World Religions Reviewer – Quiz 1 (Q2)

Hindu – Persian word meaning only the people living around and beyond the Indus river.

Hinduism – religion that began in India in 1500 B.C., making it the world’s oldest religion.

Indus Valley Civilization – civilization that began 4,500 years ago in the Indus River valley with two major
cities; Mohenjo (Lower Indus) and Harapa (Further Upstream).

Adivasis – indigenous people of India with two major ethnic groups; Indo-Aryans (Northern India) and
Dravidians (Southern India).

Vedic Period – period in Indian history during which the Vedas were being composed; Aryans conquered
Northern India; Alexander the Great’s Army swept into Northwest India by 325 BCE; the Maurya Empire
united almost all of India for the first time from 322 BCE until 185 BCE.

Maurya Empire – Puranic and Classical Age (500 BCE to 500 CE); Arjun and one of his brothers were the
heroes of the Mahabharata; beginning of the composition of further texts (Dharma Sutras and Shastras);
the two epics in this period are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

Vedas – oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, “Veda” is Sanskrit for “knowledge”.

Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Religion) – refer to Hinduism.

Om (Aum) – Hindu sacred symbol.

Dharma – timeless order of life, means “duty” or “correct practice” and “truth”.

Brahman – single divinity or supreme God that is present in everything.

✓ There are 750 million Hindus in the world today and most still live in India.
✓ Hinduism has no founder, no organizational structure, no creed to define it.
✓ Not a single unified religion, it is more like a family of beliefs and worships many Gods (330M).

Two Types of Scriptures in Hindu Traditions:

• Shruti Scriptures (that which is heard) – Vedas (Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva
Veda), Upanishads.
o Rig Veda – hymns about their mythology.
o Sama Veda – hymns about religious rituals.
o Yajur Veda – instructions for religious rituals.
o Atharva Veda – spells against enemies, sorcerers, and diseases.
• Smriti Scriptures (that which is remembered) – Mahabharata and Ramayana, Sharma Shastras,
Bhagavad Gita, Puranas.
 The Tri Murthi

• Brahma (Creator)
• Vishnu (Preserver)
• Shiva (Destroyer)

Consorts

• Saraswati (Goddess of Speech)

• Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth)
• Parvati (Mother Goddess)

Moksha – liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth.

Samsara – reincarnation.

Karma – actions linked to systems of cause and effect.

Pilgrimage – also undertaken by Hindus throughout India to visit sacred shrines of deities.

Ayodha – old capital of Roma.

Kurushreta – place of the great war in Mahabharata.

The Four Yogas

• Jnana Yoga (Way of Knowledge) – path of knowledge, wisdom, introspection, & contemplation.
• Bhakti Yoga (Way of Love) – path of devotion, emotion, compassion, & service to God & others.
• Karma Yoga (Way of Work) – path of action and service to others.
• Raja Yoga (Way of Meditation) – encountering and transcending thoughts of mind.

Four Desirable Goals in Life for Hindus

• Dharma – appropriate behavior.

• Artha – pursuit of legitimate worldly success.
• Kama – pursuit of legitimate pleasure.
• Moksha – release from rebirth.

Caste System - traditional social structure that follows the Hindu Principles of Karma and Samsara.;
segregates themselves from others who come from different families or occupations.

Jati – social rank one receives upon birth; a social classification system that determines one’s rank
on the basis of family occupation.
 • Brahman – highest rank; includes Hindu priests, advisers, and intellectual leaders.
• Kshatriya – second-highest; includes rulers, military leaders, and large landowners.
• Vaishya – third-highest; includes merchants, traders, and farmers.
• Shudra – lowest-ranked; includes artisans, laborers, and servants.
• Dalit – formerly called “untouchables”; on the fifth category with no varna designation; includes
various low-status persons and those outside the caste system.

Hindu Festivals

• Holi
• Diwali (festival of lights; biggest and most important day of the year in India)
• Dussera

Subdivisions

• Shaivism – lord Shiva; the compassionate one God for the “Shaivites”.
• Shaktism – goddess Shakti is the supreme for Shaktas; she is the divide mother and many forms.
• Vaishanism – lord Vishnu as God of Vaishanites; specially in his reincarnation Krishna and Rama.
• Smartism – for Smartas; also known as liberals since they embrance all major Hindu Gods.

Theravada – Pali “Thera” means “Elders” and “Vada” means “Doctrine; Doctrine of the Elders is the
name of the school of Buddhism that draws its inspiration from Pali canon or Tripitaka “Three Baskets”.

Middle Path – life of self-discipline.

Mahakasyapa – principal disciples of Siddhartha also known as the first Buddhist councils.

Sangha – Sanskrit for “association”, “assembly” or “company”.

Bhikkus – male Buddhist monks.

Bhikkunis – female Buddhist nuns.

✓ Buddhism originated in the Indian sub-continent around the fifth century BCE.
✓ Buddhists are generally non-theistic.
✓ Goal of Buddhism is to obtain enlightenment and to reach “Nirvana” (Place of Eternal Rest and
escape from Reincarnation).

Sidhatha Gautama was born between 563-480 BCE into the Sakya Tribe in Lumbini (present day Nepal);
his father was “Sudhodana”, an aristocratic Hindu Chieftain; his mother was “Mahamaya”, a Koliyan
Princess; he was born in the Kshatriya Caste; family name “Gautama” or “Gotama”; mother died after
giving birth to Siddhartha also known as “Sakyamuni”, the sage of the Sakya clan; his name means “he
who achieves his aim”; word “Buddha” means “the awakened one or the enlightened one”; his marriage
to Yasodhara was arranged by his father when he was 16 years old; he then left his wife, child, and social
status as he began to search for truth and liberation.
 Four Sufferings, Encounters, or Signs

• Meeting an old man; made him accept that old age was an unavoidable circumstance.
• A crippled man reflected upon him that illness is unescapable.
• A decaying corpse made him understand that death is inevitable.
• An ascetic monk or Shramana impressed upon him the person’s tranquility and the possibility of
renouncing worldly pleasures.

Sacred Scriptures of Buddhism

• Sutta Pitaka (Discourse) – Buddha’s doctrinal courses.

• Vinaya Pitaka (Discipline) – rules of discipline; stories that illustrate Buddhist moral principles.
• Abbidhama Pitaka (Ultimate Doctrine) – systematic analysis of categories of Buddhist thought.

Four Noble Truths

• Dukkha – life is suffering.

• Samudaya – suffering is caused by desires and cravings.
• Nirodha – to get rid of suffering and be released from the cycle of rebirth, one has to get rid of
all cravings and desires.
• Magga – the way to get rid of all cravings and desires is to follow the eight-fold path.

The Eight-Fold Path

• Wisdom (Discernment)
o Right Understanding
o Right Thought
• Ethical Conduct
o Right Action
o Right Livelihood
o Right Speech
• Mental Discipline
o Right Effort
o Right Mindfulness
o Right Concentration

Beliefs and Doctrines

Law of Dependent Origination – with everything built upon a set of relations, it follows that every effect
has a definite cause and every cause has origination.

Impermanence of Things - nothing is this world is fixed and permanent, and everything is a subject for
change and alteration.