Download Intro to Hinduism

+
Hinduism
+
An Overview of Hinduism
 About
80 percent of India's population regard
themselves as Hindus and 30 million more Hindus
live outside of India. There are a total of 900
million Hindus worldwide, making Hinduism the
third largest religion (after Christianity and
Islam).
 The
term "Hinduism" includes numerous
traditions, which are closely related and share
common themes but do not constitute a unified
set of beliefs or practices.
+ Hinduism – 4000 to 2500 BCE


Hinduism is thought to have gotten its name from the
Persian word hindu, meaning "river," used by outsiders
to describe the people of the Indus River Valley.
Hindus themselves refer to their religion as sanatama
dharma, "eternal religion," and varnasramadharma, a
word emphasizing the fulfillment of duties (dharma)
appropriate to one's class (varna) and stage of life
(asrama).
Hinduism has no founder or date of origin. The
authors and dates of most Hindu sacred texts are
unknown. Scholars describe modern Hinduism as the
product of religious development in India that spans
nearly four thousand years, making it the oldest
surviving world religion. Indeed, as seen above, Hindus
regard their religion as eternal (sanatama).
+
Hinduism Foundations
 Though
believed by many to be a polytheistic
religion, the basis of Hinduism is the belief in the
unity of everything. This totality is called
Brahman.

The purpose of life is to realize that we are part
of God and by doing so we can leave this plane of
existence and rejoin with God. This enlightenment
can only be achieved by going through cycles of
birth, life and death known as samsara.
 One's
progress towards enlightenment is
measured by his karma. This is the accumulation
of all one's good and bad deeds and this
determines the person's next reincarnation.
+
Hinduism Foundations
 Selfless
acts and thoughts as well as devotion to
God help one to be reborn at a higher level. Bad
acts and thoughts will cause one to be born at a
lower level, as a person or even an animal.
 Hindus
follow a strict caste system which
determines the standing of each person. The
caste one is born into is the result of the karma
from their previous life. Only members of the
highest caste, the Brahmins, may perform the
Hindu religious rituals and hold positions of
authority within the temples.
+
The Hindu Trimvirate or Timurti
3
Gods who are responsible for the creation,
upkeep and destruction of the world
 Brahma
– 4 heads that came from the four Vedas,
four arms , beard
 Vishnu
 Shiva
– preserver of the universe
– destroyer of the universe in order to
recreate it
 Hinduism
is not a homogeneous, organized system.
Many Hindus are devoted followers of Shiva or
Vishnu, whom they regard as the only true God,
while others look inward to the divine Self
(atman). But most recognize the existence of
Brahma, the unifying principle and Supreme
Reality behind all that is.
+
Sacred Writings of Hinduism
 The
first sacred writings of Hinduism, which date
to about 1200 BC, were primarily concerned with
the ritual sacrifices associated with numerous
gods who represented forces of nature.
 Vedic
Texts – 4 Vedas and their supplements
+
Vedas
 Most
Hindus respect the authority of the Vedas
(a collection of ancient sacred texts) and the
Brahmans (the priestly class), but some reject
one of both of these authorities.
4
Vedas – Samhitas, The Brahmanas, The
Aranyakas, The Upanishads
A
more philosophical focus began to develop
around 700 BC, with the Upanishads and
development of the Vedanta philosophy.
+ The Upanisads
 These
Mystic Doctrines are the mystical and
philosophical mediations by thinkers wishing to
gain ultimate wisdom. Without negating the
authority of the Vedas, the Upanisads proffer a
different world view.
 De-emphasizing
the role of the ritualistic present
in the Vedas, the Upanisads argue that the soul is
the manifestation of a single divine essence.
 The
soul’s release comes from understanding the
basic unity between the self and the universe.
+
Two Epics that express the core values
of Hindusim are the Ramayana and the
Mahabharatar




Though mythical in tone, the poems are based on actual
historical events in north India. They are referred to as
historical narratives and lay the foundation for Aryan
rule in the Ganges River Valley.
Mahabharata – civil war between the Aryans – Bhagavad
Gita
Ramayana – adventures in exile of Prince Rama of Kosala
Both epics emphasize dharma – the guiding principle of
good human conduct and the force that holds the social,
moral, and cosmic fabric of the universe together. Your
duty as it is determined by your caste/role in society.
+
Bhagavad-Gita
 700
verse Dharmic scripture that is part of the
ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata
 Contains
a conversation between Pandava prince
Arjuna and his guide Krishna (charioteer)
 Conversations
Upanishads
of philosophy based on the
+
4 Castes or Varna of Hindus
 Brahmans
– priests
 Ksatriyas
– warriors
 Vaisyas
– merchants
 Sudras
– laborers
 All
are bound by a set of duties or dharma; your
fulfillment of these duties determines your place
in the next life. You have multiple chances in
multiple life cycles to get it right.
+
Karma
 The
belief that all beings are responsible
for their own actions and their own
suffering is known as karma.
 In
Hindu thought, the doer must bear the
burden of these actions, and the soul is
thus enmeshed in a perpetual cycle of life
and death.
+
Triad of the gods
 Ultimately,
because Hinduism and its important
texts such as the Bhagavad-Gita were able to
synthesize tenets and ideas from the other
religions, it was able to triumph in India.
 Hindus
also believe in a triad of gods—Brahma,
the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; Shiva the
destroyer—who are responsible for the lives of
all creatures on a cosmic scale.
 It
is believed that worshiping Shiva or Vishnu
eventually helps creatures escape from the cycle
of karmic rebirth.
+
Hinduism’s Influence Today
 In
the 20th century, Hinduism began to gain
popularity in the West. Its different worldview
and its tolerance for diversity in belief made it an
attractive alternative to traditional Western
religion. Although there are relatively few
western converts to Hinduism, Hindu thought has
influenced the West indirectly by way of religious
movements like Hare Krishna and New Age, and
even more so through the incorporation of Indian
beliefs and practices (such as the chakra system
and yoga) in books and seminars on health and
spirituality.