Hinduism

Team Name: Hindus

Team Members: Britnee Abbott, Julian Black, Stephanie Cruz, Jade Lum, and Hien Ngo

Early America

Native People

The Puritans

Britnee Abbott

America as a Diverse Nation

1786 Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom

Separation of Church and State and protection of religious freedom in the Bill of Rights in 1791

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Sense of Pluralism Britnee Abbott

General Background of Hinduism

derived from hindu, Persian word

several religions in India and Nepal

80% of people in India

>1 million people in the U.S

30 million people in other places

began around 2000-750 BCE

one of the oldest faiths

Hien Ngo

Hinduism

Refer as “Sanatana Dharma”= eternal faith

Concept of dharma is

“to hold”

Humans are taught to “hold” and internalize the laws

which make humans able to transition from

“ignorance to discovery of the truth”

Hien Ngo

Historical Period

Pre-Vedic

Vedic (1500-500 BC)

Upanishad (7th-5th centuries BC)

Puranic (500 BC-500 CE)

Medieval (500 CE-1500 CE)

• Modern (1500 CE-present) Hien Ngo

Hindu Termsatman Brahma Caste system, brahmin, untouchables chakras dharma four stages of life karma maya moksha suttee Julian

Black

Hindu Gods•Unlike religions such as Christianity, and Catholicism; the Hindu religion has many gods

•Polytheistic

•Within Hinduism a large number of gods are worshipped.

•These gods that they worship are aspects, or parts of one supreme being.

Jade Lum

Ganesh•Story: Father beheads him. (Shiva, Parvati)

•He is characterized with the head of a white elephant, and a red human body.

•He is the god of success, the remover of obstacles and failure.

•People receive Ganesh with tenderness and awe because blessings are to his bestow.

•It is said that he is the one who gave humans writing, wealth,and the universe.

Jade Lum

Key Teachings•The earliest Hindu texts are the Vedas which date back to 1200 B.C.E.

•There is the Rig Veda, the Atharva Veda, Sama, and the Yajur Vedas.

•Each veda is divided into sections: hymns, interpretations of hymns, explanations and interpretations, and metaphysical dialogs.

Jade Lum

Key Teachings Continued

•Between 700 BCE and 300 BCE many philosophical works came in to being.

•The Aranyakas, or "Forest Books" deals with the proper performance of rituals.

•The Puranas, written by the sage Vyasa, describes the lives of the gods and their struggles to achieve moral perfection. The purpose of the Puranas is to teach devotion to god through myths, stories legends etc. The Puranas were intended for ordinary people who would not be able to understand high philosophy.

Jade Lum

Worship• Home

– Shrines and offerings

– Daily rituals: worshiping at dawn, reciting religious scriptures, personal meditation

• Temples

– Icons (murtis): tangible link between worshiper and deity

– Chants and prayers (mantra) Stephanie

Cruz

Pilgrimages• Long journey or search

for moral significance

• Sites are either identified with gods/goddesses or associated with important events

• Example: Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri, and Rameshwaram make up the Chardham. Pilgrimage to these destinations may lead to moksha, or release from the cycle of rebirths Stephanie

Cruz

Badrinath

Festivals• Commemorate

gods/goddesses or changes in the season, and are meant to serve as religious celebrations as well as personal enjoyment

• Main celebrations include:

– Janmashtami

– Ganesh Chaturthi

– Diwali Stephanie Cruz

Janmashtami

Diwali

Ganesh Chaturthi

Yoga• Sanskrit word yoga has many

meanings, but comes from the word yuj, meaning “to unite”

• Yoga is practiced as a path to the inner self or Divine

• Different paths include:

– Bhakti yoga (path of love and devotion)

– Karma yoga (path of right action)

– Raja yoga (path of meditation)

– Jnana yoga (path of wisdom)

Stephanie Cruz

Statue of Shiva

Mehndi Ceremony

• Mehndi is the application of henna on hands, back, and feet as a temporary adornment

• Process

– Ink made from ground henna leaves with added oil

– Application

• Traditionally done on special occasions such as festivals and before weddings Stephanie

Cruz

Christian/Western vs. Hindu

Christian/Western

“This is a world view that seems ready-made for America: one understanding of God, one ritual form or path...”

Hindu

“Rather, worship is multiform and simultaneous. One never forgets that there are divergent ways of worship, divergent understandings of the divine presence.”

Britnee Abbott

Quiz

What was Ganesh's father's name?a. Shivab. Ramac. Krishnad. Vishnu

What did the Puritans want?a. A nation of Hindusb. A diverse Americac. A Christian nationd. A polytheistic nation

Quiz

True or False? A pilgrimage is a long journey or spiritual search for

moral significance, which may involve destinations to sites identified with gods, goddesses, or important events.

What is Sanatana Dharma?

What is Atman?

Citations

Eck, Diana L. A New Religious America: How a “Christian Country” Has Become the World’s Most Religiously Diverse Nation. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 2001.

"Hindu Gods and Hindu Goddesses." Sanatan Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Oct 2010. <http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses.htm>.

"Hinduism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 03 Oct 2010. Web. 3 Oct 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism>."Hinduism Culture." N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct 2010. <http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/ews431/hinduism5.html>.Hinduism Historical Background.  3 October 2010. <http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/ews431/hinduism2.html>.“Hinduism Stories of the Hindu Gods.” N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct 2010. <

http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/ews431/hindu_stories.html>.“Hinduism The Texts.” N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct 2010. <http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/ews431/hinduism4.html>.Hinduism The Tenets. 3 October 2010. <http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/ews431/hinduism3.html>.

Hindu Terms. 3 October 2010. <http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/ews431/hindu_terms.htm>.

"Origins of Yoga." Google Videos. Web. 2 Oct 2010. <http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8920937881517834844&q=festivals+of+india&hl=en#>

"The Meditative State." Youtube. Web. 2 Oct 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0rSmxsVHPE&feature=related>.

"Mehndi." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 27 Sep 2010. Web. 3 Oct 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehndi>.

 "Mehndi Party." Youtube. Web. 2 Oct 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn2qk-0ZHQs&feature=PlayList&p=2BAC0B184BB4E78C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=5>.