15.4 Hindu Beliefs About Brahman
For Hindus, Brahman is the supreme eternal power.
All of the other gods are believed to be forms of Brahman, and everything in the world, including “atman,” the human soul, is a part of Brahman.
Beginning in the 6th Century C.E., Hindus began building
15.5 Hindu Beliefs About Multiple Gods
Hindus believe in many gods, and one God--they believe that all the gods and goddesses are faces of Brahman.
In ancient times, Indra, the god of thunder, was the most important god.
15.5 Hindu Beliefs About Multiple Gods
The most important Hindu gods today are Brahma, who creates the universe Vishnu, who preserves it, and
Shiva, who destroys it.
Brahma, the Creator
Hindus believe that he
periodically creates everything in the universe. (Hindus
believe that time is cyclical: everything in the universe — except for Brahman and
certain Hindu scriptures — is created, maintained for a
Vishnu, the Preserver
Vishnu has 4 arms and holds a discus, conch shell, mace, and a lotus flower. He maintains the
Shiva, the Destroyer
Destroys the universe in order to
prepare for its renewal at the end of each cycle of time. Shiva’s
Ganesh, the Remover of Obstacles
15.5 Hindu Beliefs About Multiple Gods
The Ramayana is a famous Hindu story about Rama (an avatar of Vishnu) that is used to teach the basic beliefs of Hinduism to children.
It and other stories have inspired Hindu holidays.
One of these is Divali, “row of lamps,” which celebrates the
victory of good over evil--Rama’s triumph over the evil Ravana.
15.5 Hindu Beliefs About Multiple Gods
One of these is Divali, “row of lamps,” which celebrates the victory of good over
evil--Rama’s triumph over the evil Ravana.
15.6 Hindu Beliefs About Dharma
Dharma=Law, obligation, and duty
To follow one’s dharma = doing one’s duties
Each caste had different duties--so, following one’s dharma was different according to class.
The social system, called varna dharma, meaning "the way of one's kind," was based on the idea that by following the
dharma of one’s class, society would be in harmony.
15.6 Hindu Beliefs About Dharma
Example: The duty of Brahmins (the priests and religious scholars) was to perform rituals and teach the Vedas.
To do this before the vedas were written down, Brahmins had to memorize them, all 100,000 + verses.
Hindus also follow a dharma common to all castes, a set of values important in hinduism. These include
marriage,
sharing food with others, caring for one's soul.
15.6 Hindu Beliefs About Dharma
Hindus believe that all life is
connected and so should avoid harming living beings.
While all living beings are a part of Brahman and might be the
reincarnation of anyone’s soul, cows are viewed as sacred by Hindus.
15.7 Hindu Beliefs About Karma
Karma is all of the good and
bad deeds a person has
done.
The law of karma is the idea
that people’s actions will
have consequences in this
life or the next: they will be
rewarded for good and
15.7 Hindu Beliefs About Karma
Hindus believe that souls have dies, their soul will be reborn in If they have good karma, have reborn into a higher class or better.
If they have bad karma, have not followed their dharma and have lived a bad life, they will be reborn into a lower class or an animal.
many lives: when a person a new body.
15.7 Hindu Beliefs About Karma
Because Hindus believed that people were born into their class according to how they had lived their previous life, they viewed it as fair that they could not escape their caste.
Many Hindu teachers, such as Mahatma Gandhi, have
disagreed with that idea. They believed that everyone should be treated equally.
15.8 Hindu Beliefs About Samsara
Samsara is the continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
As long as people are part of the cycle of Samsara, they will know pain and death.
To be released from cycle of
15.8 Hindu Beliefs About Samsara
Pilgrimage to sacred Sarasvati Rivers were them of their sins.
The Ganges is still considered very holy.
15.8 Hindu Beliefs About Samsara: Moksha
When, after many lifetimes, a
soul escapes from the cycle of
rebirth it is united with
Brahman, the supreme force in
the universe. This is called
15.8 Hindu Beliefs About Samsara: Moksha
Sannyasins are monks who devote their lives to uniting with Brahman using
meditation, breathing exercises, reciting prayers, singing sacred songs, and
Notebook #3:
How does this relate to what you’ve learned about Hinduism? What Hindu value does it demonstrate?
