Hinduism

1. Hinduism

2. Background • Hindu practices come from the beliefs of many groups in India • Aryans migrated to India - brought a collection of myths of their gods • Aryan priests could sing long hymns from memory, each hymn for a different ritual

3. 837 million followers worldwide (13 %) • Over 80 % of India’s population • Older than Christianity, Buddhism, & Islam • No single founder • Unique to India  Why didn’t it spread? • Geographical Barriers • Doesn’t seek converts

4. Monotheistic or Polytheistic • God is one-but goes by many names • Brahman-all of the universe is a part of Brahman • All other divinities are aspects of the absolute and unknowable Brahman.

5. All these deities are but Manifest forms (attributes and functions) of the impersonal Brahman

6. Hindu Trinity • Brahma – Creator • Vishnu – Preserver • Shiva - Destroyer

7. Sacred Texts • Priests gathered the hymns into four collections called Vedas • Rig-Veda - most ancient and most important (has 1028 hymns of praise) • Upanishads - collection of essays that try to interpret and explain the Vedic hymns • Bhagavad Gita – ethical ideas central to Hindus

8. Basic ideas of the Upanishads • One true reality is Brahman • mighty spirit that creates and destroys • unchanging all powerful, spiritual force • Power beyond many gods • Too complex for people to understand • Brahman is a unifying and all powerful spirit • One aspect of Brahman is the Self (soul) called Atman • Atman is everywhere • Atman is your essential self

9. Nothing that lives ever dies entirely • when a living thing dies, its inner self is reborn into another form (reincarnation) • Reincarnation = Rebirth (samsara) • All wise Hindus must seek to reach a state of perfect understanding called moksha • the inner self that reaches moksha will never suffer another reincarnation • In moksha, the self disappears to merge with Brahman

10. Maya • The power of Brahman, the creative aspect of God • This world • Senses, pain, suffering • Cosmic Illusion

11. Karma and Dharma • Hindus believe in an ethical law of cause and effect called Karma • Moral behavior in one life guaranteed rebirth into a higher class • Immoral behavior would drop a soul to a lower class • Good karma = performing your dharma • Dharma - set of duties and obligations of each caste

12. Caste System • According to the Rig-Veda, four different groups of people were created from the body of a Hindu God • Brahmins • Kshatriyas • Vaishyas • Shudras

13. Brahmins • created from the God’s mouth • priestly class and highest group in Indian society • Kshatriyas • created from the God’s arm • ruler and warrior class

14. Vaishyas • created from the God’s leg • landowners, merchants and artisans • Shudras • created from the God’s feet • servants and slaves

15. Hindus call these groups within society jatis (castes) • Ritual purity was the basis for rankings the castes • Higher castes are purer than lower castes • Lowest group in society were outside the caste system (called untouchables or outcastes)

16. And we too are manifest forms of God! “We are not human beingshaving spiritual experiences;We are spiritual beingshaving a human experience!” “That art Thou” Hinduism is about recognizing the all pervasiveness of the divine