Transcript Religions of South Asia

India’s Religious
Heritage
Religions of South Asia
Hinduism
Pantheistic
Complex
Elastic & Eclectic
Polytheistic
Pantheism
The doctrine or belief that
God is not a personality, but
that all laws, forces,
manifestations of the selfexisting universe are god,
that God is everything and
everything is God.
Polytheism
The belief or doctrine that the
supernatural world is
populated by a pantheon of
deities, gods, or demi-gods,
often arranged in some kind
of hierarchical order.
The Vedas
 1200 BCE-600 BCE.
 written in SANSKRIT.
VEDA
 Hindu core of
beliefs:
 hymns and poems.
Rig Veda  oldest work.

religious prayers.

magical spells.

lists of the gods
and goddesses.
BRAHMAN
“The Soul”
“It”
BRAHMA
The Creator
(Few followers)
VISHNU
SHIVA
The Preserver
The Destroyer
CASTE
DHARMA
KARMA
Varna (Social
hierarchy)
Brahmins
Kshatriyas
Vaishyas
Shudras
Pariahs [Harijan]  Untouchables
The
Caste
System
WHO IS…
 The mouth?
 The arms?
Brahmins
Kshatriyas
Vaishyas
 The legs?
 The feet?
What is a JATI?
Shudras
Sudras
Household
servants
Tin knockers
Rickshaw
Drivers
UNCLEAN
DIRT, DISEASE, & DEATH
LOWEST WAGES, WORST LIVING
NECESSARY TO UPPER CASTES
Caste defines life (i.e. Dharma)
• Occupation
• Marriage
• Social Discourse
• Religious duties
• Dharma is your Caste duty
CONSEQUENCE
CONSEQUENCE
CONSEQUENCE
ACTION
CONSEQUENCE
CONSEQUENCE
CONSEQUENCE
• Explains “what is” not “what
will be”
• Justifies existing social
order
• Inescapable=no forgiveness
Review of Wheel of Karma
• The
purpose of life is to pay your soul’s
spiritual debt
•The purpose of life is not action, but
contemplation
• Your eventual goal should be, after thousands of
times around the wheel of karma, liberation
(moksha)
• There is little difference between sleep
and death.
•Your duty is not to change the world, but to
change your perception of the world.
What is the fundamental
cause of all suffering?
Desire!
 Therefore, extinguish the self,
don’t obsess about oneself.
Four Noble Truths
1. There is suffering in the
world. To live is to
suffer. (Dukkha)
 The Buddha found this
out when he was young
and experienced
suffering and death in
others.
Four Noble Truths
2. The cause of
suffering is selfcentered desire and
attachments. (Tanha)
Four Noble Truths
3. The solution is to
eliminate desire and
attachments.
(Nirvana = “extinction”)
Four Noble Truths
4. To reach nirvana, one must
follow the Eightfold Path.
Eightfold Path
Nirvana
 The union with the ultimate
spiritual reality.
 Escape from the cycle of
rebirth.
Types of Buddhism
 Therevada Buddhism
 Mahayana Buddhism
 Tibetan Buddhism
 Zen Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism
 The oldest school of Buddhism.
 The “Way of the Elders” or the
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“Small Vehicle.”
Found in southern Asia.
The monastic life is the best way
to achieve nirvana.
Focus on wisdom and meditation.
Goal is to become a “Buddha,” or
“Enlightened One.”
Over 100,000,000 followers today.
Theravada Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism
 The “Great Vehicle.”
 Founded in northern Asia (China,
Japan).
 Buddhism “for the masses.”
 Seek guidance from Boddhisatvas,
wise beings.
 Goal: Not just individual escape
from the wheel, but the salvation
of all humanity through selfsacrifice of those enlightened few.
Mahayana Buddhism
Seated Boddhisatva – 16c
Bhutan
Tibetan Buddhism
 The “Diamond Vehicle.” [Vajrayana]
 Developed in Tibet in the
7c CE.
 A mix of Theravada and Mahayana.
 Boddhisatvas include
Lamas, like the
Dalai Lama.
 The Tibetan Book
of the Dead
[Bardo Thodol].
The Dalai Lama
Zen Buddhism
 The “Meditation School.”
 Seeks sudden enlightenment [satori]
through meditation, arriving at
emptiness [sunyata].
 Use of meditation masters [Roshi].
 Beauty, art, and aesthetics:
 Gardens.
 Archery.
 Tea ceremony.
 Calligraphy.
• There is only one God (similar to Islam)
• God is without form, or gender
• Everyone has direct access to God
• Everyone is equal before God
• A good life is lived as part of a
community, by living honestly and
caring for others
• Empty religious rituals and
superstitions have no value
• Sikhs believe that human beings
spend their time in a cycle of birth,
life, and rebirth. (Similar toHinduism, Buddhism, Jainism)
• The quality of each particular life
depends on the law of Karma.
• The only way out of this cycle,
which all faiths regard as painful,
is to achieve a total knowledge of
and union with God.
Jainism