1 hinduism. 2 –most ancient religious tradition in asia (world?) –vedas – hindu sacred texts...
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Hinduism
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Hinduism
– Most ancient religious tradition in Asia (world?)– Vedas – Hindu sacred texts– Polytheistic - May be viewed as monothestic– Castes
• Brahman, priestly• Kshatriya, warrior/ruler• Vaisya, tradesman and farmer• Sudra, servant and laborer
– Untouchables (de facto 5th caste)
• Central belief is in reincarnation
• Transmigration of the soul• Cycles of creation – birth to
death to birth• Role of dharma & karma• Effect on diet
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Characteristics of Hinduism
• No clergy or religious requirements – • No real splintering or sects
– Can be practiced in many ways & at many levels so there was no need to “split off.”
• No concept of a personal God• Each individual is seeking to comprehend
the ultimate reality while living out his/her dharma with the goal of union with Brahman once the cycle of reincarnation is ended.
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Monotheism?
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Hindu Landscape
Ganges River
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Buddhism
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Buddhism
• Siddhartha Gautama – Kshatriya Caste• Buddha – Enlightened One• Four Noble Truths
– Life involves suffering
– Cause of suffering is desire
– Elimination of desire ends suffering
– Right thinking and behavior eliminate desire
• Diffused from India
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Buddhism
• Nirvana–Buddhism is a way of living that achieves
release from reincarnation and suffering
• God is not knowable, so is, therefore, not a major concern in Buddhism
• Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) rejected the caste system
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Buddhism
• Scriptures: Vinaya (discipline) – expanded later
• Branches:– Theravada (south) – monk seeks own
deliverance
– Mahayana (north) – role of bodhisattvas & ritual
– Tibetan Lamaism – example of syncretism
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Branches of Buddhism
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The Eight-Fold Path
The Way (the 8-Fold Path)
The threefold scheme of morality
1. Right understanding
2. Right thoughtFaith(initially)
Wisdom: III(ultimately)
3. Right speech4. Right bodily action5. Right livelihood
Morality: I
6. Right moral effort7. Right mindfulness8. Right concentration
Meditation: II
Buddhist Stupas
ThailandCambodia
Tibet
Buddhist Landscapes
Buddhist Stupa, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand
Buddhist Temple, Louang pPhrabang, Laos
Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Wheels Tibetan Landscapes
Wat Chedi Luang, Chang Mai Thailand
Grand Palace, Bangkok Thailand
Borobodour, Indonesia
Golden Temple, Kyoto Japan
Buddhist Temple, Kharkorin, Mongolia
Angor Wat, Cambodia
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Other Religions
• Eastern Religions– Confucianism – China – Taoism – China – Shinto – Japan – Zoroastrianism – Iran– Baha'i – Iran
• Animism and Shamanism
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TaoismThe natural is the essence
of all that must be known,and the place
where all must return
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Confucianism
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Shintoism
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Animism and Shamanism
• Animism • Belief in influence of spirits or spiritual forces in all
creation
• Characteristic of many African & Native American religions
• Shamanism• the religion of certain peoples, esp. some
indigenous to N Asia, based on a belief in good and evil spirits who can be influenced only by the shamans