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THE RELIGION OF INDIA & BEYOND HINDUISM
THE RELIGION OF INDIA & BEYOND
HINDUISM
IN THE BEGINNING
HINDUSIM IS DIFFERENT FROM ANY RELIGION YOU KNOW:
NO FOUNDING DATE
NO FOUNDER
NO SET BELIEF SYSTEM
DEVELOPED OUT OF ANCIENT VEDIC RELIGION (5,000+ BCE)
CREATION OF WORLD
JEWS, CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS SAY WORLD CREATED 6,000 AGO AND WILL END SOMETIME
HINDUS BELIEVE WORLD CREATED 1OO TRILLION PALYAS AGO
ONE PALYA = TIME IT TAKES TO EMPTY A PIT I MILE DEEP BY 1 MILE WIDE FULL OF FINE HAIR IF 1 HAIR IS REMOVED EVERY 100 YEARS!
WORLD WILL CHANGE, NOT END
“NIGHTS OF BRAHMA, DAYS OF BRAHMA”
NIGHT: WORLD IS IN CHAOS AND FALLING APART
DAY: WORLD BEING RECREATED
ONE DAY = 4 ½ BILLION YEARS!
END OF CYCLE, WORLD RE-CREATED IN “BLINK OF EYE”
HINDU GODS
TECHNICALLY, THERE IS JUST ONE GOD OR WORLD-SOUL:
BRAHMAN (WHO COMES IN 3 PARTS)
BRAHMA—THE CREATOR
VISHNU—THE PROTECTOR
SHIVA—THE DESTROYER
BUT . . . SCHOLARS HAVE IDENTIFIED OVER 300 MILLION HINDU GODS!
BRAHMA—THE CREATOR
SHIVA—THE DESTROYER
VISHNU—THE PROTECTOR
MAIN BOOKS
THE VEDAS (4 TEXTS--RIG-VEDA OLDEST) PRAYERS, SONGS, PRAISES TO THE GODS
UPANISHADS (SEVERAL HUNDRED TEXTS) CORE BELIEFS OF HINDUISM: BRAHMAN, KARMA,
REINCARNATION, ETC.
MAIN MESSAGE
EVERYTHING ALIVE THAT MOVES ABOUT HAS A SOUL
ALL LIFE IS SACRED AND CONNECTED
UPON DEATH A SOUL IS REBORN UNTIL IT BECOMES “ONE WITH BRAHMAN” (MOKSHA)
REBIRTH OF SOUL IS CALLED REINCARNATION AND IT CAN BE BORN INTO ANYTHING ALIVE
REINCARNATION
WHICH BODY A SOUL IS RE-BORN INTO IS DETERMINED BY TWO CONCEPTS:
DHARMA: PROPER LIVING IN THIS LIFE
KARMA: “MORAL LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT”
ALL OF A SOUL’S GOOD AND BAD ACTIONS ARE ETERNALLY HELD BY THAT SOUL
REINCARNATION AND DIET
MOST HINDUS ARE VEGETARIANS
ALL ANIMALS CONSIDERED SACRED
COW IS #1 SACRED ANIMAL DUE TO ALL ITS USES
MONKEYS CLOSE BEHIND DUE TO HUMAN SIMILARITIES
TEMPLES TO ELEPHANTS, ANTS, SNAKES, RATS, COWS, ETC
ANIMAL GODS
THE CASTE SYSTEM
HINDU SOCIETY IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR PARTS
#1—PRIESTS AND TEACHERS
#2—RULERS AND SOLDIERS
#3—TRADERS AND FARMERS
#4—LABORERS, CRAFTSMEN, SERVANTS
“UNTOUCHABLES” ARE OUTSIDE THE CASTE SYSTEM
CASTE SYSTEM
A PERSON’S PARENTS DETERMINE THE CASTE A CHILD IS BORN INTO
MUST MARRY WITHIN YOUR CASTE
A PERSON CANNOT ESCAPE THEIR CASTE UNTIL THEY DIE
OUTLAWED IN 1950, BUT STILL HEAVY INFLUENCE & PRACTICED IN INDIA
SPECIAL STUFF
TEMPLE--HINDU PLACE OF WORSHIP
GURU—SPIRITUAL TEACHER WHO HELPS SELF-REALIZATION OCCUR IN OTHERS
ASHRAM—A GURU’S “SCHOOL”
YOGA—SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
TEMPLES
GURU, ASHRAM, YOGA
SACRED PLACES
VARANASI—MOST SACRED PLACE IN HINDUISM
DIE HERE = ESCAPE “WHEEL OF REBIRTH”!
GANGES
FLOWS THROUGH N. INDIA
BATH IN GANGES, ALL SINS REMOVED
RELEASING SOUL AFTER DEATH
BODIES MUST BE CREMATED
BEST IF ASHES THROWN IN THE GANGES
RELATED RELIGIONS
JAIN—MUCH STRICTER FORM OF HINDUISM
