Transcript hinduism
• At first, the Aryans and the other civilization in India practiced their own religions. • The Dasas were the other major civilization living in India at the time • The Dasas and the Aryans clashed and fought with one another. • Eventually, the Aryans and the Dasas intermingled • Their seperate forms of religions fused into one. • New religious ideals were formed • The Aryans’ + Dasas’ beliefs = Hinduism • Hinduism is a collection of religious beliefs that developed slowly over a long period of time in India around 1700-1100 BC. *NO founder has been traced Vinayagar Hanuman • Hindus share a common worldview. – Religion is a way of liberating the soul from illusions, disappointments, and mistakes of everyday existence. • Sometime between 750 and 550 B.C., Hindu teachers tried to understand and explain the hidden meaning in the Vedic hymns • Remember the Veda? • The teachers’ interpretations were written down in a book called the Upanishads Adi Shankara • The Upanishads are written dialogues or discussions betweens students and teachers. • The dialogues between the students and teachers explain how people can achieve freedom from desires and sufferings. • This achievement is known as moksha • A state of perfection Atman (the human soul) Brahman (the uniting soul) When a person fully understands the relationship between atman and Brahman, this is when they achieve PERFECT understanding – PERFECT understanding= Moksha God Kali • Three Paths to achieve Moksha: – Path of right thinking – Path of right action – Path of religious devotion *A sadhu is person who has given up their life to achieve Moksha* • Moksha does not usually come every lifetime. • Sometimes it takes multiple lifetimes before a spirit reaches the PERFECT understanding • Hindus believe in Reincarnation – Reincarnation is basically a Rebirth – An individual soul or spirit is born again and again until moksha is achieved. • Reincarnation is affected by karma • Karma is the soul’s good or bad deeds. • It follows one’s soul from one reincarnation to another. • It influences specific life circumstances, such as being born into castes. • Hinduism has changed greatly over the last 2,500 years. • The word soul Brahman has the personalities of THREE GODS • Brahma = The Creator • Vishnu = The Protector • Shiva = The Destroyer • Devi (a mother Goddess) has become more important. Devi Vishnu Bhrama Shiva • Hindu ideas about karma and reincarnation has strengthened the caste system *Remember the social order system?* • Whatever social class you were born into depended on your karma in a past life. – If you lived a good life, you were born into the wealthier class • Ex: Merchant or warrior – If you lived a bad life, you were born into the bottom classes • Ex: Untouchables • Hinduism and the caste system determined: – What a person ate – Cleanliness – And who you could associate and talk with April 2008