Apol 104 Hinduism Research Paper

It is not unknown when Hinduism began, but Veda scriptures state that they were written in the 1500 to 900BCE, but it is most likely that stories have been passed down for hundreds of years. (Fisher 76) Hinduism is one of the

Hinduism believes in the reincarnation or rebirth of souls. They believe that souls are eternal and divine and that death is only temporary.

Hinduism is a religion that is difficult to define. No one can say who the founder is, or connect it to a certain place or time. So in order to understand Hinduism, we follow a coherent set of assumptions upon which people base their lives; otherwise defined as the Indian Worldview.

In some ways Hinduism is the oldest living religion since some elements of it date back thousands of years; Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings despite many key figures and numerous holy books that might indicate otherwise. Hence why Hinduism is often referred to as a “way of life” and why it makes sense that the religion was informed by so many external conditions around its “birth” (BBC Religion Profile,

Many Hindus consider Hinduism to be a monotheistic religion, despite criticism from outsiders that believe Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. In this religion, it is believed that a person’s soul passes through a cycle of successive lives, called reincarnation, and that the next life is dependent upon how the previous life was lived because Karma controls the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth

Hinduism’s history is complex and the early history, especially is a subject of much debate for several reasons. Hinduism is not one single religion and also seemingly has no definite starting point as the traditions that flow into the religion trace back thousands of years(“Religion: Hinduism.”). This and some practitioners claim that the Hindu revelation is eternal(“Religion: Hinduism.”). Although there is an emphasis on personal spirituality, Hinduism's history has been closely linked with various political and social developments, such as the rise and fall of various empires and kingdoms(“Religion: Hinduism.”). The early history of Hinduism is difficult to organize and date so Hindus often

I did not know much about Hinduism, apart from the fact that they worship multiple gods and believe in reincarnation. Three concepts that helped me grasp who the Hindu people are would be, the four acceptable aims of life, the caste system, and the idea of karma. These three ideas helped me identify how the Hindu’s are supposed to live in their daily life and why they live a certain way. One bump I found in Hinduism is number of gods they have and worship.

What do Hindus believe? Who is there god? I want to believe. Hindu comes from the name of the river Indus, which flows 1,800 miles from Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the sea. Hinduism has no founder, nor the single teacher or any prophets. Hinduism is not a single religion it 's the practice of the variety of different religious groups which come out of India. Hinduism is not a complicated religion you know they do believe in one supreme God. "it is the sun, the moon, and the stars. He is the fire, the water, and the wind, the god who appears in forums infinite." (Experiencing World Religions Pg.81) and he takes three forms and they are Brahma the Creator, Vishnu The Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer named Brahman taking up to infinite forums.

In Southeast Asia, Hinduism comprises what is the thirst largest religious group today. However, unlike other religions, Hinduism’s beliefs range from monotheism, polytheism, and even atheism. In this essay I will argue that although the religious diversity in India is so vast between religions like Sikhism and Jainism, there are still very many similarities between them.

Imagine a religion so old that it is said to be timeless and has always been there, even before humans set foot on the Earth. It’s mindboggling to think that the knowledge of everything is floating in the space of the universe and the mind is just a way of reaching it. Hinduism is a very complex religion, yet it still sets one ultimate goal for the soul. To deeper understand Hinduism we must reveal its origin, doctrines, customs, and culture.

Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions in existence (Srinivasan 66). It ranks as

Hinduism originated in India over four thousand years ago. The India-based religion lacks an individual founder. In the beginning, the term “Sanatana Dharma” erupted; but Sanatana Dharma soon transformed to “Hindu” after Islamic invasions occurred: “the Muslim invaders pronounced H for I” (Patheos), thus, the inhabitants along the Indus River were called “Hindus” as a result. The primary goal Hindus hope to achieve is to become reincarnated – thus reaching closer and closer to the state of nirvana every Hindu is called to with each transformation after death.

The Hindu religion and culture is a very complex subject. The Hindu religion combines rich ethnical and standard beliefs. We will take a closer look and try to understand the Hindu religion and culture. The Hindu religion is the oldest religion of the five major religions, which are Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism (Major World Religions, 2006). The Hindu religion began to develop about 4.000 years ago in India, but it there was no single founder or system of belief (Major World Religions, 2006). There are many diverse and various Gods in the Hindu religion. One of the most important beliefs is the theory of karma, which holds that all beings, human or animal have karma which determines which soul is for which body and

In Hinduism, Hindus believe in religion for the reasons of what they are expected to do in life and in the future: “Hinduism became one of the world’s most complex religions with countless Gods and Goddesses and many forms of worship existing side by side. Despite this diversity, all Hindus share certain basic beliefs” (Ellis 76). In other words, having all Hindus have the same basic beliefs, which are Dharma, Karma, and Samsara lead to why they believe in religion. The diversity gave the Hindus the opportunity share and worship many gods and goddesses. Along the same lines, Dharma belongs to the world and to the individual as well. Saying that they believe in completing their own duties having their own responsibility to balance his or her own dharma. Therefore, they believe in religion also to achieve by living a life of religious devotion and moral integrity.

In hinduism, darsahana is said to bring good fortune, well being, grace and spiritual merit to the devotees. As the deity gazes on the devotee without blinking, darshana, in essence, can be considered the exchange of vision that is essential to Hindu worship before images. The act of opening an image's eyes is said to "vivify it in essential preliminary to consecration and worship" (Fuller). It is the passive act in which the devotee and the deity exchange vision allowing for the devotee to absorb the power of the deity when he or she looks at the image. This allows for the symbolic interaction between the deity and the devotee. When a devotee looking into the image, they are essentially seeing the deity's shakti rather than the deity itself.