Hinduism Notes 9.14 & 9.15

Origin I. Origin A. No known specific date for its start B. Hinduism now refers to a group of different religions that grew out of India that were based around the Vedas, and is named after the Persian word meaning “India” * Origin: Date Unknown

Beliefs II. Beliefs A. Polytheistic i. Religious trinity of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma ii. Brahma is seen as the creator iii. Shiva is the destroyer of evil a. Depicted as blue for swallowing poison to save humanity b. Has a third eye to destroy evil, has used it to destroy entire people, cities and civilizations c. God who meditates iv. Vishnu is the preserver of goodness. a. Sacrifices self to stop rampage from Shiva b. Depicted as sleeping until the next annihilation v. Some sects see only one God, Ishvara, who takes on all 3 forms: Creator, protector, destroyer.

Beliefs (Con’t) * Polytheistic- worship of multiple gods Brahma is seen as the creator Shiva is the destroyer of evil Vishnu is the preserver of goodness.

Vedas B. Vedas i. Sacred writings of Hinduism, written around 1200 BCE ii. Symbol of unchallenged authority and tradition *Vedas: Hindus holy book

Karma C. Karma: i. Sum of all of your life’s actions, which has consequences in this life and the next. ii. Also applies to thoughts, words, impact on other people

Reincarnation D. Reincarnation i. Cycle of birth and rebirth and can be both human and animal ii. Goal is to attain Moksa, or liberation

Dharma E. Dharma: i. Rules to keep order in society and to reach Moksa ii. Calls on morality and moderation

Moksa F. Moksa i. Liberation from reincarnation ii. Achieved by following the rules of Dharma

Caste System. Caste System: i. Social pyramid of Hinduism ii. Born into caste through reincarnation a. Higher in the caste, closer to Moksa iii. Rigid in structure, as you cannot marry outside of caste