Introduction to Hinduism or Sanatana-dharma “universal truth” HINDUISM is an English term and is not native to India. The English used the word to try to name the collection of religious beliefs and practices centered in the Indus Valley. It is not a term indigenous to India a word anyone would have applied to the religions of India before English colonization.

The Laws of Manu ;* Manu was the mythic forbearer of humanity. He was the son of Brahma, the god who created the universe, and all humans are descendents of his many children. The text explains 4 stages that people go through in life: The Laws of Manu ; * Manu was the mythic forbearer of humanity. He was the son of Brahma, the god who created the universe, and all humans are descendents of his many children. The text explains 4 stages that people go through in life: Student Householder Forest Dweller (hermit) Renunciante * = samples from this work can be found in the Scriptures of the World Religions book

More of the Laws of Manu ;* He explains 4 goals that drive us through in life. We should get through the first 3 of these at some point as a householder and hope to move on to seek the last goal as a hermit or renunciant. More of the Laws of Manu ; * He explains 4 goals that drive us through in life. We should get through the first 3 of these at some point as a householder and hope to move on to seek the last goal as a hermit or renunciant. Arta (gain): material possessions needed to live, and pleasing to the senses. Kama (pleasure): pleasant emotions, love ( ex: the Kama Sutra is a guide to the emotional experiences of life) Dharma (duty-virtue): the law; moral and religious duties specific to our role in society. (ethics and the caste system). Moksha (liberation): spiritual release: overcoming ignorance and the problems it causes. Dissolution of the ego (jiva) = becoming a generous, open person. People are driven to pursue each of these, and when one has satisfied and exhausted each level, one moves on to the next. * = samples from this work can be found in the Scriptures of the World Religions book

Karma and Samsara Samsara; the wheel of rebirth (reincarnation). Karma : the law of cause and effect: People have self-consiousness, freedom and responsibility. We have total responsibility for our own future and total accountability for our own past actions. We have reason and free will. Good and evil realities can only come from good and evil actions freely chosen in the past or present Fulfilling your duty (dharma) in life is the ultimate good. To go against your dharma as assigned by caste and gender, would be evil and ultimately self-destructive. Tragedy is not a mystery or seen as unfair. There is no such thing as bad or good luck. Good or bad fortune always has a rational understandable cause….. you brought it on yourself either in this life or in a past life.

The Caste System (varnas: colors) { Probably descendents of the original Vedic (Aryans) who conquered Indus valley Conquered peasants Probably became the bottom caste

From the movie Shortcut to Nirvana Kumbha mela festival: oldest continuous religious festival in the world. Happens every 13 years in India at the meeting point of 3 sacred rivers. A month long collection of religious teachers teaching in an open-air festival: gurus, babas, yogis, swamis = religious teachers or spiritual masters Mantras; phrases chanted or repeated over and over., achieveing a spiritual effect. Example “Om” written in Sanskrit (the language of ancient Hindu scriptures).

Saivites (followers of Shiva ) wear a tilak of three horizontal lines across the forehead, with or without a red dot. Sometimes a crescent moon or trident is included. The devotees of Shiva usually use sacred ashes (Bhasma) for the tilak. Vaishnavites followers of Vishnu) use two or more vertical lines resembling the letter U, which symbolizes the foot of Vishnu. There is sometimes a central line or dot. Most Vaishanative tilaks are made of sandalwood paste (Chandan). Women often wear a dot on the forehead called bindi. Devotees may show their allegiance to a particular god through marks painted on the forehead (tilaka)

Chakras = “ circles” or centers of energy in the body. Yogic theory is about releasing the energies stored in the chakras through exercises, breathing & meditation. They are sometimes called “lotus centers”.