Easter Religions: HINDUISM Asia Lesson 5

DO NOW At the top of your Guided Notes, use complete sentences to describe MONOTHEISM and POLYTHEISM. What do they refer to? Can you name some examples of each?

Objectives & Learner Profile OBJECTIVES ▪ SWBAT describe the basic beliefs and the origins of Hinduism. ▪ SWBAT explain the impact of Hinduism on daily life in Asia. LEARNER PROFILE Open-minded Religion is a very personal experience, and the ideas and practices of an unfamiliar religion should be approached with respect and an open-mind.

Introduction to Hinduism The Creation Story

A FEW NOTES TO BEGIN ▪ Hinduism has been called the "oldest religion" in the world. ▪ Hinduism is the dominant, or main, religion in South Asia. ▪ Hinduism has categories of distinct ideas and points of view, rather than a rigid, common set of beliefs. ▪ Hinduism has about one billion followers and is the world's third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam.

MORE NOTES ▪ Hinduism has no single founder. ▪ Western scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion (mixture) of various Indian cultures and traditions. ▪ Hinduism promotes the "eternal" duties, such as honesty, mercy, purity, self-restraint, among others. ▪ Hindu practices include daily rituals such as puja (worship) and recitations, annual festivals, and occasional pilgrimages.

VOCABULARY ▪ Ahimsa: is a term meaning 'compassion' and 'not to injure'. Ahimsa is also referred to as nonviolence, and it applies to all living beings - including all animals - according to many Indian religions ▪ Deities: a supernatural being, who may be thought of as holy, godly, or sacred. Some religions have one supreme deity, while others have multiple deities of various ranks. ▪ Dharma: In Hinduism, dharma signifies behaviors that include staying true to your duties, protecting and following the laws, having good conduct in all areas of your life, and following the ‘‘right way of living.’’ ▪ Soul: in many religious traditions, the soul is the incorporeal and immortal essence of a living thing. According to most of the Abrahamic religions, immortal souls belong only to human beings. Other religions (most notably Hinduism) teach that all biological organisms have souls.

The Vedas Hindu Texts/Teachings

The Vedas ▪ The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. ▪ The texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. ▪ Hindus consider the Vedas to be apauru ṣ eya, which means "not of a man, superhuman" and "impersonal, authorless".

Hindu Gods There are more that 330 million lesson gods, but we’ll only focus on the major gods.

Brahma God of Creation ▪ Brahma is the Hindu god of creation, and he is one of the Hindu trinity of gods. (The others are Vishnu and Shiva). ▪ Brahma is the father of Manu, and from Manu all human beings are descended. ▪ In the Ramayana Brahma is often referred to as the father of all human beings.

Vishnu "the Preserver or the Protector" ▪ Vishnu is also one of the gods in the Hindu Trinity. ▪ In Hindu sacred texts, Vishnu is usually described as having dark complexion of water-filled clouds and as having four arms, so he is very important. ▪ He is depicted as a blue being, holding a padma (lotus flower) in the lower left hand, the Kaumodaki gada (mace) in the lower right hand, the Panchajanya shankha (conch shell) in the upper left hand and the discus weapon Sudarshana Chakra in the upper right hand.padmaKaumodakigadaPanchajanya shankhaSudarshana Chakra

Shiva "the Destroyer or the Transformer" ▪ Shiva, one of the gods in the Hindu Trinity, is regarded as limitless, transcendent, unchanging and formless. ▪ Shiva also has both benevolent (generous) and fearsome forms. He is often depicted slaying demons. Shiva is also regarded as the patron god of yoga and arts. ▪ The main iconographical attributes of Shiva are the third eye on his forehead, the snake Vasuki around his neck, the crescent moon adorning, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the trishula as his weapon and the damaru as his instrument.

Ganesha God of Wisdom, Knowledge and New Beginnings Ganesha is one of the best-known and most worshipped gods in the Hinduism. His image is found throughout India. Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify. He is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences, and the divine god of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies.

The Ramayama A story all Hindu children can tell you!

The Ramayana ▪ an epic poem that consists of 24,000 verses in seven books ▪ regarded as one of the two great works of Indian literature, along with the Mahabharata. ▪ tells the story of Rama, whose wife Sita is abducted by Ravana, the king of Lanka. The story explores human values and the concept of dharma. ▪ describes the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife, and the ideal king.

Time to practice! Group Practice ▪ With your table group, share notes you took for each of the Hindu gods. ▪ Take turns sharing out items you noticed in the pictures. ▪ Describe for your table group what you might look for in a picture to determine what god this is. ▪ Include in your notes descriptive items for each god others noticed that you missed! Individual Practice ▪ READ the short information piece on the Guided Notes. ▪ ANNOTATE each section. ▪ Find the main idea ▪ Look for facts ▪ Make connections ▪ ANSWER the questions at the end of the information piece IN COMPLETE SENTENCES.

EXIT TICKET Find the Exit Ticket on the back of your Guided Notes. I will come by your desk to check off this assignment once it is completed. Just as we did for the Renaissance paintings, ANALYZE THIS PHOTO. 1.Using the diagram to explain some of the basic Hindu beliefs. Make sure you use vocabulary from class today! 2.What do you think is the most important way that Hinduism impacts the daily life of those who practice it? Provide evidence to support your answer.