2. Hinduism
Hinduism is a religion that began in
India.
The religion dates back to 1500
B.C., making it the worlds oldest
religion.
There are 750 million Hindus in the
world today.
Most Hindus still live in India.
3. Hindu Beliefs…
Hindus believe in a single
Divinity or supreme God that is
present in everything called
Brahman.
Hindus also believe in other
gods who are aspects of that
supreme God such as Brahman,
Vishnu and Shiva.
5. Reincarnation –
is the belief that the soul repeatedly goes
through a cycle of being born into a body,
dying, and being reborn again in a new body.
6. Karma
-a force that determines the quality
of each life, depending on how well one
behaved in a past life.
“Hinduism says we create karma by our
actions on earth. If you live a good life,
you create good karma. If you live a bad
life, you create bad karma.”
8. Dharma
-the religious and moral duties of an individual;
duties vary according to class, occupation, gender or
age;
-by obeying one's dharma, a person acquires
merit for the next life
9. Moksha
Each time a Hindu soul is born into a
better life, it has the opportunity to improve
itself further, and get closer to ultimate
liberation.
Can be attained when one has "overcome
ignorance", to not create any karma and to no
longer desires anything at all.
The ones who reach this state no longer
struggle with the cycle of life and death.
Ahimsa
Moral principle of nonviolence; Hindus
believe that all things are aspects of brahman,
therefore they should be respected;
10. If you obey your dharma and
have good karma you will be
reincarnated to achieve moksha.
11. Sacred Writings
Vedas
collections of Sanskrit hymns
(written down 1200-900BCE, but
based on older oral versions).
Upanishads
which means the inner or mystic
teaching that were passed down
from guru (teacher) to disciple
(student).
12. Mahabharata
Sanskrit for Great Story, is one of the
great epic poems of ancient India.
Tells of warfare and religion.
Bhagavad Gita
(Song of God) is contained in the
Mahabharata. It is dialogue between
Krishna and the hero Arjuna on the
meaning of life and the importance of
performing your duties.
13. Ramayana
Ramayana was written in 3rd century
BC, and tells story of Rama, and his wife,
Sita.
Rama and Sita are generally seen as
ideal examples of great manly heroism
and wifely devotion.
Reciting the Ramayana is considered a
religious act, and scenes from the epic
are portrayed throughout India and
Southeast Asia.
14. Hindu Duties
Each Hindu has 4 daily duties:
Revere the deities
Respect ancestors
Respect all beings
Honor all humankind
15. Hindu Life Goals
Hinduism is about the sort of life one
should lead in order to be born into a
better life next time and ultimately
achieve liberation. There are 4 legitimate
goals in life:
dharma (appropriate living)
artha (the pursuit of material gain by
lawful means)
kama (delight of the senses)
moksha (release from rebirth).
16. Hindu Contributions…
Sacredness of Creation
-world is a sacred reality; God’s body
e.g. Cows, Elephants & Ganges River
Value of Diversity
-the many differences don’t exclude
underlying unity; rather they may open
an existing path towards the ONE
Challenge of Nonviolence
-Our shared oneness with the divine
forbids us to be violent to one another.
“Mahatma Ghandi”
18. Buddhism
Founded in the foothills of the
Himalayas by Siddhartha Gautama.
Witnessing suffering for the first
time sets Gautama out on a journey
to find a realm where there is
neither suffering or death.
Was not satisfied by Hindu
explanations of life, so he sat under
a tree and was determined to stay
there until he had his answers.
19. He meditated and fasted for 48
days he meditated in one place. By
morning he believed he had his
answers, he felt he understood the
cause of and cure for suffering and
sorrow.
He was no longer Gautama, now he
had become Buddha, “Enlightened
one”.
20. Attained
enlightenment
under the Bodhi
tree in Bodh
Gaya, India.
Spent rest of his
life, teaching
others to realize
what he himself
had discovered.
21. Gradually Buddhism split into two parts, schools:
Theravada Buddhism. Closely followed Buddha’s
original teachings. (Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Burma, Cambodia)
Mahayana Buddhism. Made following Buddhism
easier for the ordinary people. (China, Japan,
Vietnam, Korea)
22. Dukha-Satya - Truth of suffering.
Life is suffering.
Samudaya-Satya - Truth of the
cause.
Suffering is caused by desire
(Tanha) and ignorance (Avijja).
Nirodha-Satya - Truth of cessation.
Suffering can be ended if its
causes, desire and ignorance are
removed.
Marga-Satya - Truth of path.
The eight fold path.
Buddhism inherits principles of dharma, karma,
ahimsa, rebirth and nirvana (moksha) from Hinduism.
Buddhist Beliefs…
23.
24. Do not take the life of anything living
Do not take anything not freely
given
Abstain from sensual
overindulgence
Refrain from untrue speech
Avoid intoxication
Do not lose mindfulness
“This is the moral code of the
Buddhists”
25. Dharma -the practice (paripatti) of the
truth. To take refuge in the
Dharma is to take refuge in Buddha.
Karma -intentional action, physical,
verbal or mental. Good karma
brings happiness, bad brings
suffering.
26. Avijja and Tanha -ignorance or not
knowing the true nature of
things and craving are the two
root causes of Karma.
Cycle of Rebirth – We are born
and reborn in six realms of
exhistence based on one’s
previous Karma
27. Meditation- a practice to achieve
Enlightenment
Nirvana (Enlightenment)- To go beyond the
cycle and achieving blissful state.
-Final goal of Buddhism which is the
union with the universe and release from
the cycle of rebirth.
28. Buddhist Scriptures…
Tripitaka- “Three Baskets”
Suttapitaka
– Budha’s sermons
Vinayapitaka
– Monastic rules
Abhidhammapitaka
– Early philosophical treatises
29. Buddhist Contributions…
Forefront of Human Welfare
-Fostered a commendable way of life and a
communal spirit marked by endeavors
towards peace and contentment
Political Ideal – fair treatment, democratic
procedures and regard for basic, moral
values
Social and Spiritual Progress – Buddhism
does not choose people by following them
to convert
30. Hinduism Vs. Buddhism
SIMILARITIES
Moksha takes
more than
one life
Vedas
Priests, gods,
and rituals
Caste System
Began in India
Polytheism
Reincarnation
Enlightenment
/ Moksha
Karma
Dharma
Reincarnation
Nirvana can
be reached
in one life
time
Tripitaka
Meditation
Four Noble
Truths
Eightfold
Path
Five
Precepts
32. In Conclusion…
Buddhism explains a purpose to
life, it explains apparent injustice
and inequality around the world,
and it provides a code of practice
or way of life that leads to true
happiness.
Buddhism is less of a fixed
package of beliefs which is to be
accepted, and more of a teaching
which each person learns and
uses in their own way.
In Buddhism, we can really
understand others, when we can
really understand ourselves,
through wisdom.
Hindu believed that human
beings should strive to live
as simply as possible since
overindulgence often meant
that others may have to do
without their basic needs.
Religious duties, can help
one acquire merit for the
next life.
Hinduism helps us
understand the underlying
unity behind our varieties.
Hinduism is about the sort of
life one should lead
Virtuous people earn good karma and are reborn into higher levels of existence. (People, animals, plants)
Those who do evil earn bad karma and are reborn into suffering in lower levels of existence. (rocks, water, etc.)
Caste system connects with karma, to create social order. “If I fulfill my role faithfully, I will be reborn higher.”
after death, Hindus hope to be reincarnated into a higher caste;
each caste has its own dharma;
The ultimate goal is to attain moksha, union with Brahman.
Since this usually takes more than one lifetime, Hindus believe in reincarnation.
Reincarnation is the rebirth of the soul in another bodily form.
The first was that life is suffering
You can’t live without death, frustration, etc.
The second is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion
Getting what you want doesn’t guarantee happiness, it deprives you of it
The third is that suffering can be overcome, and true happiness attained
If we stop craving useless things, and live each day at a time (not living in the future) we will be happy and free.
The fourth is that the Noble eight fold path leads to the end of all suffering
All life is full of suffering, pain, and sorrow.
The cause of suffering is non-virtue, or negative deeds and mindsets such as hatred and desire.
The only cure for suffering is to overcome non-virtue or desires.
The way to overcome non-virtue is to follow the eightfold path.
Five Rules to abstain from: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct lying, taking intoxicants such as alcoholic drinks
“There is only one God, but endless are his aspects and endless are his names”