuss with your group
– Each group will share one story
Example- Once when I was as the at the grocery store I saw a woman drop
$5 on the ground. I picked it up to give it back to her, but she told me to
keep it since I was honest