4. Origins
Hinduism is a collection of religious
beliefs that developed slowly over a
long period of time.
Hindus believe that their religion helps
you free your soul from the sadness,
disappointments, and mistakes of
everyday life.
Unlike other major religions like
Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, &
Judaism, it cannot be traced back to a
single founder.
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.
5. Vedas & Upanishads
The Vedas (1700-500BC) and the
Upanishads (750 to 550BC) 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).
Holy Texts:
6. Reincarnation
This is the concept that the soul
is immortal, and all life forms are
reborn into a new entity after
death. The key word is entity: you
do not have a guarantee of being
reborn as a human being.
The soul travels from one body to
the next.
Belief:
The body is
temporary: it dies.
The soul is eternal
& indestructible.
7. Karma
Karma is the concept that if you
do good deeds, good things will
happen in your life. If you do bad
deeds, bad things will happen to
you in life.
Further, if you live a good life
(doing good deeds, being a spiritual
follower of Hinduism), you will be
reincarnated into a higher form, if
you live a bad life, you will be
reincarnated into a lower form.
Belief:
9. MokshaMoksha is when your soul becomes free from the cycle of
rebirth, and is no longer reincarnated. This happens after you
reach the highest level of rebirth, and you can can’t be born
into a higher form. When you reach Moksha, it means you
have had all of life’s experiences, learned all of life’s lessons,
and reached a perfect understanding of the universe. Instead
of being reincarnated, your soul becomes one with god.
Belief:
10. 1. Dharma: be a good, virtuous, moral person.
2. Artha: earn material prosperity: money.
(This allows you and your family to live a
secure life).
3. Kama: seek happiness, pleasure, emotional
fulfillment (love, friendship, community).
4. Moksha: seek freedom from ignorance,
spirituality, and self-knowledge.
Four Goals of Life in Hinduism:
11. There are hundreds of different Hindu gods, and not
all Hindus worship all the gods. Sometimes families
have a certain favorite god they worship, or regions
in India have favorite gods.
Hindu Gods
12. The Big 3Hindus believe the spirit of the
universe takes the form of three
main gods. Hindus can choose
to pray to all of these forms,
some of them,
or none.
Brahma: The Creator
Vishnu: The Protector
Shiva: The Destroyer
13.
14. Hindu Diet
Hindus do not eat beef because
cows are considered a holy
animal in the religion. Cows are
sacred because they are so
important to agriculture: they
help plow the fields, they carry
heavy loads, they provide dairy
products, and their poop is used
as fertilizer.
Most Hindus are vegetarian,
meaning they do not eat meat,
fish, poultry or eggs.
15.
16.
17. Caste System
The Caste System is a system where
people are born into certain social
classes, and they CANNOT change
their social class. Your social class is
determined by Karma: if you are a good
person you will be born into a higher
social class in your next life.
Under the Caste System, who you can
marry, what jobs you can have, and
where you can live are restricted by
your social class.
The system is less frequent than it was in the past, but still exists
in rural areas of India today.
19. Caste System Activity
Questions
1. How did you feel being a ____________?
(3-4 sentences).
2. Would you want to redraw your card? Why
or why not?
3. From the video, what did you find the most
interesting and/or shocking? Summarize with
your reactions in one paragraph.
