Download File - MRS. ANTILLA`S ROOM

Introduction to Hinduism and
Buddhism
Hinduism Beginnings.

Initially Aryans and non-Aryans followed
separate religions


Eventual blending of worship resulted in Thousands of
common gods
Made people question the world, their place in it, and
basic injustices

Hindu practices develop
over a long time span


Marriage next to a sacred fire,
reciting the Vedas
Scholars tried to organize
Hinduism many times but
there is no one founder or
set of beliefs
3
Origins of Hinduism

Hindus common world view includes
liberating the soul from illusions,
disappointments, and mistakes.
Basic Beliefs


Teachers make distinctions between the
atman (individual soul) and the Brahman (the
world collective soul)
Moksha - a state of perfect understanding of
all things


After you fully understand the relationship you
can be released from life in this world
Idea of reincarnation (reborn until Moksha is
achieved)
Karma

Karma determines the
caste you are reborn
into depending on
good or bad deeds in
your life

If good you could be a
Brahmin, warrior or
merchant. If bad a
woman, a laborer, or an
untouchable.
6
Changes in Hinduism

Brahman is sometimes seen as having the
personality of 3 gods: Brahma the creator,
Vishnu the protector, and Shiva the destroyer


Brahma faded away a bit ad a great mother goddess grew
in popularity
Free to choose the deity they worship


Often follows family lines
Also free to choose the right path to achieve Moksha; right
thinking, right action, or religious devotion
Beginnings of Buddhism

Siddhartha Guatama, the founder of
Buddhism, born in the foothills of the
Himalayas


Quest to see outside world


As a baby he depicted the marks of a great man
Saw old age, sickness, death, and a peaceful religious
man
Went on a spiritual journey to try to end
suffering (sought enlightenment)

Spent 49 days fasting before he determined where life’s
suffering originated from
Four Noble Truths
1. Everything in life is suffering and sorrow
2. The cause of all suffering is people’s selfish
desire for temporary pleasures of this world
3. The way to end all suffering is to end all
desire
4. The way to end desire and attain
enlightenment is to follow the eightfold path
a middle way between desire and selfdenial
The Eightfold Path

Those seeking
enlightenment had to master
each step one at a time



The only way to achieve
nirvana
Belief in reincarnation, and
also that the world is created
and destroyed repeatedly
Rejected many Hindu gods
and the caste system
Religious Community


Because of the rejection of the caste system
many early followers were lower class
people
Monks and nuns took vows of poverty and
could not marry as they did missionary work