Hinduism When: 2000 bce Main religious figure:Brahma Text: Vedas and Upanishads; "acquiring knowledge" Number of followers:500 million Teachings:Freedom from ignorance; Simply complex (6,000,000 and 1); Reincarnation; Yoga; Meditation; Dharma, karma and moksha

Judaism When: 1800 bce Main religious figure:Yahweh, Abraham and Moses Text: Torah (1st five books of the Old Testament) Number of followers:15 million Teachings:Ethical monotheism - 1 God – morality; 10 Commandments (no other God's, no idols, lord's name in vain, Sabbath, honor mother/father, no murder, no commit adultery, no steal, no false witness, no covet); Covenant - agreement with God; Persecutions

Buddhism When: 533 bce Main religious figure: Siddhartha Guatama (known as Buddha, "the Enlightened One") Text: Dhammapada Number of followers: 300 million Teachings:Gentleness and peacefulness; Achieve enlightenment; "Know thyself“; Rejected strict Hinduism; Avoid illusions, which are the weaknesses in life; Follow the 4 Noble Truths (life is full of suffering, suffering has origin, suffering can cease and path to end suffering); 8-fold Path (right...view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration)

Christianity When: "0" (2012 years ago) Main religious figure: God, Jesus Text: Bible Number of followers:1.5 billion Teachings:Jewish origins; Covenant - relationship with God; Inner commitment; Messiah; Old and New Testament; Persecutions

Islam When: 622 ce Main religious figure: Allah, Mohammed Text: Koran (Quran) Number of followers:840 million Teachings: Based on the teachings of Abraham; Means "to submit to God's will“; Religious and political; Believes Jews and Christians strayed from and distorted God's teachings; Follows the "Five Pillars of Islam" (one God - Allah/one messenger - Muhammed, daily prayers, almsgiving, fasting during Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca)

Religions – Hinduism and Buddhism 2 of the 5 main religions of the world Similar origins and ideas, but in practice…very different

The Aryans left the “Vedas” as a collection of religious writings These writings influenced the “Upanishads”, which were the sacred writing for Hinduism, India’s primary religion

HINDUISM Different from other religions, as it has no single founder or no single religious text; but is a collection of assimilated spiritual ideas. Very complex but with central basic beliefs. Polytheistic or Monotheistic? “God is wise, but wise people know it by many names” The universe is part of an unchanging, all-powerful spiritual force called “brahman”

Hindu Gods Represent all aspects of Brahman “trinity” can take many forms, either human or animal Characteristics were representative of universal influence Brahma = creator Vishnu = preserver Shiva = destroyer

All gods are an expression of BrahmanAll gods are an expression of Brahman Each god represents a characteristic of Brahma.Each god represents a characteristic of Brahma. Brahma the Creator – the god of knowledge and intellectBrahma the Creator – the god of knowledge and intellect

Vishnu the Preserver – the god of compassion and preservation of lifeVishnu the Preserver – the god of compassion and preservation of life

Shiva the Destroyer – the god of destruction, ignorance and evil

Goal of Hinduism… “Brahman”, also known as “atman” (soul), is the essential self that one must come to understand to achieve “moksha” (a union with brahman) …to achieve “moksha”, the true believer must free themselves from selfish desires… “moksha” cannot be accomplished in one lifetime, so the soul must be reborn again and again (“reincarnation”) to become one with brahman…

Hindu necessities during the reincarnation process to achieve “moksha”… Obeying the laws of “karma” (the idea that all good and bad actions in one’s life affects their fate in the next life) All existence in any lifetime is based on one’s ranking in the previous life…higher levels of existence or suffering…”the wheel of fate”

To escape the “wheel of fate”, one must stress “dharma” “dharma” is one’s religious and moral duties of an individual Influenced by class, occupation, gender and age Supports the caste system Gives a person an advantage in the next life …also “ahimsa” or nonviolence

Sacred Hindu Cow – 1.Food 2.Fuel 3.Labor Revered Bull – Respected for its power and strength “Don’t eat the sacred cow! Reverence over survival!”

BUDDHISM Developed out of Hindu world, co-existence with Hinduism Founded by Siddhartha Guatama, known as “Buddha” Lived sheltered life Saw real existence – old age, sickness and death – and made a life changing decision to live “life where there is no suffering nor death” Became a wandering seeker of truth, sat under a tree for 48 days and became “enlightened” with the truth of how to end suffering and sorrow With this awakening, he became Buddha, the “Enlightened One”

Basis of Buddhism… The heart of Buddhism is the “Four Noble Truths”: “…all life is full of suffering, pain and sorrow”, “…the cause of suffering are illusions in life”, “…the only cure is to overcome desire”, “…the way to overcome desire is to follow the Eightfold Path” – – “…right views, aspirations, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and contemplation”

Goal of Buddhism… The faithful need to live a life of morality Usage of meditation, along with moral living and following the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path, a true believer could achieve “nirvana” “nirvana” allows for a union with the universe and a release from the cycle of rebirth Life is a struggle between pleasure and self-denial Stress moral principles such as honesty, charity and kindness to all living things

Comparison of world beliefs… can you think of others??? Hinduism: Universal wisdom Trinity and union Live free of selfish desires Religious text Buddhism: Right living Moral principles “golden rule” Self-actualization Christianity: all-knowing Trinity Right living Moral living “golden rule” Religious text

Indus River Valley Civilization 2500 b.c.e – 1800 b.c.e.