THE RELIGION OF INDIA & BEYOND

HINDUISM

IN THE BEGINNING

HINDUSIM IS DIFFERENT FROM ANY RELIGION YOU KNOW:

NO FOUNDING DATE

NO FOUNDER

NO SET BELIEF SYSTEM

DEVELOPED OUT OF ANCIENT VEDIC RELIGION (5,000+ BCE)

CREATION OF WORLD

JEWS, CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS SAY WORLD CREATED 6,000 AGO AND WILL END SOMETIME

HINDUS BELIEVE WORLD CREATED 1OO TRILLION PALYAS AGO

ONE PALYA = TIME IT TAKES TO EMPTY A PIT I MILE DEEP BY 1 MILE WIDE FULL OF FINE HAIR IF 1 HAIR IS REMOVED EVERY 100 YEARS!

WORLD WILL CHANGE, NOT END

“NIGHTS OF BRAHMA, DAYS OF BRAHMA”

NIGHT: WORLD IS IN CHAOS AND FALLING APART

DAY: WORLD BEING RECREATED

ONE DAY = 4 ½ BILLION YEARS!

END OF CYCLE, WORLD RE-CREATED IN “BLINK OF EYE”

HINDU GODS

TECHNICALLY, THERE IS JUST ONE GOD OR WORLD-SOUL:

BRAHMAN (WHO COMES IN 3 PARTS)

BRAHMA—THE CREATOR

VISHNU—THE PROTECTOR

SHIVA—THE DESTROYER

BUT . . . SCHOLARS HAVE IDENTIFIED OVER 300 MILLION HINDU GODS!

BRAHMA—THE CREATOR

SHIVA—THE DESTROYER

VISHNU—THE PROTECTOR

MAIN BOOKS

THE VEDAS (4 TEXTS--RIG-VEDA OLDEST) PRAYERS, SONGS, PRAISES TO THE GODS

UPANISHADS (SEVERAL HUNDRED TEXTS) CORE BELIEFS OF HINDUISM: BRAHMAN, KARMA,

REINCARNATION, ETC.

MAIN MESSAGE

EVERYTHING ALIVE THAT MOVES ABOUT HAS A SOUL

ALL LIFE IS SACRED AND CONNECTED

UPON DEATH A SOUL IS REBORN UNTIL IT BECOMES “ONE WITH BRAHMAN” (MOKSHA)

REBIRTH OF SOUL IS CALLED REINCARNATION AND IT CAN BE BORN INTO ANYTHING ALIVE

REINCARNATION

WHICH BODY A SOUL IS RE-BORN INTO IS DETERMINED BY TWO CONCEPTS:

DHARMA: PROPER LIVING IN THIS LIFE

KARMA: “MORAL LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT”

ALL OF A SOUL’S GOOD AND BAD ACTIONS ARE ETERNALLY HELD BY THAT SOUL

REINCARNATION AND DIET

MOST HINDUS ARE VEGETARIANS

ALL ANIMALS CONSIDERED SACRED

COW IS #1 SACRED ANIMAL DUE TO ALL ITS USES

MONKEYS CLOSE BEHIND DUE TO HUMAN SIMILARITIES

TEMPLES TO ELEPHANTS, ANTS, SNAKES, RATS, COWS, ETC

ANIMAL GODS

THE CASTE SYSTEM

HINDU SOCIETY IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR PARTS

#1—PRIESTS AND TEACHERS

#2—RULERS AND SOLDIERS

#3—TRADERS AND FARMERS

#4—LABORERS, CRAFTSMEN, SERVANTS

“UNTOUCHABLES” ARE OUTSIDE THE CASTE SYSTEM

CASTE SYSTEM

A PERSON’S PARENTS DETERMINE THE CASTE A CHILD IS BORN INTO

MUST MARRY WITHIN YOUR CASTE

A PERSON CANNOT ESCAPE THEIR CASTE UNTIL THEY DIE

OUTLAWED IN 1950, BUT STILL HEAVY INFLUENCE & PRACTICED IN INDIA

SPECIAL STUFF

TEMPLE--HINDU PLACE OF WORSHIP

GURU—SPIRITUAL TEACHER WHO HELPS SELF-REALIZATION OCCUR IN OTHERS

ASHRAM—A GURU’S “SCHOOL”

YOGA—SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

TEMPLES

GURU, ASHRAM, YOGA

SACRED PLACES

VARANASI—MOST SACRED PLACE IN HINDUISM

DIE HERE = ESCAPE “WHEEL OF REBIRTH”!

GANGES

FLOWS THROUGH N. INDIA

BATH IN GANGES, ALL SINS REMOVED

RELEASING SOUL AFTER DEATH

BODIES MUST BE CREMATED

BEST IF ASHES THROWN IN THE GANGES

RELATED RELIGIONS

JAIN—MUCH STRICTER FORM OF HINDUISM