1. How did Hinduism begin? (Include who started it, where did it start, when did it start, etc.)
Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions, but it has no founder. It grew slowly out of the beliefs and practice of ancient tribes. These tribes, the Indo-Aryans, entered India around 3000bc. Over many centuries, their religion ripened into Hinduism. Hinduism started approximately during 4000-10000 B.C.
2. Define Brahma, Vishnu, Siva
There are deities such as Brahma (who creates), Vishnu (who preserves), and Shiva (who destroys). All of them are forms of Brahman, the Supreme Being. Brahma is the first god in the Hindu triumvirate, or trimurti. Brahma's job was creation of the world and all creatures. Vishnu is the second god in the Hindu triumvirate (orTrimurti).
His role is to return to the earth in troubled times and restore the balance of good and evil. So far, he has been incarnated nine times, but Hindus believe that he will be reincarnated one last time close to the end of this world. Vishnu's worshippers, usually called Vaishnava, consider him the greatest god. They regard the other gods as lesser or demi-gods. Vaishnava worship only Vishnu. Vishnu monotheism is called Vaishnavism. Shiva is the third god in the Hindu triumvirate. Shiva's role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it.Hindus believe his powers of destruction and recreation are used even now to destroy the illusions and imperfections of this world, paving the way for beneficial change. According to Hindu belief, this destruction is not arbitrary, but constructive. Shiva is therefore seen as the source of both good and evil and is regarded as the one who combines many contradictory elements. Shiva is known to have untamed passion, which leads him to extremes in behavior. Sometimes he is an ascetic, abstaining from all wordly pleasures. At others he is a hedonist.
3. What are the concepts of Brahman and Atman?
In the Rig Veda, Ultimate Reality is referred to as "the One." In the Purushasukta, it is "Purusha," and in theUpanishads it is called "Brahman," "the One," and several other names. Most modern Hindus refer to the Ultimate Reality as Brahman. The Upanishads describe Brahman as "the eternal, conscious, irreducible, infinite, omnipresent, spiritual source of the universe of infiniteness and change." Brahman is the source of all things and is in all things; it is the Self (atman) of all living beings. Only Brahman is real, which Hindus say. Everything else is a kind of dream. Brahman never dies or changes. Brahman may, however, appear to people in the form of various gods and goddesses. Atman, one of the most basic concepts in Hinduism, the universal self, identical with the eternal core of the personality that after death either transmigrates to a new life or attains release from the bonds of existence. Atman is part of the universal brahman, with which it can commune or even fuse.
4. How is the concept of Brahman similar to the God envisioned by Jews, Christians, and Muslims? How is it different?
Some people characterize God as supernatural. But others, have identified God with nature. Some people characterize God as superhuman. But others see a human being as God; for example, some Christians see Jesus as the only God.Religious people talk about God in several ways. Most people talk about God mythologically. That is, they tell stories that treat God as a human-like being. Hindus have many stories about God in the forms of Brahman, Shiva, Vishnu, and the Goddess. Jews, Christians, and Muslims share stories about how God created the world, almost destroyed it with a universal flood, and redeemed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Many people envision God as well as talk about God. They worship God in the form of sacred images. For example, Hindus have many elaborate images through which they approach God. Also, in the Hindus world Brahman is the supreme God force present within all things. In Christianity God is the eternal being who created and preserves the world. Christians believe God to be both transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from, the material universe) and immanent (involved in the world). In Judaism God in Judaism is strictly monotheistic. God is an absolute one, indivisible and incomparable being who is the ultimate cause of all existence. Jewish tradition teaches that the true aspect of God is incomprehensible and unknowable, and that it is only God's revealed aspect that brought the universe into existence, and interacts with mankind and the world. God is the all-powerful and all-knowing creator, sustainer, ordained and judge of the universe. Islam emphasizes that God is strictly singular unique and inherently One all-merciful and omnipotent.
5. Why are cows sacred to Hindus?
In Hinduism, the cow is revered as the source of food and symbol of life and may never be killed. However, many non-Hindus interpret these beliefs to mean that Hindus worship cows. This is not true. It is more accurate to say the cow is taboo in the Hindu religion, rather than sacred.
6. What is karma?
People are rewarded for each good deed and punished for each bad one, Hindus say. The reward or payback may come in another lifetime, however. So, each person carries a load of rewards or punishments they are owed for past deeds, called karma. Everything people do adds to their karma. Those who have been good are reborn into a higher form in the next life. Those who have been evil are reborn into a lower form.
7. Show pictures of 5-7 items related to Hinduism and provide description and
purpose of each picture.
Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions, but it has no founder. It grew slowly out of the beliefs and practice of ancient tribes. These tribes, the Indo-Aryans, entered India around 3000bc. Over many centuries, their religion ripened into Hinduism. Hinduism started approximately during 4000-10000 B.C.
2. Define Brahma, Vishnu, Siva
There are deities such as Brahma (who creates), Vishnu (who preserves), and Shiva (who destroys). All of them are forms of Brahman, the Supreme Being. Brahma is the first god in the Hindu triumvirate, or trimurti. Brahma's job was creation of the world and all creatures. Vishnu is the second god in the Hindu triumvirate (orTrimurti).
His role is to return to the earth in troubled times and restore the balance of good and evil. So far, he has been incarnated nine times, but Hindus believe that he will be reincarnated one last time close to the end of this world. Vishnu's worshippers, usually called Vaishnava, consider him the greatest god. They regard the other gods as lesser or demi-gods. Vaishnava worship only Vishnu. Vishnu monotheism is called Vaishnavism. Shiva is the third god in the Hindu triumvirate. Shiva's role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it.Hindus believe his powers of destruction and recreation are used even now to destroy the illusions and imperfections of this world, paving the way for beneficial change. According to Hindu belief, this destruction is not arbitrary, but constructive. Shiva is therefore seen as the source of both good and evil and is regarded as the one who combines many contradictory elements. Shiva is known to have untamed passion, which leads him to extremes in behavior. Sometimes he is an ascetic, abstaining from all wordly pleasures. At others he is a hedonist.
3. What are the concepts of Brahman and Atman?
In the Rig Veda, Ultimate Reality is referred to as "the One." In the Purushasukta, it is "Purusha," and in theUpanishads it is called "Brahman," "the One," and several other names. Most modern Hindus refer to the Ultimate Reality as Brahman. The Upanishads describe Brahman as "the eternal, conscious, irreducible, infinite, omnipresent, spiritual source of the universe of infiniteness and change." Brahman is the source of all things and is in all things; it is the Self (atman) of all living beings. Only Brahman is real, which Hindus say. Everything else is a kind of dream. Brahman never dies or changes. Brahman may, however, appear to people in the form of various gods and goddesses. Atman, one of the most basic concepts in Hinduism, the universal self, identical with the eternal core of the personality that after death either transmigrates to a new life or attains release from the bonds of existence. Atman is part of the universal brahman, with which it can commune or even fuse.
4. How is the concept of Brahman similar to the God envisioned by Jews, Christians, and Muslims? How is it different?
Some people characterize God as supernatural. But others, have identified God with nature. Some people characterize God as superhuman. But others see a human being as God; for example, some Christians see Jesus as the only God.Religious people talk about God in several ways. Most people talk about God mythologically. That is, they tell stories that treat God as a human-like being. Hindus have many stories about God in the forms of Brahman, Shiva, Vishnu, and the Goddess. Jews, Christians, and Muslims share stories about how God created the world, almost destroyed it with a universal flood, and redeemed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Many people envision God as well as talk about God. They worship God in the form of sacred images. For example, Hindus have many elaborate images through which they approach God. Also, in the Hindus world Brahman is the supreme God force present within all things. In Christianity God is the eternal being who created and preserves the world. Christians believe God to be both transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from, the material universe) and immanent (involved in the world). In Judaism God in Judaism is strictly monotheistic. God is an absolute one, indivisible and incomparable being who is the ultimate cause of all existence. Jewish tradition teaches that the true aspect of God is incomprehensible and unknowable, and that it is only God's revealed aspect that brought the universe into existence, and interacts with mankind and the world. God is the all-powerful and all-knowing creator, sustainer, ordained and judge of the universe. Islam emphasizes that God is strictly singular unique and inherently One all-merciful and omnipotent.
5. Why are cows sacred to Hindus?
In Hinduism, the cow is revered as the source of food and symbol of life and may never be killed. However, many non-Hindus interpret these beliefs to mean that Hindus worship cows. This is not true. It is more accurate to say the cow is taboo in the Hindu religion, rather than sacred.
6. What is karma?
People are rewarded for each good deed and punished for each bad one, Hindus say. The reward or payback may come in another lifetime, however. So, each person carries a load of rewards or punishments they are owed for past deeds, called karma. Everything people do adds to their karma. Those who have been good are reborn into a higher form in the next life. Those who have been evil are reborn into a lower form.
7. Show pictures of 5-7 items related to Hinduism and provide description and
purpose of each picture.
8. What are 5-7 beliefs of Hindus?
Hindus believe every living thing has a soul.
They say that after death, each soul gets born again into a different body. This is called reincarnation.
Over countless lifetimes, a soul can rise until it escapes the cycle of death and rebirth. It can finally rejoin Brahman, the Supreme Being.
Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion.
Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.
9. Provide a timeline of Hinduism with 7-9 important events.
2500–1500 B.C.E. —The Indus River Valley civilization develops and flourishes. Evidence of early Hindu practice is archaeologically dated to this vanished culture.
1600–1400 B.C.E. —The Aryan warrior culture conquers the Indus River Valley, bringing with it the Sanskrit language and major influences in the development of Hinduism.
1500–1200 B.C.E. —The Vedic Age in which the Rig Veda is written, reflecting the influence of joining the Aryan and Indus River Valley cultures.
1000–300 B.C.E. —The Brahmanas and Upanishads are written and added to the original Vedas.
600–500 B.C.E. —The Age of Protest as Buddhism and Jainism break away from the main flow of Hinduism.
400 B.C.E.–800 C.E. —The Hindu response to Buddhism and Jainism results in further changes to the main teachings of Hinduism.
326 B.C.E. —Alexander the Great brings his army and the influence of Greek civilization into the northernmost regions of India. The Indian Mauryan Empire is created to counter this Greek invasion of culture and ideas.
250 B.C.E. —Ashoka becomes Emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty.
400–500 C.E. — Hinduism returns as the dominant religion of India. Temples and monuments are built to honor Hindu ideas, gods and beliefs. This is the era of the Hindu Renaissance.
800–1000 C.E. — Bhakti movements begin to develop in India.
900 C.E. — Shankara teaches the reality of One Brahman or One God, introducing significant monotheistic beliefs into Hinduism.
1100 C.E. — Muslims arrive in India and influence the evolution of the Hindu faith.
1400–1700 C.E. — Europeans arrive in India to pursue colonization and commercial goals within the Hindu world.
1919–1948 C.E. — The era of Mahatma Gandhi’s profound influence on Hinduism and India.
1948–1990 C.E. — India and Pakistan become independent countries and enter the modern era. Both possess nuclear weapons and suffer from religious tension among their Muslim and Hindu populations.