Hinduism

•At least 4,000 years old

•900 million + adherents primarily in India

• Hinduism is an ancient term for the complex and diverse set of religious beliefs practiced around the Indus River.

•Coastlines and river banks most sacred sites.

•Originated in the Punjab, from where it diffused to dominate the subcontinent

•Missionaries later carried the faith in its proselytic phase, to overseas areas

•Most converted regions were subsequently lost

Hinduism

The Beliefs of Hinduism

There is no single founder & no single sacred text.

The Aryans probably added the gods of the Indus Valley people to their own.

Complex religion w/ countless gods and many forms of worship

Many gods/goddesses under an all-powerful spiritual force called brahman.

“Mother Paravati,guides us towards determination and focus for what we set out

in this world to achieve.”

Epic LiteratureThe Aryans preserved

history through memorized oral tradition.

- Mahabharata – India’s greatest epic (includes the Bhagavad-Gita)

- Ramayana – hero Rama & the demon Ravana kidnaps his wife Sita.

- Hinduism and Buddhism would later be derived from these basic beliefs.

The most important gods are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the Preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer.

Hindu teachings are recorded in sacred texts such as Vedas and Upanishads.

Vishnu – the Preserver

Lord Brahma: creator, continually making new realities

Vishnu: Protector/PreserverAVATARS

KrishnaRama

Buddha

Shiva: The Destroyer

The Goal of Life- Every person has an

“essential self,” or atman.

- The ultimate goal of life is achieving moksha, or union w/ brahman, but that takes more than one lifetime.

- Belief in reincarnation - Rebirth of the soul

through several lifetimes

Karma & Darma- A person can come

closer to moksha if they obey the law of karma.

- Karma – all actions of a person’s life affects the fate in the next life.

- With good karma one is reborn at a higher level

- To escape the wheel of fate, Hinduism stresses dharma, religious & moral duties

Key moral principle – ahimsa, or non-violence

Belief that ALL things should be respected

Nearly 200 million cattle in India

Cow sacred and its slaughter forbidden

15% of world totalCows provide work,

milk, ghee, dung, fertilizer

Hinduism forbids slaughter of cows

Goshalas – old age homes for old cows

Jainism500 b.c. founded by

Mahavira - Rejected that only

Brahmin priests could perform sacred rites

Extreme ahimsa…even insects…

Claims perhaps 5 million adherents

Adhere to a stern asceticism

Sikhism

arose in the 1500s, in an attempt to unify Hinduism and Islam

Centered in the Punjab state of northwestern India

Has about 19 million followers

Sikhs practice monotheism and have their own holy book, the Adi Granth

Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind and denounces superstitions and blind rituals. Sikhism is open to all through the teachings of its 10 Gurus enshrined in the Sikh Holy Book and Living Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

SikhismSymbols of the faith The Five K's: Clothing

practices of stricter Sikhs: symbolize unity, truthfulness, faith, identity, justice

Kesa (long hair, never cut) Kangah (comb) Kacha (short pants) Kara (metal bangle) Kirpan (a ceremonial dagger)

Religion and lifestyleThis man is a Hindu

sadhu or holy man. He has elected to

remove himself from ordinary society to seek moksha or release from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

A devotee of Shiva, he hopes to achieve this ultimate state of bliss through a lengthy process of devotion, ritual, meditation and several rebirths.

Taj Mahal

tomb & mosquesbuilt by Shah Jahan

5th Mughal Emperor

completed 1653

Dalit: Low-caste “untouchables”250 million out-castes1949 caste system outlawed

Oppression continues (rural areas)no rights for owning land or homeno access to worship at the local templeno right to walk on certain roadssegregated living severely impoverishedsuffer high levels of illiteracy

Since 1950s affirmative action