Exploring the Hindu Religion

1621 Words4 Pages

Exploring the Hindu Religion

The statement "everyone is a Hindu" is an extremely broad one that is open to much interpretation. This owes partly to the fact that Hinduism itself is a broad and vast religion with many ways of following. In this paper I seek to explain that the statement "everyone is a Hindu" is a worthy one because Hindus have a sense of interconnectedness in all organisms and life on earth, and that the ultimate goal of a person is to join the rest of the universe in "moksha." Additionally, the attribute of the Hinduism that lends well to the statement is that Hinduism is a very hospitable religion that not only requires no specific adherence or conversion, it stresses the understanding of other religions as well.

If one ascribes to a particular religion, surely that person believes that his or her religion holds for everyone. This person would feel that there is only one god or Supreme Being that rules over the universe and all its peoples. In Islam this god is known as Allah; in Christianity He is known as Jehovah. This is one argument that could apply to any religion however. In Hinduism on the other hand, the idea of a Supreme Being is much more of an abstract concept rather than a tangible being, and is known as "Brahman." The idea that Brahman is the "everything" or Supreme Reality is what makes the statement "everyone is a Hindu" a notably pertinent one in relation to Hinduism.

Hindus have a sense of interconnectedness that pervades throughout everything in the universe: all plants, animals, people, and the cosmos. Brahman is the sacred force that holds everything together is. It is the ultimate reality that is unseen in the karmic cycle of birth and death, called samsara, which Hindus believe we...

... middle of paper ...

...ital to Buddhism.

I have shown that the universality of Hinduism, its broad sense of welcoming to people of any creed or faith, and its decentralized nature are all factors that lend to the assertion "everyone is a Hindu." The central concept of Brahman in Hinduism as a sacred unexplainable force that ties everything in this world together make everyone a Hindu. In addition, everyone is seen as striving towards the same goal to reach moksha, to shed the bondage of being reborn in a human body in order to finally attain union with the Supreme Being. Although it could be said that there are "330 Million Gods," there is no acceptance required of these particular deities in Hinduism, only an acknowledgement that there is a Supreme Being. The statement that "everyone is a Hindu" is a compelling one that is substantiated by the universal ideas and concepts of Hinduism.

More about Exploring the Hindu Religion

Open Document