Brahman

One God or Great Power

most powerful force in the universe.

Brahman's personality is shown through hundreds of other gods

He can be described like salt in water

OM/AUM

This is the sacred symbol in Hinduism.

It is a way of describing Brahman

Hindu prayers begin with this sound.

Key words HinduismReincarnation: The idea that when you die, your atman will be reborn into another living thingAtman: Like a soul. Every living thing has one. It is the part of living things that is BrahmanDharma: Duties you must do in lifeSamsara: The whole cycle of rebirth

• Karma: Actions that affect your next life.

• Brahman: The one god or great Power. The energy that is in everything.

• Moksha: Escaping the cycle of rebirth. Becoming one with Brahman.

• Om/Aum: The sacred sound that Hindu prayers begin with.

• Trimurti: 3 gods that represent or show different parts of Brahman’s personality.

• Brahma: Creator, the god that shows the creative part of Brahman.

• Shiva: Destroyer, the god that shows the part of Brahman that ends things.

• Vishnu: Protector, the god that shows the part of Brahman that protects things

• Puja: The ritual Hindus use when they worship every day

Just like we have Alexander, Turner, Rosalind Franklin and Emmeline Pankhurst buildings but only one school, all the gods and goddesses in Hinduism are ways of describing the different parts of Brahman.

Everything is made (by the creator part of BRAHMAN)…

…lasts for a time (kept by the preserver part of BRAHMAN)…

…and is then destroyed (by the destroyer part of BRAHMAN).

This is just like

the cycle of

REINCARNATIONSHIVA

(destroyer)

BRAHMA(creator)

VISHNU(preserver)

TRIMURTI

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are part of the Trimurti. The Trimurti are the most important gods (or deities) to Hindus. They work together in a never ending pattern

When a Hindu dies they will be reincarnated. This means that their atman will pass on to another living thing that is born.

I want to move up the cycle of samsara. To

do this, I need to gain good Karma. This means I should do good things in life.

This would include doing my dharma,

and things like performing puja

everyday. There are lots of other good things a Hindu can

do.

If they don’t, then they believe that they could be

reincarnated into a human that is born to have a difficult life, or

even some sort of animal.

If they behave well, then their next life

could be a good one as a holy

person.

My greatest desire is to continue up the cycle of samsara, and then escape the cycle to achieve Moksha, when my atman will become one with Brahman.

How beliefs about reincarnation affect a Hindu’s life

PujaPUJA

Divali

Lakshmi visits and leaves present

To bring good luck for the new year and to show Lakshmi is pleased with you

Go to the Mandir To be together as a community of Hindus

Present accounts to Lakshmi

To be blessed by Lakshmi and to get good luck for the financial year.

Light diva lamp and put in window

To show everyone Divali is here and to banish evil!

Clean house in preparationFirework displays and fairs

To show respect and get things in order.

To celebrate this happy occasion.

Key words JudaismAbraham The founder or father of Judaism (made the

covenant with God)Synagogue Jewish Holy BuildingHebrew Jewish writingTorah A scroll. The Jewish Holy BookShabbat Jewish Holy Day. Sundown Friday to Sundown

SaturdayMenorah Seven-branched candlestickStar of David The symbol of JudaismKippah A skull cap worn by Jewish men in the synagogue

(and some Jews wear them all the time)Tallit A prayer robeCircumcision Where a small piece of skin is removed from a

baby boy.

covenant

A special agreement between God and the Jewish people (then called Hebrews). God made the deal with Abraham.• God promised the Jews that he would look after

them, give them a land of their own and give them lots of descendants (big families so that Judaism would continue and this would show the Jews were His chosen people)

• Abraham and the Jews promised God that they would follow his rules and love God

• To show they were part of the deal, all Jewish boys were circumcised (a small operation)

Abraham’s test: story

• Abraham lived in a town where everyone worshipped many gods, but Abraham began to worship one God

• Abraham and God had a special relationship and created the covenant.

• Abraham and his wife Sarah moved to the land God promised and they really wanted a child of their own

• When Abraham and his wife were really old (99) God promised them a son named Isaac.

• They were very happy but when Isaac got older, God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (kill for God)

• This was a test (Abraham was torn between two things he loved)

• When Abraham lifted the knife to kill Isaac, God stopped him• Abraham had shown that the most important thing was God

Abraham’s testAbraham should have agreed to sacrifice Isaac because:• His religion – God told

him to do it…• Who does Isaac belong

to? Is he Abraham’s son or is he God’s son?

• God must know what He is doing!

• Abraham promised to obey God’s commands

Abraham should not have agreed to sacrifice Isaac because:• Abraham really wanted a

son with his wife.• God gave him to Abraham

why does he want to take him away?

• Parents have certain duties /jobs to do for their children

• God promised they would be his chosen people and look after them

Moses’ story• The Hebrews (Jews) were being kept as slaves in Egypt• The Pharaoh saw that there were lots of them and made a law that all

baby boys should be killed (so they couldn’t create an army against him)• Moses’ mother put him in a basket and sent him down the River Nile

where he was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter and brought up in the Palace.

• He grew up and was upset about how his Hebrew people were treated, and he tried to help them.

• He unfortunately killed an Egyptian slave master and fled into the desert.• God spoke to him and told him to ask the Pharaoh to free his people. • Pharaoh refused, so God sent plagues and Pharaoh eventually freed them• Pharoah changed his mind and chased after them so God worked through

Moses and parted the Red Sea for them to escape.• Moses then looked after his people in the desert until they reached the

Promised Land

Moses as a great leaderLeading the Jews from slavery shows Moses was a good leader because…

…a good leader takes his people away from things that are dangerous or will hurt them

Moses stood up to Pharaoh and told him what the Jews wanted. This shows he was a good leader because…

…a good leader speaks for his people

Parting the Red Sea to shows Moses was a good leader because…

…a good leader helps people find a way through difficult things

Giving the 10 Commandments to the Jews shows Moses was a good leader because…

…a good leader sets rules that help his people live and work well together

Finding the Jews food in the desert shows Moses was a good leader because…

…a good leader makes sure his people has all the things they need to survive

The exam formata) Is always a question about a key word e.g. What is

Brahman? (so learn key words)b) Is always about your opinion e.g. Do you think Abraham’s

test was fair? Give two reasons for your answer (so give evidence for your view)

c) Is always an explain question e.g. Explain why Moses is seen as a great leader (you always need lots of examples/ teachings and be able to explain what these mean)

d) Always requires you to give your point of view on a statement and then the opposite point of view e.g. “The concept of dharma helps you live your life well”

i) Do you agree? Give reasons for your answerii) Gove reasons why other people would disagree with you (Make sure you give evidence for your opinion, and not just explain what your opinion is)