Download 20131209152797

What led to the
development of
Hinduism?
People began to ask:
•Why are people born into a
life of ease and others into
poverty?
•What happens after death?
•How should we live our lives
before death?
Hinduism
•Main religion of India
•All Hindus share certain beliefs,
values, and traditions
•Celebrations may vary
depending on area in India
•837 million Hindus
Hindu Beliefs
•Search for truth
•World is not real, only an
illusion (maya)
•Maya keeps the individual soul
(atman) from knowing world
soul (Brahman)
•Maya – Illusion – Sin
•Atman – Individual Soul –
Soul
•Brahman – World Soul –
God
Hindu Goal
To become free of
maya and be united
with Brahman
Goal of Christians
To become “free” of
sin and be united
with God
3 ways to achieve goal:
•Through devotion
•Through wisdom
•Through right actions
To reach these goals
takes a long time…
…more than a
lifetime…
Reincarnation
Reincarnation
The belief in the
rebirth of the soul
into another body
•How quickly the soul
advances to freedom
depends on karma
•Karma is the sum of all
good and bad actions of
the soul’s previous life
• Didn’t get up when mom
said
• Didn’t make bed
• Complained all morning
• Didn’t do math homework
• Stopped to help friend who
dropped books
• Tripped fellow student in
classroom
• Helped teacher pass out
papers
-1
-1
-1
-1
+1
-1
____
+1
-3
Gods and Goddesses
•May not believe in any god
•Most believe gods help to
achieve goals
•Usually worship same gods as
family, caste, community
Celebrations
• Divali is celebrated in October or
November depending on lunar
calendar
• Women put lamps in windows or in
rows on housetops
• 4th day of Divali – time for
exchanging gifts and visiting
Durga
• "the inaccessible” or "the
invincible“
• Goddess Durga is
considered by some
Hindus to be the mother of
Ganesha, Kartikeya,
Saraswati and Lakshmi
• Durga is depicted as a
warrior woman with 10
arms who rides a lion or a
tiger
Ganesha
• the Remover of
Obstacles
• Lord of
Beginnings and
Lord of Obstacles
• Patron of arts
and sciences
• God of intellect
and wisdom
Ganesha
Ganesha
Saraswati
• one of the goddesses, the
other two being Lakshmi
and Durga that form the
female counterpart of the
Trimurti
• Saraswati has been
regarded as a river
goddess and in recent
times a goddess of
knowledge, music and
the arts.
• She is the consort of
Brahma, the Hindu god
of creation.
Saraswati
Hanuman
• one of the most important
personalities in the
Indian epic, Ramayana
• He is a vanara (human
with tail of monkey) who
aided Lord Rama
• Hanuman is worshipped
as a symbol of physical
strength, perseverance
and devotion
Brahma
• God of creation
• Not to confuse
with Brahman, the
supreme spirit
• Consort:
Saraswati
Brahma
Rama
• The Ideal human
• central figure of the
Ramayana epic.
• The Ramayan is the very
soul of India. It is a
complete guide to Godrealization, the path to
which lies in
righteousness.
• Everyone should emulate
those ideals and grow into
ideal human beings and
ideal citizens.
• Married Sita
Rama
Rama
Shiva
• one of the main Deities of
Hinduism
• Shiva is one of the most
complex gods
• He is the destroyer and the
restorer
• the benevolent herdsman of
souls
• the wrathful avenger
• Wife: Parvati
Shiva
Shiva
Shiva
Krishna
Krishna
Krishna
Vishnu
Kali
Maha
Krishna
Krishna
praNava / aum
This is the primeval sound Om.
Taj Mahal
• Built between 1631 and 1654
• Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan
• Built as mausoleum for his
favorite wife