ORIGINS OF ORIGINS OF HINDUISMHINDUISM

Origins of HinduismThe Big Idea

Hinduism, the largest religion in India today, developed out of ancient Indian beliefs and

practices.

Main Ideas

• Indian society was divided into distinct groups under the Aryans.

• The Aryans practiced a religion known as Brahmanism.

• Hinduism developed out of Brahmanism and influences from other cultures.

HINDUISM:HINDUISM: The The main religion of main religion of India that grew India that grew

out of the beliefs out of the beliefs of the ancient of the ancient

Aryan peoples; it Aryan peoples; it teaches that teaches that

everything is part everything is part of a universal of a universal spirit called spirit called Brahman.Brahman.

Vocabulary

VedasVedas:“Books :“Books of Knowledge.” of Knowledge.”

These were These were the ancient the ancient

books of sacred books of sacred poems, hymns, poems, hymns,

myths, and myths, and rituals on rituals on

which much of which much of Hinduism isHinduism is

based.based.

Vocabulary

The Varnas•Aryan society was divided into groups

•Groups organized by occupation

•Strict rules about how people could interact

The Varnas

Brahmins: Priests Kshatriyas: Rulers and Warriors

Vaisyas: Farmers, craftspeople and traders

Sudras: Workers and servants

Individuals

• Place in society based on birth, wealth, or occupation

• 3,000 castes once existed in India.

• Individuals could rarely change castes.

Caste Rules

• Sutras (guides) listed all the rules for the caste system.

• Breaking rules resulted in a transfer to a lower caste.

Caste System

Brahmanism

• Aryan priests were called Brahmins.

Vedic Texts

•Brahmins wrote thoughts about Vedas called Vedic Texts

•Vedic texts describe rituals

•Upanishads

Brahmanism

Evolving Beliefs

The Vedas, Upanishads,

and other Vedic texts

began blending

with beliefs from

different cultures, creating

Hinduism.

Hinduism Beliefs

• Universal spirit-Brahman created the universe and everything in it. Everything in the world is part of Brahman.

•Every person has a soul or atman that will eventually join with Brahman.

•People’s souls are reincarnated many times before they can join with Brahman.

•A person’s karma affects how he or she will be reincarnated.

Hindu BeliefsHindu Beliefs

BrahmaBrahma

““The The Creator” One Creator” One

god who is god who is everywhere everywhere

and in and in everyone and everyone and everything. everything.

His four faces His four faces symbolize the symbolize the

four Vedasfour Vedas..

Hindu BeliefsHindu Beliefs

Siva:Siva: (Shiva)(Shiva)

Siva isSiva is the the destroyer of destroyer of

monster monster enemies. Siva is enemies. Siva is dancing on the dancing on the

back of a demon back of a demon he has defeated.he has defeated.

Hindu Beliefs

Vishnu

•Preserver

•Symbols of his power and greatness:

•Conch shell

•mace

•discus

Hindu Beliefs

Reincarnation

Life and Rebirth•Every person has a soul or atman that will eventually join with Brahman.

•People’s souls are reincarnated many times before they can join with Brahman.

•Reincarnation: A belief that souls are born and reborn many times, each time into a

new body. People move in a constant cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Form of rebirth

depends upon your karma.

Hinduism and the Caste Hinduism and the Caste SystemSystem

Karma: The effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s soul. What a person does in one life influences the caste that person will be born into in the next life.

Hinduism and the Caste System

Karma

•Good actions build good karma and people are born into a higher caste

•Evil actions build bad karma and people are born into a lower caste

Moksha

•Good karma will bring salvation or freedom from life’s worries and the continual cycle of rebirth

Dharma

•Accept your place in the world without complaint

•Builds good karma

•Preserves the caste system

Hinduism became the starting point for another

world religion.

Buddhism

Review

1. What are the varnas. Name the 4 varnas.

2. What is the caste system based upon?

3. What happens if you break the rules of your caste?

4. What is Brahmanism?

5. What are the sacred texts of Hinduism?

6. What is Brahman?

7. Define the following:

• atman

• karma

•reincarnation

•moksha

•dharma

Jainism•Based on the teachings of Mahavira

•Kshatriya-unhappy with control of religion by Brahmins

•Too much ritual

•Gave up luxury and became a monk

•Established the principles of Jainism

The Four Principles

•Injure no life

•Tell the truth

•Do not steal

•Own no property

Jains Practice Nonviolence

• Everything is part of the cycle of rebirth

•No injuring or killing of any creature-humans, insects, animals, plants

•Vegetarians

Mohandas Ghandi

Ghandi led a long, nonviolent

struggle against British rule in

India. This helped India win

independence from Britain in

1947.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King adopted Ghandi’s nonviolent

methods in his struggle to win civil

rights for African Americans.

Cesar Chavez

In the 1960’s Cesar Chavez organized a campaign of

nonviolence to protest the

treatment of farm workers in California.