| A Brief Introduction to Hinduism |
A Brief Introduction to Hinduism
The Basics
Hinduism is the indigenous religion of India, where it remains the predominant religion to this day. It is known to its followers as "Sanatana Dharma," which means "the eternal law" in Sanskrit. It is a polytheistic religion with many different forms of practice, ranging from yoga to festivals. There are a wide variety of complex views spanning folk and Vedic Hinduism to Bhakti tradition. Hinduism has a far-reaching spectrum of views and philosophies rather than a rigid set of beliefs that all practitioners must follow.
Hinduism was formed from many diverse traditions and has no single founder. Its most direct roots are found in the historical Vedic religion of Iron Age India, and as such, it is often referred to as the oldest living religion. There is a large body of Hindu texts. They are often divided into Sruti or "revealed texts," and Smriti or "remembered texts." Hinduism is followed by well over 80% of India as well as much of Nepal. It is the world's third-largest religion.
The basic beliefs in Hinduism are that the Vedas are divine in nature, and are based on stories of the supreme being influencing the world in the form of avatars. The belief in cycles is central to Hinduism. These cycles come in the form of Karma and Reincarnation. Reincarnation is the idea that the soul is eternal and moves from one life to the next. Karma is the concept that one's actions move through one's life and influence one's position in the next life. This has taken the form of a caste system. However, the social injustice created by this caste system has caused some debate over its role in being part of Karma.
Another key belief of Hinduism is that of moksha, or salvation. Unlike in the West, salvation is not heaven; rather, it is a complete and simultaneous rejection of the self and union with the entirety of the divine. To learn more about Hinduism's basic teachings, you can visit the Dogma and Doctrine and the Modern Hinduism pages.
Sources:
http://www.ochs.org.uk/
http://hinduism.iskcon.org/
Michaels, A (2004), Hinduism: Past and Present (5th ed.), Princeton University Press
Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2007), Encyclopedia of Hinduism, New York, USA: Infobase Publishing
Pictures courtesy Brandon LaField, Katherine Stingley, Michael Wilson, and Radha Madhav Dham.
Hinduism was formed from many diverse traditions and has no single founder. Its most direct roots are found in the historical Vedic religion of Iron Age India, and as such, it is often referred to as the oldest living religion. There is a large body of Hindu texts. They are often divided into Sruti or "revealed texts," and Smriti or "remembered texts." Hinduism is followed by well over 80% of India as well as much of Nepal. It is the world's third-largest religion.
The basic beliefs in Hinduism are that the Vedas are divine in nature, and are based on stories of the supreme being influencing the world in the form of avatars. The belief in cycles is central to Hinduism. These cycles come in the form of Karma and Reincarnation. Reincarnation is the idea that the soul is eternal and moves from one life to the next. Karma is the concept that one's actions move through one's life and influence one's position in the next life. This has taken the form of a caste system. However, the social injustice created by this caste system has caused some debate over its role in being part of Karma.
Another key belief of Hinduism is that of moksha, or salvation. Unlike in the West, salvation is not heaven; rather, it is a complete and simultaneous rejection of the self and union with the entirety of the divine. To learn more about Hinduism's basic teachings, you can visit the Dogma and Doctrine and the Modern Hinduism pages.
Sources:
http://www.ochs.org.uk/
http://hinduism.iskcon.org/
Michaels, A (2004), Hinduism: Past and Present (5th ed.), Princeton University Press
Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2007), Encyclopedia of Hinduism, New York, USA: Infobase Publishing
Pictures courtesy Brandon LaField, Katherine Stingley, Michael Wilson, and Radha Madhav Dham.
