Hinduism

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Hinduism
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Hinduism

• Hinduism is a religion that began in India.
• The religion dates back to 1500 B.C., making it
  the worlds oldest religion.
• There are 750 million Hindus in the world today.
• Most Hindus still live in India.

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Hindu Beliefs

• Hindus believe in a single Divinity or supreme
  God that is present in everything called Brahman.
  
• Hindus also believe in other gods who are aspects
  of that supreme God such as Shiva, Shakti, and
  Ganesh.

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Karma and Reincarnation

• Reincarnation is the belief that the soul
  repeatedly goes through a cycle of being born
  into a body, dying, and being reborn again in a
  new body.
• Karma, a force that determines the quality of
  each life, depending on how well one behaved in a
  past life.
• Hinduism says we create karma by our actions on
  earth. If you live a good life, you create good
  karma. If you live a bad life, you create bad
  karma.

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Moksha

• Each time a Hindu soul is born into a better
  life, it has the opportunity to improve itself
  further, and get closer to ultimate liberation.
• This liberation is called Moksha.
• One attains Moksha when one has "overcome
  ignorance", and no longer desires anything at
  all.
• The ones who reach this state no longer struggle
  with the cycle of life and death.
• The way to get to Moksha is to not create any
  karma.

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Sacred Writings

• The Vedas collections of Sanskrit hymns (written
  down 1200-900BCE, but based on older oral
  versions).
• The Upanishads which means the inner or mystic
  teaching that were passed down from guru
  (teacher) to disciple (student).

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Hindu Life Goals

• Hinduism is about the sort of life one should
  lead in order to be born into a better life next
  time and ultimately achieve liberation. There
  are 4 legitimate goals in life
• dharma (appropriate living)
• artha (the pursuit of material gain by lawful
  means)
• kama (delight of the senses)
• moksha (release from rebirth).

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Hindu Duties

• Each Hindu has 4 daily duties
• Revere the deities
• Respect ancestors
• Respect all beings
• Honor all humankind