1 / 31

Hinduism

Hinduism. Basic Data. Terms. Important Terms. Atman: Hindu concept of the eternal soul Avatar: Hindu concept of the incarnation or earthly manifestation of a deity Bhagavad-Gita:  Sanskrit for 'Song of the Lord'; this text is regarded as the crowning achievement of Hindu sacred literature

petula
Download Presentation

Hinduism

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Hinduism

  2. Basic Data

  3. Terms

  4. Important Terms • Atman: Hindu concept of the eternal soul • Avatar: Hindu concept of the incarnation or earthly manifestation of a deity • Bhagavad-Gita: Sanskrit for 'Song of the Lord'; this text is regarded as the crowning achievement of Hindu sacred literature • Brahma: Hindu god of creation • Brahman: Hindu concept for the spiritual oneness of all reality • Brahmin: Priestly caste of Indian society

  5. Important Terms • Guru: Spiritual teacher • Krishna: Incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu • Henotheism: Belief in one god without denying the existence of others • Moksha: release from the cycle of death and rebirth in Indian religions; liberation • Samsara: Sanskrit for 'the cycle of rebirth‘ • Shiva: Hindu god of destruction and rejuvenation

  6. Important Terms • Puja: a religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to various deities, distinguished persons, or special guests • Karma: Action, deed; usually understood as cause and effect • Dharma: behaviors that are considered to be in accord with the natural order • Yoga: physical, mental and spiritual disciplines or practices • Upanishad: Philosophical materials in the Vedic literature • Vishnu: Hindu god of preservation and love; appears on earth on various forms (avatars) in times of crisis

  7. General Overview

  8. What is Hinduism • The term “Hindu” • Originally the name of the Indus River (Hindus => Indus) • Used by the English to describe the religion of people who were not Muslim, Buddhist, Jain or Sikh • Used primarily as a category in taking a census • “Hinduism” includes a wide variety of practices and beliefs • No central theological tradition • Some practices and beliefs are contradictory • Many core practices and beliefs have changed over time due to reactions against other religions, or influences by other religions

  9. What is Hinduism • KEY: All religious paths honoring the Vedas are commonly gathered under the term Hinduism • Preferred label is Sanatana Dharma • Sanatana= ageless • Dharma = behavior, way of life (religion) • This label emphasizes that Hinduism is not so much a systematic set of beliefs as a way of life

  10. Legal Definition • In 2002/2003, the Indian Supreme Court (2002/2003) stated that a Hindu: • Accepts that the Vedas are the foundation of Hindu philosophy; • Has a spirit of tolerance (truth has many sides); • Accepts the belief that vast cosmic periods of creation, maintenance, and dissolution continuously recur; • Accepts belief in reincarnation; • Recognizes that paths to truth and salvation are many; • Recognizes that there may be numerous gods and goddesses to worship [Henotheism]; • Does not believe in a specific set of philosophic concepts.

  11. A Philosophical System • Metaphysics: Monism • Epistemology: Natural knowledge of the Supreme • The Supreme is one (monotheism) • The Supreme has many forms • Moral: Ethics are central to an orderly social life • Theodicy: • Suffering occurs when karma is out of balance • The ultimate cause of suffering is people’s ignorance of the Self (which is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, perfect, and eternal) • Anthropology: The more a person understands the above, the more he will realize that he is god, and god is him. • Gandhi: Not “god is truth” but “truth is god”

  12. Vedas • The foundation for Hinduism are the Vedas • Hindu “holy book” • Consists of four parts • Samhitas:hymns of praise in worship of deities. • Brahmanas:directions about performances of the ritual sacrifices to the deities. • The Brahmanasexplain the symbolic correspondences between the microcosm of the ritual process and the “real world” in which rituals are performed. • Aranyakas: meditations by recluses • Upanishads: teaching from highly realized spiritual masters; they explain the personal transformation that results from psychic participation in the ritual process.

  13. Basic Beliefs

  14. Concept of God • Nirguna Brahman - God without attributes • Saguna Brahman - God with attributes • Saguna Brahman can be worshipped in any shape or form, human or otherwise

  15. Hindu “Trinity” • The Supreme God (Brahma) • Paramatma=The Supreme Soul • Three aspects, roles or powers of the same divine being • Brahma - the Creator • Vishnu/Krishna - the Preserver & Protector • Shiva - the Destroyer

  16. Soteriology • Hinduism teaches the cycle of life: birth, life, death, rebirth (reincarnation) • All life is created by the Supreme God (Brahama) • Every living thing has soul, called by Hindus, ATMA. • Deeds (Karma) in this life determine life form in the next life. • One can go through the cycle of birth and rebirth up to 84 million times as the belief is that there are 84 millions species on earth. • Reincarnation: eternal soul traverses through different bodies till it finds liberation (moksha)

  17. Karma • Karma - the law of cause and effect; “you reap what you sow” • Bad karma is weighed against good karma

  18. Moksha • The ultimate goal of existence is to achieve moksha • Moksha is the release of your atma to become part of the paramatma, or great soul of the universe. • Analogy: This is understood if we think of an eye-dropper of water squeezed out into the Atlantic thus ceasing to be a separate entity, but being absorbed into the ocean

  19. Four Goals of Human Life • Kama – fulfillment of desires • Artha– accumulation of wealth • Dharma – performance of social and religious duties • Moksha – freedom from want

  20. Four Paths to Moksha • Karma Yoga - Path of righteous action • Bhakti Yoga - Path of selfless devotion • JnanaYoga - Path of rational inquiry • Raja Yoga - Path of renunciation

  21. Temple Worship • Temples provide an atmosphere conducive for spiritual progress • Centers of social and cultural activities • Provide a place for collective worship and prayers

  22. Six Philosophical Schools • Sankhya - Sage Kapila • Yoga - Sage Patanjali • Mimamsa - SageJaimini • Vedanta – Sage Vyasa • Nyaya - Sage Gautama • Vaisheshika - Sage Kanada

  23. Brief History

  24. History of Hinduism • Originated between 4000 and 2000 BC • No single founder • Vedas: the oldest scriptures of Hinduism • Veda means “to know” • Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Veda • Upanishads explain the philosophical ideas in story and dialogue form

  25. Veda Vyasa • 1500 BC • classified the Vedas into the four traditional collections • composed the 18 Puranas • composed his great poetic work, the Mahabharata in a period of two and a half years

  26. Sankara • Advaitha philosophy • 7th century AD • traveled all over India having public debates with other philosophers • true happiness can be attained by removing avidya(ignorance) and maya (self deception)

  27. Ramanuja • 10th Century AD • Vishistadvaitha • wanted everybody irrespective of social standing to enjoy the eternal bliss of Lord Narayana • Bhakti - complete surrender to the Lord

  28. Madhva • Dwaitha philosophy • 12th Century AD • the world is not an illusion. • solitary study of the scriptures, performing one's duty without self-interest, practical acts of devotion

  29. Vivekananda • First Hindu leader to visit America • Famous address at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago on September 11,1893 • Spent three years preaching the Vedanta philosophy in America and England • Founded the Ramakrishna Mission

  30. Contemporary Hindu Leaders in America • David Frawley • Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami • Mahesh Yogi • Satchidananda • Mata Amritanandamayi

More Related