Broad traditions

Different types of Hindu practices:

1. Devotional Hinduism which comprises 98 % of the Hindu population. This focuses on the worship of certain deities.
2. Reformed Hinduism which includes the people that follow Dayanand Saraswati, who is the founder of the Arya Samaj movement. They respect the five elements of Earth Water, Fire, Sun and Wind.
3. Followers of individual gurus and neo-Hindu churches.
4. Followers of yoga and meditation in order to obtain self realization
5. Marginal Hindu movements

http://www.abc.net.au/religion

Basic History

• Earliest evidence of Hinduism dates back to the early Harappan Period. (5500 - 2600 BCE)
• Considering the fact that Hinduism is such an old religion, much of its early history is unclear.
• Scholars often have to rely on archaeology and the study of translated texts to make educated assumptions and guesses about the history of Hinduism.
• Hinduism doesn’t have one specific founder/theology or a specific date of origin; it was originated from the practices of Aryan tribes that moved to India from Asia over three thousand years ago and has developed from there on for thousands of years.
• The earliest literature of Hinduism is comprised of four Vedas; Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda, and the Atharva-Veda.
• The Rig-Veda is considered the oldest of the Hindu texts. It involves mostly poetic hymns used in priesthood - Gods in the Rig-Veda fall into two categories: Gods of Nature and Gods of Moral Concepts. (Rig-Veda addresses the offering of Soma to the Gods)
• The Buddhist religion was heavily influenced by Hinduism.
• The Gupta Dynasty was governed under Hindu Beliefs. (Gupta Dynasty ruled northern India sometime between the 4th and 6th centuries of the common era)
• During the 1st century "The Silk Road" helped bring cultural expansion into South-East Asia, including Hinduism.

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/hinduism/history.html

Indus River Valley Civilization

• In 1921, evidence of an ancient civilization was uncovered along the Indus River – which runs through northwest India. This civilization is widely known as the “Harappan civilization.”
• Harappan Society may have originated as early as 7000 B.C. and its height is thought to be around 2300 B.C. – 2000 B.C.
• Based on physical evidence that has been uncovered, it is believed that Hinduism could have been a prevalent religion at some point in the history of the Harappan civilization – Baths for ritual bathing, Possible alters for animal sacrifices, terracotta deity figures, and possibly a prototype figurine of Shiva.

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/hinduism/history.html

http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/history.htm

The Aryans and Decline of the Indus River Valley Civilization

• The Indus River Valley civilization began to decline around 1800 B.C. due to a possible flood or drought; it is thought that Aryans began to move into India from Asia at approximately this time.
• Aspects of Hinduism like the Sanskrit language and the Vedic religion is attributable to the invading Aryans. Original inhabitants of the valley are thought to have had a Dravidian language/culture which was diminished under the authority of the Aryans.
• Eventually both peoples developed a similar religious belief system which was founded on the polytheism of the Aryans and the sanctity of fertility of the Harappans.
• The Aryans attacked the Harappan people, and eventually both peoples developed a similar religious belief system which was founded on the polytheism of the Aryans and the sanctity of fertility of the Harappans.
• A caste system soon ensued under the authority of The Aryans.
• Some believe that invasion of the Aryans is a myth created by scholars to say that anything good in India must have come from somewhere else. (The Aryan invasion is what is taught in History books)

http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/history.htm

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/hinduism/history.html

Yoga

• Yoga originated in India.
• Yoga is used for the main purpose of Spiritual-Realization.
• The word Yoga comes from the root Yuj which means to join.
• Yoga has been thought to lead to spiritual experience and a higher understanding of a particular existence.

Hindus generally take part in three types of yoga:
-Jnana Yoga: the path of realization and wisdom
-Bhakti Yoga: the path of love and devotion to a personal god
-Karma Yoga: the path of selfless action
There are many other types of yoga yet these are the main three that are practiced.

http://www.lotussculpture.com/bronze_sculpture_yoga.htm
http://www.experiencefestival.com/hinduism_and_yoga

Video about Hinduism

Here's an interesting video that describes the religion of Hinduism:

http://www.libraryvideo.com/streaming.asp?sku=K6763

Ahimsa

Hindus follow the principle of ahimsa, which is non-injury to living creatures. This principle especially applies to cows, which Hindus believe are sacred animals. As a result, hardly any Hindus eat beef. Also, many do not eat any kind of meat.

http://www.diehardindian.com/demogrph/moredemo/hindu.htm

Gods Worshipped

An interesting fact about Hinduism is the number of Gods that are worshipped. The three main manifestations of the present God are Brahma, the creator of the universe, Vishnu, the protector, and Shiva, the destroyer.

http://www.diehardindian.com/demogrph/moredemo/hindu.htm

OUR GROUP in our sweaters

Religious Tolerance

Hindus can be:

-monotheistic, which is the belief in one god.
-polytheistic which is the belief in more then one god.
-pantheistic which is the belief that god and the universe are one.
-atheistic which is the belief in no god.

Ashramas

Ashramas- The four stages Hindus are expected to pass through over the course of their life.

1. Brahmacharya- Takes place during the school years and focuses on gaining knowledge and developing character
2.Grhastha - Takes place in the middle years and is focused on worldly pursuits and pleasures (marriage, family and career)
3. Vanaprastha- Takes place when one's children reach adulthood, is a time of increased focus on spiritual things; This is known as the hermit stage of life where one begins devoting more time to study of scriptures and meditation.
4. Sannyasa- Takes place in the last years of life. One may abandon the world entirely for a life of contemplation.

hinduism.about.com

Ultimate Goal

• Throughout Hindus life, the ultimate religious goal is to reach the state of Nirvana.
• Nirvana is the state of free from suffering and self existence. (Perfect Peace)
• The state of Nirvana is viewed as "the ultimate happiness".
• By reaching the state of Nirvana, one is released from the cycle of reincarnation and all suffering is gone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana

Definition and Origin

The name for this religion is called:

• Sanatana Dharma- Eternal religion
• Vaidika Dharma- Religion of the Vedas
• Hinduism- Most commonly used in North America

Various origins of the word, Hinduism, have been suggested:

• It could possibly be derived from an ancient transcription translated: "The country lying between the Himalayan mountain and Bindu Sarovara is known as Hindusthan by combination of the first letter 'hi' of 'Himalaya' and the last compound letter 'ndu' of the word 'Bindu'. Bindu Sarovara is called the Cape Comorin sea in modern times.
  "Origin of 'Hindu'," at: http://www.hindunet.org/
• It could be derived from the Persian word for Indian
• It could be a Persian corruption of the word Sindhu (the river Indus)
• It could be a name invented by the British administration in India during colonial times

http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism2.htm

Reincarnation

• Hinduism is primarily based on reincarnation.


• Hindus believe human and animal spirits come back to life in multiple forms.


• People are re-born into different social classes depending on actions and behavior in previous lives.
  -Good behavior=high social class, wealth.
  -Poor behavior=lower class poverty, or animal.

Religious Documents

-Sruti: what is heard
-Smriti: what is remembered- books of law
-Vedas: religious writings
-Mantras: hymns of praise
-Brahmanas: sacrificial rituals
-Upanishads: sacred teachings
-Puranas: myths, stories, legends
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/hinduism/beliefs.html

Rituals

Some basic rituals of Hinduism:

• Puja- the daily ritual that involves worshiping in a sacred corner or room of one's home. It is performed in order to keep Hindus aware of their family gods and of their individual duties. There are 3 steps to this ritual:

1. Darshana- seeing the family deity in which there is a small statue or picture in sacred area.
2. Worship of the god through offerings of flowers, fruits, or cooked food.
3. Retrieving and consuming the blessed food. This is believed to bring the person closer to the diety.

• Meditation- Some Hindus ignore the gods and seek Realization of the Self with intense meditating.
• Singing devotional hyms
• Reciting scriptures
• Division between purity and pollution
• Sacrifice and concept of merit- being charitable and doing good works that will over time accumulate to build a better like in the next life.

Special Occasion Rituals:

• Annaprashan- a baby's first intake of solid food
• Upanayanam- "sacred thread ceremony" undergone by upper-caste youths. Rite of passage
• Shraadh -treating people to feasts in the name of the deceased

http://asms.k12.ar.us/classes/humanities/worldstud/97-98/religion/hinduism/Rituals.htm

http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/practices.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism#Practices

Overview

Hinduism, regarded as the world's oldest organized religion, originating over 3,000 years ago, has now grown to be the world's 3rd largest religion. Differing from most Western religions, Hinduism has no single founder, theological system, system of morality, or central religious organization. Encompassing about 13% of the world's population (837 million followers), Hinduism is the dominant religion in countries such as India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm

Caste System

Hindus strongly believe in the Caste system. The caste system divides people into four social classes:
-Brahman: Priest and Teachers
-Kshatriyas: Rulers and Warriors
-Vaisyas: Merchants and Farmers
-Shudras: Servants and Laborers
-A person does not get to choose which level of the caste system they are part of, there level is chosen on which they were born into.

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/hinduism/beliefs.html

http://contenderministries.org/hinduism/hindubeliefs.php

Blog Overview

Welcome to Jeff's Blog! This blog will be expanding its cultural horizon by discussing many topics on one of the major religions in the world, Hinduism. Such topics include history, basic beliefs and practices. I hope you enjoy this information on a very common and important religion.