1 00:00:07,445 --> 00:00:09,421 In all times and places in our history, 2 00:00:09,421 --> 00:00:10,938 human beings have wondered, 3 00:00:10,938 --> 00:00:12,192 "Where did we come from? 4 00:00:12,192 --> 00:00:14,165 What's our place in the world? 5 00:00:14,165 --> 00:00:16,505 What happens to us after we die?" 6 00:00:16,505 --> 00:00:18,568 Religions are systems of belief 7 00:00:18,568 --> 00:00:20,634 that have developed and evolved over time 8 00:00:20,634 --> 00:00:21,803 in response to these 9 00:00:21,803 --> 00:00:23,924 and other eternal mysteries, 10 00:00:23,924 --> 00:00:25,660 driven by the feeling that some questions 11 00:00:25,660 --> 00:00:27,834 can only be answered by faith 12 00:00:27,834 --> 00:00:29,214 and based on an intuition 13 00:00:29,214 --> 00:00:31,385 that there is something greater than ourselves, 14 00:00:31,385 --> 00:00:33,584 a higher power we must answer to, 15 00:00:33,584 --> 00:00:35,927 or some source we all spring from 16 00:00:35,927 --> 00:00:38,342 and to which we must return. 17 00:00:39,342 --> 00:00:41,695 Hinduism means the religions of India. 18 00:00:41,695 --> 00:00:42,910 It's not a single religion 19 00:00:42,910 --> 00:00:44,933 but rather a variety of related beliefs 20 00:00:44,933 --> 00:00:46,858 and spiritual practices. 21 00:00:46,858 --> 00:00:48,907 It dates back five millennia 22 00:00:48,907 --> 00:00:50,373 to the time of Krishna, 23 00:00:50,373 --> 00:00:51,850 a man of such virtue 24 00:00:51,850 --> 00:00:54,441 that he became known as an avatar of Vishnu, 25 00:00:54,441 --> 00:00:57,402 an incarnation of the god in human form. 26 00:00:57,402 --> 00:00:59,637 He taught that all life follows karma, 27 00:00:59,637 --> 00:01:01,337 the law of cause and effect, 28 00:01:01,337 --> 00:01:04,561 and our job is to do our duty, or dharma, 29 00:01:04,561 --> 00:01:06,473 according to our place in society 30 00:01:06,473 --> 00:01:09,048 without worrying how things turn out. 31 00:01:09,048 --> 00:01:12,190 When we die, we are reincarnated into a new body. 32 00:01:12,190 --> 00:01:13,655 If we followed our dharma 33 00:01:13,655 --> 00:01:15,814 and did our proper duty in our past life, 34 00:01:15,814 --> 00:01:17,185 we get good karma, 35 00:01:17,185 --> 00:01:20,352 which sends our soul upward in the social scale. 36 00:01:20,352 --> 00:01:21,934 Our rebirth into the next life 37 00:01:21,934 --> 00:01:24,888 is thus determined by what we do in this one. 38 00:01:24,888 --> 00:01:28,253 The wheel of rebirths is called samsara. 39 00:01:28,253 --> 00:01:30,199 It's possible for a very holy person 40 00:01:30,199 --> 00:01:32,611 to lead a life with enough good karma 41 00:01:32,611 --> 00:01:34,409 to escape the wheel. 42 00:01:34,409 --> 00:01:36,869 This escape is called moksha. 43 00:01:36,869 --> 00:01:39,817 Hinduism teaches that everything is one. 44 00:01:39,817 --> 00:01:40,765 The whole universe is 45 00:01:40,765 --> 00:01:43,856 one transcendent reality called Brahman, 46 00:01:43,856 --> 00:01:45,717 and there's just one Brahman 47 00:01:45,717 --> 00:01:47,260 but many gods within it, 48 00:01:47,260 --> 00:01:50,179 and their roles, aspects, and forms differ 49 00:01:50,179 --> 00:01:52,470 according to various traditions. 50 00:01:52,470 --> 00:01:54,387 Brahma is the creator, 51 00:01:54,387 --> 00:01:56,089 Vishnu is the preserver 52 00:01:56,089 --> 00:01:58,624 who sometimes takes on human form, 53 00:01:58,624 --> 00:02:00,910 and Shiva is the transformer, 54 00:02:00,910 --> 00:02:02,572 or Lord of the Dance. 55 00:02:02,572 --> 00:02:06,069 Durga is the fiercely protective divine mother. 56 00:02:06,069 --> 00:02:07,939 Ganesha has an elephant head 57 00:02:07,939 --> 00:02:11,486 and is the wise patron of success. 58 00:02:11,486 --> 00:02:14,717 Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. 59 00:02:14,717 --> 00:02:17,075 And although most Hindus live in India, 60 00:02:17,075 --> 00:02:19,123 they can be found on every continent, 61 00:02:19,123 --> 00:02:21,288 one billion strong. 62 00:02:22,010 --> 00:02:23,366 Now, let's travel west, 63 00:02:23,366 --> 00:02:24,978 across deserts and mountains 64 00:02:24,978 --> 00:02:28,253 to the fertile crescent about 4,000 years ago. 65 00:02:28,253 --> 00:02:30,040 Judaism began with God calling 66 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,842 Abraham and Sarah to leave Mesopotamia 67 00:02:32,842 --> 00:02:35,486 and migrate to the land of Canaan. 68 00:02:35,486 --> 00:02:38,481 In return for their faith in the one true God, 69 00:02:38,481 --> 00:02:39,885 a revolutionary concept 70 00:02:39,885 --> 00:02:42,436 in the polytheistic world of that time, 71 00:02:42,436 --> 00:02:45,652 they would have land and many descendants. 72 00:02:45,652 --> 00:02:47,736 From this promise came the land of Israel 73 00:02:47,736 --> 00:02:49,436 and the chosen people, 74 00:02:49,436 --> 00:02:50,734 but staying in that land 75 00:02:50,734 --> 00:02:52,236 and keeping those people together 76 00:02:52,236 --> 00:02:54,356 was going to be very difficult. 77 00:02:54,356 --> 00:02:56,947 The Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, 78 00:02:56,947 --> 00:02:58,897 but God freed them with the help 79 00:02:58,897 --> 00:03:00,456 of the prophet Moses, 80 00:03:00,456 --> 00:03:02,112 who received the Ten Commandments 81 00:03:02,112 --> 00:03:04,532 and later hundreds more. 82 00:03:04,532 --> 00:03:06,296 They conquered the Promised Land, 83 00:03:06,296 --> 00:03:09,376 but could only keep it for a few hundred years. 84 00:03:09,376 --> 00:03:11,402 Israel sits at a crossroads 85 00:03:11,402 --> 00:03:12,771 through which many armies 86 00:03:12,771 --> 00:03:14,309 marched over the centuries. 87 00:03:14,309 --> 00:03:15,509 And in the year 70, 88 00:03:15,509 --> 00:03:16,912 the Romans destroyed the temple 89 00:03:16,912 --> 00:03:19,277 in their capital, Jerusalem. 90 00:03:19,277 --> 00:03:21,154 So, the religion transformed itself 91 00:03:21,154 --> 00:03:22,487 from a temple religion 92 00:03:22,487 --> 00:03:23,897 with sacrifices and priests 93 00:03:23,897 --> 00:03:25,970 to a religion of the book. 94 00:03:25,970 --> 00:03:28,263 Because of this, Judaism is a faith 95 00:03:28,263 --> 00:03:31,270 of symbolism, reverence, and deep meanings 96 00:03:31,270 --> 00:03:33,901 tied to the literature of its history. 97 00:03:33,901 --> 00:03:35,366 The many sacred scriptures make up 98 00:03:35,366 --> 00:03:37,358 the Hebrew bible, or Tanakh, 99 00:03:37,358 --> 00:03:39,572 and hundreds of written discussions and interpretations 100 00:03:39,572 --> 00:03:42,238 are contained in an expansive compendium 101 00:03:42,238 --> 00:03:43,458 of deeper meanings, 102 00:03:43,458 --> 00:03:45,061 called the Talmud. 103 00:03:45,061 --> 00:03:47,977 Jews find rich, symbolic meaning in daily life. 104 00:03:47,977 --> 00:03:49,110 At the Passover meal, 105 00:03:49,110 --> 00:03:50,946 every item on the menu symbolizes 106 00:03:50,946 --> 00:03:53,696 an aspect of the escape from slavery. 107 00:03:53,696 --> 00:03:55,016 The importance of growing up 108 00:03:55,016 --> 00:03:56,867 is emphasized when young people 109 00:03:56,867 --> 00:03:59,171 reach the age of bar and bat mitzvah, 110 00:03:59,171 --> 00:04:01,443 ceremonies during which they assume responsibility 111 00:04:01,443 --> 00:04:02,380 for their actions 112 00:04:02,380 --> 00:04:03,644 and celebrate the weaving 113 00:04:03,644 --> 00:04:04,692 of their own lives 114 00:04:04,692 --> 00:04:06,678 into the faith, history, and texts 115 00:04:06,678 --> 00:04:08,357 of the Jewish people. 116 00:04:08,357 --> 00:04:11,266 There are 14 million Jews in the world today, 117 00:04:11,266 --> 00:04:12,738 6 million in Israel, 118 00:04:12,738 --> 00:04:14,119 which became independent 119 00:04:14,119 --> 00:04:17,233 following the horrors of genocide in World War II, 120 00:04:17,233 --> 00:04:19,824 and 5 million in the United States. 121 00:04:20,408 --> 00:04:23,806 But now let's go back 2500 years and return to India 122 00:04:23,806 --> 00:04:25,116 where Buddhism began 123 00:04:25,116 --> 00:04:27,883 with a young prince named Siddhartha. 124 00:04:27,883 --> 00:04:29,137 On the night he was conceived, 125 00:04:29,137 --> 00:04:30,696 his mother, Queen Maya, 126 00:04:30,696 --> 00:04:32,886 is said to have been visited in her sleep 127 00:04:32,886 --> 00:04:35,809 by a white elephant who entered her side. 128 00:04:35,809 --> 00:04:37,806 Ten months later, Prince Siddartha was born 129 00:04:37,806 --> 00:04:39,558 into a life of luxury. 130 00:04:39,558 --> 00:04:41,974 Venturing forth from his sheltered existence 131 00:04:41,974 --> 00:04:43,088 as a young man, 132 00:04:43,088 --> 00:04:44,516 he witnessed the human suffering 133 00:04:44,516 --> 00:04:45,926 that had been hidden from him 134 00:04:45,926 --> 00:04:49,310 and immediately set out to investigate its sources. 135 00:04:49,310 --> 00:04:51,502 Why must people endure suffering? 136 00:04:51,502 --> 00:04:54,605 Must we reincarnate through hundreds of lives? 137 00:04:54,605 --> 00:04:56,019 At first he thought the problem 138 00:04:56,019 --> 00:04:58,055 was attachment to material things, 139 00:04:58,055 --> 00:04:59,943 so he gave up his possessions. 140 00:04:59,943 --> 00:05:01,669 He became a wandering beggar, 141 00:05:01,669 --> 00:05:04,994 which he discovered certainly made him no happier. 142 00:05:04,994 --> 00:05:07,693 Then he overheard a music teacher telling a student, 143 00:05:07,693 --> 00:05:09,947 "Don't tighten the string too much, it will break. 144 00:05:09,947 --> 00:05:11,657 But don't let it go too slack, 145 00:05:11,657 --> 00:05:13,584 or it will not sound." 146 00:05:13,584 --> 00:05:14,752 In a flash, he realized 147 00:05:14,752 --> 00:05:16,916 that looking for answers at the extremes 148 00:05:16,916 --> 00:05:18,343 was a mistake. 149 00:05:18,343 --> 00:05:20,847 The middle way between luxury and poverty 150 00:05:20,847 --> 00:05:22,133 seemed wisest. 151 00:05:22,133 --> 00:05:24,419 And while meditating under a bodhi tree, 152 00:05:24,419 --> 00:05:26,588 the rest of the answer came to him. 153 00:05:26,588 --> 00:05:29,344 All of life abounds with suffering. 154 00:05:29,344 --> 00:05:31,209 It's caused by selfish craving 155 00:05:31,209 --> 00:05:34,556 for one's own fulfillment at the expense of others. 156 00:05:34,556 --> 00:05:36,058 Following an eight-step plan 157 00:05:36,058 --> 00:05:38,224 can teach us to reduce that craving, 158 00:05:38,224 --> 00:05:40,641 and thus reduce the suffering. 159 00:05:40,641 --> 00:05:43,799 On that day, Siddhartha became the Buddha, 160 00:05:43,799 --> 00:05:45,307 the enlightened one. 161 00:05:45,307 --> 00:05:47,681 Not the only one, but the first one. 162 00:05:47,681 --> 00:05:49,152 The Buddhist plan is called 163 00:05:49,152 --> 00:05:50,414 the Eightfold Path, 164 00:05:50,414 --> 00:05:51,916 and though it is not easy to follow, 165 00:05:51,916 --> 00:05:52,991 it has pointed the way 166 00:05:52,991 --> 00:05:55,060 for millions to enlightenment, 167 00:05:55,060 --> 00:05:57,144 which is what Buddhahood means, 168 00:05:57,144 --> 00:05:58,285 a state of compassion, 169 00:05:58,285 --> 00:05:59,080 insight, 170 00:05:59,080 --> 00:05:59,934 peace, 171 00:05:59,934 --> 00:06:01,807 and steadfastness. 172 00:06:01,807 --> 00:06:03,989 From the time he got up from under that tree 173 00:06:03,989 --> 00:06:06,097 to the moment of his death as an old man, 174 00:06:06,097 --> 00:06:08,251 the Buddha taught people how to become enlightened: 175 00:06:08,251 --> 00:06:09,008 right speech, 176 00:06:09,008 --> 00:06:09,805 right goals, 177 00:06:09,805 --> 00:06:11,939 a mind focused on what is real, 178 00:06:11,939 --> 00:06:14,688 and a heart focused on loving others. 179 00:06:14,688 --> 00:06:17,181 Many Buddhists believe in God or gods, 180 00:06:17,181 --> 00:06:20,269 but actions are more important than beliefs. 181 00:06:20,269 --> 00:06:21,808 There are nearly a billion Buddhists 182 00:06:21,808 --> 00:06:23,117 in the world today, 183 00:06:23,117 --> 00:06:27,057 mostly in East, Southeast, and South Asia. 184 00:06:27,948 --> 00:06:31,221 2,000 years ago in Judaism's Promised Land, 185 00:06:31,221 --> 00:06:33,237 Christianity was born. 186 00:06:33,237 --> 00:06:36,439 Just as Hindus called Krishna "God in Human Form," 187 00:06:36,439 --> 00:06:38,609 Christians say the same thing about Jesus, 188 00:06:38,609 --> 00:06:40,361 and Christianity grew out of Judaism 189 00:06:40,361 --> 00:06:43,463 just as Buddhism grew out of Hinduism. 190 00:06:43,463 --> 00:06:45,946 The angel Gabriel was sent by the God of Abraham 191 00:06:45,946 --> 00:06:47,860 to ask a young woman named Mary 192 00:06:47,860 --> 00:06:50,195 to become the mother of his son. 193 00:06:50,195 --> 00:06:51,694 The son was Jesus, 194 00:06:51,694 --> 00:06:53,214 raised as a carpenter 195 00:06:53,214 --> 00:06:55,136 by Mary and her husband Joseph, 196 00:06:55,136 --> 00:06:56,859 until he turned 30, 197 00:06:56,859 --> 00:06:58,644 when he began his public career 198 00:06:58,644 --> 00:07:00,808 as the living word of God. 199 00:07:00,808 --> 00:07:02,816 Less interested in religiousness 200 00:07:02,816 --> 00:07:04,060 than in justice and mercy, 201 00:07:04,060 --> 00:07:06,612 Jesus healed the sick in order to draw crowds 202 00:07:06,612 --> 00:07:09,608 and then taught them about his heavenly father -- 203 00:07:09,608 --> 00:07:12,524 affectionate, forgiving, and attentive. 204 00:07:12,524 --> 00:07:14,737 Then, he would invite everyone to a common table 205 00:07:14,737 --> 00:07:17,489 to illustrate his Kingdom of God, 206 00:07:17,489 --> 00:07:21,576 outcasts, sinners, and saints all eating together. 207 00:07:21,576 --> 00:07:22,612 He had only three years 208 00:07:22,612 --> 00:07:24,381 before his unconventional wisdom 209 00:07:24,381 --> 00:07:25,659 got him into trouble. 210 00:07:25,659 --> 00:07:26,860 His enemies had him arrested, 211 00:07:26,860 --> 00:07:28,635 and he was executed by Rome 212 00:07:28,635 --> 00:07:29,840 in the standard means 213 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:32,511 by which rabble-rousers were put to death, 214 00:07:32,511 --> 00:07:34,114 crucifixion. 215 00:07:34,114 --> 00:07:36,197 But shortly after he was buried, 216 00:07:36,197 --> 00:07:38,194 women found his tomb empty 217 00:07:38,194 --> 00:07:39,520 and quickly spread word, 218 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:42,553 convinced that he had been raised from the dead. 219 00:07:42,553 --> 00:07:43,940 The first Christians described 220 00:07:43,940 --> 00:07:46,023 his resurrected appearances, 221 00:07:46,023 --> 00:07:49,118 inspiring confidence that his message was true. 222 00:07:49,118 --> 00:07:53,307 The message: love one another as I have loved you. 223 00:07:53,307 --> 00:07:55,350 Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus 224 00:07:55,350 --> 00:07:57,443 in December at Christmas, 225 00:07:57,443 --> 00:07:59,706 and his suffering, death, and resurrection 226 00:07:59,706 --> 00:08:01,915 during Holy Week in the spring. 227 00:08:01,915 --> 00:08:03,246 In the ceremony of baptism, 228 00:08:03,246 --> 00:08:04,686 a washing away of sin 229 00:08:04,686 --> 00:08:06,961 and welcoming into the Christian community, 230 00:08:06,961 --> 00:08:08,787 recall Jesus's own baptism 231 00:08:08,787 --> 00:08:10,958 when he left his life as a carpenter. 232 00:08:10,958 --> 00:08:12,430 In the rite of Communion, 233 00:08:12,430 --> 00:08:14,461 Christians eat the bread and drink the wine 234 00:08:14,461 --> 00:08:17,127 blessed as the body and blood of Jesus, 235 00:08:17,127 --> 00:08:19,593 recalling Jesus's last supper. 236 00:08:19,593 --> 00:08:22,017 There are two billion Christians worldwide, 237 00:08:22,017 --> 00:08:25,821 representing almost a third of the world's people. 238 00:08:27,081 --> 00:08:29,568 Islam began 1400 years ago 239 00:08:29,568 --> 00:08:31,359 with a man of great virtue, 240 00:08:31,359 --> 00:08:33,028 meditating in a mountain cave 241 00:08:33,028 --> 00:08:34,743 in the Arabian desert. 242 00:08:34,743 --> 00:08:36,997 The man was Muhammad. 243 00:08:36,997 --> 00:08:39,249 He was visited by a divine messenger, 244 00:08:39,249 --> 00:08:41,162 again the angel Gabriel, 245 00:08:41,162 --> 00:08:43,335 in Arabic, Jibril, 246 00:08:43,335 --> 00:08:46,002 delivering to him the words of Allah, 247 00:08:46,002 --> 00:08:48,028 the one God of Abraham. 248 00:08:48,028 --> 00:08:49,212 In the next few years, 249 00:08:49,212 --> 00:08:50,849 more and more messages came, 250 00:08:50,849 --> 00:08:53,108 and he memorized and taught them. 251 00:08:53,108 --> 00:08:55,814 The verses he recited were full of wise sayings, 252 00:08:55,814 --> 00:08:56,846 beautiful rhymes, 253 00:08:56,846 --> 00:08:58,981 and mysterious metaphors. 254 00:08:58,981 --> 00:09:01,764 But Muhammad was a merchant, not a poet. 255 00:09:01,764 --> 00:09:03,321 Many agreed the verses 256 00:09:03,321 --> 00:09:05,015 were indeed the words of God, 257 00:09:05,015 --> 00:09:08,011 and these believers became the first Muslims. 258 00:09:08,011 --> 00:09:11,016 The word Muslim means one who surrenders, 259 00:09:11,016 --> 00:09:14,334 meaning a person who submits to the will of God. 260 00:09:14,334 --> 00:09:16,368 A Muslim's five most important duties 261 00:09:16,368 --> 00:09:18,516 are called the Five Pillars: 262 00:09:18,516 --> 00:09:21,626 Shahada, Muslims declare publicly, 263 00:09:21,626 --> 00:09:24,681 there is no other God but Allah, 264 00:09:24,681 --> 00:09:27,502 and Muhammad is his final prophet; 265 00:09:27,502 --> 00:09:31,436 Salat, they pray five times a day facing Mecca; 266 00:09:31,436 --> 00:09:34,050 Zakat, every Muslim is required 267 00:09:34,050 --> 00:09:37,852 to give 2 or 3% of their net worth to the poor; 268 00:09:37,852 --> 00:09:41,163 Sawm, they fast during daylight hours 269 00:09:41,163 --> 00:09:43,001 for the lunar month of Ramadan 270 00:09:43,001 --> 00:09:44,551 to strengthen their willpower 271 00:09:44,551 --> 00:09:46,598 and their reliance on God; 272 00:09:46,598 --> 00:09:49,510 and Hajj, once in a lifetime, 273 00:09:49,510 --> 00:09:51,605 every Muslim who is able must make a pilgrimage 274 00:09:51,605 --> 00:09:53,499 to the holy city of Mecca, 275 00:09:53,499 --> 00:09:54,440 rehearsing for the time 276 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:55,941 when they will stand before God 277 00:09:55,941 --> 00:09:58,061 to be judged worthy or unworthy 278 00:09:58,061 --> 00:10:00,388 of eternal life with Him. 279 00:10:00,388 --> 00:10:01,522 The words of God, 280 00:10:01,522 --> 00:10:04,340 revealed to the prophet over 23 years, 281 00:10:04,340 --> 00:10:06,161 are collected in the Quran, 282 00:10:06,161 --> 00:10:09,995 which literally translates into "the recitation." 283 00:10:09,995 --> 00:10:12,355 Muslims believe it to be the only holy book 284 00:10:12,355 --> 00:10:14,244 free of human corruption. 285 00:10:14,244 --> 00:10:15,745 It's also considered by many 286 00:10:15,745 --> 00:10:17,157 to be the finest work of literature 287 00:10:17,157 --> 00:10:19,315 in the Arabic language. 288 00:10:19,315 --> 00:10:21,662 Islam is the world's second largest religion, 289 00:10:21,662 --> 00:10:25,714 practiced by over one and a half billion Muslims around the globe. 290 00:10:27,020 --> 00:10:28,973 Religion has been an aspect of culture 291 00:10:28,973 --> 00:10:30,803 for as long as it has existed, 292 00:10:30,803 --> 00:10:34,137 and there are countless variations of its practice. 293 00:10:34,137 --> 00:10:35,572 But common to all religions 294 00:10:35,572 --> 00:10:37,720 is an appeal for meaning 295 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:38,861 beyond the empty vanities 296 00:10:38,861 --> 00:10:41,634 and lowly realities of existence, 297 00:10:41,634 --> 00:10:42,732 beyond sin, 298 00:10:42,732 --> 00:10:43,564 suffering, 299 00:10:43,564 --> 00:10:45,665 and death, 300 00:10:45,665 --> 00:10:47,248 beyond fear, 301 00:10:47,248 --> 00:10:49,376 and beyond ourselves.