1. Dr. Afxendiou Global History and Geography 9 Sachem North High School

2.  FOUNDER – NONE  GOD/GODS – Three main gods, Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Protector, and Shiva the Destroyer Brahma: The Creator Shiva: The Destroyer Vishnu: The Protector

3.  HOLY LAND – there are many holy places within India https://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=SqQ1zQ3 Y5W8

4.  PLACE OF WORSHIP- at shrines at home  Or at temples

5.  SACRED TEXT – ◦ Upanishads ◦ Bhagavad-Gita ◦ Vedas  RELIGION –Polytheistic  SYMBOL – aum “om”

6.  RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP – have priests  many titles  Swami – a monk  Mahatama - title to a great individual such as Mahatma Gandhi and means 'Great Soul'.  Maharishi which means 'great seer'  MORAL LAW – Dharma ◦ means Law or Natural Law ◦ correct, proper or decent behavior; ◦ guidelines or rules that must be obeyed varying from caste to caste

7.  ULTIMATE GOAL – to achieve MOKSHA ◦ Moksha is a state of perfect understanding of all things. ◦ Rejoining of the soul with the Brahman. ◦ Release from the cycle of reincarnation ◦ Ends all suffering ◦ Achieved by having good karma over many lifetimes  The Lord said: Brahman is the Imperishable, the Supreme. Dwelling in each body, Brahman is called the individual soul. -The Bhagavad Gita as Translated by Swami Nikhilananda

8.  KEY BELIEFS – ◦ Reincarnation ◦ Karma ◦ Dharma ◦ The caste system ◦ Cows are holy

9.  Reincarnation – the process by which a soul is reborn continuously in a new body until it achieves moksha, escape for the cycle of rebirth  Karma- the totality of the good and bad deeds performed by a person, which is believed to determine his or her fate after rebirth. Good deeds, following one’s dharma, lead to good karma and rebirth in a higher caste. Bad deeds lead to rebirth in a lower caste.

10.  The caste system – a system of social hierarchy that is an integral part of Hinduism. There are hundreds of subdivisions within each caste. ◦ Castes are also called varnas ◦ Caste membership was determined by birth ◦ Caste membership determined what work people did, whom they could marry, the people with whom the could eat. ◦ Lowest caste are the untouchables whose work is considered impure – butchers, gravediggers, trash collectors.

11. VishnuShiva millions of local deities world of humans: dharma fulfillment of life roles karma death reincarnation Brahma 2 of 4 The Preserver The Destroyer

12.  EFFECT ON SOCIETY –  Hinduism influenced Indian society by providing the caste system. ◦ SOCIAL ORGANIZATION  The caste system is the social hierarchy that organizes people in order of importance in Indian society. It is a very strict social ranking that one is born into. A person’s caste position determines everything about them, how they will dress, who they will socialize with, who they can marry, what kind of job they can have. There is no way to escape your caste, the only way to move up is through reincarnation. ◦ POLITICAL  Provides laws that keep order in society. Everyone knows what they are supposed to do and what they are not allowed to do