Hinduism
Beliefs – Part 1
Key Beliefs
Brahman is the only ultimate reality the cosmic spirit that
underlies everything, all experience, all phenomena.
The paramatman (universal soul).
The atman (your individual soul)
Key Beliefs
Everything is temporary and illusionary maya (all forms, including the present world)
Like the matrix
Key Beliefs- Evil
Evil and suffering – a natural part of life Source: Ignorance (first evil) Justified: by the law of karma
suffering is the result of ones prior actions
He (Brahman) causes him whom he wishes to lead up from these world to perform good actions. This one, indeed, also causes him whom he wishes to lead downward, to perform bad actions.
Upanishad 3:8
Key Beliefs
The goal of every Hindu is to break free of this imperfect world (maya) and achieve moksha
Moksha - a blissful union with Brahman.
To have one’s individual soul, the atman reunite with the paramatman
Key Beliefs
Optimism – everyone will reach this goal (moksha) at some point.
No damnation
Tolerance – get there however you need to
Key Beliefs – Human Life
Human life has no significance. It is part of an unending and essentially meaningless cycle of life, death and rebirth.
It is through this cycle of successive rebirths – reincarnation, that one reaches upwards to its ultimate goal of moksha
Key Beliefs - Karma
Humans are further up the ladder of reincarnation than other organism.
Because of karma, (the totality of one’s actions in life that determines the form that same soul takes in their next life) humans are the creators of their own fate
Key Beliefs
330 Million gods → all different expressions of the one universal god / essence, Brahman
Key Beliefs - Key Gods
Brahma – The creator god
Wife – Saraswati (goddess of learning and the arts)
Key Beliefs - Key Gods
Vishnu – Preserver god (4 arms)
Wife – Lakshmi (goddess of wealth, happiness and good fortune)
Key Beliefs - Key Gods
Shiva - Destroyer and restorer god (rides on a dancing bull)
Wife – Parvati (mother goddess / Durga/ Kali Shakti female energy)
Key Beliefs - Trimurti
The Trimurti – Hinduism’s holy trinity
Time is cyclical – this cycle repeats itself every 4,320,000,000 years vs Western time which is linear.
BrahmaThe creator
god
VishnuThe Preserver god
Avatars – Reincarnates as needed: Rama, Krishna, Buddha….
ShivaThe Destroyer and Restorer
god
Hinduism
Beliefs Part 2
Hinduism in Practice
Shrines in homes are the focus of worship.
The temple is the centre of the religious, social and cultural life of Hindus
Are devoted to gurus (spiritual leaders) and often form Hindu communities called Ashrams
Paths to Salvation - Yoga
Dharma - One’s moral and sacred duty as defined by: their stage in life (student / householder /
retirement / renunciation) their caste – determines one’s occupation their gender
Yoga – to yoke or bind together
4 Paths to Salvation
Bhakti Yoga – love and devotion (to be attracted to god)
Karma Yoga – good deeds and thoughts
Jnana Yoga – scripture and meditation
Raja Yoga - meditation
Bhakti Yoga – love and devotion
Most simple path to salvation
Devotion and love towards a personal deity
Provides an opportunity to worship Brahman in a concrete way, rather than as an abstract notion
Images / statues of deity help followers focus their devotion
Prayer / ritual
Karma Yoga – good deeds and thoughts Good deeds lead to the
accumulation of good karma
Unselfish actions done not for reward but because they are morally right
Duty of an individual
Jnana Yoga – scripture and meditation
Difficult path
Guidance of a guru / teacher
Learn about: the relationship between the
Brahman and atman Nature of the universe Scriptures
Meditate to gain the insight needed to achieve salvation / moksha
Raja Yoga - meditation
Achieve salvation through intense mediation / contemplation on mediation on Brahman
Trans like state
Become one with Brahman
Strict physical and spiritual discipline
Hindu Worship - Animals
The Sacred Cow
Is revered as the source of food and symbol of life May never be killed or eaten (no beef)
The Cow and Worship: Hindus do not worship the cow cows do not have especially charmed lives in India more accurate to say the cow is taboo in Hinduism, rather
than sacred.
Most rural Indian families have at least one dairy cow, a gentle spirit who is often treated as a member of the family.
The Sacred Cow
The Sacred Cow
Cow Veneration Continued The five products:
milkcurdsghee butterurine dung — are all used in puja
The milk of the family cow nourishes children as they grow up
cow dung (gobar) feul, building.
Most Indians do not share the western revulsion at cow excrement, but instead consider it an earthy and useful natural product.
Monkey Veneration Animals depicted as helping the gods in
Hindu mythology are venerated
Monkey, or Monkey God ( Hanuman) is considered to be the God of power and strength
Seen here helping Lord Rama
Elephant Veneration Elephants – symbol of success
Ganesha Lord of Success and Destroyer of Evils
and Obstacles
Also god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth
head symbolizes the paramatman (ultimate supreme reality)
his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence
The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality.