Eight Aspects Of Religion

Hinduism is one of the earliest religons that is still practiced around the world. It seeks to answer the same questions that Christianity does, but arrives at different answers. It seeks truth, but fails to find it.

Hinduism is a religion practiced all over the world and has gained a large following. Hinduism got its start in the Indus Valley civilization and since then has evolved into a open and tolerant religion upon which every and anybody from all walks of life are welcome. In Hinduism there is a divine reality which can best be described as all reality is ultimately one for monistic Hindus or that there is no distinction between the divine reality and the rest of reality for dualistic Hindus. Either way it is put Hindus try to understand divine reality through their different gods, images, nature, and avatars.

Hinduism is a major religious and cultural tradition of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a diverse family of devotional and ascetic cults and philosophical schools, all sharing a belief in reincarnation and involving the worship of a large pantheon of deities.

In Chapter ten the history of Hinduism is discussed in America and India. Instead of illustrating the religious doctrines of Hinduism. The author lists statistics about the livelihoods of Asian Indians. For example, there are eighteen different official languages in India. As the author emphasizes that doctrines have nothing to do with Hinduism, but the actions that individuals commit. The orthodoxy is a set of responsibilities that Hindus must carry out. If they wish to be reincarnated into a higher caste. In addition, the origin of Hinduism is mentioned within the chapter. That Hinduism is the only major religion that does not have a founder and has no beginning as there is not a specific known date of when it originated. Moreover, Hinduism is the oldest major religion and is the only polytheistic faith among the five popular creeds.

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.

India is a country full of mysteries and differences. It has a long history, a profound yet unique culture, with diversified nationalities, races, religions, languages and a huge population. The pursuit of secularism and inveteracy of sectarianism have brought huge influence to the Indian society. As the mainstream culture in India, Hinduism plays an important role in the Indian society and has dominated almost 2000 years of its history. Although in the following years since, the Indian culture gradually becomes a combination of different races, religions and languages, Hinduism still remains to be the key to dig into the development of the culture and society of India.

Vishnu is a Hindu God and displays strength in this sculpture. He is considered to be the protector of the faithful. Sarasvati is the goddess of poetry and music. Lakshmi is the goddess of fortune. Vishnu is holding traditional symbols in each of his four hands, a conch shell for life-giving water, a lotus blossom for rebirth or fertility, a flaming mace and a solar disk for enlightenment. The quality of the piece is amazing and intricate.

In Chapter ten the history of Hinduism is discussed in America and India. Instead of illustrating the religious doctrines of Hinduism. The author lists statistics about the livelihoods of Asian Indians. For example, there are eighteen different official languages in India. As the author emphasizes that doctrines have nothing to do with Hinduism, but the actions that individuals commit. The orthodoxy is a set of responsibilities that Hindus must carry out. If they wish to be reincarnated into a higher caste. In addition, the origin of Hinduism is mentioned within the chapter. That Hinduism is the only major religion that does not have a founder and has no beginning as there is not a specific known date of when it originated. Moreover,

Das, Subhamoy. "Hindu Dieities." About.com. © 2017 About, Inc. — All Rights Reserved., 24 Feb. 2017. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

As the discussion topic this week suggests, Hinduism is not really classified as a religion, it truly is a way of life based on a particular set of beliefs and traditions. The Hindu lifestyle is based on various religious movements over time, this has led to numerous branches or subsets of Hinduism. Some of these groups may even consider their group a religion unto itself. In contrast with the Bible and Buddhism, Hinduism is not based upon any religious text or scriptures . Hinduism contains influences across various cultures, such as tribal and many folk traditions as well. It is possible for different groups to hold entirely different beliefs with the Hindu traditions.

Hinduism, even just by virtue of its name, is deeply Indian in nature. The word Hindu is derived from a Persian word which means “the Indus River” or more simply, just “Indian.” The word began as a purely geographical term. It wasn’t until the invasions into India that the word became associated with the religions of the subcontinent. The invaders classed all the beliefs of India’s indigenous peoples as one religion, Hinduism. Even before the imperial takeover of the British, the ideas and beliefs of “Hinduism” were already undergoing significant changes, with the instruction of new teachings from invaders.

Hinduism is described as a major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, developed from Vedic religion. One of the oldest religions in the world, Hinduism is most diverse, originating from multiple religions. The religion is polytheistic, meaning the people of Hinduism believe in millions of gods who control different aspects of their life. Prior to visiting the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan mandir, I had minimal information on Hindu’s and their way of life, despite having countless Hindu friends. Going in as an anthropologist, I objectively observed the customs and traditions they followed in an attempt to learn more about their community.

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 a diverse body of religion, philosophy, and cultural practice native to and predominant in India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being of many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by a desire for liberation from earthly evils (GodWeb, n.d.). In this paper I will further explore what the Hindu religion is encompassed of. And delve into what makes the religion of Hinduism vital to the region it is originated in.

world; like every other religion, it surely has been sculpted by a plethora of cultural pressures. But unlike any other major religion, Hinduism comprises of innumerable gods, an untold amount of scriptures, and countless rituals. Even within the Hindu triumvirate, which consists of three gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world, people hold different beliefs about what exactly they signify.