Hinduismसना�तना धर्म�

A worldwide tradition that encompasses many different religions and other ideologies. The exact date of origin of Hinduism is unknown, with dates varying from 3102 BC to 1300 BC.

However, it is generally regarded as the world's oldest major religion. It is the third largest

religion

1850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Hindu Mandir (temple) in Atlanta

Hinduism: Indian Pantheism/Polytheism

Pantheistic religion of 1 Billion (98%) of India’s 1.3 billion people with approximately 1.2 Billion followers worldwide.

Not a unified religion, but a congress of religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhims, etc.) called dharmic religions (“the way of the higher Truths,” a lifestyle that leads to the least accumulation of karma, thus the fastest path to personal liberation, moksha)

Hindu ideas have spread to Western world through Hindu sects, gurus and New Age movement

2850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Hindu view of “God”

Brahman is the one impersonal, ultimate, but unknowable, spiritual reality.– Sects of Hinduism personalizes Brahman

as Brahma (creator, with four heads symbolizing creative energy)

Most worship two of Vishnu’s (or Narayana) 10 mythical incarnations: Krishna and Rama.

On special occasions Hindus may worship other gods.

There is a strong belief in astrology, evil spirits and curses

3850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Hindu view of “God” Christian Response: If God is impersonal, then the

impersonal must be more important than any personal. But our life experience is that the personal is more important than any impersonal (we treat our children different from a rock in a field!)– The Bible presents God as a Personal Being with

whom we can relate. The Bible teaches that God has personal attributes: He talks, rebukes, feels, becomes angry, is jealous, laughs, loves, and even has a personal name. (Gen 1:3; 6:6, 12; Ex 3:15)

– The Bible warns Christians to avoid all forms of idolatry (Gen 35:2; Ex 23:13)

– No idol or pagan deity is a representation of the true God. They are all false deities and must be rejected!

4850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Hindu Origin: world’s oldest existing major religion

Also known as Sanatana Dharma origin is between 3100-1300 BC

Dharma, “manner of being,” that teaches the value of pure and right actions, to give up bad and wrongful actions, to meditate on God, or your own self, in order to escape the endless cycle of life and death (reincarnation) and obtain moksha.

The Rig Veda, dating from 1500-1300 BC, are books of spiritual philosophy– Codified around 600 BC, but the oldest text is 200 BC– Hinduism is more of a philosophy than a holy book, thus difficult to

date. It is difficult to date since it is not an organized religion

Thirumala: rich vaishnavite temple

5850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Hindu Attitude towards organized religions as expressed

by Swami Vivekananda:

If you want to be religious, enter not the gate of any organized religion. They do a hundred times more evil than good, because they stop the growth of each one's individual development... Religion is only between you and your God, and no third person must come between you. Think what these organized religions have done! What Napoleon was more terrible than those religious persecutions? If you and I organize, we begin to hate every person. It is better not to love, if loving only means hating others. That is no love. That is hell! If loving your own people means hating everybody else, it is the quintessence of selfishness and brutality, and the effect is that it will make you brutes.

6850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Four Major Divisions of Hinduism

4. Smarthism is monist in theology• Smartha philosophy believes in the essential sameness of all

deities, the unity of Godhead, and its conceptualization of the myriad deities of India as various manifestations of the one divine power. Smartas (followers of Smarthism) accept and worship the six forms of God, (Ganesh, Shiva, Sakti, Vishnu, Surva and Skanda) and the choice of the form of God is up to the individual worshipper since different aspects of God are held to be equivalent.

3. Vaishnavism make up 80-85% who worship Vishnu (“the preserver”) is monotheistic

• Believe there is only one God, who simultaneously permeates all creation and exists beyond it, being both immanent and transcendent

• They acknowledge the existence of many lower Gods under the Supreme One. These Gods are encompassed by Him, seen as either as manifestations of the Supreme Being or as powerful entities who are permeated by Him, as is all Creation.

• Other denomination of Hinduism, believes that Vishnu incarnates periodically for the establishment and protection of righteousness, good and destruction of evil

Vishnu, “Preserver” who manifested himself as Krishna

2. Shaktism, who worship Shakt or Devi, the personification of primordial energy and source of all divine and cosmic evolution. Her female side is divinity and masculine side is energy (which is powerless without the female side)

• Nowhere in religious history is there a more completely female-oriented system

Devi as Vaishnodevi, Divine Mother, goddess of strength, female aspect of divinity

1. Saivism or Shaivites (“the pure one”) make up 20-25%

• Shiva is the third form of God as the Destroyer, one of the trimurti (popularly called the "Hindu trinity").

• In the trimurti, Shiva is the destroyer, while Brahma and Vishnu are Creator and Preserver, respectively. However, even though he represents destruction, he is viewed as a positive force (The Destroyer of Evil),

Lord Shiva. Locks of

hair represent the River Ganga considered to

be a goddess in Hinduism. In Hindu

mythology, when Ganga descended from the heavens, the Earth could not bear her flow

so Lord Shiva agreed to bear it. Lord Shiva's

skin turned bluish as he drank the Halahala

poison that came out of the Churning of the

ocean of milk.

With all Hindus, there is a strong belief in all paths being true religions that lead to one God or source, whatever one chooses to call the ultimate truth. This is the major problem in evangelism: Christ is the only way, the Truth and the Life – not just another one to add!

7850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Four Goals in the Hindu life

kama, artha, dharma and moksha. 1. Kama: all humans seek kama (pleasure,

physical or emotional) and 2. Artha (power, fame and wealth), but soon,

with maturity, learn to govern these legitimate desires within a higher,

3. Dharma: a pragmatic framework or moral harmony in all.

4. Moksha: the only goal that is truly infinite, whose attainment results in absolute happiness, is moksha or liberation, (also Mukti, Samadhi and Nirvana in different sects) from Samsara or reincarnation, the cycle of life, death, and existential duality.

Sadhus (Hindu ascetic) are often seen meditating in padmasana (lotus pose) having given up the first three life goals to pursue moksha.

8550 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Dharma: the nature of being

Dharma is conformity to a Divine or Creative Principle at work in an individual and in nature.

The individual’s internal law to which obedience of life is to be lived in accordance with a Divine will – the primary purpose of one’s life

Evidence is seen in all nature which conforms to the nature of their being, thus dharma is aligning of the human body, mind and soul in harmony with nature

Foundation principle of the caste system: one must obey an “internal decree” from which they cannot stray

9850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Four Levels of the Hindu Life The human life is also seen as four Ashramas ("phases" or

"stages"). They are Brahmacharya, Grihasthya, Vanaprastha, and Sanvas.

Brahmacharya, the first quarter of one's life, (literally "grazing in Brahma") is spent in celibate, sober and pure contemplation of life's secrets under a Guru, building up body and mind for the responsibilities of life. This is the phase where a human obtains knowledge of God and the world, while learning to keep strict control of his mind, senses and body.

Grihastya is the householder's stage, alternatively known as samsara, in which one marries and satisfies karma and artha within a married life and professional career.

Vanaprastha is gradual detachment from the material world, ostensibly giving over duties to one's sons and daughters, spending more time in contemplation of the truth, and making holy pilgrimages.

Sanyasa, the individual goes off into seclusion, often envisioned as the forest, to find God through Yogic meditation and peacefully shed the body for the next life.

10850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

The Caste System Caste is varna meaning “color.” Castes originally had equal standing

in the society and were based upon the duties to society and everyone working together towards the welfare of the society. According to this understanding, discrimination by caste is a perversion of dharma's true meaning.

Four major groupings – Brahmins – Priestly cast– Kshatriyas – Warriors– Visyas, Merchants and artisans– Shudras, serfs– “Outcastes” 100 million are Closely bound with idea of Karma– Status of rebirth is determined by thoughts, words, or deeds

during this life– Poverty, riches, health and disease are ascribed to karma

Caste based discrimination is so deeply planted in the Indian consciousness that even Christian converts have been known to separate church meetings for different castes. A number of Muslim communities have retained caste practices as well.

11850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Hindu philosophy: achieving oneness with the World-Force

Hindu thought is monistic or pantheistic –Ultimate reality is one principle, Brahman– Not a personal God but the impersonal “Force”,

indistinguishable from universe, “world-soul” Since only one principle to reality, our individual existence is only

a temporary illusion (maya), as is the physical world Our individual soul or self (atman) is temporarily separated from

the universal “World-soul” (Brahman) Time is viewed as endless cycle of reincarnations, symbolized in

the wheel of life (samsara) leading to eventual reunion with Brahman

Life in the physical world is only an evil illusion which obscures our real unity with Brahman

So life’s goal is to be liberated from these cycles “Liberation” is called Moksha, or the Buddhist term Nirvana

12850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Liberation paths No forgiveness nor escape from karma, so path

to Liberation is difficult and rigorous No agreement as to how oneness with the infinite

(yoga= “yoking”) is attained: Illustrates with use of jar – glass jar hinders

union of air within from being one with universal air without. (Jar = body)

Through yoga we are liberated from the illusion of our individual physical self and we merge with the Infinite. The one who knows this can say, “I am Brahman” and becomes the “All”

13850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Four major Paths of Yoga1. Path of Meditation (Raja Yoga) – 8 branches2. Path of works of selfless service to the Divine

(Karma Yoga)3. Path of intellectual analysis or the discrimination of

truth and reality (Jnana Yoga)4. Path of devotion or ritual (Bhakti Yoga)5. Hath Yoga are various physical and breathing

exercises and purification techniques 6. A proficient in yoga is called a yogi7. One who attains a high measure of world-denial is

called a sadhu (“simple”)

14850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Hindu Scriptures: Vedas and Upanishads

Four Vedas are a complex of Sanskrit literature written over centuries beginning at 1200 BC, considered inspired

Upanishads about 600 BC—giving the first indications of karma and reincarnation for meditation and philosophy. These are commentaries on the Vedas. See http://www.indianest.com/hinduism/037.htm for more.– Consist of hymns, prayers, formulas, incantations,

myths and legends Bhagavad Gita, an epic conversation between Arjuna, a

warrior, and Lord Krishna prior to battle. It emphasizes Karma Yoga and the 10 incarnations of Vishnu, especially Lord Krishna

Sanskrit texts on palm-leaf

15850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

Characteristics of Hinduism

1. Vegetarianism is practiced by about 30% of India, especially in the south and Brahmin enclaves in the exterior. 1. Though not a dogma, it is recommended as a sattwick (purifying)

lifestyle2. Sacred Cow: Those who do eat meat predominantly abstain

from beef, some even going so far as to avoid leather products. – This is most likely because the largely pastoral Vedic people relied

so heavily on the cow for all sorts of dairy products, tilling of fields and fuel for fertilizer that its status as a willing 'caretaker' of humanity grew to identifying it as an almost maternal figure (so the term gau mata).

– Thus, while most Hindus do not worship the cow, and scriptural injunctions against eating beef arose long after the Vedas had been written, it still holds an honored place in Hindu society.

3. Multiple Acceptance of Gods: Hindus understand that the one truth may be seen as different to different people. Hinduism encourages devotees to describe and develop a personal relationship with their chosen deity (ishta devata) in the form of a God or Goddess. 16850 million Hindus in 1660 people

groups

Popular Hinduism Average Hindu probably understands little of

this complex philosophy Life is governed by customs (dastur), the

caste system and the veneration of the cow Most Hindus are devoted to one of their

many deities India is filled with temples and shrines with

ancient and a few obscene sexual carvings Temples are the abodes of the gods, not

places of worship Brahmin temple priests serve the gods, while

worshipers bring offerings Place of women is especially bad (at one

time killed when husband died, willingly burnt together in funeral fire)

Bindis are worn by Hindu women on their forehead to symbolize the opening of their spiritual third eye for enlightenment

17850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

International Hinduism

Complexities of Hinduism demands gurus to explain it to inquirers

Modified recently in sects (Hari Krishna and “Divine Light Mission”)

Buddhism and Jain religion split off from Hinduism about 2000 years ago

About 500 years ago an attempt to reform Hinduism with Islamic ideas resulted in Sikh religion (from shishya, “disciple”) of Guru Nanak, Sikh’s first guru– Nanak said, “Let no man in the world live in delusion.

Without a Guru none can cross over to the other shore” (or reach moksha) 18850 million Hindus in 1660 people

groups

Witnessing to Hindus Pray and trust the Holy Spirit to use the gospel message

to reach the hearts and minds of your Hindu friends Show the failure of everyone to obey God’s basic laws Show the love of God in sending Christ to pay for our sins Stress the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as God’s

revelation of Himself – the only one God sent to die for us Stress the necessity of following Jesus to the exclusion of

all other deities. Keep the gospel presentation Christ-centered Share the assurance of salvation that God’s grace gives

you and about your hope in the resurrection. Make sure you communicate that your assurance is derived from God’s grace and not from your good works or your ability to be spiritual (1 Jn 5:13)

Give a copy of the NT or the gospel of John. Mark out key passages that explain salvation.

19850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

20850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups

21850 million Hindus in 1660 people groups