World History Religions Quiz 10-1-13: 2

Front 1

Worship places

Back 1

temples: priests read from Vedas or carry image of a deva out of the temple and bring it before the people
shrines
home: individual worshipers may offer food, drink, or gifts to a deva, say silent prayers, or mediate, or silently reflect upon the world and its nature

Front 2

Yoga (series of integrated physical and mental exercises)

Back 2

Purpose is to teach people how to focus their bodies and minds, which will aid their meditation and help them attain moksha

Front 3

Pilgrimage (religious journey)

Back 3

Ganges River: contact of 2 devas made the river's water holy
Bathe in the water and it will purify you and remove some of your bad karma
Festivals along the Ganges attract millions of Hindu pilgrims

Front 4

Vedas (sacred hymns of praise)

Back 4

one of the earliest texts of Hinduism
contains eternal knowledge not written by humans but revealed to them by Brahman
written Vedas is considered the core of Hinduism today

Front 5

writings inspired by Vedas: Upanishads

Back 5

revealed rather than written by people, too
built upon Vedas
philosophical reflections on Vedas, dealing with such questions as the nature of the world and the meaning of life

Front 6

sacred epics: Ramayana and Mahabharata

Back 6

each tells a story but at the same time reflects on what it means to live according to Vedic teachings
Ramayana tells of relationship between Rama (deva Vishnu in human form) and his wife Sita
That couple is still a model couple today because of their devotion to each other and their willingness to obey their dharma
Mahabharata tells of a war between two families that want to control part of the Ganges River Valley and also teaches about dharma and proper behavior for rulers, warriors, and others

Front 7

Bhagavad Gita (Gita)

Back 7

written dialogue between warrior Arjuna and Krishna, again Vishnu in human form
conversation discusses many aspect of beliefs and philosophies

Front 8

Rebirth and Salvation

Back 8

universe and everyone in it are part of a continual pattern of birth, death, and rebirth
after death = atman will be released from body and later reborn in another, process is called reincarnation (samara)
nature of person's new life is shaped by his/her karma (the sum effect of his/her deeds and actions during life)
moksha (ultimate goal in life; escape from the cycle of rebirth) when moksha is reached, atman leaves the world and reunites fully with Brahman
work towards it because it releases a person from world cares and the difficulties of life on Earth
must fulfill one's dharma (set of spiritual duties and obligations; based on class and their station in life)

Front 9

Origin

Back 9

no founder
one of world's oldest religions
evolved over thousands of years and was influenced by the cultures and traditions of many people

Front 10

Brahman

Back 10

the eternal being that created and preserves the world
everything in the world is simply an aspect of him
human mind can't understand it because it's an all-encompassing, literall all of creation
people are aspects of Brahman
each person has an atmam (a soul) that is an aspect of Brahman; shapes his/her personality and cannot be destroyed, even by death
manifestations of Brahman are called devas and they help maintain order in nature

Front 11

Ganesha

Back 11

lord of wisdom

Front 12

Lakshmi

Back 12

grants wealth

Front 13

3 devas

Back 13

Brahma the Creator: four heads for four Vedas
Vishnu the Preserver: four arms, each hold a symbol
Siva the Destroyer: dancing on the back of a demon surrounded by fire

some people worship thousands
some people only worship one (usually Vishnu or Siva)

Front 14

Dharma

Back 14

A person's spiritual duties and obligations, which he or she must follow to achieve liberation

Front 15

Karma

Back 15

the sum effect of a person's actions, both good and bad, which helps shape future experiences

Front 16

Moksha

Back 16

Liberation; release from the cycle of reincarnation, and joining with the atman

Front 17

Samsara

Back 17

Reincarnation; the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth a person follows before achieving liberation