Hinduism : A Major Religious And Cultural Tradition Of South Asia

Over time traditions came together to develop recognizable religious traditions which was eventually known as Hinduism. Hindu’s have many different practices such as Sanatana Dharma, Vedic worship, yoga and many other different rituals. Hindu’s also have many other beliefs and celebrations such as reincarnation, karma, prana, puja, samsara and many more. Hinduism is known for its beliefs, practices and gods and as the years pass by the religion still stands strong to what they believe.

Hinduism is a religion that dates back about 6000 years and is one of the world's oldest religion. This religion is unlike any other and actually shaped many religions that are still followed today. An example of a widely followed religion influenced by Hinduism is Buddhism. Originating in the Indus River Valley Hinduism is now spread all over the world. Geography played and still plays a huge role in Hinduism. From the Aryans using a mountain pass to take over the original land of Hinduism to the spread of Hinduism today.

Hinduism, Buddhism and Shinto, while vast in differences there is much to learn about these three religions similarities as well. Some facts and history of Hinduism include, Hinduism (being the oldest of the three) is dated back in pre-history before 10000 BC even believed to predate the Indus River Valley Civilization! The Vedas (the holy text of Hinduism) is the foundation for Indian culture and also the basic belief system of Hinduism. The basic belief structure of Hinduism is as follows, the three doctrines; Samsara (1) which means “successive rebirths” indicating the belief in reincarnation started by ATMA or the spark of life given by the god Brahma. This cycle continues until the soul collects enough good Karma (2) to break from the

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.

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,

Hinduism is the oldest religions. The most interesting thing about Hinduism is that they have no specific founder or date of origin. Based on their beliefs Hindu’s are divided in to two casts. In the current world, there is still a big conflict about whether Hinduism is a monotheistic religion or a polytheistic religion. Because according to Hindus believe it’s one God with many different faces. This concept regarding Gods is accepted by some scholars, but not all of them. Hinduism has four sacred text Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Epics. The two most common sacred texts are the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita. The authors of all sacred texts are still unknown.

Hinduism, currently the world’s oldest practicing religion, can be considered both mystical and numinous in nature. The history of Hinduism is divided into periods of development, with the earliest period being the Vedic religion. The exact date is unknown, but it ranges from anywhere between 2,500 BC and 1500 BC. The subsequent period, between 600 BCE to 200 BCE was a turning point for the Vedic and Hindu religions and a formative period for Buddhism.

Mankind was first recorded practicing religion in Egypt around 4000 BCE. Hinduism is said to be older than the beginning of written history. Most people agree that Hinduism originated from Northern India. (Lynne Gibson) Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion, but it is more than that Hinduism is described more as a way of life than a religion. This makes Hinduism very complex. Hinduism itself is divided up into four main denominations, each having different beliefs. Many aspects in other religions come from Hinduism. Such as Nirvana in Buddhism comes from the Enlightenment in Hinduism. In order, for us to begin comprehending Hinduism we must look at their basic beliefs, Brahman, Vedas, karma, reincarnation, and everyone’s purpose

The Hinduism religion is a monotheistic religion. The world’s oldest religion is hinduism it is traced back to 5,000-100,000 B.C. The religion of Hinduism created reincarnation, and also developed yoga. If you believed in Hinduism your were called Hindus. Reincarnation means the rebirth of a person’s soul. Yoga is a way of training to be a leader of the union. Credit to World History book.

Hinduism is a major religion in India that is practiced by almost everyone. This is where they believe in one supreme being that has many different aspects. People who don’t understand Hinduism commonly mistake it with Buddhism due to the fact they share similar beliefs. Hinduism has the most affect on the culture and artwork because it is commonly practiced in India. In Hinduism there are three main gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Since these pieces of art stem from India, its important to understand the religions that they practiced. Hinduism is the oldest religion on earth, originating from the Indus valley civilization. Hinduism is based off of the Vedas that acts as a guideline for the way Hindu’s should live. Hindu’s do not only see Hinduism as a religion, but a way of life. They use five elements to shape their religious tradition. Doctrine, practice, society, story, and devotion. People who practice Hinduism follow their way of life strictly, and usually refuse to

Hinduism is, in some ways, the oldest living religion known to exist in this world, due to many elements within it stretching back thousands of years. Most Hindus worship one higher dimensional being through an infinite amount of gods and goddesses. Hindus believe their position in this life was determined by their actions in their past life. For example, if a person’s behaviour was unruly in their past life, they would experience tremendous suffering for their actions in their new life. Overall, a Hindu’s goal in life is to become free from continuous reincarnations.

The practice Hinduism poses some interesting questions for anthropologists, its is fairly unique in comparison to the other worlds religions, and interestingly there is no founding fire. Furthermore, there is no single religious text or scripture and its dogma is not centered around one singular omnipotent deity. Hinduism does not subscribe to a singular moral code and there is no internal structure or centralized institutions. Because of this, anthropologists,and the general public alike, have a hard time imagining Hinduism as a religious system. In order to gain a better understanding of Hinduism, scholars have relied on a wide variety of texts and historical events from the South Asian cultures. It has become necessary to engage in

Hinduism is the world religion that comprising both continuity and change. Hinduism has always combined and adapted to a variety of social and cultural contexts. It encompasses several and varied systems of philosophy, belief, and ritual. Hinduism is a Basic Religion with an animistic cosmology, out of which developed monistic and monotheistic. Hinduism is characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. In the following, there will be discussion of some characteristics of Basic Religion that are found in the Hindu tradition, philosophical monism of Hinduism and how it relates to the Basic Religion of Hinduism and also the beliefs and expressions of monotheism in the Basic Religion as well as scriptures.

Although we do not know the exact time that Hinduism began, it is believed to be over 4,000 years old. There have been overlapping civilizations in India that may have molded the religion into what it is now (Kinnard 1). Around 2,000 B.C.E., located near the great Indus River, the Indus Valley Civilization, who worshipped many goddesses, may have been the very beginning of the shaping of Hinduism. Near the end of the Indus Valley Civilization around 1,500 B.C.E., a new society surfaced in India. Believed to be brought by the central Asian Aryans, the Vedic religion began (Kinnard). The Aryans’ practices included the sacrifice of animals and other offerings to their gods into a sacred fire. The gods they worshipped were mainly gods of nature such as the fire god and the plant god (flood). This era was the time of the Vedas, which are scriptures describing rituals to please the gods (Kinnard). Later, around 1,000 B.C.E., priests called Brahmins began to reject the materialistic ways of the Vedic tradition and began to adopt practices

Of all the religions in the world such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam, Hinduism is the world's oldest religion which is still practiced, has no beginning and it precedes recorded history. Although, it is the third largest religion in the world and has no identifiable human founder or date of origin. Even so, Hinduism originated in India located between the Himalayan Mountains, Ski Lanka, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. However, when looking at a map of India it is shown that this subcontinent is isolated. As a result to this kind of isolation, India has created a culture that is both rare and fascinating (Experiencing the World's Religions).