Download Hinduism PPT - Mrs. Ennis: East High School History Classes

RELIGION IN ANCIENT
TIMES
UNIVERSAL IDENTITIES:
OWN CALENDARS
OWN SACRED CALENDAR
• LINKS PRESENT TO PAST
WITH KEY DATES
• RITUALS
• CELEBRATIONS
• RITES OF PASSAGE
OWN SACRED GEOGRAPHY
SHRINES
SIGNIFICANT SITES
CENTERS OF PILGRIMAGE
OWN USE OF LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE OF RELIGION
DEMONSTRATES WHERE IT SPREAD
USE OF VERBAGE
QUOTES
“CENTRALIZE” LANGUAGE
OWN ARTS & CULTURE
RELIGION INSPIRES ART AND MUSIC
RELIGION AS CENTER OF SUBJECT
MATTER
SUPPORT ARTS TO SPREAD AND
ENHANCE FAITH
OWN ORGANIZATION
 INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE
 GROUP MEMBERSHIP
 ORGANIZATION FORMS
 HIERARCHY
 LEADER
 FORMAL (Catholicism) or
 LOOSE ASSOCIATE OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES WITH COMMON
BELIEFS (Hinduism)
POWER
SIZE OF THE ORGANIZATION
BIGGER = MORE CONNECTION
WITH GOVERNMENT
HINDUISM
HOW DO WE KNOW??
• BEFORE RECORDED TIME
• RELIGIOUS LITERATURE IN SANSKRIT (est. 1700
BCE)
Not centered around an individual
Woven and assimilated together
• Different regions
• Aryan invaders
• Indus Valley Civilizations
DESCENDANTS
 TODAY:
• India’s “tribals” (pre-Aryan) – merged their gods with
Hindu’s
• 100M of 1,000M population in India
• Most Hindus live in India
• Sacred geography
• Created travel patterns trans-India
• Creates cohesion of people
BELIEFS OF HINDUISM
FLEXIBLE DOGMAS
CHANGING SYSTEM OF BELIEFS
SACRED TEXTS
• SPELL OUT SET OF BASIC BELIEFS
• SHARED
THE RIGVEDA
1500-1200 B.C.E.
Aryans entered India
• Nomadic
• Pastoral
Brahmin priests of Aryans
• Sanskrit poetry verses
• 4 books
• Oldest is Veda
RIGVEDA CONTINUED
 Veda gods:
•
•
•
•
Agni – fire
Indra – rain and fertility
Suyra – sun
Dawn – sunrise
 Music, dance and modes of worship
 Animal Sacrifice on altars
 Creation of the World – no clear answer
CASTE
Introduced in Rigveda
• Rationalizes
Started with sacrifice of mythical Purusha
• Split in 4
• Each 1 represented a caste
PURUSHA
Mouth: Brahmin (priest)
2 Arms: Rajanya (warrior)
2 Thighs: Vaishyas (business
people, farmers, landlords
2 Feet: Shuda (lower working
class)
POWER THROUGH CASTE
 Aryan invaders – used caste system as a path to power
• Sanctioned by religion
 Rigid
 Hierarchical
 Unequal
 Hereditary
UNEQUAL SYSTEM
 Different legal rules and penalties based on caste
 Upper = could be educated
 No intermarriage
 No inter-dine
 Different vital fluids
 Different diet based on caste (Brahmins- vegetarians; warriors – meat)
 Untouchables – slaves, bottom, cannot move up
WHY CASTE?
 Historians unsure
 Ordered relationships
• Foundation for social, economic and political decisions
 Consolidated power
• Easier to rule
 Frozen economic system
• Secure in caste – don’t want to risk dropping in caste, so don’t try to rise above it
 Forced upon by powerful leaders/priests
MAJOR HINDU GODS *
1 god – represented in
difference ways
Brahma – creator, 4 heads and
arms represent 4 veda, castes and
yugas (ages of world)
GANESH *
Elephant headed
Good luck
SHIVA AND KALI *
Shiva: God of
destruction; eternal cycle
of creation and
destruction
Kali: Goddess of
death
VISHNU: THE
PRESERVER *
 Protects
 Banishes bad luck
 Brings good health
 With Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth)
 And Saraswati (Goddess of Wisdom &
Arts)
 Krishna – 8th incarnation of Vishnu;
warrior & lover
RAMA
Virtue
Reason
Chivalry
With Sita (wife)
• Loyalty
SACRIFICE
Rules for bramins are in the Brahamans
• Methods of worship
• Sacrifice
• Ashwamedha
• Horse sacrifice
MYSTICS
Upanishads
Brahman = universal spirit
• All have own, but all same substance
• Individual spirit - Atman
• Will all be united with the universal
Brahman
REINCARNATION
 Will reach Brahman when purged all attachments to world
 Achieve spiritual purity (through yoga – “union”)
 Death = soul freed
 Keep being reborn (Samsara) Goal to reach Moksha (final
release)
DHARMA
Religious and ethical duties of all beings
Not the same for all
KARMA
Set of activities of each being
Effects of these activities on the soul
In accord with Dharma = purity
In disaccord = pollutes
4 GOALS
 1. Karma (set of activities that determine fate)
 2. Moksha (final union with Brahma – part of the universe)
 3. Kama (pleasure)
 4. Artha (wealth and power)
 Activity on earth is play, but still relevant
 Life on earth (Maya) is an illusion compared to Moksha
LIFE CYCLE
 1st Youth, studies, celibacy
 2nd Household/family
 3rd “forest-wandering”
• Take time to reflect deeply
 4th Meditation
• Preparing for death
• Preparing for Moksha
 Metaphorically taken
ACCESS TO ALL
All access to all people regardless of caste
No 1 universal dogma
TEMPLES
 Sacrifices were replaced by representations of the gods
• Pictures
• Statues
 7th and 8th centuries CE built temples in caves
• Similarities seen throughout India (indicating its spread)
 Build by wealthy
• Priest support, grand temple = validate power
• More ornate - more prestige
POWER PLAY
 Evidence of melding between indigenous people and
Aryans
• Dark skin of God Krishna
• Producing imagery to reflect the local people, not
Aryans
 New rulers who took land used brahmins to impress locals
• Persuade tribes to support king
• Wove local gods into temples
“GREAT” VS “LITTLE”
 Increase in government size – increase in temples – increase in
grandness
 “great” national tradition: umbrella of Hinduism’s major gods and
basic caste system
• Unites civilization
 “little” local tradition: left local communities to continue to
worship their gods and uphold traditions by combining with
Hinduism
POWER TRADE OFF
 Kings give land and $ to temples
 Kings link to high brahmin validates power
 Temples used as banks/lenders
 Cities grew around temples
BEYOND INDIA
 Not intentional expansion except seen in South East Asia
 Trade
• Sailed to and from SE Asia (today Cambodia, Burma, Thailand,
Vietnam)
• Culture spread
 Conversion out of politics and economics
EVIDENCE?
 Sanskrit writing found in SE Asia
 Indian technology
• Irrigation
• Farming
 Chinese documented voyages
• Found traces of Indian culture
INDIA
Thailand
TODAY
No longer 4 castes
10s of thousands
Determined locally
No national system
• Illegal
Still marry within caste (arranged marriage system)
 Untouchables today
SHIVA ANALYSIS