World Religions - Part 1 Judiasm, Hinduism & Buddhism

Judiasm  Symbols of Judiasm  Star of David - Intertwined equilateral triangles are thought to bring luck  Menorah - symbol of Israel and its mission to a “light unto the nations;” light is not violent

Judiasm - Origin  Abraham made a covenant with God - only one God (monotheistic); God promised Israel  Moses led enslaved Jewish out of Egypt with a series of miraculous events and once freed, they received a revelation from God, including the 10 Commandments

Judiasm - Basic Beliefs  The Torah is the sacred book of Judiasm  Old Testament includes the Torah  Ten Commandments describe how people should behave towards God and one another  613 Rabbinical laws total (relationship with God and others; diet laws; wedding, death, love and relationships; etc...)  Including G-d, or Yahweh  One is saved through commitment to being moral to God

Judiasm - Social Impact  Jewish Diaspora  Discriminated against in Roman Empire  Kicked out of Israel  Patriarchal community  Mother’s lineage (matrilineal)

Judiasm - Women  “G-d is neither male or female”  Men and women sit separately in traditional synagogues  “separate but equal”  Women held positions of respect in Judiasm

Hinduism

Hinduism - Origin  Began in India, nearly 3500 years ago  Monotheistic (elements of polytheism)  One god in many different forms (Brahma, Vishnu, Shivu, Krishna)  Ritualistic religion  Vedas (earliest sacred documents): collection of prayers and chants  Written instructions of how rituals should be performed  Upanishads  Stories that share idea that behind many gods of this world, there is one Ultimate Reality (Brahman)

Hinduism - Basic Beliefs  Reincarnation - spirits return to earth many times trying to become one with Brahman  Karma - sum of all your deeds, good and bad  4 daily duties  Revere the deities  Respect the ancestors  Respect all beings  Honor all humankind

Hinduism and Society  The Caste System  Social classes in which a person was born in and lived their entire life  Good karma = opportunity to move into a higher caste This life Born into A caste Good Karma Bad Karma Next life Higher caste Lower caste

Hinduism and Society cont  Caste system separated Indian society into distinct social classes Brahmin Kshatriya Vaisya Sudra Untouchables

Hinduism - Women  Women held a superior position to men in ancient India  Words for strength and power - feminine

Buddhism

Buddhism - Origin  Founded by Siddhartha Gautama in India about 2500 years ago  Guatma was born to a wealthy Hindu family but sought spiritual enlightenment by renouncing his wealth and lived a strict disciplined life for 6 years.  Too extreme, so sat in meditation and found nirvana (place of perfect peace and happiness)

Buddhism - Basic Beliefs  Four Noble Truths  All life is suffering  Suffering is caused by desire for things that are illusions  The way to eliminate suffering is to eliminate desire (nirvana = “extinction”)  To reach nirvana, one must follow the Eightfold Path

Buddhism - Basic Beliefs cont.  Eightfold Path will help people to overcome desire