Download Indian Religion

November 10, 2016
Indian Religion
Hinduism and Buddhism
November 10, 2016
Hinduism
• No single founder
• One of the oldest, “living” religions
• Many gods
– But one spirit
– Polytheistic? Monotheistic? Nontheistic?
• All gods represent spirit: Brahman –
Ex: Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu
– Each god has specific role
November 10, 2016
Key Ideas of Hinduism
• Reincarnation: rebirth of soul
– Person dies but soul is reborn in body
of another life
• Kharma: actions in life → decides the kind
of body the soul is reborn into
• Dharma: moral duties
• Nonviolence
– Respect for all living things
November 10, 2016
Buddhism
• Rooted in Hinduism
• Story: a rich Hindu prince (Siddhartha)
never saw suffering in his whole life = Siddhartha
– One day, he saw pain and death
– Gave up all of his money, family
– Wandered to investigate human suffering
• Followers called him Buddha
– “Enlightened one”
November 10, 2016
Key Ideas of Buddhism
• Answers not in any god, but in worship
– self-denial, meditation
• Meditation
– Searching for answers within yourself
• Pain is caused by selfishness
• MiddleWay:between pleasure and worry
– Reached by giving up desire
– End at Nirvana
• Hinduism adopts some Buddhist ideas
(Buddha’s teachings)
• Anyone could follow Buddha’s teaching
→Buddhism spreads throughout Asia
(Not really part of India in the present)
November 10, 2016