Download Intro to Hinduism

Comparative Religions – Early Hinduism
Trimester 3
Ms. Allyson Schieve
adapted from PBS.org and Kessler, Gary. Eastern Ways of Being Religious. California: Mountain
View Publishing, 2009. Print
Standards
Era 2: Early Civilizations and the Emergence of Pastoral Peoples, 4000 – 1000 BCE
Standard 1A: The student understands how Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley became
centers of dense population, urbanization, and cultural innovation.
Grade Level Therefore, the student is able to:
Compare the development of religious and ethical belief systems in the three
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civilizations and they legitimized the political and social order.
Era 3: Classical Traditions, Major Religions, and Giant Empires, 1000 BCE-300 CE
Standard 3D: The student understands religious and cultural developments in India in the era of
the Gangetic states and the Mauryan Empire.
Grade Level Therefore, the student is able to:
Explain the major beliefs and practices of Brahmanism in India and how they
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evolved into early Hinduism.
Era 4: Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter, 300-1000 CE
Standard 1A: Imperial crises and their aftermath, 300-700 CE.
Grade Level Therefore, the student is able to:
Describe fundamental features of the Hindu belief system as they emerged in the
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early first millennium CE.
Background:
Think about our understanding of the word “religion.” Does Hinduism fit neatly into this little
box? To begin, the word “Hinduism” suggests that “Hinduism is a spate and distinct religious
tradition comparable to Christianity or Islam. Hinduism displays few of the characteristics
generally associated with religion. There is no founder, no divinely revealed texts, no creed or
dogma, no “church” or ecclesiastical organization […]”(Kessler, 2000).
Hinduism, like the Indian subcontinent is extremely diverse and therefore, also, colored by local
traditions, deities specific to one’s region and familial traditions. The question is: should we
characterize Hinduism as a “religion” or a “belief system?”
Terms to consider:
Avidya
Vidya
Moksha
Aryans
Indus Valley
Brahman
Brahma
Vishnu
Shiva
Atman
Upanishads
Bhagavad Gita
Yoga
Nirvana
Ganesha
Reincarnation
Task:
Create a scrapbook of images and text that highlights your virtual tour of the development of
ancient Hinduism from the perspective of a foreign traveler just discovering this religion. Use
images from the Internet (with appropriate citation) or create your own.
You should draw from the ancient texts to the stories of the gods to the holy sites along the banks
of the Ganges River. Topics could include:
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The importance of the Ganges River
Key vocabulary
Origins of yoga
The Vedas
The gods