Hinduism

The world’s oldest practiced religion

Goal of Hinduism

Moksha: “release or liberation”

Escape from the cycle of reincarnation to be united with the Brahman

Basic Beliefs

Spirit is trapped in a cycle of rebirth

People may be reincarnated at a higher or lower level of existence depending on their karma (actions) from the present life.

People may be reborn as plants or animals or they may be elevated to a higher caste as a human.

Brahman: essence of reality

“There is only one God, but endless are his aspects and endless are his names”

Other “personalities” of Brahman

SHIVA VISHNU

KrishnaRama

Avatars of Vishnu

Goddesses

Lakshmi Saraswati

Kali

Sacred Cow of India

Caste System

System of social stratification– Aryans put

themselves at the top

– Lighter skin = higher caste

Castes – form of social stratification

define a person’s social universe– Who they can interact with– Who they can marry

define a person’s standard of conduct– What can they eat?

define a person’s future– What jobs can they perform?

Untouchables Some centuries later,

the Aryans added the category of untouchables

The untouchables performed dirty or unpleasant tasks such as butchering animals or handling dead bodies

Such work made them become so polluted that their very touch could defile individuals of higher status

Members of the untouchable class dispose of corpses after the 2004 tsunami

BuddhismIt has been said that “as Judaism is to Christianity, so is Hinduism is to Buddhism.” Buddhism arose out of Hinduism as a direct result of

the influence of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha or “Enlightened One; the religious worldview of the Buddhist is very similar to the Hindu worldview, but it is important to recognize that Buddhism is

very much distinct from Hinduism.

Buddhism is the world’s fourth largest religion, comprising around 6% of the world’s population. The 350,000,000 adherents to the religion are found mainly in China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand,

Indochina, Korea, and Tibet. There are around 800,000 Buddhists in the U.S.

The life of Siddhartha Gautama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9AoZj_FPzU

Origins & Beliefs of Buddhism

Like Hinduism, Buddha accepted reincarnation, but he rejected the multiple gods. He shared the concept of enlightenment by a belief in nirvana, or a release from selfishness and pain.

The final goals of both Hinduism and Buddhism are similar – both involve a perfect state of understanding and a break from the chain of reincarnation (Nirvana).

Origins & Beliefs of Buddhism

In his first sermon, Buddha outlined the Four Noble Truths of his faith: First Noble Truth: Life is filled with suffering &

sorrow Second Noble Truth: The Cause of all suffering is

people’s selfish desire for the temporary pleasures of this world

Third Noble Truth: The way to end all suffering is to end all desire

Fourth Noble Truth: The way to overcome such desires and attain enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold Path, which is called the Middle Way between desires & denial.

The Eightfold Path

“What is the Middle Way? It is the Noble Eightfold Path – Right Views, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livlihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. This is the Middle Way.”

Buddha, from Samyutta Nikaya Dharma Wheel, often used to

symbolize the Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path

Wisdom1) Right View – know the truth

2) Right Intention – resist self-centeredness

Ethical Conduct3) Right Speech – refrain from unkind, negative speech

4) Right Action – respect all life

5) Right Livelihood – work for the good of others

Mental Discipline6) Right Awareness – elevate one’s thoughts beyond the haze of emotion and mood

7) Right Effort – free the mind of evil

8) Right Meditation – practice the discipline of meditation

End of Day 2