Hinduism

Anny Lim, Alex Anley, Evan Salvador, Hannah Downs, and Lindsay Strait

Comp. world religions p.1

Hinduism• Location: India• Time Period:

– 1700-1100 BC• People: Hindus• Originated in the Indian

subcontinent• Often referred as, Sanātana

Dharma (सना�तना धर्म�) , “the eternal law”

Indian Subcontinent

Hinduism• Hinduism is way of life, not really a religion. • There is no word for religion in Sanskrit. • The word "Dharma" means duty. • No one knows how it began or who started it. But many have

approximated it to be at least 10,000 years old. • in the U.S., majority of the Indians still practice their religion. 

But in general, Hinduism is not a very organized religion so most Hindus do not go to temple regularly. 

• Most Hindus have a makeshift temple in their home where they pray when they wish.

Hinduism; General Premise• the general premise of Hinduism:

  • There is one God, we are all a part of him/her/it. God is this

great energy, greater than great itself and has no form. • We reincarnate on this earth as a living organism until we

reach Moksha. • Moksha is attained by doing good, doing our karma, loving

God. • There is no one path to Moksha, but infinite paths. • Moksha is the state of eternal bliss.  In this state one's soul will

finally become one with God and be free from the cycle of life and death.

Moksha

Background• World’s oldest major

religion that is still practiced

• No single founder

• World’s third largest religion (following Christianity and Islam)

• Populations include; Bangladest, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore,… and more

• Contains a vast body of scriptures

• Divided as Śruti (revealed) and Smriti (remembered)

• Practice of dharma (religious living)

Background cont’

• monotheism, polytheism,

panentheism, pantheism, monism and atheism

• sometimes referred to as henotheistic (devotion to a single God while accepting the existence of other gods)

• Most Hindus believe that the spirit or soul—the true "self" of every person, called the ātman—is eternal.

The goals of life• Classical Hindu thought accepts two main life-long dharmas: Grihastha

Dharma and Sannyasin Dharma.

• The Grihastha Dharma recognize four goals known as the puruṣhārthas. They are:

1. kāma: Sensual pleasure and enjoyment 2. Artha: Material prosperity and success 3. Dharma: Correct action, in accordance with one's particular duty and scriptural

laws 4. Moksha: Liberation from the cycle of samsara

• Among these, dharma and moksha play a special role:dharma must dominate an individual's pursuit of kama and artha while seeing moksha, at the horizon.• The Sannyasin Dharma recognizes, but renounces Kama, Artha and Dharma, focusing entirely on Moksha.

Rituals•The vast majority of Hindus engage in religious rituals on a daily basis. •Most Hindus observe religious rituals at home.

•However, observation of rituals greatly vary among regions, villages, and individuals.

•worshiping at the dawn after bathing (usually at a family shrine, and typically includes lighting a lamp and offering foodstuffs before the images of deities),

•recitation from religious scripts, singing devotional hymns, meditation, chanting mantras, reciting scriptures •Purification, usually with water, is thus a typical feature of most religious action

life-cycle rituals• Annaprashan (a baby's first intake of solid food), • Upanayanam ("sacred thread ceremony" undergone by upper-

caste children at their initiation into formal education.), • Shraadh (ritual of treating people to feasts in the name of the

deceased)• For most people in India, the betrothal of the young couple

and the exact date and time of the wedding are matters decided by the parents in consultation with astrologers.

• Death, cremation is considered obligatory for all except sanyasis, hijra, and children under five. – Cremation is typically performed by wrapping the corpse in cloth and

burning it on a pyre.

Beliefs; Three main gods

1.Lord Brahma

2.Lord Vishnu

3.Lord Shiva

• The creator god (of the Trimurti), similarities to God the Father of the Christians

• Painted as 4 males or females, (with 4 heads and 4 arms)

• 4 arms holding 4 symbols, – a sacrificial tool (sruva),

– the Vedas (knowledge),

– a water pot (kamandalu),

– and a lotus (symbol of glorious existence).

• Consort; Goddess Saraswati, (Goddess or learning)

Lord Brahma

He is the father of all beings and the creator of the Universe.

Lord Vishnu• Savior and protector of mankind• Some similarities to God the Son for

the Christians; Incarnates like Jesus, but 10 times!

• Very popular, shown as one of his 9 incarnations( “avatars”), as fish, tortoise, a boar- last 4 incarnations were Rama, Balaram, Buddha, and Krishna

• 2 wives; Lakshmi (goddess of fortune), and Prithvi (Earth goddess)

His blue skin represents the sky, for God is everywhere.

Lord Shiva• Destroyer of evil, creator of new

life, sustainer of life, the cosmic lord ;shares some similarities with the Christian Holy Spirit,

• Main symbol: Lingam and Yoni; because of his re-creating fertility

• Shiva’s wives are the symbols of feminine powers of God, called Shakti. 5 most popular; Parvati, Umma, Durga, Kali and Shakti

Three main Goddesses

1. Lakshmi

2. Saraswati

3. Durga Ma

Lakshmi • Lakshmi Ma

– (Ma meaning mother)

• consort or wife of  Lord Vishnu

• Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity for that is what sustains all life.

Saraswati • Goddess of education,

knowledge, and the arts

• who people pray to before they take a test and who they will be praying to for getting an A in the class

Durga Ma • Power or ‘shakti’ is

represented by Durga Ma • wife of Shiva • most powerful entity in the

Universe • destroys evil and when she is

mad• many arms represent her

multitasking capabilities • peacefully sits on a Tiger,

showing her great power as well as her composer

Beliefs- Yoga

• Practicing meditation, guru; teacher• Practitioner yoga: yogi• Texts dedicated to Yoga include, Bhagavad Gita(the Yoga Sutras), Hatha Yoga Pradipika

– Path one can follow to achieve the spiritual goal of life( moksha, samadhi, or nirvana)

The four types of yoga• Includes;• -Bhakti Yoga (the path of love

and devotion), - one who searches this union in love

• -Karma Yoga (the path of right action), - the worker

• -Rāja Yoga (the path of meditation) – one who seeks this union through mysticism

• -Jñāna Yoga (the path of wisdom) – one who seeks this yoga through philosophy

Bibliography

• http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/studentprojects/sarihan/Hinduism1.html

• http://www.religion-cults.com/Eastern/Hinduism/hindu.htm

• http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/practices.htm

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism