1. Hinduism Video- Intro to Hinduism (From Discovery Ed) Discover Education – Section 6.3 – Explore Tab – Page 1 – Top Right-Hand Corner

2. Hinduism The 3 rd largest religion in the world – 14% of the world’s population – Approximately 1 billion people are Hindu 6,000 years old – The oldest “living” religion in the world

3. Hinduism in the world Practiced mostly in South Asia: – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

4. The largest Hindu temple in the world, located in Delhi, India

5. Hinduism Hinduism does not have one single founder – It is a combination of Dravidian (People from India) beliefs and Aryan beliefs that merged together over time The Aryans brought several fundamental beliefs to India: – The belief in many gods and that these gods lived in nature – The Vedas are sacred texts (similar to the Bible) The Vedas is the holy book of Hinduism – Written in Sanskrit

6. Hinduism Brahman- Spiritual power that created and controls the universe Monotheistic and Polytheistic beliefs – Believe in one “Universal Spirit” – Believe that spirit is made up of many parts (many different gods) – Hindus believe all life is connected and should be respected

7. Polytheistic There are millions of Hindu Gods and Goddesses Brahma- The Creator of All Shiva- creates and destroys the world Vishnu- The preserver of the universe. Guides and protects humans BrahmaVishnuShiva

8. Dietary Hinduism Vegetarianism- Hindus typically do not eat meat – This is not mandatory, but widely practiced – Why do you think most Hindus do not eat meat?

9. Words to Watch Reincarnation – the belief that the soul passes from one body to the next (based on karma) Dharma- religious and moral duties of an individual. Hindus believe in nonviolence and believe family is important Karma - Law of action and reaction – If you do good, expect good things to happen – If you do bad, expect bad things to happen

10. Baby with eight limbs is thought to be Vishnu reincarnated Vishnu is known as the preserver of the universe Lakshmi- The name is derived from the wife of Vishnu She had an operation at 2 years old and is now in good health

11. Reincarnation If you could be reincarnated as any person, animal, or plant, what would you choose and why? – If you died and could come back to earth as anything – Answer and illustrate I would choose to be a kangaroo because I love to jump around

12. Karma Can you think of a time where you’ve seen karma in action or personally experienced karma? – Take 5 minutes to discuss with your group – Each group will share one story Example- Once when I was as the at the grocery store I saw a woman drop $5 on the ground. I picked it up to give it back to her, but she told me to keep it since I was honest