Most scholars believe Hinduism started somewhere between 2300 B.C. and 1500 B.C. in the Indus Valley,
near modern-day Pakistan. But many Hindus argue that their faith is timeless and has always existed. Unlike
other religions, Hinduism has no one founder but is instead a fusion of various beliefs.
The word Hindu is derived from the Sanskrit word sindhu (“river”—more specifically, the Indus); the Persians in
the 5th century BC called the Hindus by that name, identifying them as the people of the land of the Indus.
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are two of India's greatest epics that have influenced the Hindu way
of thinking and belief system. The two epics are believed to be partially based on historical events and are
considered to be "itihasa" in Sanskrit, which means historical texts.
Is Ramayana and Mahabharata related?
While we think these happened in two different yugas, in the Vishnu Purana, the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata are two chapters of the same story. Vishnu takes the avatar of Rama in the Ramayana -chapter one -- and Krishna in the Mahabharata -- chapter two. It is not yugas, but a story of one kalpa, or aeon.
The Mahābhārata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and in Hinduism, the other being the
Rāmāyaṇa. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the
Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes and their successors. Mahabharata is an epic, many people think that it is
mythology and it was not true. It's all part of imaginations and one's perspectives. But this is not the
case. Mahabharat was a real epic and it was a true event that happened in history.
Why is Mahabharata so famous?
The Mahābhārata was one of the two most important factors that created the "Hindu" culture of India (the other
was the other all-India epic, the Rāmāyaṇa, pronounced approximately as Raa-MEYE-a-na), and the
Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa still exert tremendous cultural influence throughout India and Southeast Asia.
What Mahabharata means?
/ (məˌhɑːˈbɑːrətə) / noun. an epic Sanskrit poem of India, dealing chiefly with the struggle between two rival
families. It contains many separate episodes, the most notable of which is the Bhagavad-Gita.
The Rāmāyana is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for
the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages extending up to the
3rd century CE.
What is the Ramayana story about?
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic which follows Prince Rama's quest to rescue his beloved wife
Sita from the clutches of Ravana with the help of an army of monkeys. It is traditionally attributed to the
authorship of the sage Valmiki and dated to around 500 BCE to 100 BCE.
Was Ramayana a true story?
An international team of researchers consisting of geneticists, anthropologists, archaeologists and historians
have found that Ramayana, written 10,000 years ago, is a chronicle of events and characters recorded by
Sage Valmiki and not a work of fiction.
The Ramayana is an all-popular epic in South and Southeast Asia. It is the story of King Rama who must save
his kidnapped wife, Sita. Along the way, it teaches Hindu life lessons.
Is Ramayana Buddhist or Hindu?
Ramayana is one of the two important epics of Hinduism, the other being the Mahābhārata. The epic,
traditionally ascribed to the Maharishi Valmiki, narrates the life of Rama, a legendary prince of Ayodhya city in
the kingdom of Kosala.
Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara (the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation) and
karma (the universal law of cause and effect). One of the key thoughts of Hinduism is “atman,” or the belief
in soul. This philosophy holds that living creatures have a soul, and they're all part of the supreme soul.
Hindu practices include worship (puja), fire rituals (homa/havan), recitations (pravachan), devotion (bhakti),
chanting (japa), meditation (dhyāna), sacrifice (yajña), charity (dāna), selfless service (sevā), homage to one's
ancestors (śrāddha), family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals, and occasional .
What are the three main practices of Hinduism?
Karma, samsara, and moksha. Hindus generally accept the doctrine of transmigration and rebirth and the
complementary belief in karma.
How do Hindus practice their faith?
Hindu Worship
Although most Hindus do visit temples regularly, or at least occasionally, to pray and make offerings, a “good”
Hindu need never worship in public. Instead, all worship can be performed to icons in the home shrine,
which is why the home is a very important place of worship in India.
Saṃsāra is a Pali/Sanskrit word that means "world". It is also the concept of rebirth and "cyclicality of all life,
matter, existence", a fundamental belief of most Indian religions. Popularly, it is the cycle of death and rebirth.
What is the samsara meaning?
flowing around
samsara, (Sanskrit: “flowing around”) in Indian philosophy, the central conception of metempsychosis: the
soul, finding itself awash in the “sea of samsara,” strives to find release (moksha) from the bonds of its own
past deeds (karma), which form part of the general web of which samsara is made.
What is the samsara cycle?
Buddhists conceive of the world as a suffering-laden cycle of life, death, and rebirth, without beginning or
end, known as samsara. Beings are driven from life to life in this system by karma, which is activated by their
good or ill actions committed in this life as well as previous lives.
Is samsara same as Nirvana?
In Mahayana Buddhist philosophy Samsara and Nirvana are seen as the same. According to Nagarjuna,
an ancient Indian philosopher, and a teacher of Mahayana Buddhism, "Nothing of Samsara is different from
Nirvana, nothing of Nirvana is different from Samsara.
Is samsara the same as reincarnation?
Reincarnation is a key belief within Hinduism. In Hinduism, all life goes through birth, life, death, and
rebirth and this is known as the cycle of samsara .
Is samsara a karma?
Samsara is the cycle of birth and rebirth (or reincarnation), and is governed by how karma is created and
balanced. Moksha is liberation from the cycle of samsara.
What is another word for samsara?
Saṃsāra is sometimes referred to with terms or phrases such as transmigration, karmic cycle,
reincarnation or Punarjanman, and "cycle of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence".
How does the caste system related to Hinduism?
The caste system is deeply rooted in the Hinduism belief in karma and reincarnation. Dating back more
than 3,000 years, the caste system divides Hindus into four main categories – Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas
and the Shudras based on who they were in their past life, their karma, and what family line they come from.
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life
which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion
based on cultural notions of purity and pollution.
The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the
Shudras. Many believe that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation.
What is the caste system and what was its purpose?
The caste system in ancient India was used to establish separate classes of inhabitants based upon their
social positions and employment functions in the community.
What is caste system with example?
Historically, the caste system in India consisted of four well known categories (Varnas): Brahmins (priests),
Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (commerce), Shudras (workmen). Some people left out of these four caste
classifications were called “outcasts” or “untouchables” and were shunned and ostracized.
Dalits are historically Shudras. They were part of the Harappans who built the pre-Aryan agrarian and urban
civilisation by 3000 BCE.
Is shudra a Dalit?
Traditionally, Shudras were dalits of modern society . The ancient texts designate the Shudra as a
peasant.
Who are called Dalits?
untouchable, also called Dalit, officially Scheduled Caste, formerly Harijan, in traditional Indian society, the
former name for any member of a wide range of low-caste Hindu groups and any person outside the
caste system.
Who is in the Sudra caste?
The Sudras are the lowest rank of the Caste System. They are normally artisans and laborers. A large
portion of this caste is a product of the mating of an upper caste and an Untouchable or a Sudra. Ancient texts
support the claim that Sudras exist to serve the other three castes.
The earliest systematic and most complete collection of early Buddhist sacred literature is
the Pali Tipitaka (“Three Baskets”; Sanskrit: Tripitaka).
What is the relationship of atman and Brahman in relation to Hinduism morality?
According to the Upanishads, atman and Brahman are part of the same substance; atman returns to
Brahman when the atman is finally liberated and is no longer reincarnated. This return, or reabsorption into
Brahman, is called moksha. When they merge at last into pure Being. There is nothing that does not come
from him.
What is the concept of Hinduism with regards to Brahman atman?
Brahman is the power which upholds and supports everything. According to some Hindus this power is
identified with the self (atman) while others regard it as distinct from the self. Most Hindus agree that
Brahman pervades everything although they do not worship Brahman.
Buddhism is a nontheistic religion or philosophy, i.e., it does not believe in a supreme creator being a.k.a.
God. Christianity is a monotheistic religion and believes that Christ Is the Son Of God.
How is Buddhism different from the other religions?
There is no almighty God in Buddhism. There is no one to hand out rewards or punishments on a supposedly
Judgement Day. 2. Buddhism is strictly not a religion in the context of being a faith and worship owing
allegiance to a supernatural being.
What are the main differences between Buddhism and Hinduism?
Buddhism and Hinduism agree on karma, dharma, moksha and reincarnation. They are different in
that Buddhism rejects the priests of Hinduism, the formal rituals, and the caste system. Buddha urged
people to seek enlightenment through meditation.
The Four Noble Truths comprise the essence of Buddha's teachings, though they leave much left unexplained.
They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and
the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.
Jñāna yoga, also known as jñāna mārga, is one of the three classical paths for moksha in Hinduism, which
emphasizes the "path of knowledge", also known as the "path of self-realization". The other two are karma
yoga and bhakti yoga.
What is Jnana Yoga?
What is Jnana Yoga? Jnana is Sanskrit for “knowledge or wisdom” and Jnana Yoga is the path of attaining
knowledge of the true nature of reality through the practice of meditation, self-inquiry, and
contemplation.
What are the benefits of Jnana Yoga?
Jnana yoga is a path oriented towards realizing the eternal in its transcendent aspect. The emphasis of Jnana
yoga is on the discernment of pure awareness from nature and all temporal phenomenon. The Jnana
yogi seeks to uncover his true Self, the atman, in its state separate from body or mind.
Is karma a good or bad thing?
It's a Sanskrit word that means “action,” “work,” or “deed,” and it really speaks of the spiritual cycle of cause
and effect. The good intentions and deeds you perform result in an addition of good karma, while the bad ones
add to the bad karma. Notice that karma doesn't necessarily have to be negative.
What is karma in human life?
"Karma is the idea that what you do comes back to you. The energy you put out is the energy you receive
back,” says Alyse Bacine, a breathwork practitioner and spiritual mentor with a master's degree in counseling
psychology. “Karma can show up in different ways for different people and in different lifetimes even.
Buddhism stresses ethical living, compassion, and love with a strong devotional
aspect.
Karma is not fate, for we act with what can be described as a conditioned free will creating our
own destinies.
Dharmakaya- One of the “three bodies” or Trikaya of Mahayana Buddhism which pertains to the
body of absolute truth of “Buddhahood”.
In Mahayana Buddhism, the repetition of sacred words is called a mantra.
Mahāyāna (/ˌmɑːhəˈjɑːnə/; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts,
philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is
considered one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism (the other being Theravāda).
In order to gain more supporters, Mahayana Buddhist tends to support the four major divisions (caste)
of Indian society.
The Yogacara school of Mahayana philosophy, also know as Vijñanavada and Cittamatra, is often
characterized as a Buddhist brand of what? Idealism
The Madhyamaka ('Middle-Way') school of Mahayana Buddhism is regarded as the elucidation of
the philosophy of which corpus of texts? Prajñaparamita sutra
The Lotus Sutras can be associated with Mahayana Buddhism.
Strive to live in a moral way and help others to liberate from suffering.
It is true in the attainment of ultimate enlightenment for Mahayana
Buddhism
Hair must be removed and shaved using a razor only. . Common practice to Buddhist is the Pabbajja
when a Buddhist leaves his/her home to live a life as an ascetic.
Buddhist Symbols
 Swastika. The swastika is an ancient religious symbol in Eastern religions such as Buddhism and
Hinduism. ...
 Ensō Symbolizes ultimate enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe, and emptiness.
 Bodhi tree. ...
 Buddhist flag. ...
 Prayer wheels. ...
 Tibetan prayer flags.
What are the 3 main Buddhist symbols?
According to Karlsson, three specific signs, the Bodhi tree, the Dharma wheel, and the stupa, occur
frequently at all these major sites and thus "the earliest Buddhist cult practice focused on these three objects".
What are the 8 symbols of Buddhism?
The eight auspicious signs are the umbrella, yellow fish, vase, lotus, white conch shell, glorious
peu,1 banner and Dharma chakra.
Right mindfulness is one of the most influential teachings of Buddhism in order to practically live a life.
Contemplation of the body, Contemplation of the feelings
, and Contemplation of phenomena.
Experience a moment with openness and freshness to all opportunities. A Buddhist does not
acknowledge a supreme god or deity. They focus on achieving enlightenment through one’s effort.
What is Buddha’s teaching about eating? One should not eat intentionally killed animal flesh.
Mr. Krish is Mahayana Buddhist and wants to meditate, how would he perform it? He would sit on the
floor barefoot and chant.
Why is Buddhism considered one of the most practical religion among the world’s great religions?
Because Buddhism does not believe in a personal god.
Why is Lotus Sutra important in Mahayana Buddhism? It focuses on faith and devotion for attaining
Nirvana.
Buddhism believe that one must truly understand the “Four Noble Truths” and “The Middle Way”
before beginning the “Noble Eight Fold Path.” This is justified by the statement that Humans are
subject to desires and cravings, but even satisfaction is only temporary.
What new teachings of the Mahayana sect that becomes popular and appealing to common
people?
What new teachings of the Mahayana sect that becomes popular and appealing to common
people? Liberation from suffering is achieved through devotion or performing right duties.