Download Introduction to Hinduism

“There is only one God, but endless are his aspects and endless
are his names”
INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM
THE VAST
MAJORITY OF
HINDUS LIVE
IN INDIA AND
NEPAL
THE GANGES RIVER
Falling from its
source of Vishnu’s
feet onto Shiva’s
head and out
from his hair, the
water of the
Ganges is sacred
enough to purify
all sins.
WHAT IS HINDUISM?
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the
world.
 The religion developed in India, taking much
from the religion practiced by the Aryans, a
group who had invaded the country from the
north around 1500 B.C.
 Hinduism is a polytheistic religion.
 The Hindu religion developed from the Vedas, or
the Books of Knowledge.
 This book also came from the Aryan priests and
contains complicated rituals and hymns.

ARYAN INFLUENCE ON HINDUISM



Sanskrit – this was the language of the Aryans. It is the
language they spoke when they arrived in the Indus
Valley
The most important indicator of Aryan wealth was
based on the number of cattle that an individual
owned. The more cattle a family owned the more
wealthy they were. Eventually cattle became so
important that they made it illegal to kill or eat them.
Over time the Aryan religion slowly evolved into what
we know today as Hinduism. The Aryans were
polytheistic- they believed in many gods.
VEDAS
For many hundreds of years the Aryans did not have a written
language. Instead, they passed their history down from one
generation to another though stories, poems, and epics. These oral
histories would be memorized, word for word, and handed down,
insuring that future generations would not forget their past.
Around 1200 B.C. the
Aryans developed a
written language. The
oral traditions that had
been handed down
were recorded in sacred
books called Vedas, or
“Books of Knowledge”.
WHAT DO HINDUS BELIEVE?
 Hindus
 All
believe in many gods (polytheistic) .
gods are part of a supreme spirit– Brahman
 There
are the main three gods known to
Hindus around the world:
Brahman – the Creator
Shiva - Preserver
Vishnu - Destroyer
Vishnu - Preserver
Brahman – the
Creator
Shiva - Destroyer
All these deities are but
Manifest forms (attributes
and functions) of the
impersonal Brahman
HINDU BELIEF
How a person lives their current life will
determine the form they will take in the
next life. If they live a good life, and fulfill
all their duties, they might be born into a
higher class in the next life. If they live
poorly, they might be born into a lower
life, or even into a lower life form, such as a
beetle, or snake. People may be reborn as
plants or animals or they may be elevated
to a higher caste as a human.
TWO CENTRAL THEMES OF HINDUISM
Reincarnation – You are continually born
into this world lifetime after lifetime. The
soul goes through a series of rebirths, as it
strives to obtain a oneness with the
universal spirit. They believe that when a
person dies, they will be reborn again, living
many lives, until they have perfected
themselves.
This state of perfection is called moksha.
When one
obtained this state
of Moksha their
cycle of rebirth
after rebirth
would finally stop,
and they would
live in eternal
happiness.
Karma – spiritual impurity due to actions keeps us
bound to this world (good and bad). A person’s
actions determine what will happen after his/her
death. Every action produces a justified effect based
on its moral worthiness. Determines all the
particular circumstances and situations of one’s life
Ultimate goal of life – to reunite with
the divine, becoming as one with
Brahman.
HOW DOES HINDUISM IMPACT DAILY LIFE ?
Respect for all life – vegetarian
Human life as supreme:
 Four “stations” of life (Caste) - priests &
teachers, nobles & warriors, merchant class,
servant class
 Four stages of life – student, householder,
retired, renunciation
 Four duties of life – pleasure, success, social
responsibilities, religious responsibilities
CASTE SYSTEM
Grew out of Aryan tribal social system
– belief that people are not equal
A main characteristic of Hinduism
Every person is born to a particular status for his/her
life
What caste you are in can determine who you
marry, what job you will have, who your friends
are…..
The top or most powerful caste was the Brahmans, the
priests and leaders. There were only a few of them. Only
Brahman men were allowed to go to school, or to
teach in schools (Brahman women could not go to
school).
Next were the Kshatriya, or warriors. There were not
very many Kshatriyas. A lot of them were in the
army, or leaders in other ways. Women could not
be warriors, but they could be Kshatriyas anyway
Below them were the vaishyas, or farmers and
traders, who owned their own farms or
businesses. There were a lot of them, too.
The lowest of the castes was the shudras - the servants and
farmhands who did not own their own business or their
own land, and who had to work for other people. But
gradually a lot of land-owning farmers fell into this caste,
too. Probably the largest number of people belonged to
this caste.
BRAHMANS
(priests/leaders)
KSHATRIYA
(warriors/princes)
VAISHYAS
(farmers/traders)
SHUDRAS
Servants/
farmhands
UNTOUCHABLES
There were really four castes, and then the lowest
group had no caste, and were known as
Untouchables.
Untouchables usually did the worst jobs, like
collecting garbage, dealing with the bodies of dead
animals (like the sacred cattle that wander Indian
villages) or unclaimed dead humans, tanning
leather, from such dead animals, and manufacturing
leather goods, and cleaning up the human and
animal waste , for which, in traditional villages
,there is no sewer system .
WHAT ARE THE SPIRITUAL
PRACTICES OF HINDUISM?
The Four Yogas - seeking union with the divine:
 Karma Yoga – the path of action through selfless
service (releases built up karma without building up
new karma)
 Jnana Yoga – the path of knowledge (understanding
the true nature of reality and the self)
 Raja Yoga – the path of meditation
 Bhakti Yoga – the path of devotion

Guru – a spiritual teacher, especially helpful for teaching
one about yoga
BANARAS - HINDU’S HOLY CITY
Many people from all over the world make a pilgrimmage here to bathe in the
Ganges. Countless Hindus come to Banaras to die.
It has 1500 temples, most of them devoted to Shiva.
It is a gathering place for the religiously learned and their disciples.
SACRED COW OF INDIA
Cows are considered sacred in Hindu religion. The cow like all animals is sacred because it is a
reincarnation of human souls. Many Hindu's choose a vegetarian diet because of this belief.
The cow is treated as holy because he/she provides strength to plow the fields, milk to give
nutrition to humans and leather from their skins upon death. Because of all they provide
cows are considered the mothers to humans and therefore should be treated with respect and
never eaten.
The cow represents life and the sustainance of life to the Hindu. It represents the soul,
obstinate intellect, unruly emotions, but the cow supersedes us because it is so giving, taking
nothing but grass and grain. It gives and gives and gives, as does the soul give and give and
give.
The cow is so vital to life, the virtual sustainer of life for humans. In a society if you only had
cows and no other domestic animals or agricultural pursuits, you could still survive and the
children could survive with the butter, the cream and the milk to feed the children. The cow is
a complete ecology, a gentle creature and a symbol of abundance.
FESTIVALS AND HOLY DAYS
Diwali
No set day of the week is holy-each days has its possibilities
Diwali is celebrated for 5 days according to the lunar Hindu
Calendar.
It begins in late September-October and ends in early
October-November.
It is popularly known as the "festival of lights“
The most significant spiritual meaning is "the awareness of the
inner light".
Diwali celebrates this through festive fireworks, lights, flowers,
sharing of sweets, and worship.
While the story behind Diwali varies from region to region, the
essence is the same - to rejoice in the inner light or the
underlying reality of all things.
HOLI
Also called the Festival of Colors, it
is a spring festival celebrated by
Hindus.
Lasts up to sixteen days
Celebrated by people throwing
colored powder and colored water
at each other.
Celebrated at the end of the winter
season on the last full moon day of
the lunar month which usually falls
in the later part of February or March