Q 1 Day 6 Hinduism Define reincarnation Why

Q 1 Day 6: Hinduism

Define reincarnation. Why do some religions believe in it?

Classroom Caste System • • • green paper (Bhramin) blue paper (Kshatryia) red paper (Viasya) yellow paper (Sudra) purple paper (Untouchable)

Caste System Rules • Brahman- Help with reincarnation ceremony and get best seats in the class. • Kshatriya- Read when called upon, write on the board, and answer questions. • Vaishya- Pass out and collect papers. • Sudras- Do what the Brahman tell you to do. Sit in the back of the room. • Untouchables- Pick up trash and clean up messes that the other classes make. Sit on the floor in the front of the room.

• What does the term social class mean to you? • What “classes” do you think exist in America today? • Are you born into these classes? • Do most people stay in the same class their whole life? • Is it possible to change social class? And if so how?

Vedic Age • Around 3, 000 years ago a light skinned ethnic group called Aryans moved into India • After conquering the local people they created a social class system to keep them subjugated – The Caste System • Their beliefs as well as the beliefs of the non. Aryan inhabitants of India became the religion we no know as Hinduism.

Basics of Hinduism • Hindus see religion as a way of liberating the soul from the illusions, disappointments, and mistakes of everyday existence. • There is no one founder of Hinduism and the beliefs cannot be traced back to one source.

Upanishads • Between 750 BCE and 550 BCE, Hindu teachers attempted to interpret Vedic beliefs. • These comments were written down and became known as the Upanishads. • These are dialogues that explore how a person can achieve liberation from desires and suffering. • Led to the idea of moska or a state of perfect understanding.

The Caste System • 4 Social Classes – Brahmin– Priests – Warriors/ Kings – Traders and landowners (rich) – Peasants • 1 class was not even considered human – Untouchables • Could not change class • Your class determined who you married and socialized with

Reincarnation • Hindu’s belief that when the soul (atman) leaves the body it finds a new home • The new home is based on the actions (karma) of the last life • If a soul progressed far enough it could reach freedom (moksha)

Reincarnation ceremony!

Moksha – Brahmin– Priests – Warriors/ Kings – Traders and landowners (rich) – Peasants – Mammals – Reptiles – Insects – Plants – Rocks – Untouchables

The Mahabharata • Classic Epic about two sides of a family fighting for power • One part was the most important– Bhagavad Gita – Arjuana talking with Krishna – Does not want to fight his own family

More basic beliefs • To move up the “ladder” one must perform the acts necessary of the caste. • Polytheistic (believed in many gods) – Shiva – Vishnu

Project Update • • • Conferences in the library today Due Sept 7 th (Two Weeks) Final library day is next Thursday Must have a Works Cited Page You will be graded on… – the accuracy of the history – your “analysis” of historical information – the look of the board

Christianity • • Foundation The Protestant Reformation Major beliefs l Major beliefs (How was this different than in the Important past) people Where it was l Important people practiced l Where it was practiced during this period (How Important was this different than in books the past) l Important books l l Today Major beliefs (How was this different than in the past) Important people Where it was practiced (How was this different than in the past) Important books