ORIGINS OF HINDUISM &

BUDDHISM

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WORLD RELIGIONS STUDY IN SOUTH CAROLINA Origins

How the religion originated or began.FounderLocation where it originated

Fundamental BeliefsMain beliefs of the religionHoly book(s) / text(s)Place of worship

Diffusion – the spreading of the religionHow did the religion spread and where it spread to

other parts of the world.

HINDUISM - ORIGINSI. Origins     A. Originated with a set of sacred writings called the

Vedas in India.  They were written in Sanskrit in 1500 BC.

HINDUISM - FOUNDER II. Founder     A.  Unknown – Since Hinduism began

before there was a written language, there is no written language of a founder.

III. HINDUISM – FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS     A. Brahman - a spiritual power that is the source of all existence

and is present in every thing and every place.     B. Reincarnation - a belief in the cycle of life, death, and rebirth

that is repeated by the soul till it reaches Nirvana     C. Nirvana - the highest state a Hindu can get; a place of perfect

peace and happiness     D. Dharma - Obligation to follow one's duty in life.     E. Karma - a person's actions in life affect the quality of his or her

existence.  If a person's karma is bad, he or she might be reincarnated as an animal.

     F. Moksha - Salvation - The goal of every Hindu is to reach Moksha.  A Hindu's soul merges with Brahman after several reincarnations.

          1. A Hindu can reach Moksha through good works, knowledge, and devotion to the faith.

G. HOLY BOOKS     G. Holy Books          1. Vedas - A collection of four books containing

sacred poems and hymns.          2. Upanishads - Text studied by students and

teachers.          3. Bhagavad Gita - a text that is a part of the

Indian epic Mahabharata which teaches what Hindus must do to become one with God.

H. POLYTHEISMH. Polytheism - Hinduism is the world's largest

and oldest polytheistic religion.

IV. HINDUISM - DIFFUSIONIV.  Diffusion (Spread of)IV. Diffusion (Spread of)

A. Found on the Indian subcontinent and Southeast AsiaB. Spread through business trade, education, and teaching of Hindu priests.C. Traditional Hindus believe you must be born into the faith.

BUDDHISMI. Origins     A. Location : India      B. Includes some of the beliefs of Hinduism.

II. FOUNDER OF BUDDHISMA. Siddhartha Gautama           1. He grew up as a rich Hindu prince never experiencing sickness

and death.          2. Early in life he saw a dying old man, a sick person, and a dead

body.          3. He thought there had to be a better way so he gave up his

wealth and became a monk in search of the truth.          4. Through meditation, he became enlightened (free from desire

and suffering).          5. He then became Buddha, the enlightened one.

III. FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS     A. Four Noble Truths           1. Life is made up of pain and suffering.          2. All suffering is caused by one's desires.          3. Nirvana - Being free of desire          4. Eightfold Path - Explain the eight ways to

reach Nirvana

III. FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS CONTINUED… B. Eight Fold Path           1. It teaches...people should not indulge too much

in luxury and pleasure.          2. People should not deny...themselves

all worldly desires.          3. People should take...a middle or balanced

course in their behavior.

III. FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS CONTINUED…     C. Not Monotheism or Polytheism.          1. It is a philosophy or "way to live your

life."

IV.  DIFFUSION (SPREAD OF) A. Location of Religion: India, central and southeastern Asia, China, Korea, and Japan 

     B. Important religion in the Ashoka and Gupta Empires in India

     C. Tries to convert others.