Out of all the different beliefs in the world today, Hinduism is a religion that seems different and interesting. Hinduism is one of the oldest living religions in the world. The religion is over 4,000 years old. Hinduism was originated in India and the religion’s first known believers were known as the ancient people, the Aryans (Hinduism). Like most religions in the universe, Hinduism is unique in its own way. Hinduism is unique because it did not start off as a religion. Hinduism was actually a culture for people in India and then later turned into a religion (Hinduism on Fun Facts).
Hinduism believers think different than others. The followers believe there is one supreme absolute in the entire world. He would be known as Brahman. Although Hindus believe in Brahman being the only absolute, it does not promote the worship of just this deity. They actually believe that there are thousands of gods and goddesses of Hinduism that represent the aspects of Brahman. This means the faith of Hinduism is characterized by multiple of idols. The most known and important deities of Hinduism though are the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - all being the creator, the preserver, and the destroyer. Not only to Hindus look at these three as important roles in their religion, but they also worship animals, trees, and spirits (Das).
The trio that they really focus on consists of three gods that are responsible the beginning of Hinduism, the up keep of the world, and the destruction of the world. The names of the three gods are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. All three of them having three different roles. Brahma’s job was to create the world and all the creatures on it. He was the first god of the Hinduism religion. Vishnu is the preserver of the ...
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...s and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments, and personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods. Also Hindus believe that a spiritually awakened master is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute. The eighth belief is that all life is scared. The last belief the Hindus share is to believe that no particular religion teacher the only way to salvation. (“9 Basic Hindu Beliefs”)
Hinduism is a very popular religion. There are believed to be close to 900 million followers around the world and the number continues to rise. Hinduism is one of the three largest religions in the universe, falling short behind Christianity and Islam. Hinduism is most popular in India, where the religion was founded. Hinduism seems very interesting to most. Most individuals believe that the religion will continue to be practiced and gain followers throughout the world.
Unlike most religions, Hinduism has no specific founder, scripture or set of teachings. Hinduism has over nine hundred million followers today. The history of Hinduism is that it was found in the Indus Valley and it is an oral religion. Hindu’s believe in the three gods named Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma is believed to be the creator of the world and creatures.
Hinduism is an ancient religion. It has no known founder. It has several holy books. The most important of these is the Vedas, a collection of hymns. Hinduism like buddism believes in reincarnation. The goal of this religion is also to escape the birth-death cycle. Through Hinduism the entire Indian social structure was formed by creating the caste system. The major difference between Buddism and Hinduism is that Hindus believe in a god. Brahman is the spirit that encompasses all living things. There are several lesser gods who are believed to be incarnates of Brahman.
Other than a religion, Hinduism is a way of life through philosophy that is mostly concerned with spirituality and enlightenment. The impracticality of the Hindu religion comes from the Vedas. Vedas are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu religion that are considered to be a straight ...
Hinduism is made of many different religions and does not have one origin or single founder. The religion of Hinduism is very old, “300-100 B.C.E.--- The first trace of temple worship. Hindu people worship at the shrine, where Hindus make offerings to a murti. A murti is a statue of a god or goddess” (McMillan). In addition, other religions are based off Hinduism, “5000-10000 B.C.---Hinduism can be traced back to 5000-10000 B.C. Hinduism is a very old religion, many religions are based off of Hinduism, like Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism” (McMillan).
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.
One of the most important elements of these religions is their history. The Hindu religion disputably began around 2500 years before the Common Era (B.C.E.) in India. It was geographically based along the Indus River, which was called “Hindu” by the Persians who had migrated there. They also called the land Hindustan and it’s inhabitants, Hindus. After that, the religion that followed was called Hinduism. Today, almost 800 million people practice the Hindu religion (Spodek, 261)
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).
They believe that everything in the universe is part of god and that he created nothing, everything has always been in existence. ii. The Question of Identity – The question of Identity asks what makes humans significant? Hindus believe that all life is sacred, and that mans soul is eternal through reincarnation. They believe that your good or bad actions in your current life determine what you are reincarnated into in your next life.
Hinduism is sometimes considered henotheistic, meaning “involving devotion to a single god while accepting the existence of others” (Reference.com, 2008). Any such term is actually considered to be an overgeneralization. Hindus believe that the true self of a person or the soul, called the Atman, is eternal. This Atman is ultimately indistinct from Brahman, the supreme spirit. The goal of life is to realize that one's Atman is identical to Brahman, the supreme soul. “Whoever becomes fully aware of the Atman as the innermost core of one's own self realizes an identity with Brahman and thereby reaches Moksha (liberation or freedom)” (Reference.com, 2008).
Hinduism is the 3rd most popular religion in the world followed by Buddhism, together they are followed by 22 percent of the world’s population. These two religions are alike in many ways, and are tied together by Asia, where they have deep roots in its culture and history. Although Hinduism and Buddhism are similar in many ways, very important and large differences separate the two. No one and nothing can ever truly prove either religion is better than the other because that is up to personal beliefs and opinions, but many more people around the world prefer Buddhism over Hinduism because of its beliefs and practices.
Chapter 2: The Different Aspects of Hinduism The Gods and Goddesses Since Hindus generally believe in the existence of Brahman, or the supreme creator, and other minor divinities, Hinduism cannot be considered as a religion based on polytheism. Believers claim that the gods and goddesses in this world (e.g. Lakshmi, Indra, Vishnu, Mitra, Varuna, Siva, Saraswathi, Brahma, Parvathi, etc.) are just manifestations of Brahman, which is the highest god. In addition, these gods are commonly worshipped as individual deities. These divinities are the forms that Brahman uses to implement his tasks and plans as the creator of the entire universe.
The Hindu religion’s beliefs
Hinduism Origins and Beliefs Hinduism is the world's oldest known religion, it can be traced back all the way to 5,000 7,000 B.C. This very complex and peaceful religion originated around the Indus Valley near the river Indus (India). ‘Hindu’ is derived from the Sanskrit word sindhu used by the Aryans. The word Hindu or Indu was used by Greeks and Persians to denote the country and the people living beyond the Indus river. Unlike most other religions, hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no single governing body.
Hindu mythology has interesting theories on how the Earth was created and the reincarnation of people, Hinduism is very different to many other mythologies and has some unique key features that make it stand out from the rest. History tells that there are over 330 million gods in Hindu mythology. There are six main gods in Hinduism. Hindu’s have an interesting belief of what happens to them after death, the afterlife Hindus believe in must be met by accomplishing a goal. Hinduism is a unique belief in many gods, the life cycle and reincarnation of its people.
In Hinduism some of the things I found most fascinating is that the idea of God in Hindu is compounded and how they worship. There is one Supreme God and his form is unlimited. The Supreme God’s qualities and forms are represented by the numerous deities that stem from him. The deities God can form can be either male or female, allowing Hindus to pray to a god or goddess.