What is Hinduism? One of the oldest religions of humanityBegan in IndiaFocus on tolerance and diversity: "Truth is one, paths are many“Not one single way of practicing the religion; no set leadershipMany deities but a single, impersonal Ultimate Reality – all thing are BrahmanA philosophy and a way of life – focused both on this world and beyondOther religions grow out of Hinduism including Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism

How did Hinduism begin?

There is no particular founderIt began in the Indus River Valley Civilization over 5000 years agoAryans enter 4000 - 3500 years ago and bring rituals and traditions which will influence the development Vedic Tradition 3500 – 2500 years ago:

sacred texts of the Aryans (Vedas)Solidified the caste system

Upanishads (metaphysical philosophy) 2800 – 2400 years agoCombination of these works and Indus Valley traditions leads to the development of Hinduism

What are the Sacred Texts?

There is no ONE sacred Hindu textShruti (“heard”) – oldest, most authoritative:

Four Vedas (“truth”) – myths, rituals, chantsUpanishads - metaphysical speculationPlus other texts

Smriti (“remembered”) – the Great Indian Epics:

RamayanaMahabharata (includes Bhagavad-Gita)Plus others

What do Hindus believe?

All things are BrahmanBrahman is represented as a god in human or animal form, these are called avatarsAll people contain Atman, the soul, which is Brahman trapped in a human Karma – spiritual impurity due to actions keeps us bound to this world (good and bad) – this not letting go leads to continual reincarnation or the process of SamsaraHow you live in one life will determine how you come back in the next lifeUltimate goal of life – to release Atman and reunite with the divine, becoming as one with Brahman –this is known as Moksha – this can only happen at death

Key feature of Hinduism

Respect for all life – strong belief in ahimsa or non-violence

Many Hindus are vegetarians

Human life is supreme:With in human life there are four varnas (castes) you can be born into • priests & teachers, • nobles & warriors, • merchant class, • servant class

Many are born even lower than this –they are the untouchables

How do Hindus worship?

Bhakti Yoga is seeking union with the divine through loving devotion to avatars

•In the home (household shrines)

•In the Temples (priests officiate)

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 ofBrahma

What about the goddesses?Devi – the feminine divine

Lakshmi, goddess of good fortune, consortof Vishnu

What about the goddesses?Devi – the feminine divine

Parvati, divine mother, wife ofShiva

What about the goddesses?Devi – the feminine divine

Durga, protectress

Kali, destroyer of demonsPlus about 330 million other deities

All these deities are but

avatars (attributesand functions) of theimpersonal Brahman

All these deities are but

avatars (attributesand functions) of theimpersonal Brahman

SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN LOOKING AT THE

INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM

1. The word caste is Portuguese meaning race – it was given to the Indian system by the Portuguese to describe the social system they saw

2. Although many scholars directly tie the caste system to the Aryan invasion and Hinduism there are some disputes

~Social castes have been found throughout history in other Indian religious

groups including Christians, Muslims and Jains~Ancient Indian texts offer other explanations for the

development of thissystem different from the widely accepted Aryan social

policy

Most explanations of the caste system focus on the four social divisions based on job type called varnas. However there are literally hundreds of different groups that people are divided into. These are called jati.

~A jati is a subcategory in the Indian caste system consisting of a group of people into which a person is born and within which he or she must marry.

4. The idea that when dealing with the varna there is a set hierarchy is untrue. In many villages, cities, time periods, the Brahman were not considered the highest caste, in others they were.