Dr. Freddy CardozaHINDUISM

Hinduism is a Colorful Faith With Familiar and Unusual Practices

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Unusual Hindu FactsCommon and Uncommon Practices

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Mars, the red planet, is the planet of marriage. Red is worn to represent prosperity and fertility in Hinduism

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Henna designs on the hands and feet are done as expressions of beauty

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Hindu Nose Ring-Chains Represent "Coming of Age" or of 'Married' Status

Hindu Toe Rings Also Represent 'Married' Status

Thookam Festival pierces skin with hooks to please the gods to atone

one's sins

Lower castes roll over "Made Snana" (food scraps) to gain the high caste's

health and remove bad karma

Firewalking originated as a Hindu practice to reveal purity

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Baby Throwing (50+ feet) is an uncommon Hindu practice for

fertility, luck, and health

Self-flagellation to pay the price for their immoral acts to remove bad

karma

Hindu Faithcc: williamcho - https://www.flickr.com/photos/84493444@N00

Sacred Literature1. Vedas (Oldest, authorless)2. Upanishads (philosophical)3. Bhagavad Gita

(ethics/morality)4. Sutras (proverbs, sayings)

cc: Sri Vishwanath - https://www.flickr.com/photos/95504497@N06

Four Branches of Hinduism• One Billion followers• Four denominations:• (1) Saivism (Shiva devotees)• (2) Shaktism (Feminine Shakti

worship)• (3) Vaishnavism (Vishnu devotee)• (4) Smartism (philosophy, unity

of all), more liberal and they worship the deity of heir choice

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Three Primary Deities1. Brahma: Creator2. Vishnu: Preserver3. Shiva: Destroyer (but have

"330 million" lower deities below them and are not a trinity)

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Each movement has a multitude of guru lineages, religious leaders, priesthoods, sacred

literature, monastic communities, schools, pilgrimage centers and tens of thousands of temples. They possess a wealth of art and architecture, philosophy and scholarship.

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YOGA are "Yokes" Placed On Themselves and are "Ways," or "Disciplines" Hindus

Believe Can Help Them Work to Perfectioncc: Jean Henrique Wichinoski - https://www.flickr.com/photos/36184923@N07

Four Paths to Ultimate Reality

1. Karma Yoga: Good deeds

2. Jnana Yoga: Study & Wisdom

3. Bhakti Yoga: Devotion to a god

4. Raja Yoga: Exercise (astanga- 8 parts) & Meditation on the god within

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Four Ways to Meaning in LifePersonal Goals in Hinduism

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1. DHARMAPay the Five Karmic Debts

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Five Karmic Debts of Dharma1. Debt to the gods for their blessings;

paid by rituals and offerings.2. Debt to parents and teachers; paid by

supporting them and having children3. Debt to guests; repaid by treating

them as if they were gods in one's home.

4. Debt to others, repaid by respect.5. Debt to all other living beings; repaid

by offering good will, food, etc.

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2. ARTHAAchievement, Prosperity & Ease

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3. KAMAPleasure and Sexuality

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4. MOKSHAEnlightenment, Union with God

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Hindu Castes (career/social levels)

1. Brahmin: priests2. Kshatriyas: soldiers3. Vaishyas: governors, soldiers4. Shudras: laborers5. Dalits: untouchables

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REINCARNATION

The endless cycle of life, death, and

rebirth as a thing or being

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HINDU WORLDVIEW:You have a duty (dharma)

to do right through devotion to one of many religious paths (yogas)

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You have a duty (dharma) to do right and balance

the scales (karma) for all times or pay the price

(reincarnation)cc: ecstaticist - http://www.flickr.com/photos/41864721@N00

Reincarnation results in endless rebirths at higher or lower life forms, castes,

or qualities of life until perfection (moksha)

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Q & AQuestion and Answer Time

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Small Group Questions1. Hinduism teaches 3 primary gods

(Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). Compare these to the Christian Trinity.

2. Hinduism teaches release from reincarnation (moksha) as the ultimate goal. Is this the equivalent of heaven?

3. Hinduism uses multiple holy books. Are they authoritative like the Bible? Why or why not?

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Small Group Questions4. Hinduism has four branches that teach wildly different views of Hinduism. How are Christian denominations different?

5. Hinduism's four ways (yogas) to appease God all exclusively involve human effort for ‘salvation.’ How is salvation in Christianity different?

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