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/PreserverAVATARSKrishna Rama
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 Mahaltomb & mosques
built 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