History, origin, belief, culture and tradition of Hinduism

1. Hinduism
 Hinduism is a collection of the
religion, culture, and philosophy
of ancient India.
 It is characterized by a belief in
reincarnation as well as in a
supreme god or entity called
Brahman who has multiple
manifestations as a variety of
deities.
 one of the world's oldest religions
and is the oldest religion that is
still practiced today.
The main symbol of
Hinduism is called Om
(or Aum). It represents
the spirit of all things in
the world. the name
“Om” represents the
sound that was made
when the universe was
created.

2. Hinduism
 Hinduism is famous for having
thousands of deities, both gods and
goddesses, but most Hindus believe
that all of the deities are
manifestations of Brahman.
 It is especially common in India, the
area where it originated, as 94% of
the world's Hindu population resides
there. It is also widely practiced in
Nepal and Bangladesh.
The main symbol of
Hinduism is called Om
(or Aum). It represents
the spirit of all things in
the world. the name
“Om” represents the
sound that was made
when the universe was
created.

3. Origins
 Hinduism is a Collection of religious belief that developed
slowly over a long period of time.
 Unlike other major religions like Buddhism, Islam, Christianity,
and Judaism, It cannot be traced back to a single founder.
 Some Scholars believes that "Hinduism" is a term used by
outsiders to categorize the various religious practices in the
Indian subcontinent.
 The Persians referred to the people living beyond the Indus
River as "Hindus" or "Sindhus",which eventually became the
term used to describe the religious and cultural practices of the
people in the Indian subcontinent.

4. Holy Texts:
Vedas & Upanishads
The Vedas(1700-500 BC) and the
Upanishads(750-550 BC) are a
collection of writings that describe
all the fundamental teachings that
are central to Hinduism - including
the Concepts of 'Karma' (action),
'Samsara' (reincarnation), 'Moksha'
(Nirvana).

5. Samsara (Reincarnation)
 This is the concept that the soul is immortal,
and all life forms are reborn into new entity
after death. the key word is entity: you do not
have a guarantee of being reborn as a human
being.
 Samsara is the wheel of rebirth which means
the soul is reborn from one life form to another.
 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.
The body is
Temporary: it
dies.
The Soul is
eternal &
indestructible

6. Karma (Action)
 Karma: “action” or “deeds”
 Every action produces a Justified effect
based on its moral worthiness.
 Karma determines all the particular
circumstances and Situations of one’s
life.
 Karma is a concept that if you do good
deeds, good things will happen in your
life. If you do bad deeds, bad things will
happen to your life.

7. Moksha (Nirvana)
 Moksha is when your soul becomes free
from the cycle of rebirth, and is no longer
reincarnated.
 This happens after you reached the
highest level of rebirth, and you can't be
reborn into a higher form.
 when you reached moksha, it means you
have had all of life's experiences,
learned of all of life's lessons, and
reached a perfect understanding of the
universe.
 Instead of being reincarnated, your soul
becomes one with god.

8. Four Goals of Life in Hinduism
1. Dharma - be a good, virtuous, moral person
2. Artha - earn material prosperity such as money.
this allows you and your family to a live a
secure life.
3. Kama - seek happiness, pleasure, emotional
fulfillment.
4. Moksha - seek freedom from ignorance,
spirituality and self-knowledge.

10. The vast
majority of
Hindus live
in India and
Nepal

11. Goal of Hinduism
Moksha: “release or liberation
United forever with the divine
Infinite bliss and awareness

12. Reincarnation
Samsara is the wheel of rebirth which means the soul is reborn
from one life form to another.
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.

13. Karma & Dharma
Karma: “action” or “deeds”
 Every action produces a Justified effect based on its
moral worthiness.
Karma determines all the particular circumstances
and Situations of one’s life.
Dharma: ethical duty based on the divine order of
reality. The word is the closest equivalent to “religion.”

14. Four Stages of Life
Stage One: Student stage
Stage Two: Householder
Stage Three: Forest-dweller --after the birth of
first grandchild
Stage Four: Sannyasin - wondering ascetic

15. Sacred Texts
Rig Veda: Hinduism’s oldest text- nearly 4000 years.
.
Bhagavad Gita: Hinduism’s most popular sacred text

16. Brahman: essence of reality
He is not ultimate reality
because he can be visualized.
Brahma’s life span = each day is
1000 times the whole of human
history.
The world will end with the
appearance of Vishnu is about
4000 years from now.

17. THE TWO MOST POPULAR
GODS
SHIVA VISHNU

18. Krishna
Rama
Avatars of Vishnu

19. Goddesses
Lakshmi Saraswati

20. Kali
 wife of Shiva
black in color & wearing a
necklace of skulls.
She is a bloodthirsty
goddess.
A violent destroyer of her
enemies
affectionate and caring for
her devotees.
.

21. Festivals and Holy Days
no set day of the week is holy-each days has its possibilities
Religious festivals may be solar or lunar-lunar is preferred
In order to keep festivals consistent, an additional lunar month
is added to the calendar about every three years.
Some numbered days of the month are more important than
others. There are 125 special days in the Hindu year.

22. Festival: Divali
Divali: “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.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. Sacred Cow of India
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26. Caste System
Four major castes
Brahmin : priests
Kshatriya: warriors and administrators
Vaistrya: farmers, merchants, teachers, artisans
Sudras: servants,laborers

27. Gandhi: the Father of India
For Gandhi, social concern was
deeply rooted in his conviction of the
Sacredness of life.
Gandhi 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.
Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu
fanatic on January 30, l948 as India
was gaining its independence.

28. One Ocean, Many Names