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HINDUISM AND
BUDDHISM
HINDUISM
HISTORY One of the
oldest religions in the world
Evolved from the beliefs of the people living in an area called the Indus Valley in what is now northwestern India and eastern Pakistan
Believed in one main god, Brahma (or Brahman), and many lesser gods.A set of sayings
and teachings called the Vedas inspired by Brahma Contain hymns and
chants
The Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity (from left ), Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, c. 1880.
Vishnu with his 10 avatars (incarnations): Fish, Tortoise, Boar, Man-Lion, Dwarf, Rāma with the Ax, King Rāma, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalkin. Painting from Jaipur, India, 19th century; in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
SOCIETY Castes – classes
1. Brahmins – priests1. Assisting people with worship and
remembering and passing the sacred texts
2. Kshatriyas – soldiers and nobles3. Vishyas - farmers, merchants, and
craftspeople4. Shudras – servants and laborers5. Untouchables – people outside the other
castes who did the dirtiest jobs
SOCIETY CONT… Hindus believe people were born into a
certain caste because of their karma from a past lifeRemained a member of that caste for lifeNot allowed to associate with other castes
Around the 9th century BC the Brahmins became very powerfulAnother group, hermits, emerged as
religious leaders, who lived a simple life in the forest and devoted their life to meditation
PRACTICES Yoga
Intended to transform consciousness to free yourself from desire
Bhakti Devotion and praise to deity
Cast is irrelevant Reciting or singing name of deity Caring for image Wearing emblems or symbols representing deity
Forehead markings (Tilak )
SPREAD OF HINDUISM In the 8th century Muslims migrated to
India and after 500 years of conflict took over India
The British set up colonies and further diluted the Indian culture
Gandhi (1869-1949) – used the Hindu principle of non-violent resistance to eventually free India of British rule in 1947
BELEIFS Gurus, Hindu teachers Share a common set of beliefs
When people die they come back to earth in a process called reincarnation
A person’s good or bad behavior, called karma, during their lifetime influences their status in their next life
As a reward for good behavior, they might be born into a higher caste
As a punishment for bad behavior, the could be reborn as an animal
BELIEFS CONT… Samsara
the cycle of birth, death and rebirth
Ends when a person achieves moksha, the final stage of purity
Four stages of life A student,
householder, a forest hermit, and a wandering holy man Most spend their adult
life as a householder
ANIMALS Certain animals are
sacred Cow
Source of milk and cheese
Does work by pulling carts and plows
Dung is used as fuelNot allowed to kill a cowAnd most Hindus do not
eat beef Many do not eat meat of
any kind
CONCEPT OF GOD One creator-god – Brahma Vishnu – the preserver
Believed to appear in ten forms, or avatars Shiva – the destroyer
A god of opposites, responsible for destroying creation, but also for re-creating it
Special places can be gods and goddessesThe Ganges River is worshipped as a
goddess Believe the waters will wash away their sins and
cure their illnesses
SACRED WRITINGS Written over thousands of years Oldest is in Sanskrit Vedas – written between 2000 and 400
BC Rig Veda
Collection of hymns about the Hindu gods and their worship
Upanishads – which talk about reincarnation and moksha
SYMBOLS Gods and goddesses in pictures and
statues Shown to have many faces and arms Brahma has four faces to show he rules
over the four points of the compass Each rides a specific animal The written form of the sacred sound of
om or aum is used as a symbolRepresents the first sound heard in the
world and also is found at the beginning of Hindu prayers
WORSHIP/SACRED SPACE Temple or special shrine in the home Worship individually Dharma, behaving in a good or ethical
way, to be an act or worship At home, offer prayers daily
Offerings such as food, flowers, incense, milk, water, or ghee (a form of butter) to a statue or picture
Some temples are in caves or mountainsDedicated to a god or goddess
WORSHIP Before a baby is born special prayers
are offered 10 or 12th day a naming ceremony 5 or 6 months special prayers for first
solid food Another special ceremony for first
haircut and ear piercing somewhere between one and five
SACRED THREAD CEREMONY Hindu boy from one of the upper three
castes Age of 12 After a series of ritual baths and prayers
the boy is given a loop of thread It is made up of three cords, each is
made up of three twisted strands, symbolizing the interconnectedness of all existence.
The boy wears the cord over his left shoulder and under his right arm for the rest of his life.
HOLIDAYS/ FESTIVALS Holi – February or March Dussehra – September or October Diwala – October or November
MEMBERSHIP One of the world’s largest religions Close to one billion Hindus in the world
BUDDHISM
HISTORY Founded by Siddhartha Guatama (563-
483 BC) who later became know as the Buddha
Lived in northern India (present-day Nepal)
Raised in luxury and his father wanted him to become king. A fortune teller told his father that when the
boy saw four people, a poor man, and old man, a corpse and a beggar, he would leave his family and not become king.
Siddhartha saw the four men and at 29 left his family to seek out an answer as to why there was so much suffering in the world.
HISTORY CONT… For six years he travelled Meditating under and bodhi in a place
called Bodh Gaya he became aware of the answer, which he called the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
He began to travel, preaching and teaching and became known as the Buddha (The Enlightened One)
Buddhism spread and took on different characteristics in different places.
BELIEFS Four Noble Truths1. There is suffering in the world.2. Suffering is caused by human desires
or greed.3. Suffering can be stopped by stopping
human desires.4. This can be done by following the
Eightfold Path.
THE EIGHTFOLD PATH1. Right understanding – understanding
the teachings of the Buddha, especially the Four Noble Truths.
2. Right thoughts – thinking about the Four Noble Truths and how to put them into practice by being kind to others.
3. Right speech – speaking kindly toward and about others.
4. Right action – acting in ways that are kind and helpful.
THE EIGHTFOLD PATH 5. Right livelihood – choosing a job that
is not harmful to others. 6. Right effort – concentrating on
becoming a better person. 7. Right mindfulness – being aware of
thoughts in order to think kindly towards others.
8. Right concentration – practicing meditation, which helps to enlighten the mind.
BELIEFS Completing the Eightfold Path is said to
have freedom from all suffering which Buddhist call reading nirvana
Buddhists believe that when a person dies he or she returns to continue in another attempt to reach nirvana
The laws of karma, reincarnation and dharma apply
CONCEPT OF GOD Buddha is not thought of as a god, but
as a person who is enlightened Any person can become a buddha
SACRED WRITINGS For centuries passed
down by monks through word of mouth
Written down in the first century, Pali Canon
Dhammapada
SYMBOLS Buddha
Hands touching the ground symbolizes his enlightenment
Reclining position shows the Buddha in a stage near to nirvana
The Wheel of life, the wheel of the lawCircular nature of
life, cycles of life and rebirth
THERAVADA BUDDHISM Sri Lanka, Burma and
southeastern AsiaMost traditional,
individual responsibilityMost become monks or
nuns to seek personal enlightenment Shave heads and wear
saffron as Buddha did, live in simplicity and meditation
Boys as young as 4 or 5 sent to a monastery
MAHAYANA BUDDHISM 2nd century BC
India, spread to Tibet, China and Japan Bodhisattvas, people who are ready to
reach nirvana but chose to help others along the path to enlightenment
Comparison of the Theravadan & Mahayanan traditions:
Theravada Buddhism Mahayana Buddhism
Reaching Nirvana is the ultimate goal of the Theravada Buddhist.
Vow to be reborn in order to help all other sentient beings reach Nirvana first.
Strives for wisdom first . Compassion is the highest virtue.
Centers on meditation, and requires major personal dedication such as being a monk or nun.
Encourages practice in the world and among the general community.
Followed as a teaching or Philosophy. Followed with reference to higher beings, more like a religion.
Moved primarily South and West covering Indochina and Ceylon (Sri-Lanka).
Moved Primarily North and West, covering China, Korea, Japan, and Tibet.
Early work written in Pali (e.g. kamma, dhamma). Early texts are in Sanskrit (e.g. karma, dharma)
Emphasizes rules and education Emphasizes intuition and practice
Politically conservative Politically liberal
Comparison of the Theravadan & Mahayanan traditions:
JAPAN In Japan- Pure Lane Buddhism Zen Buddhism –centers on meditation,
taken into JapanBelieve in enlightenment called satori, by
physical labor or meditation cross-legged
DALAI LAMA Vajrayana Buddhism or Tantric
Buddhism, Tibet – Dalai Lama, spiritual leaderWhen he dies his spirit enters a newborn
boy who becomes the next Dalai Lama
WORSHIP/SACRED SPACES Practice in all aspects of life Devotion is meditation Temples and monasteries can be found
everywhere Shrines were built to house relics of
Buddha or to house his writings When visiting a temple
Might remove shoes Sit before a statue of the Buddha Recite a short verse Leave an offering meditate
HOLIDAYS/FESTIVALS New Year – New Moon of February Vaishakha Festival – eighth day of the
second lunar month Hana Matsuri – April 8 Pirit
CONFUCIANISM Confucius (551-479BC) Teacher
Social harmonySociety based on respect, li
Superior person (a father, an elder brother, a ruler) was to be considerate of and benevolent toward those beneath him, and the inferior person was to be respectful and loyal.
Jen – goodness, human-heartednesss “do not do unto others what you would not want
others to do to you”Analects
Don’t have a particular concept of god
JAINISM Ancient religion of India Believe every living being has a soul and the soul
collects atomic particles, called karma, which cling to it and keep it from reaching perfection. When the body dies the soul is reborn Jains treat their bodies harshly to burn out the bad
karma Right faith, right knowledge and right conduct
Non-violence Do not eat meat and periods of fasting
Do not eat after dark so they will not accidently swallow an insect
Believe any living being has the potential to become siddha, or god, by achieving moksha
SHINTOISM Ancient traditional religion of Japan Emperor Meiji made it the official religion in
1868 Religion of nature
Supernatural spirits or gods (kami) inhabit all aspects of nature
Can be found in oceans, mountains, animals, plants and especially human ancestors.
The kami protect people who are placed in their care
Izanagi and his wife, Izanami, created the earth, they stirred the water the create many islands, the islands are Japan
Sun goddess, Amaterasu Omikami
SIKHISM Practice in the Punjab region of India Founded in the 15th century
A religion that accepted both Hindu and Muslim faith Gurus leaders built temples and established cities
During the 18th and 19th centuries fought the Muslims for control, but was taken over by the British in 1849
1947 – India and Pakistan became independent and today there is still animosity between Sikhs and Muslims but they live peacefully
Believe in one God and that all people are equal Believe it is important to care for and serve
other people
