Hinduism

The world’s oldest religion

The sacred “Om”

 Where in the world?
• Worshipped in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and
Bali
 Date of origin (beginning)?
• 3000-1500 B.C.E (we are not quite sure, but
we know it is at least three thousand years
old).
• Formed on diverse traditions with no single
founder; we don't know precisely how it
began.
3000 BCE 0 1500 CE 2012 CE

Hinduism Christ is DaVinci Mrs. Zuehl’s

begins Born paints Mona class studies
Lisa 1500 CE history
 Sacred Texts
• Vedas
• Upanishads
• These texts provide guidance on the practice
of dharma or correct living. They are written in
Sanskrit.
 Clergy (religious “staff”)
• Brahmin – perform religious duties, kind of like. The
Brahmins interpret the Hindu texts (Vedas and
Upanishads). They perform religious ceremonies
such as weddings.
• Sadhus - holy men who have given up worldly
pleasures. Some wear yellow robes and practice
meditation and yoga. Siddhartha (aka Buddha) was a
sadhu.
 Place of Worship
• Temples – can be very large or small. Temples
have many statues of gods, bells and flowers.
• Household shrines – every home has some sort
of shrine that they can worship.
• The Ganges river is the most sacred Hindu site.
Believed to have flowed down from heaven, it
supposedly has healing powers. Bathing in the
Ganges (especially at dawn) purifies one’s soul,
washes away the effect of bad actions.
The Ganges, a river in India
 Holy Days, holidays, festivals
• Holi – a spring festival. It recalls the pranks that
Krishna (the 8th avatar of Vishnu) played as a young
man. People light bonfires, play tricks, and throw
colored water on each other.
• Diwali, a festival in the fall between October 15 and
November 15, when the sky is at its darkest before a
new moon. There is no school, kids receive presents
and eat delicious food. Families light lamps called
diyas to welcome Prince Rama (the 7th avatar of
Vishnu) and his wife home after their defeat of the evil
demon Ravana. (We will read about this defeat in the
epic poem The Ramayana)
 Rituals
1. Thread ceremony – at adolescence, males learn about
Hinduism then wear a thread around their chests to show
their devotion
2. Weddings – traditionally, Hindu couple’s parents arrange
their marriage so that the bride and groom come from the
same area, belong to the same caste and speak the same
language. They also check with the Horoscopes. The bride
wears special jewelry and a red sari. Her hands and feet
are decorated with henna.
3. Funerals – each family has a burial site – a fire is built,
body is placed on logs, songs and prayers happen, and the
body is burned.
Hindu Wedding
 Sacred Symbols
“Om” Lotus flower
 Main Beliefs
• Hindus strive to follow dharma. Dharma is
the “right” path in life: good deeds, duty
towards God, society, family and themselves.
• Karma – what goes around comes around
• Eventually, after living many lives, Hindus
finally break free from the cycle of
reincarnation when they have done enough
good deeds.
 Karma
• Good and bad points earned through one’s
behavior, that accrue throughout their life and
affect what caste they are born into in the
next life.
 Reincarnation
• Hindus believe the soul does not die with the
body. Instead, the soul casts off the body like old
clothes and is reborn into another life. The law of
karma rules this process of reincarnation. If a
person does good deeds, he will be reborn as a
person in a better position. If he does bad, he
might be reborn as an animal or insect.
Eventually, after hundreds or thousands of lives,
the individual soul can break free and be reunited
with the supreme spirit Brahma. This release
from reincarnation is called moksha.
 Nirvana
• Once a Hindu has attained his best self he is
freed from the cycle of reincarnation and has
reached Nirvana. This freeing is called
moksha.
 Castes
• Indian society is divided
into levels. Priests are at
the top, Sudras (laborers)
are at the bottom. Below
that – the absolute
bottom of society – are
untouchables.
UNTOUCHABLES
outcasts
 Brahma
The Creator of everything
The piece of Brahma in all of
us (our eternal soul) is called
atman

Brahma is everywhere and in

everything.

He sits on a sacred lotus

flower, has four arms and
four heads – to watch the
four corners of the universe.
 Vishnu
The Preserver
• Blue like the sky
because he is
everywhere. He
appears on earth
in avatars, and has
so far appeared in
9 different
identities
 Vishnu’s avatars (earthly forms)
1. Fish
2. Tortoise
3. Boar (pig)
4. Half man/half lion
5. Dwarf
6. Rama the man, with an ax
7. Prince Rama (as told in the epic poem Ramayana)
8. Krishna (celebrated at Holi)
9. Prince Siddhartha (do you know who this is?)
10. Yet to come; Hindus are waiting for Kalki to arrive on a
white horse, an event that will mark the end of time
(apocalypse)
 Shiva
The Destroyer