Hinduism

1. Basic Beliefs:

Atman- soul 4

Atman is reborn millions of times 1

Karma- moral laws 1

In order to be release from rebirth (mokshal), they must follow the margas 1

Jana-marga- knowledge 1

Karma-marga- appropriate actions 1

Bhakti-marga- devotion to God 1

4 stages of life- student, household, reflector, renouncer 2

Worship one God or worship none at all 2

the one ultimate goal, is to be release from the rebirth cycle 3

2. Important People and Why:

Aryans- brought the Vedas(eternal truths for Hindus) 4

Gods:

Shiva- Lord of time/ The Destroyer 11

Brahma- creator 10

Agni- God of fire 10

Mahadevi- Mother Goddess 10

Vishnu- Preserver of the Universe 10

3. Duties, Dress, Title of Clergy Members:

Role in life- escape the cycle of recarnation and be immoral 1

4. Sacred Texts:

Vedas- 4 sections;Samhitas, Brahmanas, Upanishands, Shruti 9

Ramayana- 24,000 couplets of Prince Rama's life 9

5. Sacred Sites:

Your own house- this is where most Hindus practice in 8

Vishnu Temple 6

Shrines to Shiva- dedicated to the Lord of Nagas(the snake/water spirits) 7

Indus Valley- where Hinduism was first practiced 1

6. Sacred Rites, Practices, and Procedures :

Yoga- individual holiness 6

Teaching/ practice known as sampradaya 6

Most worship individually, not in a group6

7. Place of Worship:

At home, most homes has shrines, which could be a room or just a picture, or a statue 8

Or at actual temples such as Jaganannatha temple at Orissaor or Vishua temple 6

8. Taboos or Prohibitions on behavior, Food, etc.:

5 Taboos:

Sexuality intercourse between two different caste 1

using wine 1

eating meat 1

eating fish 1
parched grain for sacrifice/ritual 1

9. Holidays and/or Holy Days:

Jan:

Lohri- marks end of winter 5

Feb:

Pongal-Samkranti- celebrate rice harvest 5

March:

Holi- New Year 5

Shivartri- fast held at temples 5

April:

Sri Vaishnavas- beginning of summer 5

May:

Rathyata- Birthday of Lord Jagannath 5

Aug:

Janmashtami- Birthday of Krishna 5

Sept:

Dusserah- Celebrate that the good beat the evil 5

Ganesh Chaturthi- Birthday of Ganesh 5

Oct:

Diwali- Honor Rama 5

10. Sects or different groups within the religion:

Ranks in Society (in order listed)- Priest, Warriors, Trader/Farmer, Menial/Servants 1

11. Historic or Currents Conflicts:

Aryans took over north Indua in 1500 B.C. introduced oral text, Vedas 4

MLA Citation

1 "Hinduism"(Pg. 19), World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing Inc., 1997

2 "Hinduism"(Pg. 159), The Encyclopedia of World Religions. USA: Book Builders, 1998

3 "Hinduism"(Pg. 160), The Encyclopedia of World Religions. USA: Book Builders, 1998

4 "Hinduism"(Pg. 18), World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing Inc., 1997

5 "Hinduism"(Pg. 39), World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing Inc., 1997

6 "Hinduism"(Pg. 32), World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing Inc., 1997

7 "Hinduism"(Pg. 31), World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing Inc., 1997

8 "Hinduism"(Pg. 33), World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing Inc., 1997

9 "Hinduism"(Pg. 30), World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing Inc., 1997

10 "Hinduism"(Pg. 21), World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing Inc., 1997

11 "Hinduism"(Pg. 22), World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing Inc., 1997