Basic Facts about Hinduism Hinduism is considered an umbrella term b/c it includes any Indian religious practice that does not claim to belong to another religion Common characteristic  acknowledge the authority of the Vedas (Aryan religious text) Encompasses many different beliefs

Basic Facts about Hinduism Polytheistic million total gods –Each god is a part of a single supreme force called Brahman - only a few can understand the nameless, formless, & unlimited force Has no founder or formal church -- comes from the ancient Aryan beliefs and practices Has no main single religious text (multiple)

Basic Facts about Hinduism Some Hindus believe god is everywhere - in every particle of matter Not only a religion, but a way of life –The religion shapes and unifies many of the Indian people and their culture There are 800 million Hindus in India (80.5% of the pop.) million in Bangladesh & 1 million in Pakistan Must be born a Hindu – can practice Hinduism, but won’t be accepted by other Hindus as a Hindu

Beliefs/Practices of Hinduism Three main concepts are the unifying element for a religion that tolerates so many differences in social structure and the worship of so many gods and goddesses –Reincarnation –Karma –Dharma

Reincarnation Hindus believe that a person’s atman (soul) never dies, only the body does Upon death, the atman moves into the body of another living thing - a person or an animal This life/death cycle will continue until the atman reaches moksha, freeing of the soul from the body so that the soul can unite with the brahman What a person gets reincarnated as depends on their karma

Karma The law of karma holds that every deed- mental or physical- in this life affects a person’s fate in a future life Good deeds will generate good karma, which will be rewarded with being reincarnated into a higher ranking caste level -- Bad deeds leads to the opposite Good karma is gotten by doing one’s dharma

Dharma A set of rules that must be followed by every living thing if it desires to be promoted in its next reincarnation A person’s dharma includes obligations and duties within the family and the society into which he or she was born –“It is better to do one’s own dharma poorly than to do another’s well.” Dharma is a guide to live your life by & it offers hope to everyone –Improve your position by doing your dharma

Dharma Done = Good Karma = Reincarnation status goes up (repeat cycle as needed) = Moksha

Beliefs/Practices of Hinduism Most Hindus follow strict rituals of washing and cleanliness, faithful worship at shrines and severe dietary laws Bathe in the sacred Ganges River When a person dies, they are cremated on the same day –Sati – Bride Burning

Beliefs/Practices of Hinduism Consider all life sacred –Believe that all things in nature are part of the same universal soul  stress nonviolence –Every living thing’s atman makes up a universal atman –Hindus are vegetarians

In Hinduism, the cow (Sanskrit: go) is revered as the source of food and symbol of life and may never be killed. Hindus do not worship the cow, however, and cows do not have especially charmed lives in India. It is more accurate to say the cow is taboo in Hinduism, rather than sacred. In ancient India, oxen and bulls were sacrificed to the gods and their meat was eaten. But even then the slaughter of milk-producing cows was prohibited. Verses of the Rigveda refer to the cow as Devi (goddess), identified with Aditi (mother of the gods) herself. Even when meat-eating was permitted, the ancient Vedic scriptures encouraged vegetarianism. One scripture says, "There is no sin in eating meat... but abstention brings great rewards." (The Laws of Manu, V/56) Later, in the spiritually fertile period that produced Jainism and Buddhism, Hindus stopped eating beef. This was mostly like for practical reasons as well as spiritual. It was expensive to slaughter an animal for religious rituals or for a guest, and the cow provided an abundance of important products, including milk, browned butter for lamps, and fuel from dried dung.JainismBuddhism Some scholars believe the tradition came to Hinduism through the influence of strictly vegetarian Jainism. But the cow continued to be especially revered and protected among the animals of India.

By the early centuries AD, the cow was designated as the appropriate gift to the brahmans (high-caste priests) and it was soon said that to kill a cow is equal to killing a brahman. The importance of the pastoral element in the Krishna stories, particularly from the 10th century onward, further reinforced the sanctity of the cow. The cow remains a protected animal in Hinduism today and Hindus do not eat beef. Most rural Indian families have at least one dairy cow, a gentle spirit who is often treated as a member of the family. The five products (pancagavya) of the cow — milk, curds, ghee butter, urine and dung — are all used in puja (worship) as well as in rites of extreme penance. The milk of the family cow nourishes children as they grow up, and cow dung (gobar) is a major source of energy for households throughout India. Cow dung is sometimes among the materials used for a tilak - a ritual mark on the forehead. Most Indians do not share the western revulsion at cow excrement, but instead consider it an earthy and useful natural product.pujatilak Despite their sacred status, cows don't seem very appreciated in India. Visitors are often surprised to see them walking neglected around city streets, living on garbage from the gutters. But the cow is honored at least once a year, on Gopastami. On this "Cow Holiday," cows are washed and decorated in the temple and given offerings in the hope that her gifts of life will continue.

Gods of Hinduism Brahman - the one Supreme Being –Brahman takes on many forms and has different functions –The gods give Brahman a concrete form that people can relate to –Three main gods - Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva

Brahma The Creator The Varna came from Brahma’s body –Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, & Sudras

Vishnu The preserver The one god that people can most relate to Avatar - incarnation of a god in human or animal form –Krishna - the Bhagavad-Ghita –Rama - Ramayana

Shiva The Destroyer The eroticascetic –Erotic - anything we enjoy –Ascetic - doing good

Sacred Texts The Vedas - contain eternal truths that were revealed to wise men The Upanishads - help to explain the ideas contained in the Vedas Epics & narrative poems –Mahabharata - long poem & its most famous section is the Bhagavad Gita -- summarizes the major beliefs of Hinduism (Krishna & Arjuna) –Ramayana - Rama is a god (Vishnu) - example of how all Hindus should behave & helps explain Hindu teachings

Epics/Poems