Hinduism 

(Sanātana Dharma)
Hinduism is often referred to as Sanātana Dharma, a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the
eternal law",
Divali (Diwali) (Festival of Lights) 

Hinduism is the world's third most popular religion,

with around 750 million followers. The religion of
Hinduism originated in Northern India, near the river Indus,
about 4000 years ago and is the world's oldest existing
religion.

Hinduism is practiced by more than 80% of India's population.

Place of Origin India

Founder Developed out of Brahminism
Sacred Text Vedas
Sacred Building Mandir
Major Festivals Divali

Who is the founder of Hinduism?

Hinduism has no founder, it developed out of Brahminism.

Hinduism is the oldest religion, it may date to prehistoric times.

What is the symbol of Hinduism?

Aum is the main symbol of Hinduism. It is the sound heard in deepest

meditation and is said to be the name most suited for God.

Where does the name Hindu come from?

The word "Hindu" comes from the name of the river Indus, which flows 1800 miles
from Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the sea.

What do Hindus believe?

For many Hindus, religion is a matter of practice rather than of beliefs. It's more
what you do, than what you 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 right. Hindus believe that there is a part of Brahman in
everyone and this is called the Atman.

Hindus believe in reincarnation - a belief that the soul is eternal and lives many
lifetimes, in one body after another. The soul is sometimes born in a human body,
sometimes in an animal body and sometimes in a plant body etc. Hindus believe
that all forms of life contain a soul, and all souls have the chance to experience life
in different forms.

Samsara means going through the cycle of repeated births and deaths

(reincarnation). Hindus believe that existence of this cycle is governed
by Karma.

What is Karma?

Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and
its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was
lived.Karma is the cause of our particular destiny. Misfortunes in our present life
are the result of acts that we have committed in the past. In the same way, our
actions in our present lives will determine our fate in the lives that follow. Hindus
therefore aim to live in a way that will cause each of their lives to be better than the
life before.

What is Moksha?

The spiritual goal of a Hindu is to become one with Brahma, this freedom is
referred to as moksha. Until moksha is achieved, a Hindu believes that he/she will
be repeatedly reincarnated in order that he/she may work towards self-realization of
the truth (the truth being that only Brahman exists, nothing else).

Moksha - the release of the soul (Atman) from the cycle of rebirth. 
The individual soul (Atman) unites with Brahman the universal soul. There are
different ways to achieve Moksha.

How do Hindus achieve Moksha?

There are four different paths to achieve Moksha which a Hindu can take.

The Hindu can choose one or all four of the paths they are:

1 The path of knowledge - Spiritual knowledge -leading to the knowledge of the

relationship between the soul (atman) and God (Brahman)

2 The path of meditation - The idea is to concentrate so you can reach the real
self within you and become one with Brahman

3 The Path of Devotion -Choosing a particular god or goddess and worshipping

them throughout your life in actions, words and deeds.

4 The path of good works - This involves doing all your duties correctly
throughout your life.

Why are there so many Hindu Gods?

Hindus actually only believe in one God, Brahman, the eternal origin who is
the cause and foundation of all existence. The gods of the Hindu faith represent
different forms of Brahman. These gods are sent to help people find the universal
God (Brahman).
Brahma - known as the Vishnu - Known as the Shiva (Siva) - known as the
Creator.  Preserver  Destroyer. 

Other Hindu gods include:

Saraswathi - Goddess of Wisdom - Wife of Lord Brahma.

Saraswathi is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music and all the creative arts.

Lakshmi - Goddess of Wealth - Wife of Lord Vishnu.

Lakshmi is the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune and wealth.

Parvati - regarded as a representation of Shakti. Parvati is the wife of Lord

Shiva and the Godess of household and motherhood.

Ganesha - Son of Shiva and Parvati.

The Hindu god in a human form but with the head of an elephant.
(pictured right)

What is the Hindu place of Worship?

Most Hindus worship (puja) every day at home and have

a shrinethere. A shrine can be anything from a room, a small altar
or simply pictures or statues. Family members often worship
together. At the shrine, Hindus make offerings to a murti. A murti is
a sacred statue of God, or a god or goddess.

The Hindu building for communal worship is called Mandir (Hindu Temple).

The temples are dedicated to different gods and are the focus of religious life.
Outside India, people mainly gather at the mandir at the weekend.

What are the Vedas?

The most ancient sacred texts of the Hindu religion are written in Sanskrit and
called the Vedas.

The Vedas are the oldest religious texts in Hinduism. The word Veda means
knowledge. It is believed that the Vedas were orally revealed by
Brahma to certain sages, who heard them and passed them down
in an oral tradition. The Vedas are mainly comprised of hymns or
mantras written in the Sanskrit language. They cover various
subjects, from nature to everyday life and behavior, and form the
basis of all other religious writings. The books are so special that
they are often kept in glass cases.
The four Vedas are:

 RigVeda (Rigveda) - The oldest and holiest Veda. With 10,589 verses and
deals with knowledge
 YajurVeda – deals with the concept of KARMA with 1,975 verses
 SamaVeda – deals with the practice of BHAKTI (devotion to a deity
constituting a way to salvation in Hinduism) with1,875 verses
 AtharvaVeda – deals with the various sciences with 5,977 verses

The Vedas are the law. Most beliefs, concepts, and ceremonies are based on
information contained in the Vedas.

Buddhism
Buddhism began in Northeastern India and is based on the
teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. The religion is 2,500 years old
and is followed by 350 million Buddhists worldwide.

Buddhism is the main religion in many Asian countries. It is a

religion about suffering and the need to get rid of it. A key concept
of Buddhism is Nirvana, the most enlightened, and blissful state
that one can achieve. A state without suffering. 

Place of Origin North East India

Founder Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
Sacred Text Tripitaka
Sacred Building Stupa
Major Festivals Wesak

Who is the founder of Buddhism?

The Buddhist tradition is founded on and inspired by the teachings of Siddhartha

Gautama. He was called the Buddha and lived in the 4th or 5th century B.C. in India.

Why is Siddhartha Gautama so important to Buddhists?

Siddhartha Gautama found the path to Enlightenment. By doing so he was led from the
pain of suffering and rebirth towards the path of Enlightenment and became known
as the Buddha or "awakened one".

Who was Siddhartha Gautama?

Siddharta Gautama is known as the Buddha.

He was born around the year 580 BCE in the village of Lumbini in
Nepal. He was born into a royal family and for many years lived
with in the palace walls away from the sufferings of life; sufferings
such as sickness, age, and death. He did not know what they were.

One day, after growing-up, marrying and having a child, Siddhartha

went outside the royal palace and saw, each for the first time, an old man, a sick man,
and a corpse. He was worried by what he saw. He learned that sickness, age, and death
were the inevitable fate of human beings — a fate no-one could avoid.

What are the symbols of Buddhism?

The wheel of life which symbolises the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
The eight spokes remind people that the Buddha taught about eight ways
of life.

The lotus flower symbolises purity and divine birth.

The lotus flower grows in mud at the bottom of a pool, but rises above the
surface to become a beautiful flower. Buddhist say this is how people
should rise above everything which is dukkha. A flower may be very
beautiful and have a wonderful scent, but it soon withers and dies. This
shows that nothing in life is perfect.
Images of Buddha
Statues of Buddha include lots of symbols. There are 32 symbols in
Buddhism which show that the Buddha was a special person. Any of
these symbols can be used on statues. For example the Buddha is often
shown with:

 A bump on on the top of his head - a symbol that he had

special talents.
 A round mark on his forehead, which is his third eye - a symbol to show
that he could see things ordinary people cannot see.
 curled hair (the curls are actually snails that kindly covered his head-
shaved because he renounced the worldly life- to protect him from the
sun as he sat meditating.) The are a symbol that he was a very holy
man.
 long ears from the weight of his princely earrings

Where do Buddhists Worship?

Buddhist worship at home or at a temple. Worshippers may sit on the floor barefoot
facing an image of Buddha and chanting. It is very important that their feet face away
from the image of Buddha. They listen to monks chanting from religious texts and take
part in prayers.

Home

Buddhists will often have a shrine. There will be a statue of Buddha, candles, and an
incense burner.

Temple

Buddhist temples come in many shapes. Perhaps the best known are the pagodas of
China and Japan. Another typical Buddhist building is the Stupa (upside down bowl
shape). All Buddhist temples contain an image or a statue of Buddha.

How to Buddhists Worship?

Buddhist worship is called puja. People chant to show their love for the Buddha. They
make offerings of flowers, candles, incense and pure water at a shrine. People thank
Buddha for his teachings.
When Buddhist worship alone they usually meditate and read from the Buddhist holy
books.

Every month most Buddhists have special religious days. These are often days when
there is a full moon. Many Buddhists go to temples to worship on these special days.

What is Enlightenment and Nirvana / Nibbana?

Buddhist believes that there is a cycle of birth, life and death and rebirth. This goes on
and on. They believe that unless someone gains Enlightenment, when they die they will
be reborn. If a person can gain Enlightenment, they can break out of this cycle.

Breaking out of the cycle is called Nirvana (sometimes called Nibbana). It is the end of
everything that is not perfect. It is perfect peace, free of suffering.

Meditation

Buddhists try to reach Nirvana by following the Buddha's teaching and by meditating.
Meditation means training the mind to empty it all of thoughts when this happens what is
important comes clear.

What is the sacred text (Holy Book) of Buddhists?

The sacred book of Buddhism is called the Tripitaka (called

Tipitaka in Pali). It is also called the Pali Canon, after the language
in which it was first written.

It is written in an ancient Indian language called Pali which is very

close to the language that the Buddha himself spoke. The Tripitaka
is a very large book. The English translation of it takes up nearly
forty volumes.

Buddhism is based on Buddha's teachings. At first these were passed down by word of
mouth and later were complied into two sets of scripture. One set by Council of Monks of
the Theravada school (the Tripitaka) the other by the Mahayana school (the Sutras).
Both were similar.

The three section of the Tripitaka (three baskets of Wisdom) are

1. VinayaPitaka (the Discipline Basket) - A rule book for monks and nuns
There are 227 rules for monks,and more for nuns.
2. SuttaPitaka (the Teaching Basket)- The actual experiences of Buddha
3. AbhidhammaPitaka (the Higher Doctrine Basket) - An explanation on the
teaching of Buddha. Most of these are called Sutras.

What does Buddhist believe?

Buddhist believes that the Buddha saw the truth about what the world is like. They
believe that nothing in the world is perfect, and that the Buddha found the answer to why
it is like this. They do not believe that the Buddha was a god. He was a human being just
like them. They believe that he was important because he gained Enlightenment, and he
chose to teach other people how to reach it too.

The Three Jewels

There are three Buddhist central beliefs. These are known as the three jewels as they
are felt to be so precious.

1. Belief in Buddha
2. Dharma - The teaching of Buddha
3. The Sangha - the Buddhist community made up of ordinary people as well as the
monks and nuns. The purpose is to help others and by doing so to cease to
become selfish and to move on the way towards enlightenment.

One important belief involves reincarnation: the concept that one must go through many
cycles of birth, living, and death. After many such cycles, if a person releases their
attachment to desire and the self, they can attain Nirvana  - a state of liberation and
freedom from suffering.

At the heart of the Buddha's teaching lie The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold
Path which lead the Buddhist towards the path of Enlightenment.

The Four Noble Truths

Dukkha: Suffering exists: 

Samudaya: There is a cause for suffering. 

Nirodha: There is an end to suffering. 

Magga: In order to end suffering, you must follow the Eightfold Path.

What is Dukkha?

Dukkha is suffering.

All existence is "dukkha"; without permanence and therefore filled with suffering.

The Noble Eight-Fold Path

The Noble Eight-fold Path focuses the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and
actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths. It is the way
Buddhists should live their lives. The Buddha said that people should avoid extremes.
They should not have or do too much, but neither should they have or do too little. The
'Middle Way' is the best.

The path to Enlightenment (nirvana) is through the practice and development of wisdom,
morality and meditation.

Three Qualities Eightfold Path

Wisdom (panna) Right View (understanding)
  Right Thought
Morality (sila) Right Speech
  Right Action
  Right Livelihood
Meditation (samadhi) Right Effort
  Right Mindfulness
  Right Contemplation (concentration)

What are the 5 Precepts (morals)?

These are rules to live by. The main five are:

 Do not take the life of anything living. (Do not kill)

 Do not take anything not freely given. (Do not steal)
 Abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence.
 Refrain from untrue speech, (Do not lie)
 Do not consume alcohol or other drugs. The main concern here is that intoxicants
cloud the mind.

Christianity
Christianity is the world's biggest religion, with about 2.2 billion followers
worldwide. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christwho lived in the
Holy Land 2,000 years ago.

Through its missionary activity Christianity has spread to most parts of the
globe.

Place of Origin Israel

Founder Jesus of Nazareth

Sacred Text The Bible - Old and New Testaments

Sacred
Church, Chapel, Cathedral
Building
Holy Places Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Lourdes (a popular place of
pilgrimage), Rome, Canterbury
Major
Easter, Christmas,
Festivals

Who is the founder of Christianity?

Jesus Christ, who was crucified around 30 A.D. in Jerusalem, is the founder of
Christianity.

Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He came to earth to teach about love and fellowship. He
represents the person that all Christians must strive to be.

Jesus was a Jew who was born about 2000 years ago in Bethlehem. Jesus lived for 33
years before being crucified by the Romans.

What other names is Jesus known by?

 Son of God
 Light of the World
 Lamb of God
 The Good Shepherd.
Who are Christians?

Christians are people who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and who follow his
teachings and those of the Christian churches that grew up after his death.

Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples
(followers) to show everyone that there is another life with one, eternal, loving God.

What do Christians believe?

Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that:

 God sent his Son to earth to save humanity from the consequences of its sins
 Jesus was fully human, and experienced this world in the same way as other
human beings of his time
 Jesus was tortured and gave his life on the Cross (At the Crucifixion)
 Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his Crucifixion (the Resurrection)

Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament

Christians believe that there is only one God, but that this one God consists of 3
"persons"

o God the Father

o God the Son
o The Holy Spirit

Christians believe that God made the world.

Where do Christians worship?

The Christian place of worship is called a Church. They are often built in the shape of a
cross with the altar facing east towards the rising sun.

The Christian spiritual leaders are called priests or ministers.

What is Christian worship like?

Christian worship involves praising God in music, speech, readings from scripture,
prayers of various sorts, a sermon and various holy ceremonies.

What is the Christian holy book called?

The Bible is the Christian holy book. It is divided into the Old and New Testaments. Parts
of the writing contained in the Old Testament are also sacred
to Jewish and Muslim people.

What are the two main Christian festivals?

The two main Christian festivals are Easter and Christmas. They are major milestones in
the Western secular calendar.

What are the Christian symbols?

 The cross is the main symbol. It reminds Christians that Jesus died on the cross
to save them.

The dove is the symbol of the holy spirit and peace.

The fish symbol was created using the Greek letters which spell out
ICHTHUS: Jesus Christ God's Son Saviour.

The Romans persecuted the Christians and it became dangerous for

them to meet. So the Christians devised a secret code. They drew half
a fish in the sand. If a person completed the fish, they knew he or she was a believer too.
Under the fish sign the Christians wrote the Greek word fish.

These letters stood for: Jesus Christ God's Son Saviour

What are the 10 Commandments?

From the Holy Bible, King James version. Exodus 20:3-18 (abridged)

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy
5. Honor thy father and thy mother
6. Thou shalt not kill
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery
8. Thou shalt not steal
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
10. Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbor’s

EVALUATE OWN LIMITATIONS AND THE POSSIBILITIES FOR THEIR

TRANSCENDENCE
Based on the preceding section, let us evaluate our human limitations and how we can also transcend
them. Let us consider the following examples:

A. Forgiveness
 When we forgive, we are freed from our anger and bitterness because of the actions and/ or
words of another. On the other hand, the hardness of our heart is reinforced by whole series of rational
arguments.
B. The Beauty of Nature
There is perfection in every single flower;this is what the three philosophies believed. For a hug,
for every sunrise and sunset, to eat together as a family, are our miracles. These kinds of experiences can be
truly moments of grace. They touch us deeply and the human heart is spontaneously lifted. During this
experience, we need to offer praise.

C. Vulnerability
To be invulnerable is somehow inhuman. To be vulnerable is to be human.

D. Failure
Our failures force us to confront our weaknesses and limitations. When a relationship fails, when
a student fails a subject, when our immediate desires are not met, we are confronted with the possibility of our
plans and yet, we are forced to surrender to a mystery or look upon a bigger world. Such acceptance of our
failures makes us hope and trust that all can be brought into good. Even if we have sinned, as St. Augustine had,
there is hope and forgiveness.

E. Loneliness
Our loneliness can be rooted from our sense of vulnerability and fear of death. This experience is
so common. However, it is our choice to live in an impossible world where we are always “happy” or to accept
a life where solitude and companionship have a part. With our loneliness, we can realize that our dependence on
other people or gadgets is a possessiveness that we can be free from.

F. Love
To love is to experience richness, positivity and transcendence. Whether in times of ecstatic
moments or struggles. Life is full of risks, fears and commitment, pain and sacrificing and giving up thing/s we
want for the sake of the one we love. In Buddhist view, the more we love, the more risks and fears there are in
life.

G. Evil and Suffering

Suffering is close to the heart of biblical faith. In comparison with the Buddha, who saw life in
suffering and tried to control it instead of cursing it, Job, of the Old Testament, did not just complain. He cursed
the day he was born! In a phenomenological perspective, all of us will continue to assert our will against others,
adding to the overall suffering of human experience.

In Christianity, suffering leads to the Cross, the symbol of reality of God’s saving love for the
human being. Suffering, in Buddhism, gives rise to compassion for suffering humanity. Compassion is the heart
of religion, but compassion can disappear from it. Religion without compassion becomes law and burden
imposed in its adherents. If there is no compassion, religion can start wars that destroy enemies. Jesus
condemned religion without compassion and constructed, thus, the parable of the Good Samaritan.