Religions of india

2. Hinduism

3. I. Introduction to
Hinduism
Hinduism is the name given to
a family of religions and
cultures that began and still
flourish in India.

4. Hindus do not separate religion from other aspects of life.
Hinduism is a complete approach to life that involves social class, work,
family, politics, diet, etc.

5. The word "Hindu" comes from the name of the Indus River, which flows 1800 miles from
Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the sea.
Originally the name referred to people living in a particular region of the
world, regardless of their faith.

6. There are 750 million Hindus in the
world, and most of them live in India.

7. Hinduism includes a very wide range of beliefs and practices, so there aren't many things that
are common to all Hindu groups. However they all have a "family resemblance" to each
other.
Hinduism has:
1. no founder
2. no creed
3. no single source of authority

8. The things most often common to Hindus are
1. a belief in a single Divinity or supreme God that is present in everything
2. belief in other gods who are aspects of that supreme God
3. belief that the soul repeatedly goes through a cycle of birth, death, and
rebirth
4. belief in Karma, a force that determines the quality of each life, depending on how
well one behaved in a past life

9. Most Hindus worship at home and have a shrine there. Hindu temples are the focus of
religious life, but there is not a strong tradition of congregational worship.

10. Hinduism has not had a significant tradition of seeking to convert people, although some
modern Hindu sects now do seek converts.

11. II. Elements of Hinduism
Hinduism is very different from religions like Christianity, Islam, or Judaism.
1. Hinduism includes a far wider range of beliefs and practices than Christianity, Islam,
or Judaism.
2. Hinduism does not offer the same insistence on being the only "truth."

12. Hinduism is more an approach to the universe, and a way of living in the universe than
an intellectual system of philosophy.
1. There is no "correct" form of Hinduism.
2. The Hindu concept of the "good life" is not based on instructions from God.
3. Hinduism is not, at heart, a set of beliefs. Hinduism is entwined in everyday life.
4. Hinduism has no individual who is central to the faith as Jesus, Muhammad, and
Moses are for other faiths.

13. Hinduism doesn't have a single scripture that is regarded as uniquely authoritative.
1. Hinduism gives more prominence to the oral tradition.

14. Hinduism doesn't have a personal god at its heart (although individual Hindus may).
It's very difficult to separate the religious elements of Hinduism from the political, racial,
social, and other elements which also make up the Hindu culture. But that's not surprising; as
Hindus believe that God is in everything, it would not make sense to separate religious
things from everything else.

15. III. Practice
For many Hindus, religion is a matter of practice rather than of beliefs.
1. It's more what you do than what you believe.

16. Behind Hindu practice is the belief that every soul is trapped in a cycle of birth and then
death and then rebirth. Every Hindu wants to escape from this cycle.
Hindus aim to live in a way that will cause each of their lives to be better than the life before.
Living or acting in the right way is known as dharma.
Hindus believe the universe doesn't have a beginning and an end. It's a cyclical pattern, so
once it ends, it begins again.

17. IV. Samsara
Hinduism is about the sort of life one should
lead in order to be born into a better life
next time and eventually become free from
rebirth altogether by attaining Moksha
(liberation).
When someone dies, their soul is
reborn into a new body (although not
necessarily a human body).
The cycle is called Samsara. The
process of the soul being reborn into a
new body is called Reincarnation.

18. Whether one is reborn into a better life, a worse life, or even to live as an animal, depends
on Karma, which is the value of a soul's good and bad deeds.
1. Karma is not the same thing as judgment in Christianity.
2. It is automatic and impersonal.
3. A good analogy is a moral force of gravity.
Hindus aim to live in a way that will earn them a better life next time around, and eventually
free them from rebirth altogether.

19. V. Liberation
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.
1. One attains Moksha when one has "overcome ignorance", and no longer desires
anything at all.
2. This is not a state of knowledge, but a state of being.
3. Paradoxically it is really a state of not-being, since when the individual soul reaches
this state, it becomes aware that it is nothing more than a part of the ultimate
reality, part of "God", part of Brahman, and loses its individual identity.

20. There are 4 legitimate goals in life:
1. dharma (appropriate living),
2. artha (the pursuit of material gain by lawful means),
3. kama (delight of the senses),
4. moksha (release from rebirth).

21. Each Hindu has 4 daily duties:
1. Revere the deities
2. Respect ancestors
3. Respect all beings
4. Honor all humankind

22. VI. Hindu Gods
"God" and the universe
1. For Hindus, the entire universe is part of the Divine- everything is part of
"God". And so "God", for Hindus, is present in everything.
"God" and the "Soul"
1. Each soul is an individual, yet also a part of "God".

23. "God" and gods
1. Most Westerners think that Hinduism is polytheistic. Hindus actually believe in only
one supreme God, called "Brahman".
• Brahman is a supreme spirit that permeates everything.
• BUT: Brahman is NOT a being in the sense that Christians think of God as a
being - Brahman is entirely impersonal, and entirely impossible to describe.
• Everything in the universe is part of Brahman, (including each one of us), but
Brahman is more than the sum of everything in the universe.

24. Hindus acknowledge and worship various gods, but these are all aspects of Brahman.
The gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are different forms and names of the one God.

25. Brahma reflects God's divine
work of creating the universe

26. Vishnu reflects God's work in keeping the universe in existence

27. Vishnu in particular has appeared on earth in various forms. Among these,
Krishna and Rama are especially loved and worshipped.

28. Shiva reflects God's work in
destroying the universe.

29. VII. Hindu Scriptures
The Vedas are collections of Sanskrit hymns (written down 1200-900BCE, but based on
older oral versions)
1. All Hindus accept that the Vedas, a set of sacred verses or hymns, written in the
Sanskrit language around 1500 BCE, contain the truths of their religion.
2. The Vedas are said to have existed for ever, and the date above, is merely when they
were written down.
3. Not many Hindus have read the Vedas, so the Vedas have their affect through their
influence on other Hindu scriptures.

30. Brahmanas - ritual instructions (1000-650 BCE)
The Upanishads - mystical works (400-200 BCE)

31. The Bhagavad Gita (200 BCE).
1. This book, sets out, in story form, the proper way to behave and think.
2. Among the principles it puts forward are:
• One should live appropriately for the life (and caste) into which one is born.
• One should be devoted to the form of God known as Krishna.
• One's actions should be chosen by the inherent value of those actions, not by
any hoped-for benefits from them. In other ways, one should do the right
thing simply because it is the right thing to do.

33. Buddhism

34. I. Introduction to Buddhism
Buddhism is a vast and complex religious and philosophical tradition which stretches back
over 2,500 years.
It has about 500 million adherents around the world.

35. 'Buddha' means 'one who has
woken up'.
1. Most people live asleep,
never knowing or seeing life
as it really is.
2. As a consequence they suffer.
3. A buddha is someone who
awakens to the knowledge of
the world as it truly is
and so finds release from
suffering.

36. A Buddha teaches out of sympathy and compassion for the suffering of beings and for the
benefit and welfare of all beings.

37. Buddhism does not actively look for converts, but it is thoroughly welcoming to those who
do want to convert.
Buddhism can coexist with other faiths.

38. II. Siddhartha Gautama
The Buddhist tradition is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who lived c.566-
486BC.

39. He was born as the son of a local raja, or prince, in northern India.
He was a member of a privileged and wealthy family and lived comfortably.

40. Disillusioned with his life, he left
home and adopted the simple
life of a wandering ascetic
and embarked on a spiritual
quest.
As he sat in meditation under a
tree, he had a profound
experience.
1. Called Bodhi or
'awakening', he had a
deep understanding of
the nature of suffering,
its cause and a way of
stopping it.

41. Gautama then devoted the rest of his
life to teaching the way to end
suffering.
By his death at about the age of 80 he
had a considerable following and a
well organized community.

42. III. Basic Buddhism
Buddhism has no unique creed, no single authority, no single sacred book.
Buddhism focuses on each individual seeking to attain enlightenment.

43. Gods
1. Buddhism has no omnipotent, creator God who exists apart from this or any other
universe.

44. Key beliefs and values are contained in "The Four Noble Truths".
1. All existence is suffering or "dukkha."
There is nothing that permanently exists. Dukkha comes from a search to find
something permanent.
Suffering is an intrinsic part of life also experienced as dissatisfaction, discontent,
and unhappiness.
2. There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment and desire.

45. 3. There is a way out of suffering, which is to eliminate attachment and desire.
Suffering can end in enlightenment and the state known as nirvana, where all
action and interaction ceases.
Life is a continuing process of birth and death, but there is no soul that is
reborn, only the process of one moment giving rise to the next.
The form in which one is reborn, animal or human, in heaven or in hell,
depends on karma -impersonal ethical law.
One can escape from this process by attaining nirvana or enlightenment.
4. The path that leads out of suffering is called the Eightfold Path.

46. V. Nirvana
Nirvana can be reached by following the Eightfold Path of:
1. Right understanding
2. Right thinking
3. Right speaking
4. Right acting
5. Right lifestyle
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right contemplation

49. VI. Theravada or Southern Buddhism
Its scriptures are preserved in the Pali Canon, an ancient India language closely related to
Sanskrit.
The name of the school means "Teachings of the Elders" which implies that this was the
most conservative school of Buddhism.
It's followed by 100 million in Southeast Asia: Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and
Laos.

50. VII. Mahayana or Eastern Buddhism
Mahayana can be characterized by its focus on:
1. Universalism - the belief that everyone will become a Buddha.
2. Tireless generosity, patience, energy, and wisdom in order to work for the benefit
of all living beings.
3. Enlightened individuals postpone entering into nirvana until all other beings have
also been saved.
4. The Buddha is a transcendental God-like figure who resides in the Pure Land
who can assist believers.
It is found in Korea, China, Japan and Vietnam. It is still a significant religion for a population
of 500 - 1,000 million.

51. VIII. Tibetan or Northern Buddhism
Its scriptures are preserved in Tibetan and
although its outlook is broadly Mahayana.
It is followed by 10 - 20 million in Tibet and
Mongolia and in parts of Nepal and Himalayan
India.

52. The spiritual leader of Tibetan
Buddhism is the Dalai Lama.

55. IX. Holy Books & Symbols
There are many collections of Buddhist teachings, usually specific to geographical regions,
which are regarded as important.
In addition to the Pali canon, sutras, containing the Buddha's advanced teaching, are
treasured by Mahayana Buddhists.

56. Buddhist symbols include:
The lotus

57. The wheel of life

58. Images of the Buddha

59. Mandalas- symbolic
maps of Buddhist
universes.

60. Mandalas- symbolic
maps of Buddhist
universes.

61. Mandalas-
symbolic maps
of Buddhist
universes.

62. Mandalas-
symbolic maps
of Buddhist
universes.