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GCSE RELIGION HINDUISM Hinduism Hinduism: beliefs about God Hindus believe that there is one God, Brahman which has many forms and is symbolised by the sacred symbol Om. Brahman is present in every person as an eternal spirit or soul, called the atman. There are three principal forms of Brahman. These are expressed in the Trimurti and are 1.Brahma, the creator, 2.Vishnu, the preserver and 3.Shiva, the destroyer. Avatars Hindus believe that sometimes a God will appear on the earth in a living form. Such an appearance is termed an avatar (incarnation). They believe that God has the ability to take on human form and will descend to earth at times when there is a decline in human goodness.The main avatars are those of Vishnu. Vaishnavas (worshippers of Vishnu) normally perceive ten avatars. Hinduism: good and evil The law of karma says that every action has consequences. Suffering etc. is not due to God. Compensation & hardship do not always happen in this lifetime, it may happen in a future rebirth. A being’s inner spirit is called an atman. After death, it is reborn into another body. This is called samsara. It is possible to stop samara and liberate oneself to God (moksha). Hinduism: revelation • Hinduism has a large number of sacred writings, most of which were written in Sanskrit. There are two types of text: • Sruti: ‘that which is heard’& Smriti: ‘that which is remembered’. The most sacred and important texts are called Vedas. These are considered as Sruti and were handed on by rishis (wise men). These are chants, hymns, myths, prayers & songs. • Other lesser important writings are called Smriti – ‘that which is remembered’. The Smriti scriptures include: the Puranas (which contain well known stories of Hinduism), the Ramayana (the story of Rama and Sita), and the Mahabarata (the story of the five Pandava princes and includes the Bhagavad Gita). • All Hindu sacred texts are honoured but they are not read and studied in the same way as the sacred texts of some other religions Hinduism and Death Hindus believe that any effort to find permanent happiness in this life is an illusion (maya). They believe that the spirit (atman) is permanent & unchangeable. A person's ability to leave samsara depends on their karma. Page 2 of 5 GCSE HINDUISM Euthanasia and suicide Most Hindus would see Euthanasia as wrong and as separating the soul from the body at the wrong time, others see it more compassionately. Suicide, unless related to missing someone who has passed away, self-sacrifice or old age is badly viewed. Death Rites Most Hindus are cremated as they believe this assists their soul to leave the body quickly. Funerals vary according to tradition and place. They are usually carried out by a priest and the eldest son of the dead person. Rituals include: placing a lamp by the head of the body, prayers and hymns are sung. Pindas (rice balls) are put in the coffin, water is sprinkled on the body and a mala (wooden beads) may be placed around the dead person's neck along with garlands of flowers. In India people often have funerals on the sacred river Ganga. The body is placed on wood, the eldest son says Vedic prayers and lights the fire. Incense and ghee are poured into the flames. After the funeral, the ashes are sprinkled on water. A widow or widower wears white and close family mourns for twelve days. On the thirteenth day of the samskara (reincarnation), there is a Kriya. Beliefs about Relationships Hindus believe that kama (sensual pleasure) is one of the four aims of life (dharma,arta, kama & moksha). Sex is considered a good thing. It is generally expected between married couples. Faithfulness within marriage is expected and adultery is not approved of. It is considered best to avoid sex at the brahmacharya stage of life (generally birth to around 25 years). There is no mention of homosexuality in Hindu scriptures although homosexuality is a taboo subject for many and heterosexuality is seen as the norm. Hindu sacraments are called samskars and the sacraments at the time of a wedding are called Vivah Samskar. The samskar marks the start of the second stage of life - setting up a new family unit. Marriage is seen as an essential duty for men and women. The priest lights a fire to honour the God Agni and recites mantras in Sanskrit. The groom makes offerings to the fire and asks that the family be blessed with children. The bride shares this by touching the groom's shoulder. The end of the bride's sari is tied to her husband's scarf to show that they are joined together. Hindus do not approve of divorce. Prejudice and Discrimination According to the Vedic tradition, Hindus belong to one of four varnas or social groups. The Purusha Sukta (Hindu text) explains how the four varnas form part of the whole body. The four varnas are: Brahmins (priests and teachers), Kshatriyas (warriors, rulers, administrators and leaders of society),Vaishyas (traders and merchants) and Shudras (a variety of jobs, serving the needs of the other three varnas). The word 'caste' refers to the sub-divisions within each varna. One group of Hindus consider themselves as being outside the varna system (‘Dalits’ from Sanskrit, meaning 'suppressed'). Page 3 of 5 GCSE HINDUISM Although there is some prejudice and discrimination against them, Hindus are encouraged to treat them with respect. Hinduism teaches that men and women are of equal worth but have different roles, responsibilities and dharma to follow .Throughout history Hindu teachers have always been both male (rishis) and female (rishikas). Beliefs about Creation and Evolution There are many different stories about creation in the Hindu scriptures. The sacred sound Aum was believed to be the first sound at the start of creation. Hindus believe that Brahman (one ultimate reality) has three functions and are shown by three God's: Shiva (the destroyer), Brahma (the creator) and Vishnu (the preserver). In one Hindu text (Chandogya Upanishad) creation is described by the breaking of an egg, in another (Vedas) the universe was said to be built with timber and in the Rig Veda it says that the universe was created out of parts of the body. There are four classes of Indian society that are seen to come from this body: the priest (Brahmin) from his mouth, the warrior (Kshatritya) from his arms, the peasant (Vaishya) from his thighs and the servant (Shudra) from his legs. The Hindu story of creation is very similar to that of the Big Bang. Vishnu is seen as creator, sustainer, destroyer and then re-creator of the universe. Most Hindus are not too bothered by the issues raised by modern science in relation to evolution. The sanctity of Life Contraception and abortion Hindus are not opposed to contraceptives. Hindus believe in the concept of ahimsa (non-violence). When considering the question of abortion, Hindus would try to choose the action that will do the least amount of harm. Drugs Hinduism opposes the use or illegal or recreational drugs. In the past however drugs played a part in worship, in particular the use of Soma. Euthanasia Hinduism teaches that people should be cared for until they die. Some Hindus would say that a doctor should not carry out euthanasia as it changes karma. A Hindu who is very old or ill may decide for themselves that the right time has come for death by choosing to stop eating or drinking. This is considered as an act of holiness by Hindus. Page 4 of 5 GCSE HINDUISM Fighting and warfare Ahimsa means trying to fight injustice and evil but without using physical force. Many Hindus believe that war is always wrong. However, war is not forbidden in Hinduism, therefore there are different attitudes towards war. The Laws of Manu tell Hindus about the right ways to behave during war. The Bhagavad Gita expresses the Hindu attitude to war and peace though the terrible dilemma faced by Arjuna. In this story, Krishna fights for peace. All finished! Now test yourself – the MCQ’s include exam questions from actual exam papers. (You need to be logged in to take the test) Page 5 of 5 GCSE HINDUISM