Hinduism

Hinduism

The term Hinduism is an amorphous concept as Hinduism consists of several schools of thought. It encompasses many religious rituals that vary widely in practice, as well as many diverse sects and philosophies. Hinduism is an Indian religious tradition that is based on texts known as the Vedas, and is among the oldest religion still practiced today.

The Vedas, collectively refers to a corpus of ancient Indo-Aryan religious literature that are associated with the Vedic civilization and are considered by adherents of Hinduism to be revealed knowledge. Many Hindus believe that the Vedas have existed since the beginning of creation. While many historians regard the Vedas as some of the oldest surviving texts, they estimate them to have been written down between 1500 BCE and 500 BCE

Many Hindus venerate an array of deities, and consider them as manifestations of the one Supreme monistic Cosmic Spirit, Brahman, while others focus on a singular concept of God, which can have different forms. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world with approximately 1.02 billion adherents, (2006), approximately 960 million of whom are in India. The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal is the only nation in the world with Hinduism as its state religion.

Concepts

The Hindu faiths, practices and philosophies have evolved from the Vedic tradition and from the beliefs of the other Indian peoples; and philosophies such as Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, which conversely share common philosophical and spiritual traits in varying degrees with Hinduism. Many Hindus would argue that since there is such diversity in Hinduism, it is best to refer to all Indic Religions under one umbrella, however the aforementioned philosophies have gained recognition as independent world religions.

The Eternal Way

Sanatana Dharma ('The Eternal Dharma'), the traditional name of Hinduism, alludes to the idea that certain spiritual principles hold eternally true, transcending man-made constructs, representing a pure science of consciousness. This consciousness is not merely that of the body or mind and intellect, but of a transcendental state that exists within and beyond our somatic existence, the unsullied 'Soul' of all. Religion to the Hindu is the eternal search for the divine Brahma, translated as the 'Supreme Immanent and Transcendent Reality' or the 'Cosmic Spirit'. Hinduism's spiritual tradition is both monotheistic and tolerant and is expressed in the Rig Veda verse:

Truth is One, but sages call it by many names
Rig Veda 1:164:46.

Beliefs

Themes common to the value system of Hindus is the belief in:

Dharma (individual ethics, duties and obligations)
Samsara (Reincarnation/rebirth)
Karma ("actions", leading to a cause and effect relationship)
Moksha (salvation) of every soul through a variety of paths, such as Bhakti (devotion), Karma (selfless action) and Jana (enlightenment, knowledge), and of course, belief in God (Ishvara).

Reincarnation or the soul's transmigration through a cycle of birth and death, until it attains Moksha, is governed by Karma. The philosophy of Karma lays forth the results of free-willed actions, which leave their imprint on the soul or the self, called Atman. These actions determine the course of life and the life cycle for the soul in its subsequent life.

Virtuous actions take the soul closer to the Supreme Divine, and lead to a birth with higher consciousness. Evil actions hinder this recognition of the Supreme Divine, and the soul takes lower forms of worldly life. All existence, according to Hinduism, from vegetation to mankind, are subjects to the eternal Dharma, which is the natural law. Even Heaven and Hell are temporary. Liberation from this material existence and cycle of birth and death, to join, reach or develop a relationship with the "universal spirit" (depending on belief), is known as Moksha, which is the ultimate goal of all Hindus.

The other principles include the divinity of the word OM, the power of mantras and manifestations of the Divine's spirit in all forms of existence (pantheism). According to Hinduism, the essential spark of the Atman/Brahman is in every living being, the concept that all living beings are divine. Another belief is that though Hindu mythology mentions a class of evil beings (demons, called Asuras ), opposed to the celestial spirits (Devas), essential Hindu philosophy does not believe in any concept of a central Devil or Satan. This does not mean that all the evil in the world is attributed to God, but that the evil (deed or thought) is ascribed to human ignorance. Hinduism does not evangelize as do Christianity and Islam. Since the Hindu scriptures are essentially silent on the issue of religious conversion, the issue is open to interpretations. That is to say, it rather depends upon the Hindu society whether they consider a non-Hindu, who has got a diksha into a Hindu sect, as a Hindu or not.

Practice

The practice of Hinduism is the practice of yoga. There are a variety of practices, primarily spiritual devotion (Bhakti Yoga), selfless service (Karma Yoga), knowledge and meditation (Jana or Raja Yoga). These are described in the two principal texts of Hindu Yoga: The Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras. The Upanishads are also important as a philosophical foundation for these practices. The Yogas provide a sort of alternate path that links together various Hindu beliefs, and can also be used to categorize non-Hindu beliefs that are seen as paths to moksha, or nirvana.

The four objectives of life

Another major aspect of Hindu dharma that is common to practically all Hindus is that of the "four objectives of life". They are kama, artha, dharma and moksha. It is said that all beings seek kama (pleasure, physical or emotional) and artha (material wealth), but soon, with maturity, learn to govern these legitimate desires within the higher framework of dharma (righteousness). Of course, the only goal that is truly ultimate, whose attainment results in ultimate happiness, is moksha (salvation), also known as Mukti (spiritual liberation), Samadhi, Nirvana, or escape from Samsara (the cycle of births and deaths).

The four stages of life

Ideally, the human life is divided into four Ashramas ("phases" or "stages").
It is usually impracticable for the lay Hindu to follow these stages precisely.

The first quarter of one's life, Brahmacharya ("meditation, or study of the Brahman") is spent in celibate, controlled, sober and pure contemplation under a Guru, building up the mind for the realization of truth.
Grihastha is the householder's stage, alternatively known as samsara, in which one marries and satisfies kama and artha within one's married and professional life.
Vanaprastha is gradual detachment from the material world, ostensibly giving over duties to one's children, spending more time in contemplation of the Divine, and making holy pilgrimages.
Finally, in Sanyasa, the individual goes into seclusion, often envisioned as renunciation, to find the Divine through detachment from worldly life, and peacefully shed the body for the next life (or, for liberation).

The four classes of society

Hindu society has traditionally been divided into four classes, based on profession. This caste system was outlawed in the twentieth century, but for centuries the Hindus had been divided into these classes:

teachers and priests
warriors, kings and administrators
farmers, merchants, herdsmen and businessmen
servants and laborers

It is debatable whether the caste system is an integral part of Hinduism or not; and whether or not it is strictly sanctioned by the scriptures. The Shruti texts make very rare mentions of this system, without providing explicit definitions. The Smhiti texts are more explicit in their categorization of the classes and framing rather strict rules about this system. During its early development, the social structure was based upon the profession.

Nature of God

The Vedas depict Brahman as the Ultimate Reality, the Absolute or Universal Soul (Paramatman). It is the ultimate principle who is without a beginning, without an end, who is hidden in all and who is the cause, source, material and effect of all creation known, unknown and yet to happen in the entire universe. Brahman is seen as a panentheistic Cosmic Spirit. Brahman may be viewed as bereft of personal attributes except the qualities of infinite true, infinite consciousness and infinite bliss, or with manifestable attributes. Perhaps the best word in Hinduism to represent the concept of God is Ishvara (literarily, the Supreme Lord) In Advaita Vedanta philosophy, Ishvara is simply the manifested form of Brahman upon human mind.

Donna Joseph

May 2, 2006