1. Hinduism Religion grows out of the Vedic Age (~ 1500 BCE)
Vedas are the ancient hymns, songs, poems of the Indo-Aryan people who came into subcontinent through the Khyber Pass
Rig Veda
multiple gods – represent natural forces
three main gods  Brahma, the Creator
Vishnu, the Preserver
Shiva, the Destroyer
Trinity?
Monotheistic?
Polytheistic?

2. Hinduism - Monistic - Oneness
Before talking about oneness, let’s talk about
What do you want??
can have what you want!!! – so what is it?
PLEASURE
- Issues??
So, maybe pleasure is not what you really want!!

3. Hinduism So, I will ask again - What do you want?
If not pleasure, then…
Wealth, Power, Prestige
What can possibly be wrong with this?
Okay, it is not all it is cracked up to be!

4. Hinduism RIGHT?? Now what?? What do you want??????????????? Got it -
Family, Friends, Community
Altruism
Giving back to others – Yay!!
This is what life is all about -
RIGHT??
Who is that guy on the left?????????????
Who remembers you after your death?
Now what – if not duty??

5. It is the Brahma – the oneness of the universe!!
Hinduism
SO WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT????
Of course!!
You want FOREVER
The Infinite
But where is the infinite?
That’s right! It is with you all the time – it is IN YOU!!
It is the Brahma – the oneness of the universe!!

6. Hinduism Infinite knowledge – to know everything!
Infinite joy – complete happiness!
Infinite Life – to live eternally!!

7. Hinduism Four stages of Life Path of Desire Pleasure
Wealth, Power, Prestige
Path of Renunciation
Duty – Dharma
Infinite – Moksha
release from life
Reincarnation –
Rebirth in another body
Wait! How do we get the infinite?
Stop Reincarnation!! And get back with the oneness – Brahma or Atman

8. Hinduism Main Concepts Reincarnation Karma  consequences for action
Dharma  Duty
Caste System
Brahmins – priests
Kshatriyas – warriors
Vaisyas – merchants, artisans
Sudras – laborers
Untouchables – “dirty” – perform unclean duties

9. Hinduism Goal of life is end cycle of reincarnation Moksha
must complete one’s duty within structure of caste – Dharma
gain good karma
reborn into higher caste in next life
understand what you WANT and gain release
may take 1000s of lifetimes to achieve!
ascetism – self-denial  give up everything!
Do your Dharma, get good Karma, and be with Brahma!
What does Duty Mean?
Glad you asked - Ramayana

10. Ramayana
Write a TEXT paragraph explaining why doing one’s dharma is often a difficult choice. Be sure to highlight one specific incident from the Ramayana.

11. Explain the Aryan concept of dharma by using the Ramayana
Explain the Aryan concept of dharma by using the Ramayana. Use a specific incident from the story to highlight your point.

12. Buddha means “The Enlightened One”
Buddhism
Story of Buddhism has to begin with…
BUDDHA, of course
Otherwise known as Siddhartha Gautama
Who was this guy? What is he?
When asked, “Are you a god?” “…a saint?” “…an angel?”
Response – “No.” to all
“Then what are you?”  “I am
Awake.”
Buddha means “The Enlightened One”
- while the rest of the world goes through life in a sleep, dreaming a dream known as the waking state, Buddha roused himself and shakes off the vagaries of ordinary awareness

13. Buddhism Life of Buddha b. in present-day Nepal in 563 BCE
wealthy family
soothsayer predicted he would either become world conqueror or world redeemer
had everything! Future king, beautiful wife, new-born infant, etc.
But unhappy
Four Passing Sights
Age
Disease
Death
Poverty

14. Buddhism
“Life is subject to age & death. Where is the realm of life in which there is neither age nor death?”
- Needs to understand why there is suffering in the world!
What should he do now?
leaves family & everything behind
becomes an ascetic – self-denial
almost dies!
no answer
sits under a tree for 49 days & becomes ENLIGHTENED
Middle Path

15. Buddhism Demon’s attempt to stop enlightenment Beautiful dancing women
Storms
Reason
answer  “There will be some who will understand.”
begins ministry at age 45
Four Noble Truths
1. There is suffering in the world
2. Suffering is caused by desire
3. There is a release from suffering by ridding oneself of desire
4. Rid desire through the eightfold path
Ask me, “What’s the Eightfold Path?”

16. Buddhism Eightfold Path 1. Right Views - know the truth
2. Right Intent - resist evil
3. Right Speech - say nothing to hurt others
4. Right Conduct - respect life
5. Right Livelihood - work for the good of others
6. Right Effort - free mind of evil
7. Right Mindfulness - control thoughts
8. Right Concentration - practice meditation

17. Buddhism Hindu Reformation
Buddhism sought to reform religion of Hinduism
Splits from Hinduism (Hinduism does continue to evolve and change with times)
Six Constants of Religions
authority
ritual
speculation
tradition
grace
mystery

18. Buddhism Hindu Reformation
Authority – Brahmins  too much control
Rituals – rites becoming mechanical  no meaning
Speculation – arguments over what was in the “next life” and its meaning
Tradition – Sanskrit became official language, but difficult for people to access
Grace – belief things will work out  karma was losing its intended idea
Mystery – religion becoming obsessed with the occult and magic

19. Buddhism Hindu Reformation
What Buddha said about these issues:
Authority – challenged each person to find truth on their own – truth was not the domain of Brahmins only!
“Do not accept what you hear by report, do not accept tradition, do not accept a statement because it is found in our books, nor because it is in accord with your belief, nor because it is the saying of your teacher. Be lamps unto yourselves.”
Ritual – rites & ceremonies are unimportant & irrelevant
- binds the human spirit and keeps people from finding truth

20. Buddhism Hindu Reformation
- avoided a discussion of metaphysics (study of the ultimate truth, knowledge) & did not speculate
- maintained a “noble silence”
- parable of arrow smeared w/ poison

21. Buddhism Hindu Reformation
“…it is not on this view that the world is eternal, that it is finite, that body and soul are distinct, or that the Buddha exists after death, that a religious life depends. Whether these views or their opposites are held, there is still rebirth, there is old age, there is death, and grief, and lamentations, suffering, sorrow, and despair…I have not spoken to these views b/c they do not conduce to absence of passion, or to tranquillity and Nirvana.”
“And what have I explained? Suffering have I explained, the cause of suffering , the destruction of suffering, and the path that leads to the destruction of suffering have I explained. For this is useful.”

22. Buddhism Hindu Reformation
- preached religion devoid of tradition
- respected the past but encouraged people to look past it - it had become too restricting to gain insight
grace
- preached against fatalistic notion that it would take thousands of lifetimes to find moksha
- preached against idea that one needs to slowly work up to the brahmin caste to achieve end
- preached religion which encouraged intense self-effort

23. Buddhism Hindu Reformation
- preached religion devoid of the supernatural or mystery
- condemned all forms of soothsayers, divination, and forecasters
- saw supernatural and the occult as a shortcut, easy answer, simple solution to a more complex problem that could only be answered by oneself through hard, practical work
Theraveda – Buddha was a great teacher
Mahayana – spiritual/divine person