HINDUISMLearning Target: How did Hinduism influence the culture of India?

Do-Now: Take a handout and take out your homework!

Homework: Outline/mind map/ABC Round-Up 59-63. Your notes should be able to answer the following questions:

• How did India’s geography influence the development of its civilization?

• How did the Aryans influence India?

• Describe the 2 major empires of India: Maurya and Gupta.

• Describe political culture in India.

Hindu Creation Myth

Directions: Using your knowledge of

world religions and the story of

Manu, answer the questions below.

Compare and Contrast the story of

Manu to a similar story or stories

that you may be familiar with.

What is similar? What is different?

Cause and Effect: What do you

think is the reason multiple belief

systems share similar stories?

Hinduism: Make a prediction from the images!

Hinduism

Founder: No single founder Place of Origin: India

Sacred Texts Vedas, Laws of Manu

Major Beliefs

and

Teachings

• Polytheistic with millions of gods and goddesses. Main gods include:

• Brahma: creator of the universe.

• Vishnu: the preserver of the universe.

• Shiva: destroyer of the universe.

• Reincarnation/Samsara: a cycle of birth and rebirth determined by one’s

religious and social actions.

• Dharma: religious and moral duties of an individual.

• Karma: behavior of an individual; good or bad deeds.

• Atman: belief that every living thing has a soul.

• Ahimsa: not causing harm to other living things.

• Cow is sacred.

• Having good karma and dharma allows for a person to move up in the caste

system, but this could take several rebirths.

Ultimate

Goals

Achieve moksha, or salvation, which allows a person to escape/break the cycle of

reincarnation. A person becomes with one with atman, or the universal soul.

Caste System Priests, Academics

Warriors, Kings

Merchants, Landowners

Commoners, Peasants, Servants

Outcasts (out of caste/had to live apart): street sweepers, latrine cleaners, grave diggers. Other castes feared that contact with an Untouchable could spread pollution. They even had to sound a

wooden clapper to warn of their approach.

Brahmins

Kshatriya

Vaishya

Shudras

Untouchables

Hinduism and its Impacts on Society

https://www.youtube.com/wat

ch?v=9EICcU9oN-s (2:19)

Tolerant religion.

Reinforced the Caste System.

Practice yoga and

meditation.

Sacred Texts of Hinduism

Directions: Answer the questions below based on the reading and your knowledge of Hinduism.

Hinduism, as one of the oldest religions in history, has no central founder. How then, were the religion’s beliefs formed over time?

What do you think the impact of no central founder, and the characteristics of the above sacred texts, has had on the religion?

The Rigveda, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, and sacred texts from many other belief systems, tell stories about gods and their interactions with each other and with humans. Why do you think this is the case?

Chakra Mindfulness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6sbrmcrSuo

The chakras are focal points where the forces of your mind and body merge and interact with each other.

Hindus believe that there are seven major chakras located along the spinal cord and top of your head. (They believe that there are 88,000 total.)

Each of the seven major chakras is associated with a specific color, shape, organ, natural element, deity, and mantra.

The most important chakras are located at the base of the spine and top of the head.

Learning Target Notebook

Thursday, September 26th

Learning Target Question:

How did Hinduism influence the culture of India?

Please place the books in a neat pile in the center of your tables. Thank you!

*There will be a notebook check at the end of the week which counts as a classwork grade.**