1. What is Hinduism? One of the oldest religions of humanity
The religion of the Indian people
Gave birth to Buddhism
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

2. 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)
Upanishads :Written explanation of the Vedic religion
Vedic Tradition develops into Hinduism

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

4. Goal of Hinduism Moksha: Release or liberation
United forever with the divine
Infinite bliss and awareness.

5. 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)

6. Brahman: essence of reality
He is ultimate reality because he can be visualized.
Brahma’s life span = each day is 1000 times the whole of human history.
The world will end with the appearance of Vishnu, which is about 4000 years from now.

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

8. Who do Hindus worship? – the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Vishnu, the preserver god
Incarnates as ten avatars (descents) including:
Rama (featured in the Ramayana)
Krishna (featured in the Mahabharata)
(Each shown with his consort, Sita and Rama, respectively)

9. Who do Hindus worship? –
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)

10. What about the goddesses? Devi – the feminine divine
Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, consort of Brahma

11. What about the goddesses? Devi – the feminine divine
Lakshmi, goddess of good fortune, consort of Vishnu

12. What about the goddesses? Devi – the feminine divine
Parvati, divine mother, wife of Shiva

13. What about the goddesses? Devi – the feminine divine
Durga, protectress
Kali, destroyer of demons
Plus about 330 million other deities

14. Kali wife of Shiva black in color & wearing a necklace of skulls.
She is a bloodthirsty goddess.
A violent destroyer of her enemies
affectionate and caring for her devotees. .

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

16. 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

17. Karma & Dharma Karma: “action” or “deeds”
Every action produces a Justified effect based on its moral worthiness.
Karma determines all the particular circumstances and Situations of one’s life.
Dharma: ethical duty based on the divine order of reality. The word is the closest equivalent to “religion.”

18. Reincarnation
Samsara is the wheel of rebirth which means the soul is reborn
from one life form to another.
People may be reincarnated at a higher or lower level of existence depending on their karma from their present life.
People may be reborn as plants or animals or they may be elevated to a higher caste as a human.
Death is not final for Hindus as they expect to be reborn many times.

19. What is meditation, bhakti, sadhana or devotion?
It is essentially a language of love
This alone can give us the bliss of God-realization
Sadhana serves to attract the devotee’s attention to the Lord
This makes the devotee free from sorrow and suffering, and reveals Himself (God) before the devotee
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20. What is yoga? Method of keeping us in control of
our body, mind and actions
One must master these four types of yoga
Jnana yoga – the path of knowledge
Bhakti yoga – the path of devotion
Karma yoga – the path of action
Raja yoga – the path based on control of one’s actions and thoughts
Having learned these, the body can be detached from the soul.
Achieve union with the supreme self or God.
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21. 10 Common Hinduism Questions
Why does Hinduism have so many Gods?
Hindus all believe in one Supreme God who created many Gods, highly advanced spiritual beings, to be His helpers
Do Hindus believe in reincarnation?
Yes, we believe the soul (without body) is immortal and takes birth again and again.
What is Karma?
Karma is the universal principal of cause and effect. Both good and bad karma not only decide our fate (sorrow and happiness) in the present life, but also in future life.
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22. 10 Common Hinduism Questions
Why do Hindus worship the cow?
By honoring this gentle animal, who gives more than she takes, we honor the creatures as well.
Are Hindus idol worshipers?
We worship God through the image so that we can commune with Him and receive His blessings.
Are Hindus forbidden to eat meat?
Hindus teach vegetarianism as a way of life to not hurt living creatures.
Do Hindus have a Bible?
Our “Bible” is called the Veda which means “wisdom” and which reveals the word of God.
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23. 10 Common Hinduism Questions
Why do many Hindus wear a dot near the middle of their forehead?
It represents a divine sight and shows that one is a Hindu.
Are the Gods of Hinduism really married?
It is true that God is often depicted with a spouse in traditional stories, a symbol of love between husband and wife.
What about caste and untouchability?
Caste is the hereditary division of Indian society based on occupation (priests, warriors, business people, and workers). The lowest caste, untouchables, suffer from discrimination. It is now illegal in India.
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24. Hinduism and Humanity Code of Conduct Nonviolence (ahimsa)
Truthfulness
Patience
Compassion
Honesty
Purity
Giving
Faith in God
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25. Hinduism and Humanity According to Mahatma Gandhi, love, sacrifice
and truthfulness leads to comfort and pleasure
in everyday life.
Gandhi’s use of nonviolence was a strong weapon in achieving India’s independence
Pluralism
Hinduism promotes not only tolerance and respect for differences in belief and religion, but also acceptance of those paths as legitimate
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26. Respect for Earth
Hinduism teaches us the need to care for the Earth and all its beings by not killing animals and plants
Hindus worship mountains, oceans and the planets as God, to give respect for both earthly and heavenly things
Vegetarianism has been advocated for many centuries.
According to reincarnation all souls upon death are reborn in another body. Hence there is no difference between an animal soul and a human soul. We should respect every soul.
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