eq – “how are religion and culture connected?” basics of hinduism religion of the majority of...
TRANSCRIPT
EQ – “How are religion and culture connected?”
Basics of Hinduism
• religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal (80%)
• over 900 million people practice Hinduism
• oldest living religion
• closely linked to other Indian religions like Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism
• no single founder, no single holy book, and no commonly agreed set of teachings
A central part of Indian culture!
Aryan Migration
warriors horse-drawn chariots
The Vedas one Hindu holy
book
written from 1500 BCE-600 BCE in Sanskrit
included in the Vedas:
hymns and poems
religious prayers
magical spells
lists of the gods and goddesses
Hindu Holy Books
Primary Source Watch the Hindu creation myth:
http://www.bigmyth.com/fullversion/password033/myths/english/2_hindu_full.htm
What similarities and differences do you see between the Hindu story and the stories of the Middle East (Mesopotamia and Egypt)?
Sanskrit Writing• ancient language in Hindu
holy books read by Brahmin (priests)- “language of the
gods”
• no longer spoken today, but many Indian languages are based on Sanskrit
• English and Sanskrit are even related!
• Most Hindus believe in a supreme spiritual force, Brahman, the “universal soul”.
• Brahman is one, but has many incarnations.–Many Hindus believe that all the different
gods are different aspects (forms) of the supreme Brahman.
– “God is one – but wise men know it by many names.”
• Polytheism or Monotheism?
Beliefs about God
Primary Source Read the excerpt from “Isha”, chapter
two of The Upanishads.
How would you describe the “self”?
If you were to draw a picture to symbolize the “self”, what would it look like?
SKIPPED IN CLASS
Brahma“creator
”
Vishnu“preserver
”
Shiva“destroyer
”
symbols
Other Hindu Gods
Beliefs about Life• Hindus believe in reincarnation: a cycle of birth,
death, and rebirth, governed by karma.
• Karma: Hindus believe that the soul is reborn into other social classes based on your behavior in your previous life, “consequences”.– You can be reborn in human, god, or animal form.
• Moksha: your GOAL = freedom from the cycle
• Guru: spiritual leader, helps you achieve moksha
Hindu Beliefs• Read “Hindu Beliefs” and answer the
accompanying questions at the end of the packet.
• (See the reading in class to do this.)
What goes around,
comes around!
“My karma ran over my dogma…”
Hindu Festivals
Hindu Festivals
• Ganges River:
• Holi:
• Diwali:
Caste System
Caste System
SudrasSudras““laborers, crafts workers, laborers, crafts workers,
servants”servants”
VaisyasVaisyas““farmers and merchants”farmers and merchants”
KshatriyasKshatriyas““rulers and rulers and warriors” warriors”
Dulits/Pariahs Untouchables “impure” jobs
Dulits/Pariahs Untouchables “impure” jobs
BrahminsBrahmins““Priests and Priests and
Scholars”Scholars”
caste = fixed social class you are born into
jati – occupationvarnas - religion
*outlawed in India today*
KARMA
Hindu Symbols• Choose one of the “Hindu Symbols” to draw
and describe its significance. (skipped in class)
The Vedic Age
The foundations for Hinduism were
established – and a huge piece of Indian
culture!
Exit Slip
• socrative.com (room = 205lions) ORjust use a half slip of paper
• Question: How are the religion of Hinduism and the culture of India connected? Use evidence from your #3 notes.