HINDUISM

Origins
•Hinduism is a collection of religious beliefs
that developed slowly over a long period of
time.
you free your soul from the sadness,
•Hindus believe that their religion helps
The main symbol of
disappointments, and mistakes of Hinduism is called Om
(or Aum). It represents
everyday life. the spirit of all things
in the world. The name
Unlike other major religions like “Om” represents the
sound that was made
Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, & when the universe was
Judaism, it cannot be traced back to a created.

single founder.
 Holy Texts:

Vedas & Upanishads

The Vedas (1700-500BC) and the
Upanishads (750 to 550BC) are a
collection of writings that describe
all the fundamental teachings that
are central to Hinduism —
including the concepts of 'karma'
(action), 'samsara' (reincarnation),
'moksha' (nirvana).
 Belief:

Reincarnation
This is the concept that the soul The soul is
eternal &
is immortal, and all life forms are indestructible.

reborn into a new entity after

death. The key word is entity:
you donot have a guarantee of
being reborn asa human being.

The soul travels from one body to

The body is
the next. temporary: it dies.
 Belief:
Karma
Karma is the concept that if you
do good deeds, good things will
happen in your life. If you do
bad deeds, bad things will
happen to you in life.
Further, if you live a good life
(doing good deeds, being a
spiritual follower of Hinduism),
you will be reincarnated into a
higher form, if you live a bad life,
you will be reincarnated into a
lower form.
Do you believe in
Karma?
 Belief:
Moksha
Moksha is when your soul becomes free from the cycle of
rebirth, and is no longer reincarnated. This happens after you
reach the highest level of rebirth, and you can can’t be born
into a higher form. When you reach Moksha, it means you
have had all of life’s experiences, learned all of life’s lessons,
and reached a perfect understanding of the universe. Instead
of being reincarnated, your soul becomes one with god.
Four Goals of Life in H induism:
1. Dharma: be a good, virtuous, moral
person.
2. Artha: earn material prosperity: money.
(This allows you and your family to live
a secure life).
3 Kama: seek happiness, pleasure,
. emotional fulfillment (love, friendship,
community).
4. Moksha: seek freedom from
ignorance, spirituality, and self-
knowledge.
Hindu Gods

There are hundreds of different Hindu gods, and not

all Hindus worship all the gods. Sometimes
families have a certain favorite god they worship,
or regions in India have favorite gods.
 The Big 3
Hindus believe the spirit of the
universe takes the form of
three main gods. Hindus can
choose to pray to all of these
forms, some of them,
or none.
Brahma: The Creator
Vishnu: The
Protector Shiva: The
 Hindu Diet
Hindus do not eat beef because
cows are considered a holy
animal in the religion. Cows are
sacred because they are so
important to agriculture: they
help plow the fields, they carry
heavy loads, they provide dairy
products, and their poop is
used as fertilizer.
Most Hindus are vegetarian,
meaning they do not eat
meat, fish, poultry or eggs.
 Caste System
The Caste System is a system where
people are born into certain social
classes, and they CANNOT change
their social class. Your social class is
determined by Karma: if you are a
good person you will be born into a
higher social class in your next life.
Under the Caste System, who you
can marry, what jobs you can have,
and where you can live are
restricted by your social class.

The system is less frequent than it was in the past, but still exists
in rural areas of India today.
 Priests
Warriors
Merchants
Unskilled
Laborers
-
 Caste System Activity Questions

1. H ow did you feel being a ?

(3-4 sentences).
2.Would you want to redraw your card? Why
or why not?
3.From the video, what did you find the most
interesting and/or shocking? Summarize
with your reactions in one paragraph.
 PROJECT
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