Hinduism and Buddhism are two major world religions that originated in India. Hinduism began around 1500 BC and believes in reincarnation, karma, and dharma. The goal is to achieve moksha by escaping the cycle of rebirth. Buddhism was founded in the 5th century BC by Siddhartha Gautama and teaches the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path to end suffering by achieving nirvana. Both religions spread widely across Asia and have influenced the spiritual beliefs of millions of people.

1. Hinduism &
Buddhism

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 the
Trinity: Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu.
A Hindu believes that the individual soul
(atman)

4. Karma and Reincarnation
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.
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.

5. Reincarnation
Samsara is the wheel of rebirth which means the soul is
reborn from one life form to another.
Continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth
People may be reincarnated at a higher or lower level of
existence depending on their karma from their present life.
People may be reborn as plants or animals or they may
be elevated to a higher caste as a human.
Death is not final for Hindus as they expect to be reborn
many times.

6. 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.
This liberation is called Moksha.
One attains Moksha when one has "overcome
ignorance", and no longer desires anything at all.
The ones who reach this state no longer struggle
with the cycle of life and death.
The way to get to Moksha is to not create any
karma.
Three paths to achieve Moksha
 The path of duty, the path of knowledge, and the
path of devotion (unconditional surrender to God).

7. Brahma
The Creator
 Brahma is the first member of
the Hindu Trinity and is “the
Creator”
 He periodically creates
everything in the universe.
(The word periodically here
refers to the Hindu belief that
time is cyclical; everything in
the universe — except for
Brahman and certain Hindu
scriptures — is created,
maintained for a certain
amount of time, and then
destroyed in order to be
renewed in ideal form again.)

8. Vishnu
The Maintainer or Preserver
 Second member of the Hindu Trinity.
 He maintains the order and harmony
of the universe, which is periodically
created by Brahma and periodically
destroyed by Shiva to prepare for
the next creation.
 Vishnu is worshipped in many forms
and in several avatars
(incarnations).
 Vishnu is an important, somewhat
mysterious god. Less visible than
nature gods that preside over
elements (such as fire and rain),
 Vishnu is the pervader — the divine
essence that pervades the universe.
He is usually worshipped in the form
of an avatar
VISHNU

9. Shiva
The destroyer
 Third member of the Hindu
Trinity,
 Tasked with destroying the
universe in order to prepare for
its renewal at the end of each
cycle of time.
 Shiva’s destructive power is
regenerative: It’s the necessary
step that makes renewal
possible.
 Hindus customarily invoke Shiva
before the beginning of any
religious or spiritual endeavor;
they believe that any bad
vibrations in the immediate
vicinity of worship are eliminated
by the mere utterance of his
praise or name.
SHIVA

10. Dharma
Dharma: ethical duty based on the
divine order of reality.
The word is the closest equivalent to
“religion.”
Belief that a person has an obligation or
a duty

11. Varna-Social Class
 Brahmans or Brahmins - the intellectuals and the
priestly class who perform religious rituals
 Kshatriya (nobles or warriors) - who traditionally had
power
 Vaishya (commoners or merchants) - ordinary people
who produce, farm, trade and earn a living
 Shudras (workers) - who traditionally served the
higher classes, including laborers, artists, musicians,
and clerks

12. Sacred Writings
 The Vedas collections of Sanskrit hymns
(written down 1200-900BCE, but based on older
oral versions).
 The oral traditions that had been handed down
were recorded in sacred books called Vedas, or
“Books of Knowledge.”
 The Upanishads which means the inner or
mystic teaching that were passed down from guru
(teacher) to disciple (student).

13. Festival: Diwali
Diwali: “Row of lights
Takes place in Oct. or Nov.
It is a series of five festivals
Lights are floated on small rafts
If the candle remains lit, good luck
will follow.
 India’s biggest and most important
holiday of the year

14. The Ganges River
Falling from
Its source of
Vishnu’s feet
onto Shiva’s
head and out
from his hair,
the water of
the Ganges is
sacred enough
to purify all
sins.

15. Banaras - Hindu’s Holy City
Pilgrims come from all over
to bathe in the Ganges.
Countless Hindus come to
Banaras to die.
It has 1500 temples, most of
them devoted to Shiva.
It is a gathering place for the
religiously learned and their
disciples.

16. Jainism
Jainism is an ancient religion from
India that teaches that the way to
liberation and bliss is to live a life of
harmlessness and renunciation. The
aim of Jain life is to achieve liberation
of the soul.

17. BUDDHISM
 The philosophy of Buddhism is based on the teachings
of Lord Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (563 and 483
BC), a royal prince of Kapilvastu, India.
 At the age of twenty nine he left the comforts of his
home to seek answer to the cause of human sufferings.
 Gautama became the enlightened one, the Buddha,
after wandering and meditation for six years.

18. Buddhism
Buddhism teaches its followers to
perform good and wholesome actions
and to purify and train the mind.
Final goal is to achieve Nirvana

19. Spread of Buddhism
 The Buddha spent 45 years traveling throughout India
teaching the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
 Through his efforts, he was able to gain a large
following of several thousand disciples.
 After his death, the Buddha’s followers continued to
travel, preaching the new religion throughout the Asian
continent, into China, Japan, Korea, and eventually
throughout the World.

20. Four Noble Truths Of Buddhism
 Life is suffering;
 Suffering is due to attachment;
 Attachment can be overcome
 There is a path for accomplishing this.

21. Eight Fold Path Of Buddhism
 Right view is the true understanding of the four noble
truths.
 Right aspiration is the true desire to free oneself from
attachment, ignorance, and hatefulness.
 Right speech involves abstaining from lying, gossiping,
or hurtful talk.
 Right action involves abstaining from hurtful behaviors,
such as killing, stealing,

22. Eight Fold Path of Buddhism
 Right livelihood means making your living in such a way as
to avoid dishonesty and hurting others, including animals.
 Right effort is a matter of exerting oneself in regards to the
content of one's mind: Bad qualities should be abandoned
and prevented from arising again; Good qualities should be
enacted and nurtured.
 Right mindfulness is the focusing of one's attention on one's
body, feelings, thoughts, and consciousness in such a way
as to overcome craving, hatred, and ignorance.
 Right concentration is meditating in such a way as to
progressively realize a true understanding of imperfection,
impermanence, and non-separateness.