Hinduism

What do I know? What do I want to know? Page 21 in your religion notebook

Facts and StatsHinduism originated in India around

3000BCIt is the world’s third largest religion with 1

billion in India, Nepal(23 million), Bangladesh (14 million) and the Indonesian island of Bali (3.3 million).

It is a polytheistic religion (although they do believe that all gods are different aspects of the Supreme Being), which is also

intertwined with theirsocial system.Page 22 of your

religion notebook.

Ghandi

Satya - truth

Ahimsa – non violence

Caste SystemOfficially banned (but still practiced)Brahmin – priests/intellectuals (highest in the

caste system before attaining salvation)Kshatriyas – warriors/rulersVaishyas – merchants/land

owners/businessmen/farmersShudras – manual workers

Dalits– untouchables, slaves, not considered human

GodsBrahman – the all being and non-being, the universal soul, ultimate reality

Brahma - creator

Vishnu – preserver

Shiva – destroyer

Avatars – reincarnations of the gods to bring balance to the universe

Buddha Rama Krishna JesusMohammad

Brahma Vishnu Shiva

Religious textsTheir main divine writings are the

Vedas or Upanishadsand the Mahabharata (The

Bhagavad Gita is 18 chapters of this epic poem and includes the teachings of Krishna)

Sacred Cow

yogaThe Sanskrit word yoga has many meanings,

and is derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj", meaning "to control,“ "to join" or "to unite."

Salvation through yogaThe three ways to salvation (release from

reincarnation) according to Hinduism (these are the teachings of Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita):

the karma-yoga ("the path of duties"), ritual and social obligations – watching your karma and following your duty/path in life.

yogathe jnana-yoga ("the path of

knowledge"), the use of meditation preceded by ethical and contemplative training, yoga, to gain insight into one's identity with the Supreme Being

the bhakti-yoga ("the path of devotion"), the devotion to a personal God. Every act one does (eating, praying, dancing, working) must be an act of devotion to the Supreme Being