Eastern Religions Hinduism Very different Very old 3500

Eastern Religions

Hinduism

Very different • Very old (3500 -4000 years old) • No central founder • No main prophet • Main holy book, but not only one—The Vedas • Polytheistic • Cultural Hearth—Indus River Valley, India

• Ethnic religion • 97% of Hindus live in India

• Branches of Hinduism tend to focus on one God, but can worship others too • Main gods: Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva

Brahma • God of creation • Created the universe • Work now complete?

Shiva • God of war and destruction • Also destroys imperfection within people to make them better

Vishnu • The preserver of the universe • He/she keeps harmony between Brahma and Shiva • Most popular God in Hinduism today

The Caste System • In Hinduism, different groups have different places in society • Hierarchical- Some groups are above others • Bottom Level. Untouchables- Do jobs considered dirty, like picking up trash

• Reincarnation. Once you die, you are reborn again. If you lived a good life, you move up a caste. If a bad life, you move down a caste

Buddhism

Overview • Universal Religion • 2510 years old • Founder of religion: Buddha • Hearth: Northern India • No real god: Don’t care how Earth was created

How it started—Don’t write • In 563 B. C. , Siddhartha Guatama was born a Hindu lord. • Lived in luxury (servants, palaces, etc. ) • Took 4 trips out of his house, and saw suffering for the first time (old, sick, dead, and an aesthetic) • Left civilization, lived in the forest for 6 years and meditated • Came back Buddha, The Enlightened One

4 Noble Truths—Don’t Write • All living beings must endure suffering • Suffering, which is caused by bad thoughts, like wanting more possessions or being jealous, leads to reincarnation

• Goal of existence is to escape suffering and reincarnation into Nirvana • Nirvana. Enlightenment, complete happiness • Nirvana reached by following the Eightfold Path (8 rules for being a good person)

Buddhist Practices • Non-violence • Meditation • Poverty (don’t care about wealth, only causes suffering) • Charity

Branches • Mayahana Buddhism —Emphasize helping others and teaching • Theravada Buddhism —Emphasizes meditation and introspection

Dalai Lama • Leader of Tibetan Buddhism • Most famous Buddhist today • Cannot live in Tibet, because China took it over (refugee in India) • Won Nobel Peace Prize in 1989

Buddhist terrorism • Myanmar—The government of this mainly Buddhist country is committing ethnic cleansing against the poorer, Muslim minority (Rohingya) • “You can be full of kindness and love, but you cannot sleep next to a mad dog…If we are weak, our land will become Muslim. “ Ashin Wirathu

https: //www. reuters. com/investigates/special-report/myanmar-facebookhate/

Syncretism • The combining of different beliefs • As Buddhism spread, it combined with different religious beliefs, especially in Japan

Review! 1. Why did Buddha break away from the Hindu faith? 2. How does someone reach Nirvana? 3. How is Buddhism different from Hinduism? 4. What is reincarnation? 5. What is the cultural hearth for Hinduism? Buddhism? 6. How did Buddhism diffuse to other religions? What is this called? 7. How is Hinduism different from Christianity?