Indian Trade- We did presentation on this. Silk Road
Hinduism- The World's Most Tolerant Religion
1. Four Main Denominations
- Divine Hierarchy of Mahadevas
- -Saivism
- -Shaktism
- -Vaishnavism
- -Smartism
- They have been formed over eons of time
- Not physically there
- Spirits help guide, protect, and open new doors for mankind
2. Beliefs
- Most Hindus believe in a Supreme God who possess qualities that are seen in multiple deities that come from him.
- The believe in a cycle of rebirth, or reincarnation, which governed by Karma.
- There is no single founder of Hinduism.
- Brahma, the least worshiped god, is depicted with four heads- from these four heads supposedly came the Vedas, the most ancient religious texts for the Hindus. While Brahma created the universe, the other two deities are responsible for the preservation and destruction.
- Vishnu is the second Hindu deity, put in charge of the preservation and restoration of the universe. They believe that Vishnu has be reincarnated 9 times already, and that he will only be reincarnated once more, near the end of the world.
- Shiva, the third Hindu deity, or god, is the god put in charge of the destruction of the universe so that it may be re-built. According to Hindu beliefs, Shiva's destructive powers are at work even today, destroying illusions and imperfections so that our lives may be more constructive. It's believed that Shiva's relationship with his wife keeps him balances.
3. Gods
- Brahma the Creator
- Vishnu the Preserver- associated with the sun and worshiped in northern India
- Shiva the Destroyer- worshiped in southern India
4. Priests
- The Hindu priests controlled the religion and it's beliefs
- Invented reincarnation- after death a person would be brought back to life as a higher or lower status, depending on his or her karma.
- As a priest, they may read, recite, the holy texts to those present, however, any reincarnated Hindu can perform these readings.
5. Holy Days
- Hindu Holidays that were celebrated (multiple)
6. Places of worship
- In a Hindu home you will find a decorated shrine that serves as an altar for worship
- Temples were made of stone or bricks
- Normally you visit the temples during festivals and special functions
- The temple is led by a priest and his helpers
Buddhism
1. Development
- Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism
- He looked for enlightenment, wisdom, in the forests for six years
- Tried to fast, ended up meditating for 49 days
- He was then called Buddha- the enlightened one
- Four noble truths
- 4. The way to overcome such desires and attain enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold Path, called the Middle Way between desire and self-denial.
2. Beliefs
- Reincarnation
- World is created and destroyed repeatedly
- Nirvana-release from selfishness and pain
- Monks
- Buddhism was spread across Asia-into India
- Hinduism was more popular to Buddhism
- Buddhism affected trade
- Buddhism had different forms
- Some buddhists worshiped Buddha as god.
3. Theravada
- Theravada is translated directly to "the teaching of the elders," or "the ancient teachings."
- Theravada is the oldest surviving branch of Buddhism we know of. It is also closest to the original Buddhism than any other form.
- It is the main religion of Sri Lanka, about 70%.
- There is about 150 million Theravada Buddhists in the world.
4. Stupas
- Temples
- Stupa means heap
- Symbolized elements
- Stupas are buildings that look like a dome
- They contained artifacts and stuff about Buddhism like ashes of dead people
- People meditated in Stupas
- Different types that contained different things like scriptures or stuff that belonged to the Buddha.
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