Why do good things happen to some people, and not to others?

1

• Why do good things happen to some people, and not
  to others?
• Karma
• How do I know what I am supposed to do in my
  life?
• Dharma

2

• WHO The people of the Indus Valley/the Aryans
  nowadays, 80 of India are Hindus
• WHEN 2500 1500 BCE
• WHERE Indus Valley

3
History of

• Bharat-ism HINDUISM
• Name evolved after Muslim conquest non-Muslim
  population called Hindus
• British called their religion Hinduism

4
ARYANS

• Entered and introduced belief system to the
  Harappans
• From 1200-600 BC, they spread Bharat to most of
  Northern India

5
THE VARNAS COLORS

1. Brahmin ritual experts
2. Kshatriya government agents/warriors
3. Vaishya traders/farmers
4. Sudra servants

6
Brahmans
Kshatriyas
Vaishyas
Sudras
7
VARNA -gt CASTE

• Untouchables
• Born into
• Social movement is not possible in present life

8
Untouchables

• Slaves untouchables
• This group was outside of the varnas
• performed tasks considered unclean
• Today there are 160 million untouchables

9
Caste System

• All people are born, married, and die within
• Assigns work, a place, a need for one another
• No social mobility
• Hereditary system
• Know your place in the order

10
FOR TODAY

• Significance of cows, fire
• Karma
• Dharma
• Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma
• Yoga
• Moksha

11
GOALS

1. Dharma how to behave
2. Artha importance of material goods
3. Kama enjoyment of the senses
4. Moksha release from rebirth

12
All Life is Sacred

• Why are there cows in the middle of Indian roads?
• Why havent over 1 billion people been served
  by McDonalds?

13
COSMIC ORDER SACRIFICE

• Life depends on natural order it is set
• Sacred Cow Mothers Milk to an infant
• Milk, Curds, Ghee, Urine and Dung
• Kill a cow killing a priest
• Humans depend on non-humans

14
ALL-POWERFUL FIRE

• Fire consumes everything
• Smoke carried to the Gods
• Marriages use fire
• Cremation preferred to burial

15
DHARMA

• Means to hold or uphold
• How people should behave appropriately

16
DHARMA

• duties and obligations owned by each caste!
• People can only improve their life by carrying
  out duties now and hoping for a better next life.
  

17

• action or deed
• How your soul is reborn depends on your dharma
  and karma!

18

• KARMA the sum of a persons past lives, which is
  carried into new livesgood deeds bring
  happiness/evil deeds bring sorrow.

19
KEY BELIEFS

• Interconnectedness of all life
• Nonviolence respect for nature
• Vedas Upanishads are the source of Hinduism.

20
MONOTHEISTIC BUT POLYTHEISTIC?

• Brahman is the creator, but can never be known,
  heard, visualized
• Brahman creates deities as his agents of the
  world

21
Brahma
Shiva
Vishnu
22
Skillions of Gods

• Is Hinduism purely polytheistic?
• While there are many gods, Hindus still believe
  there is one truth about the world
• Truth is one and the wise ones call it by many
  names.
• There are three gods who are considered in
  charge.
• The Trinity

23
Where are these gods worshiped?

• Small Shrines
• At home
• Along the road
• Temples
• Called Mandirs
• Big shrine to god in temple
• Bath in middle of temple
• Water
• Ganges River
• holiest place for Hindus
• Barnaras the holiest city
• city of light
• City of Shiva- where people go to die
• Cremation- burning of bodies so that the soul can
  be released
• Ashes scattered on the Ganges

24
PRACTICE

• YOGA stresses the importance of physical
  harmony, not just mental.

25
PRACTICE

• Ritual washings, and spreading of loved ones
  ashes in the Holy Ganges river.
• Ganges poured from Heaven

26
THE ULTIMATE GOAL

• MOKSHA the ultimate goal of life!
• A release/freedom from the human condition that
  stand between each individual cosmic unity.