Holy Rosary College of Santa Rosa Laguna, Inc.

Tagapo, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna

LEARNING MODULE
School Year 2020-2021

Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems

Grade 11-HUMSS
Second Quarter
Joanna Almira E. Guieb
joanna.guieb@hrcsrl.edu.ph

Chapter 3: Dharmic Religions

Lesson 8: Hinduism

Lesson Description:
On this lesson, the students will learn the historical background, sacred scriptures, beliefs
and doctrines, worships and observances, and subdivisions of Hinduism

Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
a. Understand the beliefs and doctrines of Hinduism
b. Familiarize themselves with the different gods of Hindus
c.
Lesson Outline:

Session 1&2/ Day 1&2

Pre-requisite Activities/Review/Motivation/Pre-test

On a short bond paper, draw a Hindu god or goddess. Write a four-sentence description
of your Hindu god or goddess and explain why you selected that.

Abstraction

A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Hinduism is oftentimes considered as the oldest and most complex of al world
religions. While the most active religions of the modern times may have started around
the sixth century B.C.E. onward, elements and themes of Hindu belief may have begun
around the third millennium B.C.E. In addition, unlike other major religions, Hinduism
had no one identifiable founder (Hopfe 1983).
The term Hindu originated from the Persian word hindu (in Sanskrit sindhu)
which means "river."" It also refers to the people of the Indus Valley the Indians (Bowker
1997). The name Hinduism was given in the nineteenth century to describe the wide
array of belief systems in India. Hinduism was originally known as "Arya Dharma" or the
"Aryan Way."

B. SACRED SCRIPTURES
The sacred texts of Hinduism have been principally passed down throughout generations
by way of music, recitation, dance, and drama. Sanskrit has been the language of the
earliest writings (Coogan 2005). The sacred writings of the Hindus are categorized into
two classes, the shruti and smriti.
1. SHRUTI
Shruti literally means "that which is heard." They are regarded as eternal truths
that were passed orally until the beginning of the present age wherein there came the
need to write them down (Bowker 1997). The four collections of texts of the Vedas form
the shruti and are considered primary sources and the most authoritative texts of the

HRC Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems, Grade 11, Second Quarter 1
 Holy Rosary College of Santa Rosa Laguna, Inc.
Tagapo, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna

LEARNING MODULE
School Year 2020-2021

Hindu faith. Other writings that form part of shruti include the Samhitas, Brahmanas,
Upanishads, and a few Sutras.
VEDAS
The four basic Vedic books, which are sacrificial hymns compiled from an earlier oral
tradition, are composed of Rig-veda, Sama- veda, Yajur-veda, and Atharva-veda. The word Veda
means "knowledge" or sacred lore."
- Are the earliest known Sanskrit literature from the Brahmanic period and oldest
scriptures of Hinduism.

1. Rig-Veda
-most important and oldest book that dates back to around 1500 BCE to 1200 BCe.
- a collection of over a thousand hymns and more than thousand verses dedicated to the
Aryan pantheon of gods.

2. Yajur-Veda
- the “knowledge of rites”
- compilation of materials recited during rituals and sacrifices to deities.

3. Sama-Veda
-“knowledge of chants”
- collection of verses from the basic hymns recited by priests during sacrifices.

4. Atharva-Veda
-“knowledge given by the sage Atharva”
- contains rituals used in homes and popular prayers to gods.

UPANISHADS
Forming the fourth part of the Vedas, the term Upanishad literally translates as “sitting
down near” or “sitting close” as it implies listening intently to the mystic teachings of a spiritual
teacher who has fully understood the universal truths. It could also mean “brahma knowledge”
whereby ignorance is totally eliminated.

2. SHMRITI
Smriti literally means "that which has been remembered." These writings serve to reinforce
shruti and are interpreted by sages and scholars alike. Most of these texts are sectarian in nature
and considered of lesser importance compared to shruti, such as stories and legends, codes of
conduct for the society, and guidebooks for worship. The great epics Ramayana and for of
conduct Mahabharata, which contains the philosophical poem Bhagavad Gita, are part of shmriti.
These are national epics of India and considered to be the sacred texts of the masses where they
draw their values and ideals (Brown 1975).

Ramayana
- translated as the "Story of Rama" or "Rama's Journey" is a Sanskrit epic poem written by
the poet Valmiki consisting of 24,000 verses in seven books and 500 cantos.

Mahabharata
- Composed of around one hundred thousand verses making it the world’s longest poem.

Bhagavad Gita
- Considered as one of the holiest books by the Hindus, the Gita is a 700-verse narrative of
a dialogue between the Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide-cousin Krishna.

HRC Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems, Grade 11, Second Quarter 2
 Holy Rosary College of Santa Rosa Laguna, Inc.
Tagapo, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna

LEARNING MODULE
School Year 2020-2021

C. WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES

Month Name of Festival Significance
January Lohri Celebrated in the Punjab, this marks the end of
winter.
February Pongal-Sankranti A feast held in South India to celebrate the rice
harvest
March Holi The national celebration of spring and the New
Year
March Shivaratri A national honoring of Shiva
April Sri Vaishnavas An honouring of Vishnu and his consort Sri
May Rathyatra The birthday of Lord Jagganath
August Janmashtami The birthday pf Krishna
September Dusserah The celebration of the triumph of good over
evil, in honor of Durga or Rama
September Ganesh Chaturthi The birthday of Ganesh
October Diwali A national celebration in honor of Rama and
his consort.

D. SUBDIVIDIONS
1. Shaivism
Lord Shiva, the Compassionate One, is God for the Saivites. Followers ot Lord Shiva,
Shaivism value self-discipline and philosophy. They worship in templeS practice yoga.

2. Shaktism
The Goddess Shakti is supreme for Shaktas. She is the divine mother and assumes many
forms, be it a gentle one or a fierce deity. Believers use chants, magic, and yoga to
summon cosmic forces.

3. Vaishnavism
Lord Vishnu is God for the Vaishnavites, especially in his incarnations Krishna and
Rama. Adherents have multitudes of saints, temples, and sacred texts.

4. Smartism
For the Smartas, devotees are left to choose their own deity in one of six manifestations,
namely, Ganesha, Siva, Shakti, Vishnu, Surya, and Skanda. Smartas are known as
liberals as they embrace all major Hindu gods.

Session 3/Day 3
Application

Answer Critical Thinking part of page 131 of the book Introduction to World Religions
and Belief Systems by Jose and Ong.

Wrap Up

Do Assessment part (letter B only) of page 132 of the book Introduction to World
Religions and Belief Systems by Jose and Ong.

Session 4/Day 4

HRC Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems, Grade 11, Second Quarter 3
 Holy Rosary College of Santa Rosa Laguna, Inc.
Tagapo, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna

LEARNING MODULE
School Year 2020-2021

Assessment
Through MS Teams
Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems
Grade 11-HUMSS
Second Quarter
Joanna Almira E. Guieb
joanna.guieb@hrcsrl.edu.ph

Chapter 3: Dharmic Religions

Lesson 9: Theravada Buddhism

Lesson Description:
On this lesson, the students will learn the historical background, sacred scriptures, beliefs
and doctrines, worships and observances, and subdivisions of Theravada Buddhism.

Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
a. Familiarize themselves with life of Buddha
b. Have knowledge on the Sacred Scriptures, worship and observances, and
belief and doctrines of Theravada Buddhism.

Lesson Outline:

Session 1&2/ Day 1&2

Pre-requisite Activities/Review/Motivation/Pre-test

Read the story of life of Buddha on pages 135-138 of your Introduction to World Religions and
Belief Systems by Jose and Ong.

Abstraction

1. SACRED SCRIPTURES
The Pali Canon
- Also known as the Tipitaka/Tripitaka meaning three baskets.

Tipitaka Contents
1. Sutta Pitaka (Discourse) Buddha’s doctrinal discourses; short poems to
long prose narratives about Siddhartha’s
previous lives.
2. Vinaya Pitaka (Discipline) Rules of discipline; stories that illustrate
Buddhist moral principles.
3. Abhidhamma Pitaka (Ultimate Systematic analysis of the categories of
Doctrine) Buddhist thought.

2. BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES

a. FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
1. The First Noble Truth.
- This identifies the origin of the problem- the dukkha.
- Suffering can be experienced throughout the different stages of a person’s
life- from birth, sickness, old age, to ultimate death.

HRC Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems, Grade 11, Second Quarter 4
 Holy Rosary College of Santa Rosa Laguna, Inc.
Tagapo, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna

LEARNING MODULE
School Year 2020-2021

2. The Second Noble Truth

- This explains the cause of suffering or the samodaya- in craving or desire (or
tanha), in the perpetual thirst of humans to consume things, experiences, or
ideas.

3. The Third Noble Truth

- This asserts that there is a cessation or nirodha to suffering and bondage by
eliminating craving and desire.
- By dropping the bonds of craving, one gets to be released from the
fundamental nature of reality.

4. The Fourth Noble Truth

- This directs an individual to the path or magga leading to the termination of
craving and desire, and to eventual cessation of pain.
- Likewise, one must avoid self-indulgence and self-torture since both are
pointless. This is the path toward moderation or the "Middle Way" aimed at
ending suffering.

b. EIGHTFOLD PATH

Eightfold Path What One Must Do

Right View Understand the “Four Noble Truths”
Right Intention Free one’s self from ill-will, cruelty, and untruthfulness
Right Speech Abstain from untruthfulness, tale-bearing, harsh
language, and vain talk
Right Action Abstain from killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct
Right Livelihood Earn a living in a way not harmful to nay living thing
Right Effort Avoid evil thoughts and overcome them, arouse good
thoughts and maintain them
Right Mindfulness Pay vigilant attention to every state of the body,
feeling, and mind.
Right Concentration Concentrate on a single object so as to induce certain
special states of consciousness in deep meditation.

3. WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES

a. Vesakha or Vesak
- Also known as “Buddha Purnima” or “Buddha Day”
- Is the holiest day for all the Buddhists
- Celebrated with immense festivity, Buddhists send out thoughts of
affectionate benevolence to the living and to the departed ones.

b. Magha Puja Day

- Occurs during the full moon of the third lunar month.
- It commemorates the event where Siddhartha went to Rajgir to meet and
ordain the 1250 arhats in Venuvana Monastery.
- Two of his chief disciples, namely Sariputta and Moggallana, were present
during the assembly.

4. SUBDIVISIONS

HRC Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems, Grade 11, Second Quarter 5
 Holy Rosary College of Santa Rosa Laguna, Inc.
Tagapo, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna

LEARNING MODULE
School Year 2020-2021

Theravada is the more conservative subdivision of Buddhism than Mahayana. T'hus, it is

closer to the fundamental teachings of Siddhartha. Sri Lanka., Myanmar, and Thailand are
predominantly Theravada Buddhists. During the third century B.C.E., the Indian emperor
Ashoka Maurya, who ruled between 269 B.C.E. to 232 B.C.E., propagated Buddhism in Sri
Lanka that has remained relatively unchanged through time as a result of its rather peaceful
history (Mizuno 1987; Hopfe 1983). Ashoka's son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitra
established Buddhism in then Ceylon.
The subdivisions of Theravada that existed during the early history of Sri Lanka can be
traced from the three monasteries of Mahavihara, Abhayagiri vihara, and Jetavana. The
Mahavihara or "Great Monastery" of Anurad- hapura was founded by the king Devanampiya
Tissa who ruled between 307 B.C.E. to 267 B.C.E. Another major monastery in Sri Lanka was
the Abhayagiri vihara where an ancient stupa still stands today, the Abhayagiri Dagaba. The
Abhayagiri Dagaba was established by the king Valagamba between 89 B.C.E. and 77 B.C.E.
Lastly, Jetavana is another popular monas- tery founded by the king Mahasena who ruled
between 277 B.C.E. and 304 C.E. The layout of the Jetavana monastery is similar to the
Abhayagiri vihara though smaller in dimensions.

Session 3/Day 3
Application

Answer Critical Thinking part of p 146 of the book Introduction to World Religions and
Belief Systems by Jose and Ong.

Wrap Up

Do Assessment part (letter C only) of p. 148 of the book Introduction to World Religions
and Belief Systems by Jose and Ong.

Session 4/Day 4
Assessment
Through MS Teams

HRC Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems, Grade 11, Second Quarter 6