HINDU

THE RELIGION AND BELIEFS

JUNE 2014

HINDUISM

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the

world and some say that it is the oldest

organized religions that still exist today.

Hinduism can be traced back to 1500 B.C.E. in

India (www.religioustolerance.org). While

Hindu is one of the oldest religions it was not

founded by a single person, as it was founded

based on many beliefs and traditions. The

sacred text of Hindu is called the Vedas; these

are sacred text that for many of years was

passed down verbally from teacher to student.

These texts were eventually written down over

800 or 900 years (Fisher, M. P. 2014).

As mentioned earlier there are four different

types of yoga, each made for the four basic

types of people

(www.religionfacts.com/hinduism).

• Raja yoga – for the meditative person

enabling them to find the path of

mental concentration

• Jnana yoga – for the rational person

enabling them to find the path of

rational inquiry

• Karma yoga – for the naturally active

person enabling them to find the path of

right action

• Bhakti yoga – for the emotional person

enabling them to find the path of

devotion

Yoga is not a physical position or exercise, as

it has become known in the West. Yoga is a

practice of obtaining the union with one’s inner

self.

HINDUISM A PICTURE OF

RELIGION

HINDU BELIEFS PRACTICED TODAY

Hindu has survived for thousands of years and

so have their beliefs and practices that are still

around today. One of these practices that

millions of Hindu’s still consider a scared

principle is the practice of yoga. The meaning

of yoga a Hindu theistic philosophy teaching

the suppression of all activity of body, mind,

and will in order that the self may realize its

distinction from them and attain liberation

(www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yoga).

Basically there are four kinds of people and

the sages developed yoga practices that fit

each basic of these basic types (Fisher, M.P.

2014). These practices are in an order enable

the person to attain the union with the Self.

THE FOUR TYPES OF YOGA

JUNE 2014

WHERE HINDU ORIGINATED AND HOW IT HAS SPREAD ACROSS THE WORLD

THE SPREAD OF HINDU

"That which we call the Hindu religion is

really the Eternal religion because it

embraces all others." Sri Aurobindo

The Hindu religion originated in India, it is

made up of many different beliefs that over

thousands of years has developed into what we

today call Hindu (Fisher, M.P. 2014).

In the West Hindu has been researched by

scholars, as there is a need to find out how this

religion has been able to survive the many

changes over the thousands of years.

I do not believe that the West fully

understands the role that various paths of

Hinduism plays, it is difficult to understand the

beginnings of the religion. While there are

many different paths that one can take in this

religion and the spread of Hindu has been able

breakthrough many different boundaries.

There are over 900 million followers of Hindu

across the world today. Most of the followers

are in India; however there are many followers

in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Temples have been built in many cities across

the United States and account for

approximately 4% of the American population

(www.religionfacts.com/hinduism).

HINDUISM

CAPTION YOUR PHOTO HERE

The sacred text of Hinduism is referred to as the Veda’s. These

texts reportedly go back to the beginning of Hinduism. They

were originally passed down from teacher to student verbally

over thousands of years, eventually these texts were written

down, this of course happened during a period of eight or nine

hundred years. The sacred Hindu text, the Veda’s, consist of 4

collections or mantras, which are also known as the Samhitas.

These collections are as follows

(www.himalayanacademy.com);

Rig Veda – the wisdom of verses

Sama Veda – the wisdom of the chants

Yajur Veda – the of the sacrificial formulas

Atharva Veda – the wisdom of the Atharvan Priests

Over the century’s additional text were added to the original

sacred text. These additions became known as:

Brahmana – the discussion of the ritual

Aranyakas – the books studied in the forest

Upanishad – the philosophical writings

There are five daily rituals that are followed daily:

They must worship Brahama directly or indirectly, must recite

the Veda, the Gayatri Mantra, to show respect for elders and

parents, give shelter to poor or holy men, and to feed animals.

The most common of Hindu worship is called Puja. Puja is

worshiping a particular god, which is chosen based on their

personal wishes or family. They also practice yoga, this is not

the yoga you or I think of, this way of meditation allows the

person to reach oneness with the Self.

I find that the sacred text and ways of Hinduism is complicated

yet open to many people. Learning of the different aspects of

Hindu is interesting. Just by reading the views from non-

practicing Hindus and the views from practicing Hindus is very

different and shows how “outsiders” can perceive things they

do not understand.

THE HINDU PURPOSE OF LIFE

• Dharma – fulfilling ones purpose; to reach

dharma one must always live morally and

ethically

• Artha – prosperity; to reach artha one must

pursue wealth and prosperity but the means

must be within the dharma

• Kama – desire, sexuality and enjoyment; to

reach kama one must have been able to obtain

love and pleasure

• Moksha – enlightenment; for one to reach

moksha one must have been able to reach the

previous levels. Enlightenment may not be

reached in a single lifetime, but through

reincarnation the pursuit of enlightenment can

be reached

THE SACRED TEXT OF HINDUISM

JUNE 2014

HINDUISM

ANCIENT HINDU TEMPLES

About the Author

While there are hundreds of different religions

out in the world today, I found Hinduism to be

the most intriguing religions of the ones we

have discussed in the class. Knowing that

Hindu is the oldest organized religion, I found it

amazing that it has been able to stand the test of

time and has grown in the number of followers

and spread to many different countries. While I

have enjoyed reading and learning about

Hinduism I have not had the opportunity to

observe any of the practices and I think it would

be very interesting to experience.

HINDUSIM

“Truth is one; sages call it by various names” Rig Veda

http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm

Fisher, M. P. (2014). Living religions (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River,

NJ: Pearson.

http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/index.htm

http://www.himalayanacademy.com/readlearn/basics/nine-beliefs

"Yoga." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 15

June 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yoga>.

HINDUSIM

References