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Understanding the Practices of Hinduism Essay

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Religion is a powerful yet sensitive subject in many parts of the world. It is powerful in the sense that it gives a person comfort in their beliefs and practices. A particular religion that reflects the acceptance of a person’s own beliefs and practices would be Hinduism. Hinduism is one of the oldest religions that exist in our world today. It is widely practiced all over the world, especially in the west. Sometimes Hinduism can be misunderstood, as some people don’t really know how to interpret Hinduism. What exactly is Hinduism? Exploring the many themes of this particular religion helps answer the many questions that are raised by others. As mentioned earlier, Hinduism is one of the oldest religions that still exist today. It …show more content…

The Brahmanas consisted of the rituals and rites of Hinduism. Sometimes the Aranyakas are considered parts of the Brahmanas, but it seems to focus more on the philosophy of the life of humankind. The Upanishads are considered the concluding part of the Vedas, which is usually referred to as the Vedanta. There are many times that some may consider the Vedas and Upanishads separately, but essentially the Upanishads represent many more important ideas/thoughts in the Epic period. The Vedas are viewed as the spiritual literature of the ancient Indian culture. As previously mentioned, the Upanishads are another important part of Hindu history as they were focused on in the Epic period. The Upanishads are considered a concluding part of the Vedas, or referred to as the Vedanta, but this is when many of the core thoughts of Hinduism started to develop. It is said that the Upanishads is made up of mostly dialogue between a master and his disciple. It has brought forth many of the concepts that are central to Hinduism today, such as karma, moksha, samsara, atman and the Brahman. The Upanishads was when the very descriptions of the absolute Brahman, or the almighty, came about. Yoga and meditation were introduced during this time period. This era was important, as it was able to introduce spiritual vision as well as provide a philosophical argument. The third time period, which is referred to as the Sutras

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