Hinduism

=__HINDUISM__ = ( Phuong, Sarah, Jenny, Laura, Tahlia) = = = = = Origins: = Hinduism is very closely connected to Indian and the Indian way of life. Hinduism includes many different religions, as not all Hindus believe in the same things. The origins of Hinduism did not start with the teachings of a particular prophet or holy person. Instead, Hinduism is seen to have many Saints and religious begins, which their teachings are followed with great care and reverence. Hinduism is as old as Indian civilisation, where an unbroken line of tradition reaching back five thousand years ago. There was no specific founder or 'starting point', but we see back that people have worshiped gods and goddesses and behaving in ways which we now recognize as being Hindu.

FAST FACTS ABOUT HINDUISM: - Spiritual Leader: guru or sage - Place of Worship: temple or home shrine equivalent.] with polytheisic elements - Ultimate Reality: Brahman - Human Nature: in bondage to ignorance and illusion, but able to escape / resist - Purpose of Life: to attain liberation (moksa) from the cycle of reincarnation - How to Live Life: order life according to dharma [means one's righteous duty or any virtuous path in the common sense of the term] and various religious teachings / scriptures. - After Life: if karma is unresolved, the soul is born into a new body / thing. If karma is resolved, the one has attained moska (liberation)
 * -** Theism: pantheism [is the view that everything is part of an all-encompassing immanent abstract God. In pantheism the Universe, or nature, and God are

Beliefs:
Many Hindus view religion as a matter of practice, not belief. It's not about what you believe but about what you do and how you do it. Hindus have a universal God called Brahman, Hindus look at Brahman in many different forms of Gods and Goddesses. Hindus believe that there is a part of the Brahman in everyone and this is called the Atman.

Hindus believe in reincarnation, they believe that every living organism has a soul whether it be humans, plants or animals.. etc. and that all souls have the chance to experience life in different forms.

Samsara - going through the cycle or repeated birth and deaths (reincarnation). The existence of Samsara is controlled under Karma.   Hindus actually only believe in one God, Brahman, the eternal origin who is the cause and foundation of all existence. The gods of the Hindu faith represent different forms of Brahman. These gods are sent to help people find the universal God (Brahman). Most Hindus have a personal god or goddess such as Shiva, Krishna or Lakshmi to whom they pray regularly. Gods most worshiped and important -> Brahman (creator), Vishnu (preserver), Shivi/Sivi (destroyer).

Fire and Light - Important to hindus, they have special meaning: worship, festival time, at home.

__Small light (Diva)__ - symbol of God's goodness. - also symbol of fire ( 5 elements of nature) - all elements of nature are important to Hindus, support life on Earth.

__Fire__ - Power to purify and cleanse. (farmers, fire renew land) - Coconuts are a symbol of new life.

Red+Yellow cloth in the Holi bonfire (an important Hindu festival) - Symbol of the cloth that protected Holika (king's sister) against fire. Tilaka - dot most Hindus have (eyebrow joint), very significant chakra, called in spiritual terms AGYA chakra. very sensitive point, so tilaka is kept at that point. Hindu symbols are abstract representation of God. The formless supreme could be achieved by simpler means of these formless forms, the symbols. Hindus achieve supreme things, by simple ways, following the symbols.

Nandi - holybull - according to scriptures, bull represents the Dharma (justice)

Hindu prayer begin and end with 'OM' - Symbol for Brahman.

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It is a ritual that people come to the prayer hall to join with others to worship their Gods.Their most important God is Ganesha the elephant headed God. In the prayer Hall Ganesha is given grains of rice, flowers, incense sticks and money. Arti time is most important because it the time of day where everyone praise, worship and thank all the Gods. While they all pray, holy water are scattered on them to show greatness and prasad which is a mixture of nuts, dried fruit, banana and sugar crystals are passed. When boys are ages 2-5 years old, it is another ritual to shave their head which is a sign of cleansing the body and soul. For girls they must never cut their hair until they are much older.The daily ritual is called puja which is performed to keep Hindus aware of their Gods and their duties. In a marriage there is always a salt ceremony called datar for good luck and a welcoming to a new life. The salt symbolizes the bride becoming part of the groom's family and her duties as the bride to the family.======

Texts:
Unlike Christianity, Judaism and the Islamic faith (etc..) Hinduism has no initial founder, but instead men (and some women) are regarded as Saints and their writings / teachings are therefore looked upon as holy scriptures. Hinduism divides scriptures into two categories:

1) Shruti (revelation) - scriptures which are believed by the faithful to be of divine origin, without any real human intervention 2) Smruti - scriptures that are recognized as the products of the minds of the great sages. Smruti texts help explain Shruti scriptures and make them meaningful to the general population. They are the most recent scriptures.

Other holy scriptures / teachings include: ` Vedas - primary texts, traditionally vedas was coeval with the universe. They are the oldest Hindu scriptures ` Upanishads - elaborates on how the sould (Atman) can be united with the ultimate reality / turth (Brahman) through contemplation & meditation ` Bhagavad Gita - central texts of Hinduism (most popular and accessible); discusses selflessness, duty, devotion, medidation (Hindu philosophy) ` Sutras - later sexts of Hinduism

Like Christianity, Hinduism also has 10 commandments in which one must fulfill / live by in order to life a good life. 1) Ahima - do not harm 6) Saucha - be clean 2) Satya - do not lie 7) Santasha - be content 3) Asteya - de not steal 8) Tapas - be self-disciplined 4) Brahmacharya - do not overindulge 9) Svadhyaya - study 5) Aparigraha - do not be greedy 10) Ishvara Pranidhana - surrender to God

Social Structures:
The Social Structure is called the Caste System: - Brahmins are priests and teachers, their symbolic or representative color is white and they are the highest class. - Ksatriyas are warriors and Rulers, their symbolic or representative color is red and they are the second highest class. - Vaisyas are farmers, merchants and artisans, their symbolic or representative color is brown they are the third highest class. - Sudras are laborers, they have no symbolic or representative color and are the average class. - Outcastes are the untouchables and polluted laborers, they have no symbolic or representative color they are the lowest class.

The Caste System still plays a significant role in some sections of Hindu society; however, in modern day India caste-based discrimination is illegal.

Myths and Stories:
__Creation__ - Before time began, no heaven, earth or space - A vast dark ocean washed upon shore and a giant cobra floated on the waters - Lord Vishnu lay asleep in the endless coils while being watched over by a mighty serpent - When Lord Vishnu woke from his slumber, the world woke - As the world started to awake a magnificent lotus flower grew - In the lotus flower Vishnu's servant Brahma was being born and awaiting his lords command - Vishnu then spoke to Brahma and commanded him to start creating the world - As Brahma started he split the lotus flower into three parts each creating heaven, earth and the sky - From that Brahma created every living thing on earth

__Path to turth__ - Five blind men were out and they stumbled into an elephant - All five of the men were touching this animal, but all in a different spot - Each man described the elephant, depending on the feel or shape of the particular body part they were touching - Each believed their description was the right one, each voicing what they thought an elephant would look like - The five blind men fought over which of them was right - This story was the teaching of what truth really is and it shows that The truth is one but people call it by various names.

Ethics and Codes of Behavior:
The Laws of Manu is a book that details the societal rules, and includes politics and economics.

__The Four Aims of Human Life include__ - Righteousness ` Wealth ` Enjoyment ` Spiritual Liberation

__The Four Stages of Life include__ - Student ` Householder ` Forest-dweller ` Wandering ascetic

Religious Experiences:
__Four Stages of Life for a Hindu:__ 1) Brahmacharga - school years, grow and learn 2) Qrhastha - marriage, family, career 3) Vanaprastha - turn attention to spiritual things 4) Sanrgas - abandon world to seek spiritual things

__Three Paths of Life for a Hindu:__ 1) Karmamarga - path or work and action 2) Jnanamarga - path of knowledge or philosophy 3) Bhaktimarga - path of devotion to God


Q1. Is their a supreme being? - Hindus believe that there is something behind the creation of the world. - The one which was the cause of all these things to come into existence is what we call as God. - Transformation tales place (from one form to another) but no creation. – Initially created by something we call God. - This God is the source. One can experience that supreme in the self what other proof is required. - Experience could be and illusion. (Experience: something to be felt, not to be talked or proved. Easy distinguish in neutrality which is illusion and which is reality) - Experience of God is not normal, it is a great that corrects us, liberates us, put us in eternal bliss. Beyond reach of words, the greatness in silence. - Supreme Being – immanent and transcendent. - A creator and un-manifest reality. - God not just Supreme all-powerful gigantic one, also a personal God whom individual can worship out of love not fear. - Devotion – Key concept in Hinduism - One finds abundance of stotras that praise the God in love. God is beyond any attributes of form, color, shape – no specific form or name. - God takes forms perceived by humans – the forms provide a basis for the Hindu worshiper to easily pursue the otherwise incomprehensible supreme. - Hinduism supports both form as well as formless God, it is ultimately the same God. - God is the Almighty Supreme; there is no evil against God. - God stays in far off heaven, meet after death - God – omnipresent; right in front of us; right inside us. - One need not to wait a whole life time to meet God. - Got not just in some heavens, it is right in us, both transcendental, intermixed in everything. - Beyond the created contours of gender. - Scriptures use IT is refer to God. - The beauty of Hinduism is that the concept of God is tried to be understood, experienced.  Q2. Who am I?  Hindus have a strong belief of their Purpose in life they believe that each person is born with a certain duty. Their duty is to fulfill the requirements that will help them earn merits. To achieve fulfillment in life they are expected to achieve:

1. dharma (righteousness) 2. artha (material wealth) 3. kama (desire) 4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> moksha (salvation ) The concept of this is to show that Hindus do not advocate a life of self negation, but a life o f balance and achievement. When one has completed these it is said they will have a desirable re-birth.

<span style="color: rgb(245, 149, 66);">Q3. Why is there evil, pain and suffering? Hinduism views pain and suffering, both mental and physical, as seen to be the unfoldings of karma. Suffering is a 'consequence' of an inappropriate action, be it metal, verbal, or physical. This action might reflect upon one's current or past life. However, suffering is seen as a 'consequence', it is not intended to be as a punishment. It is more likely to be a natural consequence, obiding by the moral laws of the universe; a response to past negative behavior. Hindu traditions promote coping with suffering by accepting it as a just consequence, and to understand that suffering (and pain) is not random. Experiencing current suffering is also believed and understood to satidy the debt incurred for negative past behavior. for Hindu's, pain is also seen as a part of living, until one finally reaches a state of 'moksha' (a release from the cycle of re-births). Hindu tradition hols that we are in human form on earth, we're bound by the laws of our world and will experience physical pain. However, while the body may be in pain, it is believed that the soul isn't affected or harmed in any way. For Hindus, suffering can be bad and a good thing. To see suffering is bad, is to only see one side of it. Suffering can be considered positive if it leads to the progress on a spiritual path, to be tested and learn from a difficult experience. <span style="color: rgb(245, 149, 66); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

Is there life after death? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is a belief that when one life ends, another begins.This is called reincarnation. Hindus believes superstitions and mythologies that God gives life to another. This religion speaks of intermediary existence, where a dead sin goes into a living body. It is also possible for sins to go into objects and animals. Reincarnation is a belief of a finished life continuing and starting in another person's life, dead spirits exists as preta. A popular theory is that there are three elements of popular faith merging together and an individual soul has different pathways leading them to the existing world.The souls ascends into the sky and returns into a new life. People want to be worthy because their Gods give them another chance to start again, this way they will start something different.

**Q: What does this mean for the believer (address Inner Values, meanings and purposes)?**
For a Hindu believer, they are born with a certain duty in which they must fulfill. This duty is believed to hold certain requirements which is what earns merits. If a Hindu thus fulfills their duty, then one is guaranteed a better re-birth. If a Hindu is free from re-births it is believed they have attained moksha- liberation. Achieving moksha is a key concept within Hinduism as it means experiencing the divine supreme knowledge. Therefore, Hinduism enables all its followers to differentiate between the pure actions of virture and the wrongful actions of evil. This brings the deep incorporation of the concept of Karma in this religion which paves the way for free-willed human actions that can either lead to moksha or to the cycles of birth and death. The followers of Hinduism believe that the virtuous actions of a human being take his / her soul closer to the divine supreme, Brahman.

Hindu's have certain meanings and goals to living life, and this is explain in Religious Experiences, and Ethics and Codes of behavior. Then, the most infinite goal of life, Moksha or Liberation, results in the attainment of absolute happiness. Also known as Mukti, Samadhi or Nirvana from this material world, the attainment of this goal of Hinduism truly liberates one from the reincarnation cycle and existential duality.

**Q: How is this religious tradition practiced today?**
Hinduism is a way of life, and Indian tradition that encompasses several religious beliefs, cultural practices and ideologies. the religious tradition is practiced today in many number of ways. dominantly though yoga (personal meditation), ceremonies and rituals. The religious life of many Hindus is focused on the devotion to God or several gods; this devotion usually takes the form of rituals associated with sculptures and images of gods in home shrines. More philosophically-minded Hindus ignore the gods altogether and seek Realization of the Self though intense meditation. Still others focus primarily on fulfilling the social and moral duties appropriate to their position in life.

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Hindu religious practices centre on the importance of fulfilling the duties associated both with one's special position and one's stage of life. With regard to the latter, traditional Hindus are expected to pass through **four stages** //(ashramas)// over the course of their life. [See Ethics and Codes of Behavior and Religious Experience] =====

**Q: Are there any conflicts within and surrounding this religion if so what are they and what is the impact?**
In India, conflicts are going on between many religions, but is mainly accustomed to the Muslims. Hindus, which make up most of India's population, want to turn India into a Hindu nation. Led by an increasingly powerful Hindu nationalist movement, things are turning into a ruckus. As time flies by, many Muslims are being killed and more than 100,000 Muslims have fled to refugee camps.

This soon will surely have an impact upon the world. (:

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