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Hinduism

+An Overview of Hinduism

About 80 percent of India's population regard themselves as Hindus and 30 million more Hindus live outside of India. There are a total of 900 million Hindus worldwide, making Hinduism the third largest religion (after Christianity and Islam).

The term "Hinduism" includes numerous traditions, which are closely related and share common themes but do not constitute a unified set of beliefs or practices.

+ Hinduism – 4000 to 2500 BCE Hinduism is thought to have gotten its name from

the Persian word hindu, meaning "river," used by outsiders to describe the people of the Indus River Valley. Hindus themselves refer to their religion as sanatama dharma, "eternal religion," and varnasramadharma, a word emphasizing the fulfillment of duties (dharma) appropriate to one's class (varna) and stage of life (asrama).

Hinduism has no founder or date of origin. The authors and dates of most Hindu sacred texts are unknown. Scholars describe modern Hinduism as the product of religious development in India that spans nearly four thousand years, making it the oldest surviving world religion. Indeed, as seen above, Hindus regard their religion as eternal (sanatama).

+Hinduism Foundations Though believed by many to be a polytheistic

religion, the basis of Hinduism is the belief in the unity of everything. This totality is called Brahman.

The purpose of life is to realize that we are part of God and by doing so we can leave this plane of existence and rejoin with God. This enlightenment can only be achieved by going through cycles of birth, life and death known as samsara.

One's progress towards enlightenment is measured by his karma. This is the accumulation of all one's good and bad deeds and this determines the person's next reincarnation.

+Hinduism Foundations Selfless acts and thoughts as well as devotion

to God help one to be reborn at a higher level. Bad acts and thoughts will cause one to be born at a lower level, as a person or even an animal.

Hindus follow a strict caste system which determines the standing of each person. The caste one is born into is the result of the karma from their previous life. Only members of the highest caste, the Brahmins, may perform the Hindu religious rituals and hold positions of authority within the temples.

+The Hindu Trimvirate or Timurti

3 Gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world

Brahma – 4 heads that came from the four Vedas, four arms , beard

Vishnu – preserver of the universe

Shiva – destroyer of the universe in order to recreate it

Hinduism is not a homogeneous, organized system. Many Hindus are devoted followers of Shiva or Vishnu, whom they regard as the only true God, while others look inward to the divine Self (atman). But most recognize the existence of Brahma, the unifying principle and Supreme Reality behind all that is.

+Sacred Writings of Hinduism The first sacred writings of Hinduism, which

date to about 1200 BC, were primarily concerned with the ritual sacrifices associated with numerous gods who represented forces of nature.

Vedic Texts – 4 Vedas and their supplements

+Vedas

Most Hindus respect the authority of the Vedas (a collection of ancient sacred texts) and the Brahmans (the priestly class), but some reject one of both of these authorities.

4 Vedas – Samhitas, The Brahmanas, The Aranyakas, The Upanishads

A more philosophical focus began to develop around 700 BC, with the Upanishads and development of the Vedanta philosophy.

+The Upanisads These Mystic Doctrines are the mystical and

philosophical mediations by thinkers wishing to gain ultimate wisdom. Without negating the authority of the Vedas, the Upanisads proffer a different world view.

De-emphasizing the role of the ritualistic present in the Vedas, the Upanisads argue that the soul is the manifestation of a single divine essence.

The soul’s release comes from understanding the basic unity between the self and the universe.

+Two Epics that express the core values of Hindusim are the Ramayana and the Mahabharatar

Though mythical in tone, the poems are based on actual historical events in north India. They are referred to as historical narratives and lay the foundation for Aryan rule in the Ganges River Valley.

Mahabharata – civil war between the Aryans – Bhagavad Gita

Ramayana – adventures in exile of Prince Rama of Kosala

Both epics emphasize dharma – the guiding principle of good human conduct and the force that holds the social, moral, and cosmic fabric of the universe together. Your duty as it is determined by your caste/role in society.

+Bhagavad-Gita 700 verse Dharmic scripture that is part of the

ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata

Contains a conversation between Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide Krishna (charioteer)

Conversations of philosophy based on the Upanishads

+4 Castes or Varna of Hindus

Brahmans – priests

Ksatriyas – warriors

Vaisyas – merchants

Sudras – laborers

All are bound by a set of duties or dharma; your fulfillment of these duties determines your place in the next life. You have multiple chances in multiple life cycles to get it right.

+Karma

The belief that all beings are responsible for their own actions and their own suffering is known as karma.

In Hindu thought, the doer must bear the burden of these actions, and the soul is thus enmeshed in a perpetual cycle of life and death.

+Triad of the gods Ultimately, because Hinduism and its

important texts such as the Bhagavad-Gita were able to synthesize tenets and ideas from the other religions, it was able to triumph in India.

Hindus also believe in a triad of gods—Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; Shiva the destroyer—who are responsible for the lives of all creatures on a cosmic scale.

It is believed that worshiping Shiva or Vishnu eventually helps creatures escape from the cycle of karmic rebirth.

+Hinduism’s Influence Today

In the 20th century, Hinduism began to gain popularity in the West. Its different worldview and its tolerance for diversity in belief made it an attractive alternative to traditional Western religion. Although there are relatively few western converts to Hinduism, Hindu thought has influenced the West indirectly by way of religious movements like Hare Krishna and New Age, and even more so through the incorporation of Indian beliefs and practices (such as the chakra system and yoga) in books and seminars on health and spirituality.