Download Indian Belief Systems

Indian Belief Systems
Sometimes summarised as '"dharmic religions" or "dharmic traditions" (though subtleties in the meaning of dharma or
dhamma differs according to the religion), Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism share certain key concepts, which are
interpreted differently by different groups and individuals.
All four traditions have notions of karma, dharma, samsara, moksha and various forms of Yoga. Of course, these terms may be
perceived differently by different religions. For instance, for a Hindu, dharma is his duty. For a Jain, dharma is righteousness, his
conduct. For a Buddhist, dharma is usually taken to be the Buddha's teachings. Similarly, for a Hindu, yoga is the cessation of all
thoughts/activities of the mind.[14] For Jains, Yoga is the sum of all physical, verbal and mental activities.
Hinduism
Founder
Where and When
founded
About the
founder
Founder’s birth
culture
Influenced by
Main Spreader
(s)
Texts
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Hinduism/Origins/Founders.html
India, 2000 – 1500 BC
Historic Vedic religion evolved into Hinduism
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Hinduism/Origins/Beginnings.html
Indus Valley Civilization, Aryan Vedic tradition, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam
See: http://www.patheos.com/Library/Hinduism/Origins/Influences
Vedic Rishi (received the vedas directly from Brahma)
Vedic Texts:
1. the Rigveda: hymns (for the chief priest to recite)
2. the Yajurveda: formulas (for the priest to recite)
3. the Samaveda: formulas (for the priest to chant)
4. the Atharvaveda: collection of stories, spells, and charms
The religious realm of the Vedas is centered on the proper performance of ritual sacrifice, which,
essentially, involves the offering something of value—an animal or food—in order to receive the favor of
the gods.
There are 108 extant Upanishads (philosophical texts) The basic teaching is that the self (atman) is really
identical to the foundation of all reality (Brahman). Most people are unaware of this and, so, remain
caught in the cycle of death and rebirth. Realization of this truth, on the other hand, provides release
(moksha). The Upanishads focus on how to free oneself from the bonds of material attachments, and
thereby attain a state of oneness with Brahman.
Smriti Literature refers to 'memorized' or 'remembered' poetry and epic stories. The three most
important are:



Main Concepts,
Philosophy and
The Bhagavad Gita – A conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, called the "Song of the
Adorable One", written about the 2nd century BC and forms the sixth part of Mahabharata. It
contains Hinduism’s lessons about the nature of God and of life.
The Mahabharata - The world's longest epic poem written about 9th century BC, and deals
with the power struggle between the Pandava and the Kaurava families, with an intertwining
of numerous episodes that make up life.
The Ramayana - It tells the story of Rama, especially of his expedition through the Decean to
Ceylon, to recover, by the aid of the monkey-god Hanuman, his wife Sita, who was captured
and taken there by the demon Ravana. Rama is eventually restoration to the throne.
According to Hindu philosophy, all living beings have an atma (soul) that is reborn several times, in both
human and animal form. The karma (actions) of people in one life will decide his/her fate in the next life.
practice
Existence is cyclical; everything in the universe — except for Brahman and certain Hindu scriptures — is
created, maintained for a certain amount of time, and then destroyed in order to be renewed in ideal
form again.
Prominent themes include:
Dharma (ethics and duties)
Samsara (rebirth)
Karma (right action)
Moksha (liberation from the cycle of Samsara)
It also believes in proper living: truth, honesty, non-violence, celibacy, cleanliness, contentment,
prayers, austerity, perseverance, penance, and pious company.
Castes:
Deities
Hindus have a multitude of gods and goddesses that symbolize the one abstract Supreme Soul, the
universe and everything in it, or Brahman (distinct from Brahma, creator god)
Thus Hinduism is a pantheistic religion: It equates God with the universe. Yet Hindu religion is also
polytheistic: populated with myriad gods and goddesses who personify aspects of the one true God,
allowing individuals an infinite number of ways to worship based on family tradition, community and
regional practices, and other considerations.
Most temples are dedicated to Brahma , Vishnu and Shiva.
Brahma – the creator (commonly worshiped, the minor of the three gods), rides a swan. F: Saraswati
Vishnu – the protector (Angkor Wat was originally built to Vishnu), rides a garuda. F: Lakshmi
He maintains the order and harmony of the universe, which is periodically created by Brahma and
periodically destroyed by Shiva to prepare for the next creation.
Shiva – the destroyer /transformer, god of fertility (like Baal), rides a bull. F: Parvati.
Shiva’s destructive power is regenerative: It’s the necessary step that makes renewal possible.
There are four main sects within Hinduism: Shaivism, in which Shiva is worshipped as the main god;
Vaishnavism, in which Vishnu is the main god; Shaktism, in which the female aspect of god is primarily
worshipped; and Smartism, in which six main gods are worshipped: Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesh,
Murugan and Surya.
Other Popular Gods
Ganesh (elephant head): remover of obstacles. Rides a mouse.
Rama: incarnation of Vishnu (7th). Central figure in the story of Ramayana, Angkor Wat. Assisted by
Hanuman, apelike god.
Krishna: incarnation of Vishnu (8th), a prankster, Hindus identify Krishna as the teacher of the sacred
scripture called the Bhagavad Gita and as the friend and mentor of prince Arjuna in the epic the
Mahabharata.
For the vast majority of Hindus, the most important religious path is bhakti (devotion) to personal gods.
Symbols
AUM - (also spelled Om) is a Hindu sacred sound that is considered the greatest of all mantras.
The syllable Om is composed of the three sounds a-u-m (in Sanskrit, the vowels a and u combine to
become o) and the symbol's threefold nature is central to its meaning. It represent several important
triads:
 the three worlds - earth, atmosphere, and heaven
 the three major Hindu gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva
 the three sacred Vedic scriptures - Rg, Yajur, and Sama
Om is spoken at the beginning and the end of Hindu mantras, prayers, and meditations and is frequently
used in Buddhist and Jain rituals as well. Om is used in the practice of Yoga and is related to techniques
of auditory meditation. From the 6th century, the written symbol of Om was used to mark the beginning
of a text in a manuscript or an inscription.
Swastika – comes from the Sanskrit word svasti (sv = well; asti = is), meaning good fortune, luck and
well-being. http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/symbols/swastika.htm
Safron – the color of fire reflecting the Supreme Being
Bindi – a mark in the form of a tilak worn on a married woman’s forehead in the place of the third eye he
area between the eyebrows where attention is focused during meditation
Linga and Yoni – male and female sex organs, symbols of fertility
Lotus - represents beauty and non-attachment.
Pratik (magen david in a circle with swastika) - The pratik ("emblem") is the symbol of the Ananda Marga
("path of bliss") movement, which was founded in India in 1955 and emphases social service along with
yoga and meditation.
The pratik symbol consists of the following elements:
 upward-pointing triangle representing one's external actions (social service)
 downward-pointing triangle symbolizing one's internal work (meditation, self-realization)
 rising sun symbolizing spiritual progress through the balance of external and internal efforts
 swastika representing fulfillment or one's ultimate spiritual goal
Rituals
Purity and Pollution: The most notable feature in religious ritual is the division between purity and
pollution. Purification, usually with water, is thus a typical feature of most religious action. Avoidance of
the impure--taking animal life, eating flesh, associating with dead things, or body fluids--is another
feature of Hindu ritual and is important for repressing pollution.
Offerings: belief in the efficacy of sacrifice, including survivals of Vedic sacrifice. Thus, sacrifices may
include the performance of offerings in a regulated manner, with the preparation of sacred space,
recitation of texts, and manipulation of objects.
The concept of merit, gained through the performance of charity or good works, that will accumulate
over time and reduce sufferings in the next world.
The home is the place where most Hindus conduct their worship and religious rituals. The most
important times of day for performance of household rituals are dawn and dusk.
For many households, the day begins when the women in the house draw auspicious geometric designs
in chalk or rice flour on the floor or the doorstep.
For orthodox Hindus, dawn and dusk are greeted with recitation from the Rig Veda of the Gayatri Mantra
for the sun--for many people, the only Sanskrit prayer they know.
After a bath, there is personal worship of the gods at a family shrine, which typically includes lighting a
lamp and offering foodstuffs before the images, while prayers in Sanskrit or a regional language are
recited.
In the evenings, especially in rural areas, mostly female devotees may gather together for long sessions
of singing hymns in praise of one or more of the gods.
Minor acts of charity punctuate the day. During daily baths, there are offerings of a little water in
memory of the ancestors.
At each meal, families may set aside a handful of grain to be donated to beggars or needy persons, and
daily gifts of small amounts of grain to birds or other animals serve to accumulate merit for the family
through their self-sacrifice.
Influenced
Center and
Sacred Sites
No of followers
Schools/Versions
Geography
Festivals
There are life-cycle rituals for pregnancy, birth, infancy, death and funeral.
Buddhism
The Ganges river is considered to be holy by most Hindus, who believe that bathing in it (in God) will
wash away their earthly sins. According to Hindu mythology, Ganga flowed in the heavens but then was
ordered to go down to earth. Fearing that her forceful descent might wash away the earth, the gods
sought the help of Shiva. Shiva broke the fall of Ganga-Ganges by capturing her in his mighty locks. Since
then, Ganga-Ganges resides on top of Shiva's head as his second wife, the first being Parvati.
1.1 billion
Hinduism is divided into numerous denominations, primarily Shaivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, Smarta
The majority of Hindus live in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and Bali. About 90% of Hindus reside in the
Republic of India, accounting for 83% of its population.
 Holi, March. The festival of colors, Holi celebrates the coming of spring. A huge bonfire is held
in the evening prior to the festival.
 Diwali, October/November. The festival of lights. Celebrated with diyas, candles, colorful lights,
sweets and plenty of fireworks.
 Dussehra, October/November. Held on the last day of Durga Puja. Celebrates the victory of
good over evil. Huge effigies of the mythological characters Ravana, Kumbhakarna and
Meghnad are stuffed with fireworks and burned.
 Janmashtami, August/September. Celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Marked by devotional
songs and dances.
 Khumbh Mela, dates vary. This Hindu festival occurs every 3 years and alternates between
Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. None of the events are small, but the Maha Khumbh
Mela (held every 12 years at Allahabad) is the largest gathering on Earth, attended by millions
of bathers and observers.
 Mahashivaratri, March. Dedicated to Lord Shiva. At night, leaves are offered to the idol.
 Ganesh Chaturthi, August/September. According to legend, Lord Ganesh was born on this day.
It is at its most elaborate in Maharashtra.
 Rathyatra, around July. Known As the "Car Festival" and dedicated to Sri Krishna. It is
celebrated all over India, though the main activities are held in Puri, where a gigantic chariot is
drawn through the town by thousands of devotees.
Indian Buddhism – Theravada Buddhism
Founder
Where and
When
founded
About the
founder
Founder’s
birth
culture
Influenced
by
Main
Spreader
(s)
Texts
Siddhartha Gautama born 563 BCE – beginning of the Buddhist Calendar
Nepal 500s BCE.
See Holy Sites, below.
Hindu
Hinduism
Monks
The fundamental teachings were collected into their final form around the 3rd century BCE, after a Buddhist
council at Patna in India.
The teachings were written down in Sri Lanka during the 1st century CE. They were written in Pali (a language
like Sanskrit) and are known as the Pali canon. It's called the Tipitaka - the three baskets. The three sections are:
 the Vinaya Pitaka (the code for monastic life)
o

the Sutta Pitaka (teachings of the Buddha)
o

This contains the whole of Buddhist philosophy and ethics. It includes the Dhammapada
which contains the essence of Buddha's teaching.
the Abhidamma Pitaka (supplementary philosophy and religious teaching)
o
Main
Concepts,
Philosophy
and
practice
These rules are followed by Buddhist monks and nuns, who recite the 227 rules twice a
month.
The texts have remained unaltered since they were written down. Buddhist monks in the
Theravada tradition consider it important to learn sections of these texts by heart.
Theravada means "The Way of the Elders" in Pali, reflecting the Theravadins' belief that they most closely follow
the original beliefs and practices of the Buddha and the early monastic Elders.
Noble Truths
Impermanence – everything is in a state of change. (Also the idea of Transient Self.)
Suffering (dukkha) - Craving causes suffering.
Followers of the Theravada branch describe themselves as imperfect beings that have a temporary stay on this
earth. When an individual understands this nature of existence, they find nothing valuable in this world.
Through this knowledge, there is no sense of greed in their lives. Through detachment, elimination of the cause
(craving) eliminates the result (suffering). Then with this knowledge, a Theravada Buddhist can reach the state
of perfection and enter nirvana.
The purpose of life for Theravadins is to become an arhat, a perfected saint who has achieved nirvana and will
not be reborn again. As a result, Southern Buddhism tends to be more monastic, strict and world-renouncing
than its Northern counterpart, and its approach is more philosophical than religious.
The Theravāda Path to detachment starts with learning, to be followed by practice, culminating in the
realization of Nirvana. The Eightfold Path is best understood as a collection of personal qualities to be
developed, rather than as a sequence of steps along a linear path. It requires right view, intention, speech,
actions, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration.
Because of our ignorance (avijja) of these Noble Truths, because of our inexperience in framing the world in
their terms, we remain bound to samsara, the wearisome cycle of birth, aging, illness, death, and rebirth.
Craving propels this process onward, from one moment to the next and over the course of countless lifetimes,
in accordance with karma, the universal law of cause and effect. According to this law, every action that one
performs in the present moment — whether by body, speech, or mind itself — eventually bears fruit according
to its skillfulness: act in unskillful and harmful ways and unhappiness is bound to follow; act skillfully and
happiness will ultimately ensue.[13] As long as one remains ignorant of this principle, one is doomed to an
aimless existence: happy one moment, in despair the next; enjoying one lifetime in heaven, the next in hell.
The Buddha discovered that gaining release from samsara requires assigning to each of the Noble Truths a
specific task: the first Noble Truth is to be comprehended; the second, abandoned; the third, realized; the
fourth, developed. The full realization of the third Noble Truth paves the way for Awakening: the end of
ignorance, craving, suffering, and kamma itself; the direct penetration to the transcendent freedom and
supreme happiness that stands as the final goal of all the Buddha's teachings; the Unconditioned, the Deathless,
Unbinding - Nirvana.
(See Greek Philosophy, Stoicism - Indifference to pleasure or pain; impassiveness)
Deities
Symbols
Rituals
Because of this focus on personal attainment and its requirement that one must renounce the world to achieve
salvation, Mahayana Buddhists refer to Theravada Buddhism as the "Lesser Vehicle" (Hinayana).
In Theravada, it is thought to be highly unlikely, even impossible, that a layperson can achieve liberation.
Because Mahayana disagrees, it regards itself as providing a "Greater Vehicle" to liberation, in which more
people can participate.
Buddah is a divine being. Gods exist as various types of spiritual being but with limited powers.
Buddah
The Buddha — the "Awakened One" — called the religion he founded Dhamma-vinaya — "the doctrine and
discipline." To provide a social structure supportive of the practice of Dhamma-vinaya (or Dhamma for short),
and to preserve these teachings for posterity, the Buddha established the order of bhikkhus (monks) and
bhikkhunis (nuns) — the Sangha — which continues to this day to pass his teachings on to subsequent
generations of laypeople and monastics, alike.
Most Theravada monks live in monastery communities. Some join as young as seven, but one can join at any
age. A novice is called a samanera and a full monk is called a bikkhu. The monastic community as a whole is
called the sangha.
Monks (and nuns) undertake the training of the monastic order (the Vinaya) which consist of 227 rules (more
for nuns). Within these rules or precepts are five which are undertaken by all those trying to adhere to a
Buddhist way of life. The Five Precepts are to undertake the rule of training to:
 Refrain from harming living beings
 Refrain from taking that which is not freely given
 Refrain from sexual misconduct
 Refrain from wrong speech; such as lying, idle chatter, malicious gossip or harsh speech
 Refrain from intoxicating drink and drugs which lead to carelessness
Theravadan monks and nuns are not permitted to eat after midday or handle money.
The relationship between monks and lay people in Theravada Buddhism is very strong. This type of Buddhism
could not, in fact, exist in its present form without this interaction. It is a way of mutual support - lay people
supply food, medicine, and cloth for robes, and monks give teachings, spiritual support, and blessing.
Meditation: - The Theravada tradition has two forms of meditation. Samatha: Calming meditation; Vipassana:
Insight meditation.
Insight must come from the aspirant's experience and critical reasoning instead of by blind faith.
Mudras - Symbolic hand gestures. Communication through hand gesture.
Veneration of Buddhas and Deities
Influenced
Center and
Sacred
Sites
The four holy sites are places of importance in the life of Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha, himself, referred to these
sites as most worthy of pilgrimage.
Lumbini, Nepal
The birthplace of the Buddha. He was born a prince. Because astrologers at his birth said he would choose his
own path, he was sheltered by his father from the outside world until an eventful journey in which he witnessed
the "Four Sights" - an old man, a sick man, a poor man, and a corpse. This led him to leave his life of luxury to
seek the meaning of life through meditation and self-denial. For six years, Siddhartha submitted himself to
rigorous ascetic practices, studying and following different methods of meditation with various religious
teachers. But he was never fully satisfied.
Bodhgaya, India
Site of the Buddha's enlightenment. After Guatama had nearly killed himself with fasting and self-denial to no
avail, he was offered a bowl of rice from a young girl and he accepted it. In that moment, he realised that
physical austerities were not the means to achieve liberation. From then on, he encouraged people to follow a
path of balance rather than extremism. He called this The Middle Way.
That night Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree, and meditated until dawn. He purified his mind of all
defilements and attained enlightenment at the age of thirty-five, thus earning the title Buddha, or "Enlightened
One". He abandoned the life of an ascetic (extreme self-denial) for the middle way.
Sarnath, India
Site of the Buddha's first sermon. Shortly after his enlightenment, the Buddha shared what he had learned with
a small gathering of friends in a deer park at modern-day Sarnath. This event is known as "the turning of the
wheel of the Dharma" - here the Buddha set in motion the teachings of Buddhism that would spread
throughout the world.
For the remainder of his eighty years, the Buddha preached the Dharma in an effort to help other sentient
beings reach enlightenment.
Kushinagar (Kusinara), India
Kushinagar is the place of the Buddha's death, or passing into nirvana. Along a journey, accompanied by his
disciples, the Buddha announced his time had come and lay down. He lapsed into a peaceful meditative state,
then passed into Nirvana in that reclined position. The Buddha's parinirvana, as this event is called, represents
the ideal death for a Buddhist and is frequently depicted in Buddhist art.
No of
followers
Geography
Festivals
Pantheism =
100 Million
Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar
There are numerous ceremonies and commemoration days which lay people celebrate, such as Wesak which
marks the birth, enlightenment, and parinibbana (passing away) of the Buddha, and for these events everyone
converges on the local temples.