Hinduism

VIDEO
PRESENTATION
ABOUT HINDUISM
Group Work (The
students will be
grouped into 5).
 Process Questions:
1. What is Hinduism? How many followers
of Hinduism are there worldwide?
2. What is Sanskrit in Hinduism?
3. Give at least 3 Core Belief of Hinduism?
Explain each.
4. What are the the Hindus major
deities/God/Goddesses and their specific
functions/powers?
5. What is the Caste System in Hinduism?
DHARMIC
RELIGIONS
 One major commonality of
dharmic religions is that they
all emerged from the vast
subcontinent of India, a land
of complexity and diversity
in terms of people, culture,
practices, customs, and
traditions.
Central to their
fundamental teachings
are the belief in the
dharma with each
religion having their
own special meaning
For the Hindus(DHARMA)
it could mean an
individual’s
appropriate behavior
or duty to be fulfilled
in observance of a
custom or law.
For the Buddhists(DHARMA)
it could mean
universal law and
order, or the
Buddha’s teaching
itself.
 What is
Hinduism?
 Hinduism is the world’s
third largest religion. It is
an Indian religion and
dharma, or way of life,
widely practiced in the
Indian subcontinent and
parts of the southeast Asia.
Three other religions that sprung
in India have their origins in
Hinduism. Around sixth century
B.C.E., Jainism and Buddhism
appeared to challenge traditional
Indian beliefs and practices. In
the fifteenth century C.E.,
Sikhism arose that featured
Hindu and Islamic influences.
 The term Hindu originated
from the Persian word
hindu (in Sanskrit sindhu)
which means “river.”
Hinduism was originally
known as “Arya Dharma”
or the “Aryan Way.”
 Main Beliefs
Hinduism has no founder.
Hinduism has no agreed upon set
of beliefs.
• For many Hindus, religion is a
matter of practice rather than of
beliefs. It's more what you do,
than what you believe.
One of the main ideas is Dharma
or duty.
The first man and women
in Hindu is
Manu and Shatrupa
SYMBOLS
Om Symbol
Om (sometimes written
Aum) is the most important
symbol for Hindus. Hindus
claim that this is a sound
heard in the deepest of
meditation when one
experiences God. Hence this
sound and is said to be the
most fitting name of God.
Many Hindu prayers and
chants begin with this word.
This sound is used during
the practice of meditation.
Lotus flower
Lotus flower grows
out of muddy water,
it emerges pure,
beautiful and
detached. In the
same way, Hindus
are encouraged to
live in a pure state
detached from
worldliness.
Swastika
Swastika is a symbol that
denotes good luck drawn
from all four corners of
the world. It has four arms
drawing in good luck from
all corners. The word
‘Swastika’ means ‘well
being’. The symbol is seen
on walls, doors, and is
extensively used as a form
of Hindu decoration.
SCRIPTURES
 Sacred Texts
Shruti literally means “that which is
heard.”
 The four basic Vedic books,
which are sacrificial hymns
compiled from an earlier oral
tradition, are composed of
Rig-veda, Sama-veda, Yajur-
 The word Veda means
“knowledge” or “sacred
lore.”
The Vedas are the earliest
known Sanskrit literature
from the Brahmanic period
and oldest scriptures of
Hinduism.
 4 VEDAS- basis of Hindu faith
1. Rig Veda- is an ancient Indian
collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns.
2. Sama Veda- is the Veda of melodies
and chants.
3. Yajur Veda- primarily of prose
mantras for worship rituals.
4. Atharva-Veda- the procedures for
everyday life".
Upanishads
Forming the fourth part of the
Vedas, the term Upanishad
literally translates as “sitting
down near” or “sitting close to”
as it implies listening intently to
the mystic teachings of a
spiritual teacher who has fully
understood the universal truths.
 all fundamental teachings
and concepts about Hinduism
are found in these profound
treatises—such as karma
(action), samsara
(reincarnation), moksha
(nirvana), atman (soul), and
Brahman (Absolute
Almighty).
 Smriti literally means
“that which has been
remembered.”
The great epics Ramayana
and Mahabharata, which
contains the philosophical
poem Bhagavad Gita, are
Devotion to the Trimurti
Central to Hinduism is the Brahman who
is the ultimate reality, one and
undivided.The Brahman is often seen in
three forms or functions. Called the
Trimurti, these are creation, preservation,
and destruction. These functions are
expressed in god forms, namely, Brahma,
the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and
Shiva, the destroyer.
 GODS
AND
GODDESSES
Hindu Gods
There are hundreds of
different Hindu gods, and not
all Hindus Worship all the
gods. Sometimes families
have a certain favorite god
they worship, or regions in
india have favorite god.
What do Hindus 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.
What do Hindus believe?
Hindus believe that there is a
part of Brahman in everyone
and this is called the Atman.
Ultimate goal of life – to
release Atman and reunite
with the divine, becoming as
one with Brahman (Moksha)
God As Form
Hindus say that it is not enough to just
believe in God. We need to make the
effort to find God while we are alive. One
of the best ways to find God is to think of
him/her as a person. This allows us to build
a relationship with God and allows us to
become closer to him. This is why we see
God being portrayed in so many different
forms in Hindu temples. These are all
different ways used by different Hindus to
think of and reach the same one God.
God as a Principle
Hinduism refers to God as Brahman. The
ultimate reality (God) appears as the
physical universe. This ultimate reality
appears more clearly as living things. This is
why all living things are sacred, as they are a
sign of God. Mankind is the best sign of
God on earth, hence the most sacred. God
as our true self is called Atman. Service to
mankind is the highest worship of God.
 Vishnu: Preserver &
protector of the
Brahma: God universe. Known as a
in the role of god of love,
benevolence, and
the Creator forgiveness
Shiva as the Destroyer As the
destroyer and the god of death,
destruction, and disease.
 Other Gods
Lakshmi - Goddess of
Saraswathi - Goddess of Wealth - Wife of Lord
Wisdom - Wife of Lord Vishnu. Lakshmi is the
Brahma. Saraswathi is the goddess of light, beauty,
Hindu goddess of good fortune and
knowledge, music and all
wealth.
the creative arts.
Parvati - regarded as a
Ganesha - Son of Shiva and
representation of Shakti.
Parvati. The Hindu god in a
Parvati is the wife of Lord
human form but with the
Shiva and the Godess of
head of an elephant.
household and
motherhood.
All these deities are but
forms of the
Brahman
And we too are forms of God!

“We are not human beings

having spiritual experiences;
We are spiritual beings
having a human experience!”
“That art Thou”
 Why do Hindus
worship the
Cow?
 Hindu Diet
Hindus do not eat beef because
cows are considered a Holy
animal in the religion. Cows are
Holy because they are so
important to agriculture: They
help plow the fields, they carry
heavy loads, they provide dairy
products, and their poop is used as
fertilizer.
LIFE GOALS OF HINDUS
What do Hindus believe?
Hindus believe in reincarnation - a
belief that the soul is eternal and
lives many lifetimes, in one body
after another.
Samsara means going through the
cycle of repeated births and deaths
(reincarnation). Hindus believe that
existence of this cycle is governed by
Karma.
 4 Goals of life in Hinduism
1. Dharma- be a good, virtuous, moral
person.
2. Artha- earn material prosperity,
money(this allows you & your family
to live a secure life)
3. Kama- seek happiness, pleasure,
emotional fulfillment(love, friendship,
community)
4. Moksha- seek freedom, spirituality and
Belief in Karma
Karma is the concept that if you
do good deeds, good things will
happen in your life.
Further, if you live a good life,
you will be reincarnated into
higher form, if you live a bad life,
you will be reincarnated into
lower form.
PATHWAYS TO FIND GOD
The Four Yogas Practices
Jnana Yoga (The Way of Knowledge) The
path of knowledge, wisdom, introspection, and
contemplation Bhakti Yoga (The Way of
Love) The path of devotion, emotion, love,
compassion, and service to God and others
Karma Yoga (The Way of Work) The path of
action, service to others, mindfulness, and
remembering the levels of our being while
fulfilling our actions or karma in the world
Raja Yoga (The Way of Meditation) The path
of meditation that directly deals with the
encountering and transcending thoughts of the
Bhakti yoga
The path of love.
Which removes
jealousy, hatred, lust
anger & pride. The
devotee spends his
time in prayers,
worship, and
constant
remembrance of the
deity of his choice.
Raja Yoga
The path to
God
through
meditation,
mantras &
technique.
Karma Yoga

The ‘path of
action’. Karma
yoga is doing the
right thing.
Jnana Yoga
The way to God
through reason and
intellect. We require
a far greater
understanding of
the world in order to
‘really’ see what is
out there, and what
we are all about.
FESTIVALS
DIWALI
What is Diwali?
Diwali is the Hindu “festival of lights”
which celebrates the New Year.
The festival falls on different days each year
but usually falls in the Month of October or
November.
It is a five day celebration.
Gifts are exchanged, homes are decorated
and fireworks are common.
It is held in honor
of Lakshmi, the
Hindu goddess of
wealth and
prosperity. Hindus
pray to Lakshmi to
bring them good
luck in the coming
year.
SUBDIVISIONS
Followers of Hinduism vary in
their set of beliefs and practices,
including reverence to a
particular god. Presently, there
are four principal denominations
within the Hindu faith. These are
Shaivism, Shaktism,
Vaishavism, and Smartism.
 Shaivism Lord Shiva, the
Compassionate One, is God
for the Saivites.
Shaktism The Goddess Shakti
is supreme for Shaktas. She is
the divine mother and assumes
many forms, be it a gentle one
or a fierce deity.
Vaishnavism Lord Vishnu is God
for the Vaishnavites, especially in
his incarnations Krishna and
Rama.
Smartism For the Smartas,
devotees are left to choose their
own deity in one of six
manifestations, namely, Ganesha,
Siva, Shakti, Vishnu, Surya, and
 Caste System
-Is a system where people are
born into a certain classes, and
they cannot change their
social class. Your class is
determined by karma. If you
are a good person you will be
born into higher social class in
 Why is Hinduism
considered a diverse
and complex religion?