Religions in Asia

Hinduism

Brahmathe Creator

Three main Gods

VishnuThe Preserver

ShivaThe Destroyer!

One True God

All three gods were manifestation of one true God

Brahman

- Means Ultimate Reality

- Ultimate essence of material that cannot be realized through senses but only through self

knowledge (atma jnana)

- Not to be confused with Hindu preists known as “Brahmins”

Caste System

Brahmin

Kshatriya

Vaishya

Sudra

Untouchables

Priests and Scholars

Warriors and Leaders

Farmers, Artisans, Traders

Slaves

Karma

Hindus believe in a cycle of rebirth. Upon death, the soul is transformed to a higher, or lower category of being depending on

their Karma

Karma

- Moral consequences of a person’s actions

Moksha and Nirvana

A person’s goal is to achieve good karma in order to avoid reincarnation

Moksha and Nirvana are achieved when one’s sould is completely pure and

united with Brahman

Moksha

- End of the cycle of rebirth

Nirvana

- When the soul attains true peace and happiness

Buddhism

Origin- Emerged In India as a protest to

Hinduism- Founded by Siddharta Gautama Buddha

- Buddha opposed the caste system

Siddharta Gautama Buddha

- Son of a wealthy king in Nepal- Forbidden to leave his kingdom by his

parents- Prophesy said he would either be a king or a sage

- Upon seeing the real world, he decided to leave his kingdom to live a life of piety and asceticism- Meditated under a Bodhi tree for 49 days and

experienced enlightenment

Division

Later on, Buddhism was divided into

Mahayana BuddhismBuddha =

GOD

Theravada Buddhism

Buddha = Teacher

Jainism

Vardhamana/Mahavira- A contemporary of Buddha

- Also opposed caste system

- Also left his family

- Became a beggar

- Meditated silently for 12 years under a Sala Tree

- Achieved “Kevala” in the 13th year

Jainism

Also believes in reincarnation and karma

Kevala can be attained through right conduct

It is forbidden to use force in Jainism

Peaceful action and non violence = Ahimsa

All life on earth is sacred, thus it i forbidden to eat meat.

Sikhism

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Guru Nanak

Founder of Sikhism

First Guru of sikhism

Guru - Descent of divine guidance to mankind through the Ten Enlightened Masters

Born in Talvandi, now called Nankana Sahib which is in Lahore, Pakistan

GodThe God of the Sikh - niranker or formless.

God - akal or eternal.

He is the creator, sustainer and destroyer

God cannot be human and cannot be understood by mortals.

God can be understood through his revelation, his creations.

God is everywhere

Sikhism

Goal of man = destroy the cycle of rebirth and unite with God

If a person overcomes the five cardinal vices, he will be saved

5 cardinal vices - Sexual desire, anger, greed, pride, hedonism

Sacred scripture - Guru Grant Sahib

Judaism

Judaism

Religion of the Jews/Israelites

First monotheistic religion

God = Yahweh

Yahweh’s teachings are in the Torah/ First Five books of the bible

Chief Leader of Jews - Moses

Yahweh

Yahweh told the Jews, through Moses, that Canaan was their promised land.

Yahweh gave them a covenant, through moses, called the ten commandments.

Yahweh told the Jews to obey his teachings or they would be punished

Jews do not believe that Jesus Christ is their lord and savior.

Christianity

Jesus Christ

Founded Christianity

Believed by his followers to be the messiah

Born in bethlehem

Taught people, performed “miracles”

Crucified, resurrected after 3 days.

Christianity

Jesus Christ is the essence of Christianity

Holy book - Bible

Jesus is the son of God and was sent to the world to live in suffering and poverty and to die for the sake of mankind only to ressurect and ascend to the Father.

Islam

MuhammadOne of the prophets of islam

Used to visit a cave to meditate

Realized the mysteries of faith, concerning good and evil.

Allah is the only one who should be recognized, praised and thanked.

All of Muhammad’s intuitions, experiences were recorded by his spouse, Khadija, and his followers. This became the Sunnah/Hadith

Islam

Literally means Peace or surrender

Followers are called Muslims

Sacred Scripture - Qur’an/Koran

The doctrine of Islam is based on five pillars

Muslims believe In Jesus Christ as a prophet

Five Pillars

1. Shahada - There is one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.

2. Salat - Pray five times a day

3. Zakat - Being charitable

4. Sawn - The Ramadan

5. Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in a life of a Muslim.

Zoroastrianism

ZoroastrianismFounded by Zoroaster/ Zarathustra

Sacred Book - Zend Avesta

There are 2 forces; Good and Bad.

God of goodness: Ahura Mazda

God of evil: Angra Mainyu/ Ahriman

THERE IS ONE WAY TO FIGHT EVIL, DOING GOOD

Confucianism

ConfucianismFounded By Confucius (chinese- Kong fu-tzu, Kongfuzi, meaning - Master Kung)

Confucius wanted to find solutions to solve society’s problems.

Everyone should have good virtues like:1. Jen - Benevolence2. Yi - Righteousness, Right conduct3. Li - Ritual, Propriety

Teachings of Confucius are contained in Five Classics

Five Classics1. Classic of Changes - originally used for divination

2. Book of History - collection of speeches and discussions

3. Classic of Odes - odes and folk songs

4. Classic of Rites - discussion of principles of conduct and description of courtly and private ceremonials

5. Spring and Autumn Annals - Chronicle of the state of Lu

Taoism

TaoismFounded by Lao Tze/ Laozi/ Lao Zi/ Lao Tzu

According to some accounts, Lao Zi did not exist. He was made up by Taoist scholars to have a founder for Taoism.

Sacred Scripture - Dao De Jing/ Tao Te Ching

Taoists believe that nature has its own course and path and humans should just go with the flow

TaoismThe purpose of Taoism is to attain balance in the world. It is symbolized by the yin yang

Yin - represents females: soft and calm

Yang - represents males: hard and energetic

Taoists believe that immortality can be obtained by meditating, dieting, yoga, and alchemy

Taoists believe that nature is inhabited by Gods

They regard Buddha as one of their Gods

Legalism

LegalismConfucianism and Taoism failed to end the chaos during the Zhou Dynasty thus Legalism emerged.

It is the anti-thesis of Confucianism

Focused on strengthening state and widening its power.

Came from the ideas of Shang yang and Han Feizi

Legalism

State is the most important

Strict laws and heavy punishment are necessary

Adopted as a state religion by Qin Dynasty

Shi Huang Di embraced legalism and ordered to burn all confucian books and execution of confucian scholars

Zen Buddhism

Japanese sect of Buddhism

Came from an Indian monk: Bodhidharma. Later it spread to Japan

Emphasis of zen is the attainment of enlightenment through meditation and self discipline. These characteristics appealed to the Samurai.

Tibetan Buddhism/Lamaismfrom the word “lamas” meaning the superior

Lamas refers to Tibetan monks

Tibet is a theocracy, Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader. Every time a Dalai Lama dies, Tibetans search for the next Dalai Lama who is believed to be the reincarnation of the previous.

Shinto

ShintoIndigenous religion of Japan

In Japanese, it means kami no michi or way of the gods

In shinto, kami or sacred spirits are worshipped

kami inhabit nature

kami can also refer to dead emperors, leaders, samurai and ancestors

Shinto

Ameterasu, the sun-goddess, is whom the shintoists worship and regard her as their progenitor

Untill the end of WWII, the emperor of Japan was worshipped as a god

Buddha was also regarded as a kami

Shamanism

Shamanism Religion of the ancient Mongols and particularly during the time of Genghis Khan

Shaman - Expert who serves intermediaries between humans and gods. They cure the sick and exorcise the evil spirits

god of the ancient Mongols - Tengri; symbolizes blue sky

They also worship guardian spirits, or spirits that inhabit nature

Upon the death of Genghis Khan, He was regarded as Tengri

Animism

AnimismAnima - soul spirit

The world is inhabited by spirits living in stones, trees, rivers, mountaine and other objects of nature

There are good and bad spirits

Philippines - anito and diwata

Myanmar - nat

Phi - Laos

Animism

Prayers and offerings to these spirits will bless the people.

Earthquakes, storms, volcanic eruptions, and other calamities are the result of the anger of the spirits

In addition to natural spirits, Ancestral spirits are also worshipped