Hinduism

1
Hinduism
2
What is Hinduism?

• One of the oldest religions of humanity.
• A way of life focused both on this world and
  beyond.

3
Main Beliefs

• Hinduism has no founder.
• Hinduism has no agreed upon set of beliefs.
• For many Hindus, religion is a matter of practice
  rather than of beliefs. It's more what you do,
  than what you believe.
• One of the main ideas is Dharma or duty.

4
The Importance of Right Conduct in Hinduism

• Activity

5
Symbols
6
Om Symbol

• Om (sometimes written Aum) is the most important
  symbol for Hindus. Hindus claim that this is a
  sound heard in the deepest of meditation when one
  experiences God. Hence this sound and is said to
  be the most fitting name of God. Many Hindu
  prayers and chants begin with this word. This
  sound is used during the practice of meditation.

7
Lotus flower

• Lotus flower grows out of muddy water, it emerges
  pure, beautiful and detached. In the same way,
  Hindus are encouraged to live in a pure state
  detached from worldliness. 

8
Swastika

• Swastika is a symbol that denotes good luck drawn
  from all four corners of the world. It has four
  arms drawing in good luck from all corners. The
  word Swastika means well being. The symbol is
  seen on walls, doors, and is extensively used as
  a form of Hindu decoration.

9
Lotus Flower Origami Activity
10
Scriptures
11
Sacred Texts

• Shruti oldest, most authoritative text
• Four Vedas myths, rituals, chants
• Upanishads - philosophy
• Plus other texts
• Smriti
• Ramayana
• Mahabharata (includes Bhagavad-Gita)
• Plus other texts

12
Gods and Goddesses
13
What do Hindus believe?

• Hindus believe in a universal soul or God called
  Brahman. Brahman takes on many forms that some
  Hindus worship as gods or goddesses in their own
  right.

14
What do Hindus believe?

• Hindus believe that there is a part of Brahman in
  everyone and this is called the Atman.
• Ultimate goal of life to release Atman and
  reunite with the divine, becoming as one with
  Brahman (Moksha)

15
God As Form

•  Hindus say that it is not enough to just believe
  in God. We need to make the effort to find God
  while we are alive. One of the best ways to find
  God is to think of him/her as a person. This
  allows us to build a relationship with God and
  allows us to become closer to him. This is why we
  see God being portrayed in so many different
  forms in Hindu temples. These are all different
  ways used by different Hindus to think of and
  reach the same one God.

16
God as a Principle

• Hinduism refers to God as Brahman. The ultimate
  reality (God) appears as the physical universe.
  This ultimate reality appears more clearly as
  living things. This is why all living things are
  sacred, as they are a sign of God. Mankind is the
  best sign of God on earth, hence the most sacred.
  God as our true self is called Atman. Service to
  mankind is the highest worship of God.

17
The Same God Fulfilling Different Roles

• Vishnu God in the role of the Preserver

• Brahma God in the role of the Creator

18

• Shiva as the Destroyer

19
Other Gods

• Saraswathi - Goddess of Wisdom - Wife of Lord
  Brahma. Saraswathi is the Hindu goddess of
  knowledge, music and all the creative arts.

• Lakshmi - Goddess of Wealth - Wife of Lord
  Vishnu. Lakshmi is the goddess of light, beauty,
  good fortune and wealth.

20

• Parvati - regarded as a representation of Shakti.
  Parvati is the wife of Lord Shiva and the Godess
  of household and motherhood.

• Ganesha - Son of Shiva and Parvati. The Hindu god
  in a human form but with the head of an elephant.

21
All these deities are but forms of the Brahman
22
And we too are forms of God!
We are not human beingshaving spiritual
experiencesWe are spiritual beingshaving a
human experience!
That art Thou
23
The main Gods and Goddesses In Hinduism

• Activity

24
Life Goals of HIndus
25
What do Hindus believe?

• Hindus believe in reincarnation - a belief that
  the soul is eternal and lives many lifetimes, in
  one body after another.
• Samsara means going through the cycle of repeated
  births and deaths (reincarnation). Hindus believe
  that existence of this cycle is governed by
  Karma.

26
The Main Life Goals of Hindus

• Activity

27
pathways to find God
28
Bhakti yoga

• The path of love. It is suited to those people
  who feel naturally drawn towards God. The devotee
  spends his time in prayers, worship, and constant
  remembrance of the deity of his choice.

29
Raja Yoga

• The path to God through meditation.

30
Karma Yoga

• The path of action. . We should never stop
  working but the work we do must be self-less.

31
Jnana Yoga

• The way to God through reason and intellect. We
  require a far greater understanding of the world
  in order to really see what is out there, and
  what we are all about.

32
Questions

• Activity

33
Festivals
34
Diwali
35
What is Diwali?

• Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights which
  celebrates the New Year.
• The festival falls on different days each year
  but usually falls in the Month of October or
  November.
• It is a five day celebration.
• Gifts are exchanged, homes are decorated and
  fireworks are common.

36

• It is held in honor of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess
  of wealth and prosperity. Hindus pray to Lakshmi
  to bring them good luck in the coming year.

37
Rangoli Patterns

• Activity

38
Holi
39
What is Holi?

• Holi is a festival celebrates the coming of
  Spring, usually in March.
• It is more a time for fun than religious
  observance.
• Holi is a colourful festival, with dancing,
  singing, and throwing of powder paint and
  coloured water.
• It is the festival of colours, a celebration of
  the triumph of good over evil

40
Holi Greeting Card

• Activity

41
Greeting card idea
42
Explore Hinduism on the Web

• The Hindu Universe Lots of information on
  Hinduism and the Hindu community on-line and
  around the world. Includes chat rooms and message
  board forums - www.hindunet.org
• The Virtual Hindu Temple Contains some
  interesting and useful pages including Discover
  Hindu Gods Goddesses and FREQUENTLY ASKED
  QUESTIONS ABOUT HINDUISM. Also contains a gallery
  of deity images and a collection of links to
  Hindu sacred texts online and other sites related
  to Hinduism - www.rajdeepa.com/vmandir/vmandirinde
  x.htm
• Hinduism for Schools provides basic, introductory
  info to teach primary and secondary level
  students about Hinduism - www.btinternet.com/vive
  kananda/schools1.htm

Created by Laura Ellen Shulman