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.