Hinduism Hinduism ● The term Hindu was traditionally used by outsiders to describe the people of South Asia, now it has come to describe their religion

● A “Hindu” is someone who accepts the authority of the Vedas

● Hinduism is the largest religion in India today ● Hinduism began with the beliefs of the Aryan people and the Harappans and mixed as the two cultures collided.

● Hinduism is one of the oldest of the world religions of today, originating well before the Vedas were written down.

● Hinduism is incredibly tolerant of other religions, often incorporating their beliefs and practices to at least some degree. Vedas

●The Vedas are ancient books of Aryan poetry, songs, hymns, myths, stories, etc. that focus on gods, religion, and history. ●There are a total of four Vedas ○ Rig Veda (oldest) ○ Sama Veda ○ Yajur Veda ○ Atharva Veda ● Each Veda has four layers of text ○ Samhitas ■Original verses ○ Brahmanas ■Commentary by Brahmins on keeping cosmic balance (purity) ○ Aranyakas ■primarily concerned with the proper performance of ritual ○ Upanishads ■philosophy Brahman

●According to Hinduism, everything that exists is a part of a single supreme force. Nothing exists separate from this force.

●Since Brahman can be difficult to understand, Hindus focus on aspects of Brahman which are incorporated into many gods Gods

● Brahma: Creation God ● Shiva: Destroyer god ● Vishnu: Preserver god

● These are only three of literally thousands of gods. Different sects worship different gods in different ways.

Beliefs

●Karma: Every deed affects a person’s fate in this and future lives

●Dharma: One’s duties and obligations in life

●Caste: A result of Karma and Dharma, directly related Beliefs

●Samsara: The endless cycle of rebirths a person must endure before achieving Moksha (liberation)

●Reincarnation: Hindus believe that a person’s Atman is reborn over and over again until all the lessons of life are learned. ●Hindus want to achieve good Karma by fulfilling their Dharma and observing Caste so that they can reunite their Atman with Brahman in order to break free of Samsara.