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    Intro To Hinduism Final

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    Jimric Magandam
    Hinduism is one of the oldest religions originating over 5000 years ago in India. It has no single founder but developed from the Indus Valley civilization and Vedic traditions. Hindus believe in an impersonal ultimate reality called Brahman that manifests as personal deities. The core beliefs are samsara, karma, dharma and moksha. Spiritual practices include yoga, devotion and worshiping deities like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and goddesses. Hinduism is focused on this life and beyond, and sees all beings as manifestations of the divine.

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    Intro To Hinduism Final

    Uploaded by

    Jimric Magandam
    4 views16 pages
    Hinduism is one of the oldest religions originating over 5000 years ago in India. It has no single founder but developed from the Indus Valley civilization and Vedic traditions. Hindus believe in an impersonal ultimate reality called Brahman that manifests as personal deities. The core beliefs are samsara, karma, dharma and moksha. Spiritual practices include yoga, devotion and worshiping deities like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and goddesses. Hinduism is focused on this life and beyond, and sees all beings as manifestations of the divine.

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    Intro to Hinduism final

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    Hinduism is one of the oldest religions originating over 5000 years ago in India. It has no single founder but developed from the Indus Valley civilization and Vedic traditions. Hindus believe in an impersonal ultimate reality called Brahman that manifests as personal deities. The core beliefs are samsara, karma, dharma and moksha. Spiritual practices include yoga, devotion and worshiping deities like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and goddesses. Hinduism is focused on this life and beyond, and sees all beings as manifestations of the divine.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    4 views16 pages

    Intro To Hinduism Final

    Uploaded by

    Jimric Magandam
    Hinduism is one of the oldest religions originating over 5000 years ago in India. It has no single founder but developed from the Indus Valley civilization and Vedic traditions. Hindus believe in an impersonal ultimate reality called Brahman that manifests as personal deities. The core beliefs are samsara, karma, dharma and moksha. Spiritual practices include yoga, devotion and worshiping deities like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and goddesses. Hinduism is focused on this life and beyond, and sees all beings as manifestations of the divine.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 16

    What is Hinduism?

    One of the oldest religions of humanity


    The religion of the Indian people
    Gave birth to Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism
    Tolerance and diversity: "Truth is one, paths
    are many"
    Many deities but a single, impersonal Ultimate
    Reality
    A philosophy and a way of life – focused both
    on this world and beyond
    How did Hinduism begin?
    No particular founder
    Indus River Valley Civilization >5000 years ago
    Aryans enter 4000 - 3500 years ago
    Vedic Tradition 3500 – 2500 years ago:
    rituals and many gods (polytheism)
    sacred texts (Vedas)
    social stratification (caste system)
    Upanishads (metaphysical philosophy) 2800 –
    2400 years ago
    Vedic Tradition develops into Hinduism
    What are the Sacred Texts?
    Shruti (“heard”) – oldest, most authoritative:
    Four Vedas (“truth”) – myths, rituals, chants
    Upanishads - metaphysical speculation
    Plus other texts
    Smriti (“remembered”) – the Great Indian Epics:
    Ramayana
    Mahabharata (includes Bhagavad-Gita)
    Plus others
    What do Hindus believe?
    One impersonal Ultimate Reality – Brahman
    Manifest as many personal deities
    True essence of life – Atman, the soul, is
    Brahman trapped in matter (“That art thou”)
    Reincarnation – atman is continually born into
    this world lifetime after lifetime (Samsara)
    Karma – spiritual impurity due to actions keeps
    us bound to this world (good and bad)
    Ultimate goal of life – to release Atman and
    reunite with the divine, becoming as one with
    Brahman (Moksha)
    How does Hinduism direct
    life in this world?
    Respect for all life – vegetarian
    Human life as supreme:
    Four “stations” of life (Caste) - priests &
    teachers, nobles & warriors, merchant class,
    servant class
    Four stages of life – student, householder,
    retired, renunciant
    Four duties of life – pleasure, success, social
    responsibilities, religious responsibilities
    (moksha)
    What are the spiritual
    practices of Hinduism?
    The Four Yogas - seeking union with the divine:
    Karma Yoga – the path of action through
    selfless service (releases built up karma
    without building up new karma)
    Jnana Yoga – the path of knowledge
    (understanding the true nature of reality and
    the self)
    Raja Yoga – the path of meditation
    Bhakti Yoga – the path of devotion
    Guru – a spiritual teacher, especially helpful for
    Jnana and Raja yoga
    How do Hindus worship?
    Bhakti Yoga is seeking union with the divine
    through loving devotion to manifest deities
    • In the home (household shrines)
    • In the Temples (priests officiate)
    Puja – making offerings to and decorating the deity
    images
    Darsan – “seeing” the deity (not idol worship)
    Prasad – taking the divine within your own being
    through eating of food shared with the deity
    Who do Hindus worship? –
    the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon

    Brahma, the creator god


    Who do Hindus worship? –
    the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon

    Vishnu, the preserver god

    Incarnates as ten avatars (descents) including:


    Rama (featured in the Ramayana)
    Krishna (featured in the Mahabharata)
    (Each shown with his consort, Sita and Radha, respectively)
    Who do Hindus worship? –
    the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
    Shiva, god of constructive destruction
    (the transformer)
    Appears as Shiva Nataraj,
    lord of the dance of creation…

    and with his wife, Parvati, and son Ganesha


    (the elephant headed remover of obstacles)
    What about the goddesses?
    Devi – the feminine divine
    Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, consort of
    Brahma
    What about the goddesses?
    Devi – the feminine divine

    Lakshmi, goddess of good fortune, consort


    of Vishnu
    What about the goddesses?
    Devi – the feminine divine

    Parvati, divine mother, wife of


    Shiva
    What about the goddesses?
    Devi – the feminine divine

    Durga, protectress

    Kali, destroyer of demons


    Plus about 330 million other deities
    All these deities are but
    Manifest forms (attributes
    and functions) of the
    impersonal Brahman
    And we too are manifest forms
    of God!

    “We are not human beings


    having spiritual experiences;
    We are spiritual beings
    having a human experience!”
    “That art Thou”
    Hinduism is about recognizing the all pervasiveness of the divine

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