Download Hinduism and Buddhism

Moralistic vs. Philosophical
Religions
• Moralistic =
• Good and Bad
• Philosophical =
• mind, state of being
SIKHISM…
 Sikhism is NOT a
Polytheistic Religion
it is a Monotheistic
religion
 A way of life and
philosophy well
ahead of its time
when it was founded
over 500 years ago
and today has over
20 million followers

Sikhism preaches that
people of different
races, religions, or sex
are all equal in the eyes
of God. It teaches the
full equality of men and
women. Women can
participate in any
religious function or
perform any Sikh
ceremony or lead the
congregation in prayer.
• Hinduism
Is said to be the world’s oldest
religion
 You
can be Monotheistic
 You can be Polytheistic
 You can be Agnostic
 You can be Atheist
 Hinduism is a very broad
religion
CHRISTIANITY
GOD
ISLAM
ALLAH
JUDAISM
YAHWEH
HINDUISM
BRAHMAN
BRAHMAN
VISNU
SHIVA
BRAHMA
330 Other Gods
http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses.htm
• Teaches that right thinking and
self denial will enable the soul to
reach Nirvana
(a divine state of release from
misdirected desire)
HELL!!!
►Is
designed to justly punish crime
►It can last for a MOMENT or a
1,000 YEARS.
HEAVEN.
There is no Heaven.
Life is a never-ending circle.
Re-birth
Hell
Re-death
Limbo
Reincarnation.
• Transmigration of Souls.
• It is continuous where
individuals attempt to
achieve that perfect life.
• If achieved, individual
can be sent to Nirvana
and the circle is broken.
LIMBO.
 It is a “Great Garden Party”
Hindu’s believe…
that a person’s KARMA
determines how his soul
will be reborn in the next
life.
KARMA = deeds of action
DHARMA
PROVIDES A CODE OF BEHAVIOR
OR SET OF MORAL AND ETHICAL
RULES GOVERNING THE CONDUCT
OF EACH SOCIAL CLASS.
(AN UPPER CLASS HINDU AND A LOWER CLASS HINDU
HAVE DIFFERENT SETS OF RULES (DHARMAS) TO
LIVE BY).
Hinduism did not become popular outside its
homeland. It is tied to India
• Hinduism percentage by country
When It Did Spread, It Did It Not By Land, But
Rather By Sea.
The sacred rivers
• Hoping either to benefit from its restorative
properties or to die and be transported to
Paradise, the Ganges and other rivers are a
key part of worship in the Hindu faith.
? QUESTIONS ?

Why is the cow sacred?



The Hindu does not worship the cow,
has never worshipped the cow, and
is not likely to ever worship the cow.
The cow represents a link between
man and the dumb animals of
Creation.
The cow represents ‘Motherhood’,
‘Mother’s milk’, and gentle nature.

What’s with the red dot (bindi)?

Men and women wear the red dot,
which is paste, powder, or a sticker.
It is a religious symbol. It represents
divine sight and is a sign that one is
Hindu. The colorful sticker versions
of the dot are more of a beauty mark
or part of a lady’s make-up.
Hindus believe…
in one God, one Humanity, and one world.
 God is not far away, living in a remote
heaven, but is inside each and every soul,
in the heart and consciousness, waiting to
be discovered.
 there is one all-pervasive God who
energizes the entire universe.
 the concept of God which exists in and
gives life to all things (panentheism)

Hinduism shows a great capacity to
absorbing ideas and adapting to
conditions.
 When Buddha challenged it, in the 6th
century B.C., the Brahmas simply
added him and accepted certain
Buddhist concept.
 Thus Buddhism virtually vanished
from India.

 Christianity
reached India at
least 1,600 to 1,900 years ago.
 The Christian message was
absorbed.
 In fact, Jesus is the Tenth
Incarnation of Vishnu.
A way of life that attempts to identify the causes of human
suffering and offer a set of practices that
are claimed to end, or ease suffering.
The Four Noble Truths.

1. Life = Suffering
To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not
perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our
lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering
such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and
eventually death; and we have to endure psychological
suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment,
and depression. Although there are different degrees of
suffering and there are also positive experiences in life
that we perceive as the opposite of suffering, such as
ease, comfort and happiness, life in its totality is
imperfect and incomplete, because our world is subject to
impermanence.
2. The origin of suffering is
attachment.

The reasons for suffering are desire,
passion, pursuit of wealth and prestige,
striving for fame and popularity, or in
short: craving and clinging. Because the
objects of our attachment are transient
(temporary), their loss is inevitable, thus
suffering will necessarily follow.
3. The cessation of suffering
is attainable.
(it is possible to stop suffering)
- Suffering can be overcome through human
activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering.
Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many
levels that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana.
(Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles,
complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not
comprehensible for those who have not attained it).
4. The path to the cessation of
suffering is to follow the Eight
Fold Path to Nirvana.
• Right Faith (do you truly understand.
It does not deal with ‘reason’.)
• Right Resolve to Resist Evil
• Right Speech (not just what you say,
but what you think – you should do)
• Right Action (how do you conduct
yourself)
•Right Living
•Right Effort (does you head,
heart, and body work as one?)
•Right Thought (intentions,
attitudes, aspirations)
•Right Meditation (concentration.
Whether it be breathing, or
letting go to where there is
nothing but silence)
» According to Buddha, man would go through several
rebirths before he would be able to overcome
his desires. Those who finally rid themselves
of all desires would reach Nirvana.
In Nirvana, man’s soul would stop it cycle of
rebirth and would become one with the
universe.
Buddhism is the only religion to begin in India’s
Ganges River Valley area, but it is #4 in India
behind Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity.
ANIMISM
• Sees god in the
animals (spirit)
which they hunt.
CONFUCIANISM
Deals with the Li and the Hsin
Li is the ability to “See”
Hsin = The ”Lane” or
“Pattern”
The “Heart” and the “Mind”
• Confucius addressed both Buddhist
and Taoist issues
Taoism / Daoism
• Is the root of
Chinese philosophy.
• The unity of heaven
and earth is possible
only if Tao is allowed
to take its natural
course.
• To understand Tao is
the very secret of life.