(ISN )
O.A.
1. What is the name of the sacred texts of Hinduism?
2. What does this translate to in English?
3. Who were the Aryans?
Describe the five social classes (caste system)
Brahmins – priests and religious scholars
Kshatriyas – rulers and warriors
Vaishyas – herders and merchants
Shudras – servants
Pariahs - Untouchables – lowly, “dirty” jobs
(ISN 16)
O.A. Hinduism
1. What is the name of the sacred texts of Hinduism?
2. What does that name translate to in English?
3. Who were the Aryans?
•
•
•
Vedas
Knowledge
People who migrated into northern India approximately
2000 BCE. Their beliefs became elements of Hinduism.
(ISN )
O.A. Hinduism
Describe the five social classes (caste system)
Brahmins – priests and religious scholars
Kshatriyas – rulers and warriors
Vaishyas – herders and merchants
Shudras – servants
Pariahs - Untouchables – lowly, “dirty” jobs
Mandala
Ch. 15
Learning About Hindu Beliefs
15.4 Hindu Beliefs About Brahman
Key points:
•Supreme power in the universe
•Everything is part of Brahman
•Spiritual goal is to unite soul (atman) with Brahman
Effect on India:
•Build and visit temples to express love for the deities
(different forms of Brahman)
15.5 Hindu Beliefs About Deities
Key Points:
•Believe in different deities
•All are different forms of Brahman
•Most important:
•Brahma - the creator
•Vishnu - the preserver
•Shiva - the destroyer
Effect on India:
Many holidays, such as Divali, honor various deities
15.6 Hindu Beliefs About Dharma
Key points:
•To perform one’s duties
•Law, obligation
•Each social class has its own duties
•Brings harmony to society
Effect:
•Hindus respect all forms of life
•Believe in nonviolence
•Avoid harming people or animals
•Cows are sacred, represent respect for life
15.7 Hindu Beliefs About Karma
Key Points:
•People will be born again
•Karma determines the form the
soul will take in the next life
•Good life = higher class
•Evil life = possibly an animal
Effect on India:
•Karma justifies the caste system
•Caste system is fair and just
because your place is based on the
previous life
•High caste because they were good
in their former lives
Mandala
1. Symbols for five
basic Hindu beliefs
2. Draw shape and
symbols of beliefs
3. Add symbols of
how Hinduism has
influenced life in
India
15.8 Hindu Beliefs About Samsara
Key Points:
•Reincarnation
•Escape from cycle of
reincarnation by following the
basic beliefs of Hinduism
•Goal to achieve moksha, unite
soul with Brahman to escape
cycle
Effect on India:
•Make pilgrimages to sacred
places (Ganges River)
•Meditate, yoga
The supreme power, divine force.
Brahman
One’s duties and obligations.
dharma
Sacred animal.
cow
This determines what form the soul will
take in the next life.
karma
Reincarnation.
samsara
Collection of Hindu sacred writings.
Vedas
Language of ancient India.
Sanskrit
The spiritual goal of Hindus is to unite the
soul with _____________.
Brahman
Many Hindus make a pilgrimage to this
holy river to bathe in its waters.
Ganges
The name of social structure in India (2 words).
Caste system
Caste system from highest to lowest
Sanskrit and English
Caste System
Brahmins – priests and religious scholars
Kshatriyas – rulers and warriors
Vaishyas – herders and merchants
Shudras – servants
Pariahs - Untouchables – lowly, “dirty” jobs
Mandala
1. Symbols for five
basic Hindu beliefs
2. Draw shape and
symbols of beliefs
3. Add symbols of
how Hinduism has
influenced life in
India
Preview 16 (ISN 19)
What do you think is the secret to happiness?
What is Hinduism?
One of the oldest religions of humanity
The religion of the Indian people
Gave birth to 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 (polytheism)
sacred texts (Vedas)
social stratification (caste system)
Upanishads (metaphysical philosophy) 2800 –
2400 years ago
Vedic Tradition develops into Hinduism
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 (“That art thou”)
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
Four stages of life – student, householder,
retired, renunciant
Four duties of life – pleasure, success, social
responsibilities, religious responsibilities
(moksha)
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
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)
Who do Hindus worship? –
the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Shiva, god of constructive destruction
(the transformer)
Appears as Shiva Nataraj,
lord of the dance of creation…
and with his wife, Parvati, and son Ganesha
(the elephant headed remover of obstacles)
What about the goddesses?
Devi – the feminine divine
Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, consort of
Brahma
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!”
“That art Thou”
Hinduism is about recognizing the all pervasiveness of the divine
Explore Hinduism on the Web:
The Hindu Universe: Lots of information on Hinduism and the
Hindu community on-line and around the world. Includes chat
rooms and message board forums - www.hindunet.org
The Virtual Hindu Temple: Contains some interesting and useful
pages including: Discover Hindu Gods & Goddesses and
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT HINDUISM. Also
contains a gallery of deity images and a collection of links to
Hindu sacred texts online and other sites related to Hinduism www.rajdeepa.com/vmandir/vmandirindex.htm
Hinduism for Schools provides basic, introductory info to teach
primary and secondary level students about Hinduism www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/schools1.htm
Created by Laura Ellen Shulman
Introduction to Hinduism
“There is only one God, but endless
are his aspects and endless are his
names”
The vast
majority of
Hindus live
in India and
Nepal
Goal of Hinduism
Moksha: “release or liberation
United forever with the divine
Infinite bliss and awareness
Reincarnation
Samsara is the wheel of rebirth which means the soul is reborn
from one life form to another.
People may be reincarnated at a higher or lower level of
existence depending on their karma from their present life.
People may be reborn as plants or animals or they may be
elevated to a higher caste as a human.
Death is not final for Hindus as they expect to be reborn many
times.
Karma & Dharma
Karma: “action” or “deeds”
 Every action produces a Justified effect based on its
moral worthiness.
Karma determines all the particular circumstances
and Situations of one’s life.
Dharma: ethical duty based on the divine order of
reality. The word is the closest equivalent to “religion.”
Four Stages of Life
Stage One: Student stage
Stage Two: Householder
Stage Three: Forest-dweller --after the birth of
first grandchild
Stage Four: Sannyasin - wondering ascetic
Sacred Texts
Rig Veda:
Hinduism’s oldest text- nearly 4000 years.
Bhagavad Gita:
Hinduism’s most popular sacred text
.
Brahman: essence of reality
He is not ultimate reality
because he can be visualized.
Brahma’s life span = each day is
1000 times the whole of human
history.
The world will end with the
appearance of Vishnu is about
4000 years from now.
THE TWO MOST POPULAR
GODS
SHIVA
VISHNU
Avatars of Vishnu
Krishna
Rama
Goddesses
Lakshmi
Saraswati
Kali
 wife of Shiva
black in color & wearing a
necklace of skulls.
She is a bloodthirsty
goddess.
A violent destroyer of her
enemies
affectionate and caring for
her devotees.
.
Festivals and Holy Days
no set day of the week is holy-each days has its possibilities
Religious festivals may be solar or lunar-lunar is preferred
In order to keep festivals consistent, an additional lunar month
is added to the calendar about every three years.
Some numbered days of the month are more important than
others. There are 125 special days in the Hindu year.
Festival: Divali
Divali: “Row of lights
Takes place in Oct. or Nov.
It is a series of five festivals
Lights are floated on small rafts
If the candle remains lit, good luck
will follow.
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.
The Ganges River
Banaras - Hindu’s Holy City
Pilgrims come from all over 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
Caste System
Four major castes
Brahmin : priests
Kshatriya: warriors and administrators
Vaistrya: farmers, merchants, teachers, artisans
Sudras: servants,laborers
Gandhi: the Father of India
For Gandhi, social concern was
deeply rooted in his conviction of the
Sacredness of life.
Gandhi believed that human beings
should strive to live as simply as
possible since overindulgence often
meant that others may have to do
without their basic needs.
Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu
fanatic on January 30, l948 as India
was gaining its independence.
One Ocean, Many Names
Development of Hinduism
Vedism
Based on the sacred
text, the Vedas. Veda
means “knowledge.”
Brahmins
Brahmanism
Hinduism
What are you talking about, Mr. Weeks?
Brahmin – Priests and religious
leaders
Brahman – supreme power,
greater than all other deities.
Brahma – creates the universe