Religions of South Asia
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CULTURE HEARTH OF SOUTH ASIA
The Indus River
• Where an early culture emerged and
developed
• Arts and trade routes emerged from
isolated tribes and villages to towns and
beyond.
• Hinduism emerged from the beliefs and
practices brought to India by the IndoEuropeans (Aryans). (6th century BC)
• Buddhism emerged during the 6th century
BC; made the state religion of India in 3rd
century BC
• Islam sweeps through central India from
the 8th -10th centuries AD
Karma vs. Dharma
The terms dharma and karma often get confused by introductory Hinduism
students and with good reason -- they are both products of the cycle of birth and
death (reincarnation), but they have entirely different spheres of purpose.
Karma is the accumulation of debt of action in the course of a person's samsaric
cycle. Every action has a reaction and over the course of a lifetime, if one is doing
the right things, they will gradually work off his or her bad karma. If he is acting
selfishly and for ego, then he will accumulate more bad karma to work off.
With each birth and re-birth, each person finds their "dharma" or duty in order to
work off this karma. Some are born to wealthy families, others to poor ones, some
to spiritual families, others to evil-doing ones.
The question isn't what you are born to, but how you use your life to dissolve as
much karma as possible in order to earn release from the cycle of re-birth
Hinduism
Who – Ancient priests of India
When – 5000 –3000 BCE
Where – India
Holy Books – Vedas, Bhagavad-Gita
Major Divisions – Numerous traditions
Holy Symbol – Aum (or Om)
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the three worlds - earth, atmosphere, and heaven
the three major Hindu gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and
Siva
the three sacred Vedic scriptures - Rg, Yajur, and
Sama
Thus Om mystically embodies the essence of the entire
universe. This meaning is further deepened by the
Indian philosophical belief that God first created sound
and the universe arose from it. As the most sacred
sound, Om is the root of the universe and everything
that exists and it continues to hold everything together.
Basic Beliefs
 Polytheistic (some say more accurately
Henotheistic) – Thousands of deities, many
interconnected.
 Reincarnation through infinite lives and forms
 Dharma – proper place or role in the universe and
society (caste)
 Karma – cause and effect occurring across lives.
 Ultimate goal – oneness with “Brahman” (God,
Reality)
Simple, really… follow your DHARMA to improve your
KARMA so that you reincarnate in a better position to
reach BRAHMAN.
Popular Hindu Deities
1. Ganesha: Easily recognizable as the elephant-deity riding a mouse. He is the Lord of
success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of
education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth.
2. Krishna: Lord Krishna (lived between 3200 and 3100 BC) was indeed the great guru of
how to live life on earth. Like all great men, his life was dedicated to helping man fathom
the sacred realm of supreme knowledge.
3. Shiva: The Destroyer. He represents opposites of life and death and creation and
destruction.
4. Brahma: The God of Creation (creator of the universe and of all beings)
5. Vishnu: The Preserver or sustainer (restores peace and order on earth)
Buddhism
Holy Symbol Who – Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) The Dharmachakra, or "wheel of
When – 500 BC
law," is one of the most important
Where – Northern India
Buddhist symbols, as it represents
the teachings of the Buddha.
Holy Books - Tripitaka
Major Divisions – Mahayana, Theravada
Basic Beliefs
 No universal creator, only powerful
beings. Reincarnation, dharma, and karma
still apply.
 Four Noble Truths: Life is suffering,
suffering caused by craving, craving
caused by ignorance, ignorance relieved
by knowing the Truth.
 The “Eightfold Path” allows one to attain
Nirvana, freedom from existence and
suffering
The Buddhist’ Noble Eightfold Path
The following are believed by Buddhists to guide
a person toward greater understanding of the
universe. The eight ideals are:
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Right views
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Right intention
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Right speech
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Right action
The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama, as
well as the longest lived incumbent. Dalai Lamas are the
head monks of the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
Born: July 6, 1935 (age 77), Taktser
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Right livelihood
Full name: Lhamo Dondrub
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Right effort
Awards: Nobel Peace Prize, Congressional Gold Medal, More
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Right-mindedness
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Right contemplation
Islam
Who – Muhammad
When – circa 620AD
Where – Arabian Peninsula
Holy Books – Quran and the
Hadith
Major Divisions – Sunni, Shia
Basic Beliefs
 There is no god but Allah,
and Muhammad is the
messenger of God
 Quran is word of God.
 Muslims must perform the
“Five Pillars of Faith”.
The star and crescent is the best-known
holy symbol used to represent Islam. It
features prominently on the flags of
many countries in the Islamic world,
notably Turkey and Pakistan.
Sikhism
Who – Guru Nanak
When – 1400’s
Where – Northwestern India
Holy Books – Adi Granth
Sikhism, founded in South Asia, is the world’s fifth-largest
religion with about 25 million followers, including about
500,000 in the United States.
Basic Beliefs –
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Monotheistic, believe in reincarnation.
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All people are equal in God’s eyes.
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Humans must free themselves from negative thoughts and
actions to attain salvation, become one with God.
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Teachings are passed down through teachers, or “Guru”.
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Sikh’s are bound by the “Five K’s”… kēs (uncut hair), kaṅghā
(small wooden comb), kaṛā (circular steel or iron bracelet),
kirpān (sword/dagger), and kacchā (special undergarment).
Sikh Holy Symbol
• The Khanda is the symbol of the Sikhs, as the Cross is to Christians or
the Star of David is to Jews. It reflects some of the fundamental
concepts of Sikhism. The symbol derives its name from the doubleedged sword (also called a Khanda) which appears at the center of
the logo. This double-edged sword is a metaphor of Divine
Knowledge, its sharp edges cleaving Truth from Falsehood.
• The circle around the Khanda is the Chakar. The Chakar being a circle
without a beginning or and end symbolizes the perfection of God
who is eternal.
• The Chakar is surrounded by two curved swords called Kirpans.
These two swords symbolize the twin concepts of Meeri and Peeri Temporal and Spiritual authority introduced by Guru Hargobind.
They emphasize the equal emphasis that a Sikh must place on
spiritual aspirations as well as obligations to society.
Sikhism continued……..
• Sikhism: a monotheistic religion, founded in the Punjab c1500
by the guru Nanak, that refuses to recognize the Hindu caste
system or the Brahmanical priesthood and forbids magic,
idolatry, and pilgrimages.
Jainism
Who – Indus Valley priests
When – 900’s BC
Where – India
Holy Books – None
Major Divisions – “Whiteclad”, “Naked”
Basic Beliefs –
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No divine being, universe is cyclical
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Reincarnation is eternal
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Goal is to perfect your soul and become an
enlightened being
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Jains believe in total non-violence against all living
things
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Monks take many vows and give up nearly
everything…. Even clothes, in some cases.
Jain Holy Symbol
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The Jain Symbol is a congregation of various symbols, each having a deeper meaning. This symbol was adopted by
all sects of Jainism while commemorating the 2500th anniversary of the nirvana of Lord Mahavira.
The outline of the symbol is defined as the universe (Lok). The lower part of the symbol represents the seven hells
(Naraki). The middle part of the universe contains the Earth and the planets (Manushyalok). The upper part
contains the heavenly abodes (Devlok) of all the celestial beings and abode of the Siddhas (Siddhashila). Jains
believe that this universe was neither created by anyone, nor can it be destroyed by anyone. It may change its
form, but otherwise, it has always been and will always be here.
The raised hand means stop. The word in the center of the wheel is "Ahimsa". Ahimsa means non-violence.
Between these two, they remind us to stop for a minute and think twice before doing anything. This gives us a
chance to scrutinize our activities to be sure that they will not hurt anyone by our words, thoughts, or actions. We
are also not supposed to ask or encourage others to take part in any harmful activity. The wheel in the hand shows
that if we are not careful and ignore these warnings and carry on violent activities, then just as the wheel goes
round and round, we will go round and round through the cycles of birth and death.
The four arms of the swastika remind us that during the cycles of birth and death we may be born into any one of
the four destinies: heavenly beings, human beings, animal beings, (including birds, bugs, and plants) and hellish
beings. Our aim should be the liberation and not the rebirth. T
The three dots above the swastika represent the three jewels of Jainism: Samyak Darshan (Right Faith), Samyak
Jnan (Right Knowledge), and Samyak Charitra (Right Conduct). The right knowledge means having the knowledge
that soul and body are separate and that the soul, not the body attains the salvation. The right conduct means that
our actions should be void of attachment and hatred.
At the very top part of the Jain Universe symbol is a small curved arc. This arc represents the abode of the Siddhas.
It is known as the Siddhashila. It is the final resting place of the liberated souls. The dot represents a siddha. In
order to achieve this stage, a soul must destroy all attached karmas. Every living being should strive for this state of
the Salvation or Liberation.
Jainism continued…….
• Jainism: a dualistic religion founded in the 6th century b.c. as a
revolt against current Hinduism and emphasizing the
perfectibility of human nature and liberation of the soul, esp.
through asceticism (practicing extreme self-denial of physical
and other worldly pleasures for religious reasons) and
nonviolence toward all living creatures.
• In Jainism, nirvana means final release from the karmic
bondage.
Mehndism
Who – Daler Menhdi
When – 1998
Where – India
Holy Books – Lyrics to Tunak Tun
Major Divisions – Pullers of the String, Riders of the Pony
Basic Beliefs –
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Four incarnations of Daler Mehndi (air, fire, water,
earth) came to Earth to save mankind from religions
that don’t have dancing or cool turbans.
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When you die, you turn into a big ball of shiny stuff
and you fly around in a Daler Mehndi video forever.
If you’ve been good, you get to live in the Tunak Tun
temple, which is actually the Kremlin in Moscow for
some reason.
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Turbans are awesome, and beards are awesome.
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If you want to be happy, learn the words and moves
for “Tunak Tun”. You will never be as happy as Daler
Mendhi, but it can’t hurt to try.