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History and development of hinduism
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Hinduism is recognized as the oldest religion and the third most popular in the world not only because its extended number of practitioners around the globe but also because the deeply influence that has created in other many religions. Hindus go to their Temple or Mandir, which is their place of worship in order to offer their prayers to their gods; every temple is dedicated to a specific deity or god. Different from other religions, Hinduism has no funder and its origins are not clearly defined. It is a religion based on myths, starring by several diverse gods and it is identified as a monotheistic religion regardless of having numerous gods. The explanation to this is that the followers of this religion consider all these gods as part of Brahma, who is the supreme god. For others, Krishna is very important god. The 5,000 years old Indian Vedic scriptures clearly describe the nature and identity of Lord Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead (McPhee & Rigolot, 2011). Hare Krishna is the name for the International Society of Krishna Consciousness known as Iskon. Hare Krishna is a new religious movement based in Vaishnava Hinduism.
The Hare Krishna Cultural Center is a Hindu temple in Miami. The Hare Krishna Movement members follow the ancient scriptures of India, which are based principally on Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. These scripts have more than 5000 years and they are practiced by over 900 millions people at the present time. In July 2011, I attended to the Hare Krishna Cultural Center Hindu temple. The only information I knew previous this experience was just some essential understanding of Hinduism, but not sufficient to know what to expect in my first visit to a Hindu temple.
Undoubtedly, I was a...
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...environment of holiness, serenity and friendliness. It is totally beautiful to see the people dancing, chanting with all that love and happiness. I have always think we all need a place to get away from our routine, I can say the Hare Krishna Temple is that place to me.
Works Cited
Knapp, Stephen. "Deities and Deity Worship." Krishna.com | All About Krishna. 1997. Web. 02 Aug. 2011. .
McPhee, John, and Carol Rigolot. The Princeton Reader: Contemporary Essays by Writers and Journalists at Princeton University. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2011. 91.
Zeller, Benjamin E. "ISKCON Rites and Ceremonies." Balanced Views of Religion and Spirituality with Faith | Patheos. 2008. Web. 02 Aug. 2011. .
Gilbert, Daniel. “Reporting Live From Tomorrow.” 2007. Emerging: Contemporary Readings For Writers. Boston, MA: Bedford/St.Martins, 2010. Print.
Fisher, Mary Pat. "Chapter 5: Buddhsim." Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice-Hall, 2005. 150-62. Print.
The actual building itself appears similar to a castle. The architecture had royal features due to the triangular points on the top of the building. There were three open doors; one big main entrance in front, two small side doors, and all the guests entered through the main entrance. Once I walked in, a big gold Buddha was centered in the back surrounding multiple iconic religious statues. There seemed to be about a hundred religious statues highly dazzled in silver or good.
I was very nervous to visit the Hindu Mandir. However, once I got there, I saw how beautiful and amazing it really was. It was so beautiful that I thought that I was in a museum instead of a place of worship. It was absolutely nothing as I expected it to be at all. While I was in the Mandir, I felt a sense of honor and serenity and at peace while looking around at all the beautiful art. In addition, I learned many different things because of this visit about Hinduism. The visit made me learn things that I would have never learned if I did not go on the trip. I learned about what a Mandir is, a Mandir functions, the history of Hinduism, their beliefs, and their festival celebrations.
In my Catholic high school, our theology class visited a spiritual space each semester. Synagogues, temples, centers, and mosques were included. The most memorable of these visits was a trip to the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Penn Hills. At first, I was in awe of the décor—large, intricate murals and statues filled the space, and there were flowers and incense holders in every corner. The tour guide, a Hindu doctor and author, then occupied my interest. He described his belief in pantheism, a view that the Universe is divine in all respects. It was so interesting to hear about a belief contrary to the monotheist, dualist one I was brought up in. It made just as much sense, it was simply explanation of life and its meaning.
Fisher, Mary Pat (2002). Living Religions, Fifth Edition Prentice-Hall, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Ludwig, Theodore M. The Sacred Paths: Understanding the Religions of the World (4th Edition). 4 ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2005.
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).
I decided to visit a Hindu temple because the Hindu religion was the religion that I knew the least about and was interested in. This assignment gave me an opportunity to learn more about this religion and what their worship services and rituals were like. The temple that I went to was called BAPS Shri Swaminaryan Mandir and it was located in Lilburn. As soon as I walked in, I was amazed by the beautiful architectural design of this Temple. It seemed like it took a lot of hard work and dedication to make the place what it is now. While I was at the temple, I watched the Hindus perform an ancient Vedic ritual called the Abhishek, a ritual bathing to honor the murti of their God.
...es, Trevor. The Kingfisher book of religions: festivals, ceremonies, and beliefs from around the world. New York: Kingfisher, 1999.
While examining different religious paths within Hinduism from the perspective of four patterns of transcendence (ancestral, cultural, mythical and experiential) it is interesting to see how each pattern found its dominance over four segments of Hinduism: Vedic sacrifice, the way of action, the way of devotion and the way of knowledge.
"Myths Encyclopedia - Myths and legends of the world." Hinduism and Mythology. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Hare Krishna is a relatively new "eastern" religion founded on the backbone of Hindu teachings. It is referred to in some instances as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness denoted ISKCON. The Hare Krishna movement dates back to ancient India although it was technically not founded until 1966 in the United States by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Nesbitt, E. (2002). The body in Sikh religion. In S. Coakley (Eds.), Religion and the Body (pp. 289-305). UK: Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.