Hinduism

VIDEO
PRESENTATION
ABOUT HINDUISM
Group Work (The
students will be
grouped into 5).
 Process Questions:
1. What is Hinduism? How many followers
of Hinduism are there worldwide?
2. What is Sanskrit in Hinduism?
3. Give at least 3 Core Belief of Hinduism?
Explain each.
4. What are the the Hindus major
deities/God/Goddesses and their specific
functions/powers?
5. What is the Caste System in Hinduism?
 DHARMIC
RELIGIONS
 One major commonality of
dharmic religions is that they
all emerged from the vast
subcontinent of India, a land
of complexity and diversity
in terms of people, culture,
practices, customs, and
traditions.
Central to their
fundamental teachings
are the belief in the
dharma with each
religion having their
own special meaning
For the Hindus(DHARMA)
it could mean an
individual’s
appropriate behavior
or duty to be fulfilled
in observance of a
custom or law.
For the Buddhists(DHARMA)
it could mean
universal law and
order, or the
Buddha’s teaching
itself.
 What is
Hinduism?
Hinduism is the world’s
third largest religion. It is
an Indian religion and
dharma, or way of life,
widely practiced in the
Indian subcontinent and
parts of the southeast Asia.
Three other religions that sprung
in India have their origins in
Hinduism. Around sixth century
B.C.E., Jainism and Buddhism
appeared to challenge traditional
Indian beliefs and practices. In
the fifteenth century C.E.,
Sikhism arose that featured
Hindu and Islamic influences.
The term Hindu originated
from the Persian word
hindu (in Sanskrit sindhu)
which means “river.”
Hinduism was originally
known as “Arya Dharma”
or the “Aryan Way.”
 Main Beliefs
Hinduism has no founder.
Hinduism has no agreed
upon set of beliefs.
• For many Hindus, religion
is a matter of practice
rather than of beliefs. It's
more what you do, than
what you believe.
One of the main ideas is
Dharma or duty.
The first man and women
in Hindu is
Manu and Shatrupa
SYMBOLS
Om
Symbol
Om (sometimes written
Aum) is the most important
symbol for Hindus. Hindus
claim that this is a sound
heard in the deepest of
meditation when one
experiences God. Hence this
sound and is said to be the
most fitting name of God.
Many Hindu prayers and
chants begin with this word.
This sound is used during
the practice of meditation.
Lotus flower
Lotus flower grows
out of muddy water,
it emerges pure,
beautiful and
detached. In the
same way, Hindus
are encouraged to
live in a pure state
detached from
worldliness.
Swastika
Swastika is a symbol
that denotes good
luck drawn from all
four corners of the
world. It has four arms
drawing in good luck
from all corners. The
word ‘Swastika’
means ‘well being’.
The symbol is seen on
walls, doors, and is
extensively used as a
form of Hindu
decoration.
SCRIPTUR
ES
 Sacred Texts
Shruti literally means “that which is
heard.”
 The four basic Vedic books,
which are sacrificial hymns
compiled from an earlier oral
tradition, are composed of Rig-
veda, Sama-veda, Yajur-veda,
and Atharva-veda.
The word Veda means
“knowledge” or “sacred
lore.”
The Vedas are the earliest
known Sanskrit literature
from the Brahmanic period
and oldest scriptures of
Hinduism.
 4 VEDAS- basis of Hindu faith
1. Rig Veda- is an ancient Indian
collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns.
2. Sama Veda- is the Veda of melodies
and chants.
3. Yajur Veda- primarily of prose
mantras for worship rituals.
4. Atharva-Veda- the procedures for
everyday life".
Upanishads
Forming the fourth part of the
Vedas, the term Upanishad
literally translates as “sitting
down near” or “sitting close to”
as it implies listening intently to
the mystic teachings of a
spiritual teacher who has fully
understood the universal truths.
all fundamental teachings and
concepts about Hinduism are
found in these profound
treatises—such as karma
(action), samsara
(reincarnation), moksha
(nirvana), atman (soul), and
Brahman (Absolute
Almighty).
Smriti literally means “that
which has been
remembered.”
The great epics Ramayana
and Mahabharata, which
contains the philosophical
poem Bhagavad Gita, are
part of shmriti.
Devotion to the Trimurti
Central to Hinduism is the Brahman who
is the ultimate reality, one and
[Link] Brahman is often seen in
three forms or functions. Called the
Trimurti, these are creation, preservation,
and destruction. These functions are
expressed in god forms, namely, Brahma,
the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and
Shiva, the destroyer.
 GODS
AND
GODDESSES
Hindu Gods
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 god.
What do Hindus
believe?
Hindus believe in a
universal soul or God
called Brahman.
Brahman takes on many
forms that some Hindus
worship as gods or
goddesses in their own
What do Hindus
believe?
Hindus believe that there is
a part of Brahman in
everyone and this is called
the Atman.
Ultimate goal of life – to
release Atman and reunite
with the divine, becoming
as one with Brahman
(Moksha)
God As Form
Hindus say that it is not enough to just
believe in God. We need to make the
effort to find God while we are alive.
One of the best ways to find God is to
think of him/her as a person. This
allows us to build a relationship with
God and allows us to become closer to
him. This is why we see God being
portrayed in so many different forms in
Hindu temples. These are all different
ways used by different Hindus to think
of and reach the same one God.
God as a Principle
Hinduism refers to God as Brahman.
The ultimate reality (God) appears as
the physical universe. This ultimate
reality appears more clearly as living
things. This is why all living things are
sacred, as they are a sign of God.
Mankind is the best sign of God on
earth, hence the most sacred. God as
our true self is called Atman. Service
to mankind is the highest worship of
God.
 Vishnu: Preserver &
protector of the
Brahma: God universe. Known as a
in the role of god of love,
benevolence, and
the Creator forgiveness
Shiva as the Destroyer As the
destroyer and the god of death,
destruction, and disease.
 Other Gods
Lakshmi - Goddess of
Saraswathi - Goddess of Wealth - Wife of Lord
Wisdom - Wife of Lord Vishnu. Lakshmi is the
Brahma. Saraswathi is the goddess of light, beauty,
Hindu goddess of good fortune and
knowledge, music and all
wealth.
the creative arts.
Parvati - regarded as a Ganesha - Son of Shiva and
representation of Shakti. Parvati. The Hindu god in a
Parvati is the wife of Lord human form but with the
Shiva and the Godess of head of an elephant.
household and
motherhood.
All these deities are
but
forms of the
Brahman
 And we too are forms
of God!

“We are not human beings

having spiritual experiences;
We are spiritual beings
having a human experience!”
“That art Thou”
Why do Hindus
worship the
Cow?
 Hindu Diet
Hindus do not eat beef because
cows are considered a Holy
animal in the religion. Cows are
Holy 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.
LIFE GOALS OF HINDUS
What do Hindus
believe?
Hindus believe in reincarnation
- a belief that the soul is
eternal and lives many
lifetimes, in one body after
another.
Samsara means going through
the cycle of repeated births and
deaths (reincarnation). Hindus
believe that existence of this
cycle is governed by Karma.
 4 Goals of life in Hinduism
1. Dharma- be a good, virtuous, moral
person.
2. Artha- earn material prosperity,
money(this allows you & your family
to live a secure life)
3. Kama- seek happiness, pleasure,
emotional fulfillment(love, friendship,
community)
4. Moksha- seek freedom, spirituality and
Belief in Karma
Karma is the concept that if you
do good deeds, good things will
happen in your life.
Further, if you live a good life,
you will be reincarnated into
higher form, if you live a bad life,
you will be reincarnated into
lower form.
PATHWAYS TO FIND GOD
The Four Yogas Practices
Jnana Yoga (The Way of Knowledge) The
path of knowledge, wisdom, introspection, and
contemplation Bhakti Yoga (The Way of
Love) The path of devotion, emotion, love,
compassion, and service to God and others
Karma Yoga (The Way of Work) The path of
action, service to others, mindfulness, and
remembering the levels of our being while
fulfilling our actions or karma in the world
Raja Yoga (The Way of Meditation) The path
of meditation that directly deals with the
encountering and transcending thoughts of the
Bhakti yoga
The path of love.
Which removes
jealousy, hatred, lust
anger & pride. The
devotee spends his
time in prayers,
worship, and
constant
remembrance of the
deity of his choice.
Raja Yoga
The path to
God
through
meditation,
mantras &
technique.
Karma Yoga

The ‘path of
action’. Karma
yoga is doing the
right thing.
Jnana Yoga
The way to God
through reason and
intellect. We
require a far
greater
understanding of
the world in order
to ‘really’ see what
is out there, and
what we are all
about.
FESTIVALS
DIWALI
What is Diwali?
Diwali is the Hindu “festival of lights”
which celebrates the New Year.
The festival falls on different days each year
but usually falls in the Month of October or
November.
It is a five day celebration.
Gifts are exchanged, homes are decorated
and fireworks are common.
It is held in honor
of Lakshmi, the
Hindu goddess of
wealth and
prosperity. Hindus
pray to Lakshmi to
bring them good
luck in the coming
year.
SUBDIVISIONS
Followers of Hinduism vary in
their set of beliefs and practices,
including reverence to a
particular god. Presently, there
are four principal denominations
within the Hindu faith. These are
Shaivism, Shaktism,
Vaishavism, and Smartism.
Shaivism Lord Shiva, the
Compassionate One, is God
for the Saivites.
Shaktism The Goddess Shakti
is supreme for Shaktas. She is
the divine mother and assumes
many forms, be it a gentle one
or a fierce deity.
Vaishnavism Lord Vishnu is God
for the Vaishnavites, especially in
his incarnations Krishna and Rama.
Smartism For the Smartas, devotees
are left to choose their own deity in
one of six manifestations, namely,
Ganesha, Siva, Shakti, Vishnu,
Surya, and Skanda.
 Caste System
-Is a system where people are
born into a certain classes, and
they cannot change their social
class. Your class is determined
by karma. If you are a good
person you will be born into
higher social class in your next
life.
Why is Hinduism
considered a diverse
and complex religion?