HINDUISM

WHAT IS HINDUISM?
•The oldest major world religion
•It is 5000 years old and is the 3rd
largest
•It is the traditional religion of India,
originated in the Indus Valley.
•The religion is based on God-given
truths or laws, and is a way of life
based on universal principles World’s
Largest Hindu Temple in New Delhi
•Faith Spreads Beyond India
•About 1000 years ago, the faith was
carried along trade routes to lands to
the east.
•Hindu influences remain in Thailand,
Malaysia and Bali, in Indonesia
•The World’s Oldest Living Faith
•It has no founder therefore it is not
based on the teachings of a person
or group of people; most likely the
Indus Valley people
•Archeologists have found many
statues of a female figure in the
homes of Indus Valley people.
•A collection of beliefs and practices
developed over thousands of years
•Hinduism is a polytheistic religion
 THE ARRIVAL OF
THE ARYANS
•As the Indus Valley cities declined,
the Aryans came to India and settled
along the Ganges river.
•In early days animal sacrifice to the
gods was an important part of their
religion but soon lost its popularity as
the feeling grew that animals should
not be killed for sacrifices.
 VEDAS: THE HOLY
WRITINGS
•A collection of Hindu writings
•Considered to be world’s oldest
writings
•Word ‘Veda” means “to know”
•Vedas are believed to be divinely
given (god given) or revealed
knowledge
•Vedas are divided into 4 scriptures:
the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama
Veda, Atharva Veda
 VEDA HAS 4 PARTS
•1. “Mantras” – prayers and hymns
•2. Brahmans “priests” – provide
information and explain the rituals,
ceremonies and importance of
saying prayers
•3. Aranyakas “ the forest books”–
written for hermits and saints who
lived simple lives isolated in the forest
- contain meditations and asceticism
•4. Upanishads “sitting down near” –
writings about the origins of the
universe, characteristics of God and
the presence of the atman or soul in
all living beings - are religious
conversations between holy men
that ordinary people could listen to
 RIG VEDA
•The oldest and most important
section of the Vedas. Vishnu Shiva -
The Rig Veda tells of 33 gods, all of
whom are born of one creator,
Brahman. -the 3 gods, Brahman,
Vishnu and Shiva form the Hindu
trinity.
 HOW DO HINDUS
WORSHIP?
•believe in one supreme being, whom
they call Brahman
•worship that one God in various
forms, according to the different
functions they believe He performs.
•believe that God is omnipresent
(always present) everywhere in all
living things.
•They believe that the deity may be
represented in masculine and
feminine ways.
 HOW DO HINDUS
UNDERSTAND GOD?
•Hindus believe that these three roles
are fulfilled in the Hindu Trinity.
•G-O-D relate to the deities’ three
main functions.
•G: GENERATOR – this represents
God’s ability to create things
•O: OPERATOR – this represents
God’s ability to preserve things and
keep them going
•D: DESTROYER – this represents
God’s ability to destroy things.
 THE HINDU TRINITY
•Composed of Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva
•Hindus believe in more than one god
or deity.
 THE MANDIR
•The Hindu place for worship.
•The mandir is considered to be the
“home of God”
•each mandir is dedicated to a god
or deity
•World’s largest Hindu temple in Delhi
 4 BASIC HINDU
BELIEFS
•1. DHARMA
•moral balance of all things
•played out in all aspects of life:
religious, social, family
•2. KARMA
•the belief that a person
experiences the effects of his or
her actions—that every act or
thought has consequences.
3. SAMSARA Reincarnation “SAMSARA”
•represents the cycle of life, death and
rebirth in which a person carries his or
her own karma
•Good thoughts and actions can
liberate a person.
•4. MOKSHA
•Like heaven for the Christian, Hindus
strive to reach moksha or a state of
changeless bliss. This is achieved by
living a life of religious devotion or
moral integrity.
 YOGA
•They encouraged the practice of
yoga—which combines physical and
mental exercises to reach a state of
tranquility
 THE FOUR YOGAS
•The Path of LOVE: Bhakti Yoga
•The Path of KNOWLEDGE: Jnana Yoga
•The Path of WORK: Karma Yoga
•The Path of MEDITATION: Raja Yoga