Hinduism

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Hinduism
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The Beginnings of Hinduism

• Hinduism is a general term for a wide variety of
  beliefs and ritual practices that have developed
  in the Indian subcontinent since antiquity.
• Hinduism originated near the Indus River over
  3000 years ago.
• There is no individual founder of this religion
  because the people of India took on the name of
  their land, Hindu, to distinguish themselves as
  non-Muslims.
• Hinduism is believed to be the oldest religion
  that was organized in one fashion.

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Growth Over Time

• Hinduism Started in India and remains prominent
  in India today.
• 80 of Indias population practices Hinduism.
• People who follow Hinduism are called Hindu.
• Hinduism has not spread as rapidly as other
  religions because they have never taken over any
  lad, or forced their religion on foreign lands.

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Spread Of Hinduism

• Hinduism is the third most popular religion in
  the world.
• 750 million people follow Hinduism today.
• Most places that Hinduism has spread to has come
  directly from India.
• Over time, there has become strong Hindu
  populations in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• There are smaller populations in Europe, Canada,
  and the United States.
• Interesting fact One in every 7 people in the
  world, is a Hindu living in India.

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The Sects of Hinduism

• When a person is born into the Hindu religion,
  they usually follow the sect they were born to
  for their entire life.
• Shaivism The god of dance. This part of Hinduism
  focuses on yoga and devotional activities.
• VaishavismThe protector of the sustainer. They
  place emphasis on the temple and mantras.
• Shaktism stick to the basics of Hinduism, but
  focus on the female aspect of god.
• Smartism This is deeply mystical, and leaves the
  choice of the deity up to each individual.

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Major Beliefs

• Hindu people believe in a god known as as
  Brahman.
• There are gods below Brahman that stand for all
  of Brahmans expressions. The main gods are
  Vishnu and Shiva, followed by Indra, Agni, and
  Varuna.
• Brahma- ultimate god who created the universe.
• Vishnu- preserves the universe for mankind.
• Shiva- is the god responsible for destroying the
  universe.
• Hinduism as henotheistic and polytheistic.
• Hindus believe in the caste system, and the cycle
  of life
• Interesting Fact Hinduism is a syncretic
  religion, welcoming and incorporating a variety
  of outside influences.

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Caste System And Cycle Of Life

• Hinduism focuses on thousands of castes, such as
  the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and
  the Shudras.
• The life cycle of a Hindu is as follows birth,
  coming of age, marriage, illness, old age, and
  death.
• Hindus believe in reincarnation
• Once a Hindu dies, they are born into another
  life, hopefully one on a higher laver than the
  last. This placement relies on the Karma.
• The process of being born, growing, dying, and
  being born again is called samsara.
• The ultimate goal is to achieve union with
  Brahman, the ultimate soul. This is called moksa.

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Books

• Vedas
• The Vedas are text of hymns written by the
  Aryans. They are used for prayers and worship
• There are other books that are devoted to each
  aim of life.
• Code of Manu
• The Prince
• The Kamasutras
• Sacred texts
• Upanishads
• Sutras
• Bhagavad-Gita
• Two great epics are part of the Hindu religion
• The Mahabarata which tells a story of princes who
  had to fight to regain their kingdom after it was
  taken from them.
• The Ramayana which tells a story of the ideal
  Hindu man.
• Prayer"O Lord lead me, from untruth to Truth,
  from darkness to Light and death to Immortality."

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Symbols

• The Omkar is made up of three Sanskrit letters,
  aa, au and ma, which sound like om when they are
  combined. The om represents all sounds, thus the
  universe. The om appears at the beginnings of
  almost all scripture in the Hindu religion.
• The Bindu is a symbol that women wear in the
  middle of their foreheads. This dot represents a
  third eye, that can see what a physical eye
  cannot.

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Swami Vivekananda

• Swami Vivekananda was a significant person in the
  development of Hinduism.
• He was Hindu
• He was born in 1863, and died in 1902
• Founded the Ramakrishna Order in 1897
• A mission which is committed to social service in
  India and the teaching of Ramakrishnas ideas in
  its many centers abroad.
• He revived the religion be preaching new insights
  for the eternal religion.
• He will be remembered by Hindus because he
  brought people together by spreading the word
  that all religions were directed toward the same
  God along different paths.

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Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi

• Gandhi was born in 1869, and assassinated in 1948
• Gandhi was the president of India up until his
  death during a major anti partition sentiment.
• His goal was to promote unity among Indias
  Hindus and Muslims
• He fought for the emancipation of women, and the
  removal of the untouchables, the lowest caste
  status.
• He liked simplicity,lived a simple life. He
  promoted simplicity to all people
• His lasting effect on Hindu people was to find
  self realization, and come to ultimate truth
  between oneself and reality.
• Interesting fact Gandhi was assassinated by a
  Hindu who thought his political actions at the
  time were pro Muslim, and pro Pakistan, when they
  were not at all.

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Special Days

• Celebrations
• Holi a spring festival in early March. It is
  like a carnival with its bright colors,
  bonfires, and people who come from all over. Holi
  is dedicated to Krishna or Karma, the God of
  pleasure.
• Diwali This is the Hindu new year. They call it
  a festival of lights, and celebrate it every
  November. It comes from the early Hindu stories
  of struggles between a Goddess and a demon.

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Holy Days

• Holidays/ Holy days
• Gudi Padva This holiday is in March and April of
  each year. It celebrates the start of The
  Maharashtria New Year. The advise from
  astrologers on this day is highly sought because
  it is the start of a new solar year.
• Ram Navami this holiday celebrates the birth of
  Rama. On this day, people present fruit and
  flowers to the gods and fast all day long.
• Interesting fact Hinduism is one religion where
  they celebrate everything! From a new moon, to a
  new crop, Hindus always love to dance, sing, and
  celebrate!

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Worship

• Home
• Almost all Hindus worship at home
• They worship to a shrine, which can be anything
  such as a room, object, or picture.
• Hindus worship icons by repeating their favorite
  gods and goddesses names and giving them
  offerings.
• Temples
• When Hindus are not worshiping at home or with
  their family, they worship in temples
• Temples are separated into different sections
  that represent spiritual and symbolic meaning.
• The tower of the temple represents the flight of
  the spirit to heaven.

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Culture traditions

• Birth customs
• Hindus use Samskaras in order to have a good
  baby.
• Samskaras are activities that help achieve
  purity as a result of which the personality of
  the individual is developed to the full, from
  conception to the grave
• Each Sacrament has a specific prayer that is
  spoken during the pregnancy and during birth.

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Marriage Ceremonies

• Marriage union ceremonies
• A Hindu marriage/ wedding is not simply a union
  of bride and bridegroom and an exchange of vows
  and rings, but a start of a bond between two
  families and their cultures. During the wedding
  a number of religious rites are preformed in the
  presence of family deities to take their
  blessings.
• Interesting Fact Many men in Hinduism acquire
  many wives throughout their lives.

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Death Rituals

• Death rituals
• One of the reasons they burn their dead, and not
  bury them, is so that the soul does not feel the
  pull of the physical association and does not
  remain bound to its previous life.
• There is usually a feast in honor of the dead
  person and all the friends and family are
  invited. This is to say that both the alive and
  the dead should continue on living their life.

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Bibliography

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  ndex.shtml
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/
  world_religions/hinduism.shtml
• http//www.asia.si.edu/pujaonline/puja/facts.html
• http//www.hinduweb.org/home/general_sites/kogee/h
  induism.htmlhtml13
• http//www.beyondbooks.com/wcu91/3c.asp
• http//www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/cycle.htm
• http//www.bangalorenet.com/system1/pooch/early1.h
  tml
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