Religious Traditions of India
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Transcript Religious Traditions of India
Religious Traditions:
Hinduism &
Buddhism
Basic Hindu Beliefs
Hinduism is the chief religion of India.
Hinduism: no founder or formal church
Its roots lie in ancient Aryan beliefs and practices.
Sacred texts: the Vedas (eternal truths revealed to
wise men) and the Upanishads (help explain ideas
in Vedas)
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata
Brahman
Polytheistic
Each god is part of a single supreme force called brahman.
(nameless, formless, and unlimited)
Many gods of Hinduism give brahman a concrete form that
is more understandable to the average person.
Three main gods of Hinduism: Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva
Brahma: the creator, Vishnu: the preserver, and Siva, the
destroyer
Throughout India, different sects, or religious groups,
worship one or another of these gods or their many wives
and children.
Hindu Beliefs
Unity of all life
Every person has an essential self, or atman. This self is
part of a universal soul, also called atman. To Hindus,
atman and brahman are the same thing.
All things in nature are part of the same universal soul
Nonviolence; Respect nature and not struggle against it
Reincarnation: Rebirth of the soul in various forms ranging
from a god to a flower or a snake (temporary)
Moksha –the true goal of life; freeing of the sould from the
body so that the sould can unite with brahman
Karma means “to do” in Sanskrit
Hindus—cycle of death and rebirth continues until the
individual soul achieves union with brahman
Law of karma—every deed—mental or physical—in this
life affects a person’s fate in a future life.
A person’s present situation is the result of his or her deeds
in a past existence.
Good—happiness and evil—sorrow
Dharma
Most Hindus believe that a person’s caste is the
result of karma.
Each caste has its own dharma: duties and
obligations. Some examples: obedience to caste
rules and moral laws
Guide to conduct
Offers Hindus hope for a better life in the future
Buddhism
600 B.C. the Brahman caste had become very powerful
Some Hindu reformers tried to limit the priests’ power;
Siddhartha Gautama
He left his family and his life of wealth to find the cause of
human misery (meditated and became enlightened)
Buddha “Enlightened One”
Spent life teaching others what he learned under that
sacred tree: the Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths
1. Universal suffering
2. The cause of suffering is desire.
3. The only way to end suffering is to crush desire.
4. The way to end desire is to follow the Noble Eightfold
Path. (guide to right conduct)
Buddha believed that salvation was achieved (like Hindus)
when the individual escaped the body; reincarnation,
karma
Buddha denied the existence of any gods; priests were not
necessary; people were to seek nirvana on their own; also
rejected the caste system
Sources: World Cultures: A Global Mosaic Prentice Hall 1993.