What is Hinduism?
One of the oldest religions of humanity
Not a uniform, easy to compartmentalize
religion but all have their roots in the Vedas
(Holy Scriptures)
The religion of 80% of India
Influence on other Indian religions - Buddhism,
Jainism, Sikhism
Tolerance and diversity: "Truth is one, paths are
many"
Many deities but a single, impersonal Ultimate
Reality
A philosophy and a way of life – focused both
on this world and beyond
How did Hinduism begin?
No particular founder
Indus River Valley Civilization >5000 years ago
Aryans enter 4000 - 3500 years ago
Vedic Tradition 3500 – 2500 years ago:
rituals and many gods that are manifestations of one
supreme god --- HENOTHEISM
sacred texts (Vedas)
social stratification (caste system)
Upanishads (metaphysical philosophy) 2800 –
2400 years ago
Vedic Tradition develops into Hinduism
Basic World View of Hinduism
The universe is one.
Even though going through surface changes
and cycles, its ultimate nature as expression
of the divine does not change.
God or Ultimate Reality
Brahman, the one Mind or Life, is the one
reality.
It expresses itself in all that is like a flame
taking many shapes.
All the Hindu gods and souls of everything
are a part of Brahman.
Origin of the World/Destiny of the
World
The world goes through endless cycles of
creation and destruction but has no real
beginning or end.
Origin and Destiny of Humans
The individual has no known beginning.
It goes through countless lifetimes.
The nature of a lifetime depends on karma
(actions) of a previous lifetime.
A series of lifetimes continues and may
include episodes in heavens and hells.
Finally, one transcends karma through Godrealization (moksha – liberation from the
cycle).
Revelation or Meditation between
the Ultimate and the Human
The Vedic scriptures
Brahmin priesthood
Gods and god-realized Saints as expressions
of the One
Following one’s guru as spiritual guide
Practical: What is Expected of
Humans? Worship, Practices,
Behavior
To follow dharma (social order) through
rituals, behavior, and righteous deeds
If one is ready to seek moksha, or
liberation, one should practice yoga,
meditation, or devotion under the guidance
of a guru
Sociological – What is the
relationship between Hinduism and
society?
The caste system
Temples as places of the worship of gods
Holy men
The family
The brahmin priesthood
Laws of Manu
Guidelines for how Hindus should live
Not always followed by Hindus
What are the Sacred Texts?
Shruti (“heard”) – oldest, most authoritative:
Four Vedas (“truth”) – myths, rituals, chants
Upanishads - metaphysical speculation
Plus other texts
Smriti (“remembered”) – the Great Indian Epics:
Ramayana
Mahabharata (includes Bhagavad-Gita)
Plus others
What do Hindus believe?
One impersonal Ultimate Reality – Brahman
Manifest as many personal deities
True essence of life – Atman, the soul, is
Brahman trapped in matter
Reincarnation – atman is continually born into
this world lifetime after lifetime (Samsara)
Karma – spiritual impurity due to actions keeps
us bound to this world (good and bad)
Ultimate goal of life – to release Atman and
reunite with the divine, becoming as one with
Brahman (Moksha)
How does Hinduism direct
life in this world?
Respect for all life – vegetarian
Human life as supreme:
Four “stations” of life (Caste) - priests &
teachers, nobles & warriors, merchant class,
servant class (Also the untouchables)
Four stages of life – student, householder,
retired, renunciant
Four duties of life – pleasure, success, social
responsibilities, religious responsibilities
(moksha)
Caste System
Hindus are divided into different groups
associated with religious purity
Hindus are born into a caste and cannot rise
beyond it accept through reincarnation into
a higher caste.
Good karma
Reborn into higher
caste
Reaching moksha
Brahmins
– Priestly
caste
Vaisyas –
Skilled
workers,
merchants,
minor
officials
Kshatriyas –
Warrior
Caste
Sudras –
Unskilled
workers
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
Hatha Yoga – physical purification
Guru – a spiritual teacher, especially helpful for Jnana
and Raja yoga
How do Hindus worship?
Bhakti Yoga is seeking union with the divine
through loving devotion to manifest deities
• In the home (household shrines)
• In the Temples (priests officiate)
Puja – making offerings to and decorating the deity
images
Darsan – “seeing” the deity (not idol worship)
Prasad – taking the divine within your own being
through eating of food shared with the deity
Who do Hindus worship? –
the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Brahma, the creator god
Who do Hindus worship? –
the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Vishnu, the preserver god
Incarnates as ten avatars (descents) including:
Rama (featured in the Ramayana)
Krishna (featured in the Mahabharata)
(Each shown with his consort, Sita and Radha, respectively)
One version of the Universe with
Vishnu and Brahma
Vishnu slept over the ocean on a great serpent
made up of the remains of the last universe before
this one was formed
A lotus grew out of Vishnu’s navel and Brahma
appeared
Brahma defeated the imps (demons) of chaos and
made the world
Then, Vishnu got up and seated himself in the
highest heaven with his consort goddesses –
Lakshmi (Fortune) and Bhu-Devi (the Earth).
The serpent arched his hoods over the divine
sovereign to make a canopy. The lesser gods
attended him.
Who do Hindus worship? –
the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Shiva, god of constructive destruction
(the transformer)
Appears as Shiva Nataraja,
lord of the dance of creation…
and with his wife, Parvati, and son Ganesha
(the elephant headed remover of obstacles)
Shiva as Nataraja
Dwarf Representing Ignorance
What about the goddesses?
Devi – the feminine divine
Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, consort of
Brahma
Hindus consider cows sacred because
they may be a representation of Devi.
Oxen and bulls were sacrificed in Ancient
India and the meat consumed.
Even then, milk-producing cows were
considered sacred.
Rigveda (a holy scripture) refers to the cow
as Devi and even Aditi (mother goddess)
Practical too – cows provide milk, browned
butter for lamps, and dung for fuel
What about the goddesses?
Devi – the feminine divine
Lakshmi, goddess of good fortune, consort
of Vishnu
What about the goddesses?
Devi – the feminine divine
Parvati, divine mother, wife of
Shiva
What about the goddesses?
Devi – the feminine divine
Durga, protectress
Kali, destroyer of demons
Plus about 330 million other deities
All these deities are but
Manifest forms (attributes
and functions) of the
impersonal Brahman
And we too are manifest forms
of God!
“We are not human beings
having spiritual experiences;
We are spiritual beings
having a human experience!”
“Thou Art That”
Hinduism is about recognizing the all pervasiveness of the divine
I am proud to belong to a religion which has
taught the world both tolerance and
universal acceptance. We believe not only
in universal tolerance, but we accept all
religions as true. As different streams
having different sources all mingle their
waters in the sea, so different paths which
men take through different tendencies
various though they appear, crooked or
straight, all lead to God.
--- Swami Vivekananda