A Look at Hindu Culture
Today, Hinduism stands as India’s primary religion. In fact, India houses 90% of the world’s Hindi population and 79.8% of India’s population follows the Hindu religion, according to the 2011 census. It is thought by some to be the oldest religion in the world and the “eternal law” (Fowler). This culture is truly one as defined by Edward Taylor: “A complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs, and any other capability and habit acquired by man as a member of society.” In order to have somewhat of an understanding about what the Hindu religion entails, one must study the Hindu conception of God, its basic concepts and key beliefs, as well as symbolism.
The Hindu conception of “God” is
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The first and most highly regarded brand of Hinduism is the symbol of Brahman, Aum or Om. The Aum is made of three Sanskrit letters A, U, and M. All the major Hindu matrams begin with the chanting of “Aum”, which they believe was the only sound heard when the universe was brought into motion. Hindus often wear this symbol on their clothing and jewelry, put it on their cars and plaster it onto temple walls. They believe that it will protect them from evil and bring them good luck. Another common symbol of Hinduism is the Swastika. Although this sign is generally associated with Nazi Germany, it originally was derived from the Hindu religion where it represents peace and prosperity. “Swastika” literally translates to “everything is good”. The symbol used by the Germans was a slightly tilted inversion of this Hindu symbol. A third symbol which is often linked to Hinduism is the lotus. Many gods and goddesses are depicted holding or sitting on a lotus. However, it is specifically a representation of the goddess “Shri” or “Lakshmi” who is “associated in every possible way with the lotus” (Zimmer, p. 91). The flower also represents politeness and culture and is used in certain rituals. These symbols among many others, are extremely important in performing rituals and carrying on
The purpose of this paper is to provide a reflection on the field trip to the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago. After a brief introduction to the context, the Watercress tool will be used to highlight my observations. In our study of the Hinduism, the class visited The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC). This active temple is a house of worship that serves thousands of devotees as they pay homage to a diverse variety of idol and spiritual gods. Taught as one of the oldest religions in the world, it accepts all religious belief systems and God.
Religion can be representative of a person’s fundamental, spiritual beliefs whereby he or she follows a certain set of principles that allows him or her to worship a particular entity. Some individuals hold the belief that there is only one existent God, while others believe there are multiple Gods; thus leading to the ideas of a polytheistic and monotheistic religion. In present day, there are many religions that fall within the aforementioned categories, but two particularly interesting ones are Hinduism and Islam. These two religions encountered each other and flourished in the motherland, known as India. However, through the extreme differences in religious beliefs, major wars influenced by politics, and the development of architectural
The English word religion loosely translates into “rules” in Latin. Therefore, a religion teaches us how to think, how to act, and basically everything except what to eat in the morning. The Hindu and Christian religion agree on many things and our society follows some of the rules too because religion and laws are based on humanity. From holy literature many different ideas have been pawned but they are all supposed to lead you to the same things: a happy, healthy life, contribution to the world around us, and some kind of liberation after death. Concerning these ideals the Hindu religion has come up with three ways to make sure that everybody will get what they want out of life and those are the four stages, the four goals, and the four castes of life. There is so much holy war about which religion is right and wrong but if they all are striving for the same thing it is hard for me to see why they take place. In this essay I will show that Christianity is very similar to Hinduism.
Hinduism, also known by the name Sanatana-Dharma, is often referred to as the “oldest religion” in the world, is generally considered to be an ethnic religion and is fundamentally based on the religion of the original Aryan settlers. “Hinduism, from the Persian Hindi (Sanskrit sindhu), literally "river." Means "of the Indus Valley" or simply "Indian." Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma,"eternal religion" or "eternal truth” (“Facts on Hinduism”). It was founded around 3000 BCE, and is now considered to be the third largest religion in the world. Followers of Hinduism, which is estimated to be anywhere around 900 million, are especially concentrated in India, Nepal, and other countries throughout Asia. The broader world contact that has occurred since World War II allowed various forms of Hinduism to become more widely known and accepted. The multiple Hindu sects, including the Krishna Consciousness, have been particularly successful among young American and Europeans and claims to be adherent around the world. Hinduism is dissimilar compared to other religions, in the fact that it has no founders. This religion is considered to be permissive in creed or code as it is not necessarily coordinated in any way, even though various sects and cults are formulated. This religion is especially known for its tolerance because it is willing to accommodate those who are exceptionally religious; whether it be a Jew, Christian, or Muslim as a part of their religion. Hinduism is very transformable and accepts elements of different religion. Overtime it has even developed different aspects of both Christianity and Buddhism and incorporated them into the religion of Hinduism. Hinduism worships a multiplicity of gods; the most important in...
Though Hinduism is labeled as a religion, it’s actually much more than that. It’s a culture, a lifestyle, and a society that has influenced it’s people for more than four thousand years. The Indian culture is made up of several languages and dialects causing much racial diversity amongst the civilization. Although modern Hinduism often conflicts with that of the earlier forms of this religion, it’s most basic foundation is practically the same. Even though it’s teachings are not commonly agreed upon.
In the late eighteenth century, the United States government wanted to acculturate and assimilate Native American people as opposed to instituting reservations. The officials endorsed the practice of education for Indian children in the customs of white people. To help in bringing this to life, the Civilization Fund Act of 1819 provided financing to mostly religious societies who worked on educating Indians, often at schools. Schools were founded by missionaries next to Indian settlements, which later became reservations. As time went on, schools were built with boarding facilities, to provide accommodations for students who lived too far to be there on a daily basis (Lajimodiere 8). The Civilization Fund Act was immoral and had tremendous negative impact because it assisted in funding the Indian boarding schools, which resulted in abuse of Native children, supported the loss of their own culture and language, and lead to forced separation from families and tribes.
Upon reading about the historical and religious background of Ancient India, one can clearly assume that the country was strongly influenced by three main religious teachings: Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. These three sects in religious thinking have many similarities as all recognize the life-cycle and the need of liberation, they worship one central deity that used to be a human who gained enlightenment and they all recognize the existence of the eternal soul and after-death re-incarnation. However, they also share a lot of differences that mark the underlying principles of practicing them. I will identify the scope of differences and similarities in these ancient religions in an attempt to understand why each attracted followers, why each was shaped a certain way and how they preserved the interest of followers on into the modern times as well.
Today, the swastika is typically identified with racism, hate, violence, death, and antisemitism due to the Nazis, however, its history shows that it was primitively a symbol for many other things, including life, the sun, power, good luck, and well-being. The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit svastika, which means “good fortune” or “well-being”. The swastika has been around for thousands of years, and some even say it is the oldest known symbol. It is thought to have first been used in Neolithic Eurasia, perchance depicting the movement of the sun through the sky. The symbol became sacred to the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and is a common sight to see in places like India and Indonesia.
India, home to Hinduism, is the land in which one can unite with Brahman through the caste system, good karma, and the different types of yoga. The core doctrine of Hinduism is to unite with Brahma, the Supreme Being with the ultimate reality. The core doctrine of Hinduism is reflected in the scriptures of the religion as the main focus of the religion are to get out of the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth and to unite with Brahman through yoga and karma.
Hinduism is unlike many other religions in that it does not have a single founder or text, but is more like an umbrella in ways of life. In death and life for the Hindu, “The ultimate goal of the soul is liberation from the wheel of rebirth, through reabsorption into our identity with the Oversoul (Brahma)-- the essence of the universe, immaterial, uncreated, limitless, and timeless” (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, p. 134). Susan Thrane MSN, RN, OCN discusses the beliefs of Hindu culture in the article “Hindu End of Life: Death, Dying, Suffering, and Karma” published in the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. Thrane (2010) states that there are almost 2.3 million Hindus in India. Hindu’s believe in interconnectedness, karma, and reincarnation.
Because of its long tradition, its links to social status and its integration with cultural activities, Hinduism has had an enormous influence on Indian society. It is not only a religion, but also a way of life for Indians.
Hinduism is often viewed as a particularly tolerant religion. The lack of a single omniscient God, absence of a prophet, and the open worship of what may look like many Gods may tell a tale of open worship, individuality within religion, and a peaceful, tolerant way of life. Without further examining what Hinduism entails, this may seem like the perfect religion. When the impression of superiority is looked at with a little skepticism, the pretty picture is marred by the deep scratches of discrimination, sexism, and elitism.
Most people in the world derive their religious beliefs and traditions from their parents and peer influences. From a religious point of view, “There are many definitions for the term ‘religion’ in common usage. [Broadly defined], in order to include the greatest number of belief systems: ‘Religion is any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life’” (Robinson, 1996). However, in examining Hinduism, it is difficult to label the practices as a religion. This paper will expound upon the Hindu traditions, taking into account the characteristics of sacred elements, their meaning, and significance.
While most traditional religions are easy to define and comprehend, Hinduism is not. It cannot be spoken about as one single entity but rather a label for many different traditions within itself that originated in India. It is the world’s third largest religion with a following of a billion people. Hinduism, at its most basic definition, is the belief in either several gods or goddess, or the belief in one God with many faces. It is a way of life that relies heavily on the ideas of cause and effect. They believe in reincarnation with a desire to be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. They believe it is the key to a lifetime of happiness, prosperity and love. While it is considered to be the oldest
Starting at the core of India, its heart can be correlated with Hinduism. Hinduism started in Indian approximately the third millennium BC and is still practiced in the present day. Also, as it is of Indian origin, its rightful place can be considered the heart of India. It can be said that Hinduism is substantially “outdated” by today’s standards as formidable religion of Indian majority. During the period of the caste social structure within India it was en excellent fit. But this ensures its position of the heart of India by being fundamental to the development of ancient India and forming modern India.