Download Learning about World religions: Hinduism

Learning about World religions:
Hinduism
•T H E A N C I E N T T R A D I T I O N S T H A T
GAVE THE RISE TO HINDUISM HAS
AFFECTED THE WAY INDIAN
PEOPLE WORSHIP, WHAT JOBS
THEY DO, AND WHAT THEY EAT.
•O N E O F T H E B A S I C S O F H I N D U I S M
IS DHARMA. DHARMA IS REFERS
TO LAW, DUTY, AND OBLIGATION.
•T H E R A M A Y A N A , O N E O F T H E
MOST FAMOUS INDIAN TEXTS IS
SACRED AND TELLS ABOUT LIFE IN
ANCIENT INDIA AND OFFERS ROLE
MODELS IN DHARMA.
The Origins of Hinduism
 No single person founded
Hinduism, Aryans brought to
India their gods and rituals
and some became a part of
Hinduism.
 The oldest roots of Hinduism
are found in Vedic religion.
The Vedas are a collection of
sacred texts, including verses,
hymns, prayers, and
teachings composed in
Sanskrit.
The Origins of Hinduism
 Vedic rituals and sacrifices
honored a number of
deities (gods and
Goddesses) associated with
nature and social order
 Later Vedic religion is
known as Brahmanism and
it is the foundation for
many Hindu rituals and
beliefs today.
Hinduism and the Caste system
 Brahmanism was more than a
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religion it was a way of life.
Brahmanism was divided into
different social classes. This
social organization was called the
caste system.
In the Caste system , the Vedas
describe four main social classes
or varnas:
Brahmins ( priests and religious
scholars)
Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors)
Vaishyas (herders and
merchants)
Shudras (servants, farmers, and
laborers)
Hindu beliefs about Brahman
 Brahman is the name of the
supreme power, or divine force,
that some Hindus believe is
greater than all other deities. To
these deities only Brahman exists
forever.
 Some Hindus believe that a cycle
is always working such as the
seasons. Brahman is constantly
creating, destroying, and
recreating the universe the cycle
never ends.
 Other deities are simply different
forms of Brahman and the human
soul is part of Brahman.
Hindu Beliefs and Deities
 Most Hindus believe that all deities
were different faces of a supreme
force Brahman.
 Today in some Hindu traditions
there are three important gods
1. Brahma (Creates life)
2. Vishnu (Preserves life)
3. Shiva (Destroys life)
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Each god represent a power or
quality of Brahman
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The book of Ramayana has
inspired many Hindu holidays
and festivals such as the Hindu
new year Divali.
Hindu Beliefs about Dharma
 Dharma stands for law,
obligation, and duty. To
follow ones dharma means
to perform ones duties and
live in a honorable way.
 Each caste in Hindu
religion has its own
dharma and if everyone
followed the Dharma
society would be in
harmony.
Hindu Beliefs about Karma
 Karma is another philosophy
that Hindus share and it
explains the importance of living
according to Dharma
 In Hindu beliefs the law of
karma governs what happens to
people’s soul after death.
 From ancient times the Hindus
believed that the souls had many
lives. When a person died his or
her soul was reborn in a new
body.
Hindu Beliefs about Karma
 Karma was made up of all the
good and evil that person had
in their past lives. If they lived
good they might be born in a
higher social class in their next
life or if they lived bad they
might be born into a lower
social class or even a animal.
Hindu Beliefs about Samsara
 Hindus believe in a continuous
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cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
The call this cycle samsara.
As long as people are part of
samsara they will know pain and
death.
Samsara ends when the soul
escapes from the cycle of rebirth ,
the time when some Hindus believe
that they are reunited with
Brahman.
It takes many lifetimes before a
person can be released from
samsara.
People escape the cycle of rebirth,
or reincarnation, by following their
Dharma.