Hinduism

• Hinduism is considered to be a religion based more on the formal definition of religion by Western scholars
• Most Hindus consider Hinduism to be more as a way of life
• Hinduism has formed a big chunk of their identity as a people for Hindus
• Hinduism is also seen as a cultural experience for Hindus
• Henotheistic


  Acknowledging a superior god over other minor deities
• Hinduism originated in the Indus Valley


  2300 BCE to 1500 BCE
• Hindu


  Originated from the word "Indus", the name of the river flowing through the Indus Valley
• Early people of the Indus Valley

  • Dravidians
  • Indo-Aryans
• At around 1500 BCE, the earliest sacred text of Hinduism was being written by the inhabitants of the Indus Valley
• The earliest sacred text of Hinduism was originally written in Sanskrit
• Vedas


  The earliest written religious texts of Hinduism
• Categories of sacred texts

  • SHRUTI (Divine) texts
  • SMIRITI (Remembered) texts
• SHRUTI (Divine) texts


  • Rig Veda
  • Sama Veda
  • Yajur Veda
  • Atharva Veda
• SMIRITI (Remembered) texts


  • Ramayana
  • Mahabharata
  • Bhagavad Gita
• Brahman


  The Ultimate Reality, the only true reality binding together the universe as one
• Atman


  The Self, the self-existent existence of beings, the consciousness of every living being
• Reincarnation


  The reincarnation of life to either a higher form or a lower form
• Samsara


  The Hindu belief of reincarnation, the wheel of samsara representing the different stages of a person's life
• Trimurti


  • Brahma - god of creation
  • Vishnu - god of preservation
  • Shiva - god of destruction
• Non-Trimurti deities


  • Ganesh/a
  • Lakshmi
  • Hanuman
  • Rama & Krishna Avatars
• Karma


  The cycle of samsara governed by the principle that those who do good are rewarded and those who do evil are punished
• Dharma


  Obtaining good karma in order to be reincarnated as a higher being by following one's roles and duties
• The meditative techniques of yoga originated from Hinduism
• Mahatma Gandhi was an advocate of religious pluralism
• Early systems of education are attributed to the Hindus who had a high reverence for teachers
• Challenges of Hinduism


  • Negative perception on Hindu women
  • Decreasing demographics due to Indian Diaspora
  • The Varna (caste system)
• Dravidians and Indo-Aryans were known as the Harappan Civilization
• Rig Veda - How religious practice and prayer must be observed by Hindus
• Sama Veda - Religious hymns and songs primarily derived from the Rig Veda texts
• Yajur Veda - About techniques of worship and mantras during worship services
• Atharva Veda - Practical prayers to be used in daily life; to ward off evil spirits or sickness
• Moksha - Freedom from the cycle of samsara
• In Dharma, the goal is not just reincarnation, but moksha, or the freedom from the cycle of samsara.
• Hinduism has four main goals: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha
• Ganesha is known as the god of prosperity, wisdom, good luck, and good fortune
• Lakshmi is the consort/wife/partner of the god Vishny. Goddess of wealth and purity.
• In Hinduism, every god has a Shakti or energy force
• Hanuman is known as the Monkey God
• Hanuman is depicted as a person with a face and tail of a monkey
• Rama and Krishna are Avatars of Deities. They are incarnations or avatars of the gods Vishnu and Lakshmi