Hinduism : Two Religions And Beliefs Of Hinduism

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 the third largest and the oldest religion in the world. Because it is so popular, there are many stereotypes of this religion that have come about over the years. Some of these might include things like all Hindu women have red dots on their foreheads or that all Indians are Hindu. These are both untrue, of course. However, Hinduism is the leading religion in India, dominating around 80 percent of the country’s population (“Hinduism”. Britannica Online Encyclopedia.). Within each religion are a number of beliefs, sacred texts, laws, and guidelines to live by. Hinduism is definitely an extremely complex religion compared to other religions, with several beliefs, multiple gods, goddesses and deities, and many laws and rules to be

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.

Buddhism and Hinduism are two of the world’s most influential and greatest religions. Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of the awakened one (Abrams), and Hinduism is the oldest of the world’s greatest religions (Rice). Both of these religions arose in South Asia, thus they share similar culture and philosophy; however, they also contrast greatly with each other in many other aspects. By comparing the rituals of worship of the two religions it is proven that Hinduism worships various deities, whereas Buddhism does not worship any. Rituals of worship such as puja and meditation are practiced in both religions, nevertheless the way and purpose of how they are done differ.

Hinduism is an Indian phenomena, it is difficult to define, and difficult for the outsiders to understand some of the unusual religious, philosophical and cultural beliefs. It is according to Huston Smith, the…” least dogmatic and most diverse of all religions…” because of the belief that there is a ‘flowing though’ cycle where in samsara ones is born, lives, suffers, dies and is re-born over and over until the ‘moksha’ occurs. This spiritual liberation is achieved by yoking oneself to God then one may reach Atman: the real self that is separate from the physical body. It is unchanging, eternal and a sign of the soul and spread throughout all the parts of and in the earth. This is the God that cannot be understood or always known yet Hindus are encouraged to relate to the God they know best.

Imagine a place entirely made of Turkish Limestone and Italian marble, a place of worship and serenity. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is the full name of the Hindu Mandir I visited, it is located in Stafford also known as Houston, Texas. I visited BAPS because of the beautiful land mark it created. BAPS is a place of worship for people who practice and believe in Hinduism. Hinduism is approximately 5,000 to 10,000 years old. It is a religion that grows by enfolding new traditions. There are several field of Hinduism, but everyone picks only one. In Hinduism, the fallowers believe in the four gods and five goddesses, each one has an individual meaning and story. Causing each human individual to have a different connection with each of the gods.

Hinduism and Sikhism share many similarities with the other religions that started in India, while Sikhism stands alone in many aspects of religion that make it very unique. Hinduism is a broad term for a large group of religions of India that did not fit the mold of existing religions of India at the time. People of Hindu religions do not normally define themselves as being Hindu. Instead, they would define their religion based on local caste and community. (Shattuck, 1999).

Hinduism is one of the major world religions. It has left a profound influence on many other religions because of its long, unbroken history that began 1500BC. (“Hinduism”). The devoted and committed followers of this religion also have many different outlooks and viewpoints of life because of the different gods they worship. Each of these gods stand for something different and have different principles and lessons for their followers to learn. (Doniger). Along with their many gods and beliefs, the Hindus also partake in many traditions that stretch back thousands of years. Hinduism is an ancient religion that encompasses a variety of practices and beliefs and has a rich plethora of history that is

Hindus have confidence in a one, all-unavoidable Supreme Being who is both natural and otherworldly, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.

Hinduism is known to be one of the oldest religions that dates back as far as 8000 BCE and may date back prior to this, because there are known records of rock paintings that are believed to be significantly older on the earth (Kak, 2015). Although there is no known founder of the Hinduism, some may say that Hinduism is a very mystical religion that leads its followers to a personal experience that is truth within, by reaching the pinnacle of consciousness where man and God are one. The development of this religion was influenced when light-skinned nomadic Aryan Indo-European tribes invaded Northern India BC from Russia and Central Asia attacking the Harappan people who lived there in 1500. The word, Hinduism, comes from the word, Indus, which

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 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.

An interesting aspect of Hinduism is its conception has created a history that is still prevalent today. The citadels of the Harappa culture provide modern society with information regarding the architecture and consequently their religious practices. However, there are some aspects of the Harappa culture that are still unknown to this day. For example, there is little evidence regarding the culture’s manner of disposal. Consequently, we lack the knowledge of the Harappa’s religious convictions. After the fall of the Harappa culture, the Indo-Europeans embraced language as a means of understanding. Historians have been able to track the migration patterns of the Indo-Europeans. They can do so because the language of the Vedas

Hinduism itself is indeed a very interesting religion and way of life. Majority of people that follow Hinduism can be located in India and Nepal, where 80% regard themselves as Hindu. It is the world’s oldest religion being traced back to thousands of years ago. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, following Christianity and Islam, with 15% or about 900 million people following it globally. The word hinduism means “eternal spirit path”, where many come and hope that this religion will lead them to peace and happiness.