1. Warm-up
Looking at the chart on page 109 in the new textbook, write & answer:
1) How did India’s social structure change?
2) What evidence is there of the changes described in the chart?

2. Ancient Indian Religions
Hinduism and Buddhism
Ancient Indian Religions

3. Hinduism
“There is only one God, but endless are his aspects and endless are his names”

4. What is Hinduism? One of the oldest religions of humanity
The religion of the Indian people
Gave birth to Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism
Tolerance and diversity: "Truth is one, paths are many"
Many deities but a single, impersonal Ultimate Reality
A philosophy and a way of life – focused both on this world and beyond

5. How did Hinduism begin? No particular founder
Indus River Valley Civilization >5000 years ago
Aryans enter years ago
Vedic Tradition 3500 – 2500 years ago:
rituals and many gods (polytheism)
sacred texts (Vedas)
social stratification (caste system)
Vedic Tradition develops into Hinduism

6. What are the Sacred Texts?
Shruti (“heard”) – oldest, most authoritative:
Four Vedas (“truth”) – myths, rituals, chants
Upanishads - metaphysical speculation
Plus other texts
Smriti (“remembered”) – the Great Indian Epics:
Ramayana
Mahabharata (includes Bhagavad-Gita)
Plus others

7. Sacred Texts Rig Veda: Hinduism’s oldest text- nearly 4000 years.
Bhagavad Gita:
Hinduism’s most popular sacred text.

8. What do Hindus believe? One impersonal Ultimate Reality – Brahman
Manifest as many personal deities
True essence of life – Atman, the soul, is Brahman trapped in matter (“That art thou”)
Reincarnation – atman is continually born into this world lifetime after lifetime (Samsara)
Karma – spiritual impurity due to actions keeps us bound to this world (good and bad)
Ultimate goal of life – to release Atman and reunite with the divine, becoming as one with Brahman (Moksha)

9. How does Hinduism direct life in this world?
Respect for all life – vegetarian
Human life as supreme:
Four “stations” of life (Caste) - priests & teachers, nobles & warriors, merchant class, servant class
Four stages of life – student, householder, retired, renunciant
Four duties of life – pleasure, success, social responsibilities, religious responsibilities (moksha)

10. What are the spiritual practices of Hinduism?
The Four Yogas - seeking union with the divine:
Karma Yoga – the path of action through selfless service (releases built up karma without building up new karma)
Jnana Yoga – the path of knowledge (understanding the true nature of reality and the self)
Raja Yoga – the path of meditation
Bhakti Yoga – the path of devotion
Guru – a spiritual teacher, especially helpful for Jnana and Raja yoga

11. How do Hindus worship?
Bhakti Yoga is seeking union with the divine through loving devotion to manifest deities
In the home (household shrines)
In the Temples (priests officiate)
Puja – making offerings to and decorating the deity images
Darsan – “seeing” the deity (not idol worship)
Prasad – taking the divine within your own being through eating of food shared with the deity

12. Who do Hindus worship? – the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Brahma, the creator god

13. Who do Hindus worship? – the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Shiva, god of constructive destruction (the transformer)
Appears as Shiva Nataraj, lord of the dance of creation…
and with his wife, Parvati, and son Ganesha (the elephant headed remover of obstacles)

14. All these deities are but Manifest forms (attributes
and functions) of the
impersonal Brahman

15. And we too are manifest forms of God!
“We are not human beings having spiritual experiences; We are spiritual beings having a human experience!”
“That art Thou”
Hinduism is about recognizing the all pervasiveness of the divine

16. What is the goal of Hinduism?
Moksha: “release or liberation
United forever with the divine
Infinite bliss and awareness

17. Buddhism
“There is only one God, but endless are his aspects and endless are his names”

18. What is Buddhism?
Buddhism is a major world religion, or in a better sense, philosophy.
It is the 4th largest religion of the world, and has about 300,000,000 people living by it.
It explains the purpose of life, injustices and inequality around the world.
It also helps people by providing a way of life that will lead to true happiness.

19. The History of Buddhism
It was all started by Buddha, who was a prince in Lumbini, 2500 years ago.
He was very unhappy in his royal life, so he set off on a 6 year journey, exploring other religions.
After his long journey and much meditation he was finally “enlightened”.
He found the middle path, the key to human happiness. For the rest of his life he wandered Asia, preaching his new religion.

20. What Did Buddha Teach?
He taught the 4 Noble truths which sum up Buddhism religion
He also taught the noble eight fold path
He taught to lead a moral life, be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions and to develop wisdom and understanding
He also taught the 5 precepts

21. LIFE INEVITABLY INVOLVES SUFFERING:
FIRST NOBLE TRUTH:
LIFE INEVITABLY INVOLVES SUFFERING:
Imperfect
Illness
Hateful
Separation

22. SECOND NOBLE TRUTH: THE ORIGIN OF SUFFERING IS OUR DESIRES:
Grasping for pleasure
Grasping for becoming
Grasping for sensual delight
Grasping for what we don’t have

23. THIRD NOBLE TRUTH: SUFFERING WILL STOP WHEN DESIRES ARE STOPPED:
When the ‘grasping’ stops
Elimination of passions

24. FOURTH NOBLE TRUTH:
THERE IS A WAY TO GET TO THIS POINT: THE EIGHTFOLD PATH

25. 1) RIGHT UNDERSTANDING
Understanding reality through the Four Noble Truths
Seeing through illusions

26. 2) RIGHT THOUGHT/MOTIVES
Uncover ‘unwholesome’ emotional roots that guide our thinking
Discover and weed out
Only then do we become free from self-centredness

27. 3) RIGHT SPEECH VS. - Vain talk, gossip, harsh words, lying
Communication must further truth and harmony
Including ‘self-talk’: “May you be well and happy today…”

28. 4) RIGHT ACTION FIVE RULES OF MORAL CONDUCT: DO NOT DESTROY LIFE
DO NOT STEAL
AVOID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
DO NOT LIE
DO NOT USE INTOXICANTS
ABOVE ALL: ALL ACTIONS SHOULD BE BASED ON CLEAR UNDERSTANDING

29. 5) RIGHT LIVELIHOOD How one makes their living
One’s work should not harm others

30. 6) RIGHT EFFORT
Refers to the constant effort that must be put into achieving these goals
IT TAKES EFFORT!

31. LIKE AN ELEPHANT FROM THE MUD.”
7) RIGHT MINDFULNESS
The way to liberation is through the mind
“CHECK YOUR MIND
BE ON GUARD
PULL YOURSELF OUT
LIKE AN ELEPHANT FROM THE MUD.”

32. 8) RIGHT MEDITATION Applying mental discipline to quiet the mind
THE MIND IS SUBTLE, INVISIBLE, AND TREACHEROUS
USE SKILFUL MEANS TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND ITS NATURE

33. It has been said that “as Judaism is to Christianity, so is Hinduism is to Buddhism.” Buddhism arose out of Hinduism as a direct result of the influence of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha or “Enlightened One; the religious worldview of the Buddhist is very similar to the Hindu worldview, but it is important to recognize that Buddhism is very much distinct from Hinduism.