HinduismHinduism

Hinduism: Nuts ‘n’ Bolts

• From roughly 1500 BCE– With earlier roots in the Vedas(ancient texts)– World’s oldest organized religion– Many beliefs and forms of Hinduism exist- no one

way to practice– No single founder

• Third largest religion– 1 billion adherents (13% of the world)– Most in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka (Tamils)

• 1 million in United States

•atman -the individual soul

•Brahman

• the supreme god or spirit, the world soul

• continually creates, maintains, destroys, re-creates the universe

•The atman is always one with Brahman but the individual ego creates Maya- the illusion of separation

•Hindu Trinity

•Brahma- Creator

•Vishnu- Preserver, 10 incarnations

•Shiva– Destroyer

•Monotheism or Polytheism?

•Henotheism- The one god can take many forms (called avatars or incarnations)

•33-330 million gods and goddesses? Infinite?

The Hindu Pantheon

DurgaShivaGanesha

LakshmiLord Krishna

Vishnu

Kali

Varna: (1) Brahmin- priests

(caste) (2) Kshatriyas- nobles, warriors

(3) Vaishyas-merchants, land owners, cattle

herders, artisans

(4) Sudras- landless farmers, labourers

(5) Dalit- untouchables- 16% of pop.-do “impure jobs”

Caste is unchangeable in this lifetime. Caste is determined by level of rebirth, which is determined by dharma and karma

Dharma—duty in life; staying within one’s role/caste

Karma--a sort of cosmic balance sheet. The total balance of your good and bad actions

Samsara—the continuous cycle of death and rebirth; Westerners gave it the name reincarnation

Moksha—release from the cycle of Samsara; the re-merging with Brahman after many lives of following the laws of dharma and karma

Geography of the Subcontinent

• Monsoons- Regular winds create regular cycles of rain– Influence on religion?

• River System– Indus, Ganges,

Bramhaputra– Ganges or Ganga is a

goddess and most sacred river. People bathe in river to cleanse sins and ashes of dead are placed in river.

Yoga

• Yoga is the spiritual, mental, and physical practice of Hinduism originating in ancient India.

• The goal of Yoga is moksha- oneness with God.• Guru- the master, teacher, enlightened one- may be

alive or dead• Yogi- practitioner of yoga

Hinduism’s Holy Texts

• No one, definitive holy book

• The Vedas – Oral form from at least 2500 BCE); written between 600 and 300 BCE

– Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Artharva Veda

• Upanishads– From BCE to 1600’s

– Discusses meditation, philosophy,

nature of god, etc.

• Ramayana– Epic poem from c. 500 BCE

• Mahabharata– Epic poem from c. 500 BCE

– Includes the Bagavad GitaBattle of Kurukshetra from the Mahabharata

Diwali• “Festival of Light” and the major

Hindu holiday

• Celebrates:– Homecoming of King Rama after

exile… OR– The victory of good over evil in

every soul…OR– The new harvest…OR…

• Also celebrated by Jains & Sikhs

• Date determined by lunar calendar– October/November

Talaka or Bindi

• Marks on foreheads to identify self as a Hindu and which sect one belongs to– Vishnites (focus

devotion on Lord Vishnu) and Shivites (focus on Lord Shiva) are the two major sects.

Additional Important Tidbits

• Because of the belief that all beings have souls, practicing Hindus are vegetarian; Jains are more extreme by being vegan

• Cattle are sacred, cannot be killed or eaten, early domestication of them in South Asia

• Hinduism is an ethnic religion

• Ethnic vs. universalizing