HINDUISM

Question 1

How long has Hinduism been practiced and where did it originated from?

Answer 1

The roots of Hinduism go back thousands of years. Some say that there is no one religion called Hinduism, but that there are many Hinduisms brought together as one, because they all developed in India

Question 2

How long has Hinduism been practiced and where did it originated from?

Answer 2

The roots of Hinduism go back thousands of years. Some say that there is no one religion called Hinduism, but that there are many Hinduisms brought together as one, because they all developed in India

Question 3

Name the 3 followers of Hinduism

Answer 3

Vaishnavism - they worship Vishnu as God. Shaivism - they worship Shiva as God. Shaktism - they worship the Gother Goddess, or Devi.

Question 4

Why does Hinduism is compared to Great Banyan Tree?

Answer 4

The Great Banyan tree has put out many roots and many new trees have grown from these roots. So, although the trees appear separate, they are all connected to each other. In the same way, although there are many ‘Hinduisms’, they share a common spirituality.

Question 5

What is the idea of “the many and the one”?

Answer 5

The ‘one’ is sometimes referred to as sanatana dharma or the eternal truth. The search for truth takes many different paths. Hinduism therefore aims not to judge those of different religious faiths.

Question 6

How many Hindus are there in the world?

Answer 6

There are around 1.08 billion Hindu followers which is 15 per cent of the world’s population. Hinduism is the third largest world religion after Christianity and Islam.

Question 7

Where do most Hindus live?

Answer 7

95 per cent of all Hindus live in India.

Question 8

How many Hindus in UK?

Answer 8

There are 817,000 Hindus in the United Kingdom.

Question 9

Name the key beliefs in Hinduism

Answer 9

Brahman Atman Samsara Karma Dharma Ahimsa

Question 10

Bharman?

Answer 10

Brahman is the Ultimate Reality, the supreme God. The term also refers to the ‘divine consciousness.’ Brahman can be shown in many forms including deities - presentations of the divine.

Question 11

Dieties in Brahman

Answer 11

Vishna, Shiva, Durga and Krishna

Question 12

Bakti

Answer 12

The worship of Brahman

Question 13

Aum

Answer 13

Represent mystical vibration of God in the universe

Question 14

Atman

Answer 14

The spirit

Question 15

Samsara

Answer 15

The passage to reincarnation

Question 16

Karma

Answer 16

Our personal experience of the law of cause and effect. what we do in this life will affect our next life.

Question 17

Dharma

Answer 17

The Eternal truth. Refers to the law that underlie reality, carrying out our duty and doing what is morally right

Question 18

Ahimsa

Answer 18

to be “non-violence” every living things must be treated with respect.

Question 19

Explain the moral problems in faced by Arjuna?

Answer 19

The belief of Ahimsa “non-violence” means Arjuna had to decide between his duty not to harm and his duty to fight against evil

Question 20

Jivatman

Answer 20

The soul

Question 21

Puja

Answer 21

Puja is the rituals carried out in worship to honour a god or gods, or even to honour a guest or a special event. The word ‘puja’ means to worship and to honour.

Question 22

Darshan

Answer 22

Darshan means ‘viewing’ or glimpsing the deity through a sacred object or holy person.

Question 23

Murti

Answer 23

A murti is an image of a deity (either a statue or a painting). A murti is always treated with great respect and kept in a shrine, a special place at home or in the temple where it can be looked after properly

Question 24

Arti

Answer 24

The arti ceremony is the central ritual at puja. Arti means ‘complete love’. It is performed by waving a lighted candle or lamp clockwise in front of the image of the deity. It is a sign of the devotee’s commitment and love to God. Arti is an offering to the deity of the four elements – light (fire), air (incense), water and earth (flowers). The priest performs the arti ceremony five times a day

Question 25

Havan

Answer 25

To offer

Question 26

Importance of Fire

Answer 26

Fire has played an important part in Hindu worship. Fire represents the power of a deity. It symbolises the cleansing of mind, spirit and environment.

Question 27

Havan Ceremony

Answer 27

Havan ceremonies always involve a fire offering: • A fire altar is built and lit. • Priests and others involved in the ritual sit close to it. The fire is blessed by calling on one or more deities. • The devotees make their offerings to the fire – this can be an actual offering or one in the mind. • Prayers and mantras are chanted.

Question 28

Mantras

Answer 28

Mantras are short repeated phrases used in meditation to help the mind focus on a particular spiritual quality. The words do not need to mean anything important: it is the power of the syllables when recited properly which gives power.

Question 29

Japa

Answer 29

Japa is when a mantra is said or chanted many times to a special rhythm. Its purpose is to focus and calm the mind.