World Religions: India

During our time in India, we are learning about different religions practiced here. The six main religions are Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Islam.  In previous posts I have talked about Christianity and Islam, so this post will focus on the religions founded in India: Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism.  On Culturegrams, there are the percentages of how many people practice these religions in this country.

Here are the basics of these four religions.

Hinduism

• Hindus believe in many gods and goddesses, including: Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Rama, Dhurga, Hanuman, Ganesha, and more.
• Hindus also believe in reincarnation and karma. Reincarnation is when you keep coming back to life either as a human, animal, or insect until you are completely good. What being you come back as is determined by karma, where your past actions influence your future lives; coming back as a human is good, while coming back as an insect is not so good.
• I found it interesting to learn there is no known human founder of this religion.

I was curious to read some Indian mythology so I found a collection of stories on Oyster books by Jyotsna Bharti which are about the different Hindu gods.  If you don’t have Oyster books, click here to read some Indian mythology stories for kids.

This is one of the most important symbols for Hinduism.  It is a group of Sanskrit letters spelling Aum or Om.  They represent many things including the three main Hindu gods (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) and the three worlds (earth, atmosphere, and heaven).

Sources

• http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/religion/hinduism.htm
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/ataglance/glance.shtml
• https://www.himalayanacademy.com/readlearn/basics/nine-beliefs

Sikhism

Sikhs have a number of core beliefs:

• Everyone should give to others
• Everyone should live honestly
• Everyone is equal
• There is one God
• In every Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship), anyone can receive langar, or free food, served and prepared by volunteers, no matter what religion you practice.

• In this religion, there are articles of faith worn by Sikhs. These are known as the five K’s.

1. Kesh (uncut hair)- Sikhs don’t cut their hair as a sign of their faith. The men wear turbans to keep it neat.
2. Kangha (comb)- Since their hair is so long, Sikhs are expected to keep it clean and tidy.
3. Kara (bracelet)- This reminds Sikhs to show restraint and God is without beginning and end.
4. Kirpan (ceremonial sword)- The kirpan represents the struggle against injustice. This sword is ceremonial and is not used as a weapon.
5. Kaccha/Kachhera (undershorts)- These represent chastity and remind Sikhs to have self-control.

This is one of the most important symbol in Sikhism.  The double-edged sword (khanda) in the middle symbolizes truth, freedom, strength, and justice, the circle (chakkar) symbolizes eternity and God has no end, and the two curved swords (kirpans) represent spiritual and political sovereignty.

Sources

• http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/religion/sikhism.html
• http://www.sikhs.org/khalsa.htm
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/customs/fiveks.shtml

Buddhism

• Buddhists believe in Buddha, who is not a god, but a human who achieved Enlightenment and uses his teachings to help others reach this goal as well.
• Achieving Enlightenment, or Nirvana, is breaking out of the continuous cycle of reincarnation, birth, life, death, rebirth, life, death, etc.
• Other important things in this religion are meditation to clear one’s mind to achieve Nirvana, and karma, which is how one’s actions influence their future (good or bad).
• Basic Buddhist teachings are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths are about how there is suffering in the world, but there can be happiness through clearing the mind. The Eightfold Path are eight things a Buddhist should have to lead a good life: Right Understanding, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

The dharma wheel is an important symbol in Buddhism.  It represents Nirvana, or the escape from the cycle of reincarnation, and the eight spokes represent the Eightfold Path.

Sources

• http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/religion/buddhism.htm
• http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fournobletruths_1.shtml

Jainism

• Jainism comes from Hinduism, but Jains don’t believe in the gods, they believe in spirits who escaped the cycle of reincarnation called Tirthankars.
• Followers of this religion don’t want to hurt any living thing, even by accident. Most Jains are vegetarian and some wear masks over their mouths so they don’t accidentally breathe in any little bugs and may sweep the ground in front of them so they don’t step on any bugs.
• They also try not to go outside or eat after sunset and wake up before sunrise.

This is an important symbol in Jainism.

• The three dots at the top represent the Jain trinity: Right Faith, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct
• The crescent represents the place where liberated souls live
• The swastika represents the four worldly beings : humans, heavenly beings, Tiryanch (animals, plants, and birds), and beings from the Underworld
• The hand stands for assurance and to think before you act
• The spokes on the wheel represent the 24 Tirthankars and the religion they preached

Sources

• http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/india/religion/jain.htm
• http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/ja/Jainism
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism/ataglance/glance.shtml

We recently watched a movie called “Mystic India“, which tells the story of Bhagwan Swaminarayan from his childhood.  At 11 years old, he left home to become a yogi and walked for 7 years, covering 8,000 miles barefoot.  He inspired many people along the way, visited a lot of holy sites, and eventually became a religious leader.  This movie was really well done and gives a good look at the different holidays, traditions, and religious buildings all over India.

These religions are very interesting and I hope to learn more about them during our time in India.