Hinduism-Study Guide
 Hinduism is one of the world’s
oldest religions. It is a blend of
many different religions.
 Hindu people believe that since
people are so different they need
many different ways of approaching
god. Therefore many different
Hindu practices exist side by side.
 It is the national religion of modern
India and is practiced by more than
700 million people today.
 Hinduism is unique because there is
no one single founder.
 Hindus worship many gods and
goddesses, but they believe in one
single spirit.
 Shiva is one of Hindus’ most
important gods. Hindus believe that
Shiva destroys then re-creates the
world.
 Reincarnation is the rebirth of the
soul. The Hindus believe that a
person may die, but the soul is
reborn in the body of another living
thing.
 The actions of a person in this life
affect his or her fate in the next life.
Good behavior is always rewarded.
Bad behavior is always punished.
 A “bad” person may be born into a
lower caste, or may return as an
animal.
 A good person who leads a perfect
life he or she may be freed from the
cycle of death and rebirth to be one
with Brahman.
 Dharmas are the religious and moral
duties of each person.
 Nirvana is the lasting peace that is
achieved through right living.
 An important idea of Hinduism is
that all people and things must be
treated with respect. For this
reason they do eat meat and try to
avoid hurting living things.
Buddhism Study Guide

Buddhism was founded by
Siddhartha Gautama, a Hindu
prince.

He is called Buddha – the
“Enlightened One”

Buddhism differed from Hinduism
because they do not embrace the
idea of worshipping gods, but in
right thinking and self-denial.

Buddha taught that human suffering
would not end until humans stopped
being selfish and trying to acquire
material possessions.

Nirvana – a lasting peace that is
achieved through right living.

Reincarnation- a continuous cycle of
life and death that can only be
escaped by achieving right living.

Buddha taught that all people are
equal.

People should avoid violence and
the killing of any living thing.

All people and things must be treated
with respect. For this reason
Buddhists do not eat meat.

Buddhism is a major religion in
Japan, The Koreas, China, Tibet, and
Vietnam.