Hinduism Video:

An Ancient Path in the Modern World

1. HINDUISM IS THE WORLD’S OLDEST LIVING RELIGION DATING BACK TO 5000 YEARS AGO TO 3000 B.C.E. IN THE INDUS RIVER VALLEY IN INDIA.

2. THERE IS NO SINGLE FOUNDER.

3. THE SACRED WRITINGS ARE CALLED THE RIG VEDAS WHICH CONTAIN HYMNS AND POETRY COMPOSED BETWEEN 1500 – 450 BCE.

4. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS IN INDIA (DRAVIDIANS AND THE ARYANS)

COMBINED THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS TO FORM HINDUISM.

5. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF GODS IN HINDUISM BUT THEY ALL MAKE UP OR REPRESENT

THE ONE DIVINE BEING OR GOD CALLED BRAHMAN.

6. PRIESTS OF HINDUISM ARE ALSO CALLED BRAHMINS.

7. REINCARNATION OR TRANSMIGRATION OF THE SOUL IS

THE BELIEF THAT ALL THINGS MUST BE BORN AGAIN AND AGAIN.

(SOMETIMES THIS IS REFERRED TO AS SAMSARA.)

8. THE FOLLOWING OF ONE’S “PROPER PATH” OR DHARMA

MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO ASCEND TO HIGHER AND HIGHER

SPIRITUAL PLANES.

9. MOKSHA IS THE FREEING OF THE SOUL FROM THE

BODY SO THAT IT CAN REUNITE WITH BRAHMAN.

10. MAHATMA GANDHI, THE LEADER OF THE INDIAN

INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT WAS A HINDU.

11. HINDUISM

IS THE MOST

WIDESPREAD

RELIGION IN INDIA.

12. MOST HINDUS START THEIR DAY BY DOING PUJA

OR WORSHIP.

13. HINDUS BELIEVE THE GANGES RIVER WAS POURED DOWN FROM HEAVEN TO CLEANSE THE EARTH OF SIN.

14. THE CITY OF VERANASI OR BENARAS ON THE BANKS OF THE

GANGES RIVER HAS BEEN THE CENTER OF RELIGIOUS LIFE FOR

OVER 3,000 YEARS. MILLIONS MAKE A PILGRIMAGE THERE EVERY YEAR.

15. GURU – A SPIRITUAL TEACHER

16. A SPIRITUAL CENTER IS CALLED AN ASHRAM.

17. TEMPLE – A HINDU PLACE OF WORSHIP

Shown here is the Tirupati temple, the most visited religious shrine in the world

18. INSTRUMENTS USED IN HINDU WORSHIP ARE THE

SITAR AND THE TABLA.

19. SONGS PERFORMED USING THE ABOVE

INSTRUMENTS AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE DAY IS CALLED

A RAGA.

20. HINDUS OFTEN CHANT IN WORSHIP AND RITUAL BATHING IS DONE TO CLEANSE THE SPIRIT.

22. HINDUS BELIEVE THAT ALL LIFE IS SACRED.

23. MOST HINDUS ARE VEGETARIANS AND MAY

AVOID CONSUMING ANIMAL PRODUCTS.

24. COWS ARE PARTICULARLY SACRED – THE MOST GIVING OF ALL

ANIMALS - AND ARE PROTECTED IN INDIA.