MAJOR ASIAN

RELIGIONS
CONTENTS:
HINDUISM
As a Religion and Culture
Principal Gods (Trimurti)
BUDDHISM
Features of Buddhism
SHINTOISM
As a religious practice
TAOISM
Beliefs in China
Taoism as Philosophy
Taoism as Religion
ISLAM
The Founder
Practices
JAINISM
CHRISTIANISM
CONFUCIANISM


Hinduism
One of the oldest religion introduced by
the Aryans. It remains vigorous with
more than 800 million followers.
(Murphey, 2009)
Labis na naapektuhan ng relihiyong
Hinduismo ang kulturang India kung
kayat napasukan nito ang bawat
aspekto ng buhay ng tao maging pang-
araw-araw, seremenoyal, o ritwal man.
(Imperial, Soriano, et. Al., 2005)
They are a combination of polytheist
and monotheist by nature of religion.
HINDU BELIEFS
Caste System
Social stratification of the Indian from the
Brahmin up to the untouchables.
1. Brahmin mga pari
2. Kshatriyas mandirigma
3. Vaishyas mga mangangalakal at
negosyante
4. Sudras mga manggagawa
5. Untouchables
Reincarnation
a belief that upon death, the physical body
is only death and not the soul, thus the soul
would still be alive and instead will transfer
to another body.
Karma in every good action, good things
will happen. Likewise, in every bad action,
bad things will happen. This also will have
an effect to the present life of the
reincarnated person.
Moksha the possibility of promotion in the
social stratification or Caste System upon
doing your dharma
PRINCIPAL GODS
SHIVA
is a major Hindu deity and is "the
Destroyer" or "the Transformer among
the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the
primary aspects of the divine
has many benevolent as well as
fearsome forms. He is often depicted as
immersed in deep meditation, with his
wife and children or as the Cosmic
Dancer. In fierce aspects, he is often
depicted slaying demons.
BRAHMA
is the Hindu god of creation and one of
the Trimrti.
Symbols
The Four Faces The four Vedas (k, Sma,
Yajuh and Atharva).
The Four Hands Brahm's four arms
represent the four cardinal directions: east,
south, west, and north. The back right hand
represents mind, the back left hand
represents intellect, the front right hand is
ego, and the front left hand is self-
confidence.
The Prayer beads Symbolize the
substances used in the process of creation.
Symbols
The Book The book symbolizes
knowledge.
The Gold Gold symbolizes activity; the
golden face of Brahm indicates that He is
actively involved in the process of creating
the Universe.
The Swan The swan is the symbol of grace
and discernment. Brahm uses the swan as
his vhana, or his carrier or vehicle.
The Crown Lord Brahm's crown indicates
His supreme authority.
The Lotus The lotus symbolizes nature
and the living essence of all things and
beings in the Universe.
The Beard Brahm's black or white beard
denotes wisdom and the eternal process of
creation.
The Vedas Symbolises his four faces, heads
and arms
VISHNU
Is the protector and preserver of creation.
Vishnu is the embodiment of mercy and
goodness, the self-existent, all-pervading
poet that preserved the universe and
maintains the cosmic order of Dharma.

Islam
ISLAM AT A GLANCE
The word Islam means 'submission to
the will of God'.
Islam is the second largest religion in
the world with over 1 billion followers.
The 2001 census recorded 1,591,000
Muslims in the UK, around 2.7% of the
population.
Muslims believe that Islam
was revealed over 1400 years ago in
Mecca, Arabia.
Followers of Islam are called Muslims.
Muslims believe that there is only One
God.
The Arabic word for God is Allah.
According to Muslims, God sent a
number of prophets to a mankind to
teach them how to live according to
His law.
The Five Pillars of Islam
1. Shahadah: sincerely reciting the
Muslim profession of faith
2. Salat: performing ritual prayers in the
proper way five times each day
3. Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax
to benefit the poor and the needy
4. Sawm: fasting during the month of
Ramadan
5. Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca
JAINISM AT A GLANCE
Jainism is an ancient religion from
India that teaches that the way to
liberation and bliss is to live lives of
harmlessness and renunciation.
The essence of Jainism is concern for
the welfare of every being in
the universe and for the health of the
universe itself.
Jains believe that animals and plants,
as well as human beings, contain living
souls. Each of these souls is considered
of equal value and should be treated
with respect and compassion.
Jains are strict vegetarians and live in a
way that minimises their use of
the world's resources.
XASt3qrJains believe
in reincarnation and seek to attain
ultimate liberation - which means
escaping the continuous cycle of birth,
death and rebirth so that the immortal
soul lives for ever in a state of bliss.
Liberation is achieved by eliminating
all karma from the soul.
Jainism is a religion of self-help.
There are no gods or spiritual beings
that will help human beings.
Christianism
Christians believe that Jesus was the
Messiah promised in the Old
Testament.
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God.
Christians believe that God sent his
Son to earth to save humanity from
the consequences of its sins.
One of the most important concepts in
Christianity is that of Jesus giving his
life on the Cross (the Crucifixion) and
rising from the dead on the third day
(the Resurrection).
Christians believe that there is only
one God, but that there are three
elements to this one God:
God the Father
God the Son
The Holy Spirit
Christians worship in churches.
Their spiritual leaders are called priests
or ministers.
The Christian holy book is the Bible,
and consists of the Old and New
Testaments.
Christian holy days such
as Easter and Christmas are important
milestones in the Western secular
calendar.

Buddhism
Beliefs of Buddhism
Four Noble Truths
Eight Fold-Paths
Shintoism
A ritual practice in early Japan which
centered around the worship of
nature.
Were later called Shinto meaning the
way of the gods.
Manifestations to the forces of nature
are said to contain the spirit of kami
In modern Japanese times, the society
is still notable for its insistence on
cleanliness, at least at home or what is
referred to as private space , if not
always a public space
Japan still sees the beautiness of
Shinto shrines, beautiful because they
celebrate nature and because they are
located in natural beauty spots, but
because of their classical simple
architectural styles.
Shinto shrines have unique wooden
gateways called torii

Taoism
The second major moral or religious
philosophy of China was Taoism
(Daoism) the Tao means the way.
It is rooted from Confucianism, also
one of the religious beliefs and
practices in China.
The Tao is the ultimate creative
principle of the universe. All things are
unified and connected in the Tao.
Beliefs in China
Taoism is about the Tao. This is usually
translated as the Way. But it's hard to
say exactly what this means.
Taoism originated in China 2000 years
ago
It is a religion of unity and
opposites; Yin and Yang. The principle
of Yin Yang sees the world as filled
with complementary forces - action
and non-action, light and dark, hot and
cold, and so on
Taoism as Philosophy
The legendary Lao-tzu and Tao-Te-
Ching.
The Tao is not God and is not worshipped.
Taoism includes many deities, that
are worshipped in Taoist temples, they are
part of the universe and depend, like
everything, on the Tao

Civilization
are complex societies. They have cities,
organized governments, art, religion, class
divisions, and a writing system.

Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia was the worlds first
civilization.
The two rivers that allowed
Mesopotamia to succeed were the
Tigris and Euphrates.
Its peoples were the first to irrigate
fields, devised a system of writing,
developed mathematics, invented the
wheel and learned to work with metal
SUMER
southern part of Mesopotamia
(3500-2000 BCE)
The first civilization in Mesopotamia
Each Sumerian city and the land
around it became a separate city-state.
Each city-state had its own
government and was not part of any
larger unit.
ZIGGURAT
gods were worshipped at huge temples
called ziggurats
Polytheistic religion
Position of King was enhanced and
supported by religion
Kingship believed to be created by
gods and the kings power was divinely
ordained
Belief that gods lived on the distant
mountaintops
Each god had control of certain things
and each city was ruled by a different
god
Kings and priests acted as interpreters
as they told the people what the god
wanted them to do
CUNEIFORM
Scribes were only ones who could read
and write and served as priests, record
keepers and accountants

THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH
The most famous piece of literature
from Sumer is the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh parallel with the story of
Noah and the Ark (great flood) in the
Old Testament of the Jewish and
Christian holy books
Sumerian Inventions
WAGON WHEEL
PLOW
SAILBOAT
number system based on 60
geometry
12 month calendar
However, the Sumerians were not
successful in uniting lower Mesopotamia
Akkadians
Leader: Sargon the Great
Sargon unified lower Mesopotamia
(after conquering Sumerians in 2331
BCE)
Established capital at Akkad
Spread Mesopotamian culture
However, short-lived dynasty as
Akkadians were conquered by the
invading barbarians by 2200 BCE
Sargon I
In about 2340 B.C., Sargon conquered
all of Mesopotamia creating the
worlds first empire.
Sargons empire lasted for more than
200 years before falling to invaders.
BABYLONIANS
King Hammurabis Bablyon
conquered Akkad and Assyria (north
and south)
He build new walls to protect the city
and new canals and dikes to improve
crops
Economy based on agriculture and
wool / cloth
individuals could own land around
cities
Artisans and merchants could keep
most profits and even formed guilds /
associations
Grain used as the medium of exchange
> emergence of measurement of
currency: shekel = 180 grains of
barley; mina = 60 shekels
Mina was eventually represented by
metals which was one of first uses of
money (but it was still based on grain)
Hammurabis Legacy: law code
Code of Hammurabi
To enforce his rule, Hammurabi
collected all the laws of Babylon in a
code that would apply everywhere in
the land
Most extensive law code from the
ancient world (c. 1800 BCE)
Code of 282 laws inscribed on a stone
pillar placed in the public hall for all to
see
Hammurabi Stone depicts Hammurabi
as receiving his authority from god
Shamash
Set of divinely inspired laws; as well as
societal laws
ASSYRIANS
After Hammurabis death, Babylon fell
apart and kings of Assur controlled
more of surrounding area and came to
dominate
Kings conquered lands to create
empire of Assyria
Deposits of ore allowed for
development and use of iron
Assyrian army became most effective
military force
CHALDEANS
The Hanging Garden of Babylon
By 539 BCE, Mesopotamia became part
of the vast Persian Empire
(led by Cyrus the Great)
Persian Empire dominated for 800
years until Alexander the Great
SATELLITE CIVILIZATIONS



Hittites

Persians

CYRUS THE GREAT

HEBREWS


PHOENICIANS


LYDIANS