Heritage of South Asia

Chapter 8 Section 1

Basic Hindu Beliefs

• Hinduism has no founder or formal church (not Unified)• Sacred texts: (epics and holy books)

– Vedas – Contains eternal truths– Upanishads – Helps explain the truths in the Vedas– Ramayana – epic – Story of two brothers and their fight for the throne.

Main Idea Good Vs. Evil.– Mahabharata – epic Tells about a 12 year war

• Brahman- each god is part of a single supreme force• Main three Hindu gods are Brahma the creator, Vishnu the

preserver, and Siva the destroyer• Believe in importance of harmony with nature (nonviolence)

“We are all part of one universal soul”• Reincarnation – rebirth of soul, karma – a person’s deeds in their

current life or the next

Gods

• Brahman- each god is part of a single supreme force• main three Hindu gods are Brahma the creator, Vishnu

the preserver, and Siva the destroyer

Brahman ब्रह्म

The word "Brahman“ means The Mundaka Upanishad says:That supreme Brahman is infinite, and this conditioned Brahman is infinite. The infinite proceeds from infinite. Then through knowledge, realizing the infinitude of the infinite, it remains as infinite alone.

Vishnu the preserver வி�ஷ்ணு

Bhagavad Gita describes Vishnu as the all-pervading essence of all beings, the master of—and beyond—the past, present and future, the creator and destroyer of all existences, one who supports, preserves, sustains and governs the universe and originates and develops all elements within.

Siva the destroyer

Hindus believe his powers of destruction and recreation are used even now to destroy the illusions and imperfections of this world, paving the way for beneficial change. According to Hindu belief, this destruction is not arbitrary, but constructive. Shiva is therefore seen as the source of both good and evil and is regarded as the one who combines many contradictory elements.

Hinduism and the Caste System

• Born into a specific caste system for life• You are born into a

caste as a result of karma• Each caste has their

own dharma or duties• Hindus believe in a

brighter future based on how they behave morally

Buddhism

• Siddhartha Guatama (a.k.a. the Buddha) sought enlightenment to end human misery

Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths1. Suffering is universal

2. Cause of suffering is desire

3. To end suffering they must destroy desire and obtain nirvana, the

conditioning of wanting nothing

4. The only way to end desire is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path

Noble Eightfold Path

Buddhism

• Buddha believed in reincarnation, denied the belief in gods, organized religion (priests etc.) and rejected the caste system

Spread of Buddhism and Other Religious Traditions

Spread by mouth and written in the Three Baskets of Wisdom

The Baskets of Teachings are handed down over the centuries from teacher to pupil.Basket of Discipline (Vinaya Pitaka), which deals mainly with the rules and regulations of the Order of monks and nunsBasket of Discourses (Sutta Pitaka) which contains the discourses delivered by the Buddha to individuals or assemblies of different ranks in the course of his ministry.Basket of Ultimaten Things (Abhidhamma Pitaka) which consists of the four ultimate things: Mind (Citta), Mental-factors (Cetasikas), Matter (Rupa) and Nirvana (nibbana).

Spread of Buddhism and Other Religious Traditions

• Buddhism splits into Theravada and Mahayana

• Theravada Buddhists stressed a monastic life into achieving nirvana (Ceylon, Burma, and Thailand) Buddha is not their god

• Mahayana spread to China, Tibet, Japan, and Korea and they worshipped Buddha as a god

Spread of Buddhism and Other Religious Traditions

• Mahavira founded Jainism, which stressed harmony and not hurting any living creature

• Jains are strict vegetarians

Spread of Buddhism and Other Religious Traditions

• Sikhism is the combination of Hinduism and Islam