Hinduism & Buddhism

Hinduism  Hinduism is a religion that began in India.  The religion dates back to 1500 B.C., making it the worlds oldest religion.  There are 750 million Hindus in the world today.  Most Hindus still live in India.

Hindu Beliefs  Hindus believe in a single Divinity or supreme God that is present in everything called Brahman.  Hindus also believe in other gods who are aspects of that supreme God such as the Trinity: Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu.  A Hindu believes that the individual soul (atman)

Karma and Reincarnation  Reincarnation is the belief that the soul repeatedly goes through a cycle of being born into a body, dying, and being reborn again in a new body.  Karma, a force that determines the quality of each life, depending on how well one behaved in a past life.  Hinduism says we create karma by our actions on earth.  If you live a good life, you create good karma. If you live a bad life, you create bad karma.

Reincarnation  Samsara is the wheel of rebirth which means the soul is reborn from one life form to another.  Continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth  People may be reincarnated at a higher or lower level of existence depending on their karma from their present life.  People may be reborn as plants or animals or they may be elevated to a higher caste as a human.  Death is not final for Hindus as they expect to be reborn many times.

Moksha  Each time a Hindu soul is born into a better life, it has the opportunity to improve itself further, and get closer to ultimate liberation.  This liberation is called Moksha.  One attains Moksha when one has "overcome ignorance", and no longer desires anything at all.  The ones who reach this state no longer struggle with the cycle of life and death.  The way to get to Moksha is to not create any karma.  Three paths to achieve Moksha  The path of duty, the path of knowledge, and the path of devotion (unconditional surrender to God).

Brahma The Creator  Brahma is the first member of the Hindu Trinity and is “the Creator”  He periodically creates everything in the universe. (The word periodically here refers to the Hindu belief that time is cyclical; everything in the universe — except for Brahman and certain Hindu scriptures — is created, maintained for a certain amount of time, and then destroyed in order to be renewed in ideal form again.)

Vishnu The Maintainer or Preserver  Second member of the Hindu Trinity.  He maintains the order and harmony of the universe, which is periodically created by Brahma and periodically destroyed by Shiva to prepare for the next creation.  Vishnu is worshipped in many forms and in several avatars (incarnations).  Vishnu is an important, somewhat mysterious god. Less visible than nature gods that preside over elements (such as fire and rain),  Vishnu is the pervader — the divine essence that pervades the universe. He is usually worshipped in the form of an avatar VISHNU

Shiva The destroyer  Third member of the Hindu Trinity,  Tasked with destroying the universe in order to prepare for its renewal at the end of each cycle of time.  Shiva’s destructive power is regenerative: It’s the necessary step that makes renewal possible.  Hindus customarily invoke Shiva before the beginning of any religious or spiritual endeavor; they believe that any bad vibrations in the immediate vicinity of worship are eliminated by the mere utterance of his praise or name. SHIVA

Dharma  Dharma: ethical duty based on the divine order of reality.  The word is the closest equivalent to “religion.”  Belief that a person has an obligation or a duty

Varna-Social Class  Brahmans or Brahmins - the intellectuals and the priestly class who perform religious rituals  Kshatriya (nobles or warriors) - who traditionally had power  Vaishya (commoners or merchants) - ordinary people who produce, farm, trade and earn a living  Shudras (workers) - who traditionally served the higher classes, including laborers, artists, musicians, and clerks

Sacred Writings  The Vedas collections of Sanskrit hymns (written down BCE, but based on older oral versions).  The oral traditions that had been handed down were recorded in sacred books called Vedas, or “Books of Knowledge.”  The Upanishads which means the inner or mystic teaching that were passed down from guru (teacher) to disciple (student).

Festival: Diwali Diwali: “Row of lights  Takes place in Oct. or Nov.  It is a series of five festivals  Lights are floated on small rafts  If the candle remains lit, good luck will follow.  India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year

The Ganges River Falling from Its source of Vishnu’s feet onto Shiva’s head and out from his hair, the water of the Ganges is sacred enough to purify all sins.

Banaras - Hindu’s Holy City  Pilgrims come from all over to bathe in the Ganges.  Countless Hindus come to Banaras to die.  It has 1500 temples, most of them devoted to Shiva.  It is a gathering place for the religiously learned and their disciples.

Jainism Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and renunciation. The aim of Jain life is to achieve liberation of the soul.

BUDDHISM  The philosophy of Buddhism is based on the teachings of Lord Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (563 and 483 BC), a royal prince of Kapilvastu, India.  At the age of twenty nine he left the comforts of his home to seek answer to the cause of human sufferings.  Gautama became the enlightened one, the Buddha, after wandering and meditation for six years.

Buddhism  Buddhism teaches its followers to perform good and wholesome actions and to purify and train the mind.  Final goal is to achieve Nirvana

Spread of Buddhism  The Buddha spent 45 years traveling throughout India teaching the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.  Through his efforts, he was able to gain a large following of several thousand disciples.  After his death, the Buddha’s followers continued to travel, preaching the new religion throughout the Asian continent, into China, Japan, Korea, and eventually throughout the World.

Four Noble Truths Of Buddhism  Life is suffering;  Suffering is due to attachment;  Attachment can be overcome  There is a path for accomplishing this.

Eight Fold Path Of Buddhism  Right view is the true understanding of the four noble truths.  Right aspiration is the true desire to free oneself from attachment, ignorance, and hatefulness.  Right speech involves abstaining from lying, gossiping, or hurtful talk.  Right action involves abstaining from hurtful behaviors, such as killing, stealing,

Eight Fold Path of Buddhism  Right livelihood means making your living in such a way as to avoid dishonesty and hurting others, including animals.  Right effort is a matter of exerting oneself in regards to the content of one's mind: Bad qualities should be abandoned and prevented from arising again; Good qualities should be enacted and nurtured.  Right mindfulness is the focusing of one's attention on one's body, feelings, thoughts, and consciousness in such a way as to overcome craving, hatred, and ignorance.  Right concentration is meditating in such a way as to progressively realize a true understanding of imperfection, impermanence, and non-separateness.