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World Religions
Mythology and
Eastern Religions
Polytheism
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poly=many
Theos=god
Polytheistic religions believe in more than
one god.
Important Polytheistic Traditions
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Mythology
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Hinduism
Mythology
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Mythology is the best
attempt of primitive
people to explain why
things are the way they
are.
Most mythology has more
than one god.
Persephone returning from
the Underworld
Mythology
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All regions of the
world have sets of
myths that explain
things like the
creation of the
world, the seasons,
the rising and setting
of the sun and other
phenomena in
nature.
Greek Mythology
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Greek mythology is the collection of
stories used by the people of Greece to
explain phenomena in the world around
them.
Roman Mythology
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Greek
The
God
Roman
Zeus
Empire
adopted
Ares
the greek
Hermes
system of
Gods and Poseidon
changed
Demeter
their
Aphrodite
names.
Hera
Hades
Roman
God
Jupiter
Mars
Mercury
Neptune
Saturn
Venus
Juno
Pluto
King of gods
God of war
Messenger god
God of seas
God of agriculture
Goddess of love
Queen of gods
God of underworld
The Renaissance
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The European Renaissance began with the
rediscovery of ancient greek art,
architecture and literature.
The Renaissance helped Greek and Roman
mythology become an important part of
Western culture.
Mythology in Western Culture
Mythological figure
Nike of
Samothrace
Roman gods
Cupid
Achilles
Amazon Women
Narcissus
Modern culture
Nike shoes
Solar system
Valentines Day
Achilles heel
Amazon River
Narcissism
Nike
Cupid
Amazon
Woman
Norse Mythology
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Some of our days of the week
come from Norse mythology
Wednesday: Named after the
Norse god Odin
Thursday: Named after the
Norse god Thor
Friday: Named after the Norse
god Freyja
Thor the god of thunder
Hinduism
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Hinduism is considered
to be the world’s oldest
organized religion.
It began in India where
it is still the dominant
religion.
Vishnu
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Vishnu-The supreme God.
All-Pervading essence of
all beings, the creator and
destroyer of all existences,
one who supports,
sustains and governs the
Universe and originates
and develops all elements
within.
Avatars
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Vishnu is beyond the
capability of humans to
understand. It is believed,
however, that Vishnu has
revealed himself in a lower
form (human) several
times. Hindus worship all
of the people whom are
considered to be avatars
of Vishnu.
A representation of ten avatars of Vishnu
Krishna
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The most famous of the
avatars of Vishnu.
He is usually depicted as
a young cow-herd or
philosopher-prince
He is the spokesman in a
famous book of Hindu
scripture known as the
Bhagavad Gita.
Rama
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Rama is the seventh
avatar of Vishnu. He
was thought to be a
perfect man because
of his selflessness and
courage.
He fought a great
battle against Ravanah
who had captured his
wife Sita.
Rama and Sita
Reincarnation

Reincarnation is the idea
that one’s current life
situation is the result
(karma) of actions in
past lives. If you are
good in this life, you will
receive and better
situation in the next life
and vice-versa.
Dharma and Karma
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Karma literally means “actions.” Hindus
believe that whatever we do (good or
bad) will come back to us in greater
abundance than we gave it in the first
place.
Dharma is the way of living that will insure
good karma.
Ganges
River
The Ganges River is
Considered by Hindus
to be holy.
Bathing in the Ganges
is a Hindu ritual.
Holy Cow!
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If all living things have
a soul, then, it stands
to reason that killing an
animal would be a
terrible thing to do.
Most Hindus are, therefore, vegetarian.
Cows are especially sacred because of their
usefullness (for work, fertilizer and dariy products)
and their gentle natures.
Salvation-moksha
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The end result of this progression of lives
is to reach a state where the soul
becomes dissatisfied with the
limits/passions of the body. The realization
that true happiness is eternal, not
temporal, ends the cycle of life and death
(samsara). The soul is free of the body
and becomes one with the universe like
Vishnu and the other gods.
Yoga
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Originally, yoga was a Hindu
spiritual practice (dharma) to
aid in improving the power of
the mind to gain spiritual
insights and overcome the
limitations of the body.
Although most people in the
West see it as a form of
exercise (Hatha yoga) it has no
less than five major branches
each with a specific purpose.
Hatha Yoga
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Hatha yoga has
several parts:
1-Asanas: placing
the body into
different positions
2-deep breathing
Asanas
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Before yoga was used just as an exercise,
it was used to condition the body to be
able to sit for a long time without being
distracted by pain.
Deep breathing helps to clear the mind of
extraneous thoughts so it can focus on
one thing.
Brain Waves
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Delta-state of sleep
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Alpha-state of
relaxation
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Beta- normal brain
activity; awake and
aware
Gamma- state of
panic, anxiety or
agitation
India’s Caste System
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Some brilliant political leader of India used
the idea of reincarnation to keep people
from challenging the power of the elite.
By creating castes, India’s social classes
were set for life. If a person wanted to
move to a higher caste, they would have
to be obedient in this life in order to get a
better situation in the next.
India’s Caste System
Rank
Jobs/positions
Brahmin
Priests, philosophers,
teachers
Warriors and rulers
Kshatriya
Vaisya
Sudra
Pariah (untouchables)
Merchants and land
owners
Manual worker
Those who did unclean
work.
Daoism
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Daoism is a Chinese religion/philosophy
that has parts that are like mythology and
others that are like more organized
religion.
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Lao-tzu(570?-490? BC), Chinese
philosopher and reputed founder of
Taoism. He was born in the province of
Henan (Ho-nan) and was a court
librarian. According to tradition, he is the
author of the Tao-te Ching (Classic of the
Way and Its Virtue), a philosophical
treatise. By far the most translated
Chinese literary work, this small book has
had an enormous influence on Chinese
thought and culture. It teaches that "the
way" (tao) is realized through recognition
and acceptance of nothingness; that is,
wisdom is understanding that weakness
truly equals strength, that happiness
depends on disaster, and that passivity is
the greatest action.
Herbal Medicine, Tai Chi, Meditation, Feng
Shui and Martial Arts are all ways to
access the energy that flows and directs
to the ultimate reality
Historical
Background
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Daoism comes from the Chinese word
“dao” also pronounced “tao” which means
The Way
Chi
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Many symbols and icons from Chinese culture are
becoming increasingly recognizable to the West. What
most westerners do not realize, however, is that there is
one concept that ties all of these components of Chinese
culture together.
That concept is “Chi”
Chi is the life force (energy) that permeates all life. A
major component of each aspect of Chinese culture is to
maintain a free and harmonious flow of chi. The yin/yang
symbol represents that good and bad energy continually
move and flow through all life.
Daoism and Health
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Chinese medicine is
grounded in the idea that
there is a direct link between
the spirit and the body.
Physical ailments are
physical manifestations of
spiritual problems. Healing,
then takes place from the
inside out rather than the
outside in.
Pressure Points
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When energy flow
is trapped, sickness
and disease can
occur.
This pent up energy
can be released by
applying pressure or
inserting needles
Pressure Points
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To experience optimal
health, spirit, energy or chi
flows through the body
unencumbered. Sickness
occurs when the flow of chi
is stopped. There are
certain points where
pressure can be applied or
needles inserted to free up
the flow of energy. Each of
these “pressure points” is
connected to one of the
bodies organs or functions
Accupuncture
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Accupuncure is the
practice of inserting
needles into certain
points of the body
where energy can get
backed up. The
needles free up the
energy so that it can
flow through the body.
Tai Chi
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It Tai Chi is the regulation of
energy through fluid body
movement. It is thought that
the movements of tai chi move
energy through the body in
ways that contribute to health
and productivity.
is a form of exercize that,
although the movements are
slow and methodical, have the
effect of an aerobic workout.
Herbal Medicine
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In addition to
acupuncture, massage
and direct pressure,
thousands of years of
experimentation
resulted in a complex
knowledge of plants
and their given
remedies.
Feng Shui
Whereas tai chi and
acupuncture regulate
the flow of energy of
the body, Feng Shui is
the regulation of
energy of the larger
physical world
Feng Shui and You
The bagua is often
used as a tool to
optimize the flow of
energy through a
house or office.
The bagua is placed
over the floor plan to
match the sections of
the bagua with the
rooms of the house.
Harmony with Nature
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Feng shui can be
used to design a
house that
maximizes its
function and the
flow of energy
Buddhism
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Buddhism is a religion that began in India
in about 400 B.C.
Siddhartha
Gautama
Siddhartha Gautama was a prince in a small kingdom
in Northern India/Nepal. Legend says that he was
prophesied to either become a great king or a great
holy man. His father wanted him to become a great
king so he shielded him from religious teachings or
knowledge of human suffering.
At the age of 29 he went out to meet his subjects. His
father tried to remove the old, sick or disabled from
Siddhartha’s view. After meeting an old man and
learning that all people would die, he became
curious and began to make many trips to meet
ordinary people. He became convinced that wealth
and luxury would not bring happiness and left the
palace to live as a beggar. After years of searching
and meditation, it is claimed that he reached
enlightenment after forty-nine days of meditation.
Budda
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Siddhartha became “Budda” (awakened
one) when he discovered the middle
path. The path is a balance between
luxury and self denial.
He spent his life teaching the way to
enlightenment.
A budda is anyone has reached
englightenment. This means that they
have discovered the nature of reality
through spiritual cultivation, investigation
of the various religions of the time and
meditation.
Spread of Buddhism
Buddhism and Shinto
Dharma
The teachings or law as expounded by the
Buddha. Dharma also means the law of
nature based on behavior of a person and
its consequences to be experienced
(action and reaction). It can also
(especially in Mahayana Buddhism)
connote the ultimate and sustaining
Reality which is inseverable from the
Buddha.
Four Noble Truths
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the noble truth that is suffering"
"the noble truth that is the arising of
suffering"
"the noble truth that is the end of
suffering"
"the noble truth that is the way leading to
the end of suffering
The Eightfold Path
Sila: abstaining from un-wholsome deeds of body and speech
 Right speech
 Right actions
 Right livelihood
Samadhi: mastery of one’s mind
 Right effort/exercise
 Right mindfulness
 Right concentration
Prajna: the wisdom that purifies the mind
 Right thoughts
 Right understanding
The Dharmacakra is a
symbol of the eight
Fold path to
enlightenment
Zen Buddhism
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Zen is a sect of Mahayana
Buddhism
It has had a large
influence on Japanese
culture because it has a
great deal in common
with Shinto; a religion that
has a strong emphasis on
nature.
Zen Beliefs
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Practitioners of Zen seek to
discover truth through
acceptance of the present
moment, spontaneous action
and resisting the urge to judge
something as “good” or “bad”.
Zen does not rely on scripture
but on experience and
meditation.
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Understanding of the true
nature of a thing means
not only seeing what is
obvious but also what is
not obvious or present.
Asian art usually
focuses on nature.
If people are present
in art, they are often
very small to remind
of our insignificance.
There is usually a lot of
empty space.
Zen and Art
Zen Gardens
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Zen gardens combine the appreciation of
nature and the action of caring for the
garden.
Zen and Martial Arts
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Repetition of an
action to the point
where a person
does not think
about the action but
merely reacts to
some force is a
reason for a strong
connection between
Zen and martial
arts.
Zen and Martial Arts
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Most martial arts include the Zen concept
of using the energy of another for to one’s
advantage.
Rather than meet force with force, the
martial artist will move away from the
force and help it along
Review of World Religions
Religion by Population