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Hinduism Research Paper

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Hinduism: A Realm Outside of My Own
To get from South India to South Florida, normally, a person would need to travel roughly 15,117 km or 9,394 miles. Being that it is hardly just a hop, skip, and a jump away, members of the South Florida community, who are also a part of the Hindu community, desperately wanted a place where they could feel close to their motherland and yet remain near their newfound homes. To ensure this dream would become a reality, devotees gathered funds and support from friends and families to build what would later be known as the South Florida Hindu Temple. Interestingly, this temple, dissimilar to many others in the country, was built strictly from love and charity. All of the funds used to create the holy place …show more content…

While it may be argued that all religions, at their core, are tolerant, I have personally never felt so welcomed in a community where I expected to be an outsider. With my mind at ease and my defenses lowered, I could finally completely open myself up to the beliefs of these gentle people. One of the main truths of Hinduism is that there is one "supreme being", a God, if you will, that is made up of everything and in turn makes up everything. This truth is the basis for many, if not all, of the other truths found in Hinduism. For example, another Hindu belief is that all life is to be preserved, cherished, and valued equally. With that being said, Hindus are expected to practice ahimsa or nonviolence; that is by action or by word. In a Hindu's mind to be violent or disrespectful towards anything and anyone would be the equivalent of being violent or disrespectful to God; considering whoever or whatever you are disrespecting is made from the essence of the "supreme being". Hinduism is known for its many gods and goddesses or deities that devotees worship on a daily basis. In fact, it is not uncommon to find that a wife holds preference to a deity and her husband another. However, there are different sects, such as Shaivism and Vaishnavism, where one deity is primarily worshiped. The South Florida Hindu Temple falls under a different sect; Smartism. In the Smartism sect, devotees are allowed to show preference to whichever deity they

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