“India is the meeting place of the religions and among these Hinduism alone is by itself a vast and complex thing, not so much a religion as a great diversified and yet subtly unified mass of spiritual thought, realization and aspiration”(Sri Aurobindo). Hindus believe in karma, which means that the actions that are made will affect this life or the lives to come (Fisher 120). Reincarnation is a rebirth in a new life (Fisher 120). In Hinduism the roles that the women play in their society is similar to Rukmani’s in Nectar in a Sieve. Hindu women take care of the children and help the husband with farm work or any other work ("Hindu Beliefs"). The three main themes in the book that connect to the Hindu religion are Humans choose their actions which cause happiness or sadness, suffering purifies for the soul, and truth is the most important moral value to have. Every action made by humans is based on a choice the outcome could be happy or sad. Our choices have an effect on our lives and can change them to be good or bad. Hindus believe that choices that affect their lives are determined if there will be good or bad outcomes. Nathan and Rukmani choose to leave their home to find their son Murugon, but the choice ended in a badly when they learned that their son left his wife and had been gone for over two years. “We had come a long way to meet bad news and now it seemed there was neither going back nor forward” (Markandaya 160). Moving in with my dad was a choice that made my life better. It was better for me by having someone constantly pushing me to do my best in school and in anything I do. In the Hindu religion it is believed choices that have caused suffering will help purify the soul. In Hinduism, it is believed that if a per... ... middle of paper ... ...hat choices, suffering and the value of truth can change anyone’s life and could alter their life for better or worse. It doesn’t matter what religion you practice these types of events are in everyone’s life. Reading the book and writing the essay has opened my eyes to realize there are many actions that can affect someone’s life. I enjoyed the book and learning about the Hindu religion. Works Cited Fisher, Mary Pat. "HINDUISM." Living Religions. 1991. Reprint. Upper Saddle River: Person Education, 2011. 73-120. Print. "Hindu Beliefs." - ReligionFacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. . "Hinduism Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. . Markandaya, Kamala. Nectar in a sieve,. [1st American ed. New York: J. Day Co., 19551954. Print.
1.) Intro: I decided to focus my Religious Ethnography on a friend whom I recently have become close with. Adhita Sahai is my friend’s name, which she later told me her first name meant “scholar.” I choose to observe and interview Adhita, after she invited me to her home after hearing about my assignment. I was very humbled that she was open to this, because not only was it a great opportunity for this paper, but it also helped me get to know Adhita better. I took a rather general approach to the religious questions that I proposed to the Sahai family because I didn’t want to push to deep, I could tell Hinduism is extremely important to this family. Because this family does not attend a religious site where they worship, I instead listened to how they do this at home as a family instead.
Narayanan, Vasudha. “Hinduism.” Her Voice, Her Faith: Women Speak on World Religions. Ed. Arvind Sharma and Katherine K. Young. Boulder: Westview Press, 2003. 11-57.
In this term paper I will be comparing and contrasting Buddhism and Hinduism. Comparing both Hinduism belief, sacred text and overall view of how the world SHOULD be. Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the most influential and complex religions around the world. Both religions have similar philosophies and originated in India before 500 B.C. Both are among the top five major religions being practiced in today’s world. Hinduism ranks as the third most popular organized religion and is much older than Buddhism. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, or Lord Buddha, who considered himself a Hindu before being called to his path and attaining enlightenment, and therefore given this fact, it follows that Buddhism share many similarities and some very distinct differences in certain doctrinal sacred texts, ideals, practices, and beliefs of Hinduism.
Hinduism and Christianity are two religions that have been around for thousands of years. Both of these religions have developed many philosophies on different aspects that can be compared to show their similarities and differences. The Hindu and Christian religion agree on many things. Based on humanity, our society follows some of the rules also because of the religion and laws. From the holy literature, there have been many different concepts that have been pledged but they all are supposed to lead you to the same effects such as a happy, healthy life, contribution to the world around us humans, and some kind of freedom after death. Some of the main subjects that can be reflected upon after learning of the history and fundamentals of these religions are the paths to enlightenment and/or salvation, the style of treating women through religions aspects, and the afterlife. This paper will give an analytic comparison of these two religions relating to the topics.
Fisher, Mary Pat. "Chapter 5: Buddhsim." Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice-Hall, 2005. 150-62. Print.
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.
...onsibility in life which is decided by the caste they are born into. However, living amongst other people, one’s soul might become “forgetful of the Lord” which leads to “[attaching] itself to pleasure” which would make it “bound” to the wheel of the universe. For a soul to escape this cycle birth, death, and rebirth, it is necessary to connect with this god. The Hindu people believed that “by uniting oneself with him…one ceases to be ignorant” and this means “Birth, death, and rebirth will be no more.” This credence of rebirth and karma highly influenced the way the Hindu society developed.
In conclusion I’ve discussed the beginnings of Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism; there similarities and differences. All three played important roles in the evolution of India’s religious foundation. From Jainism which is considered the toughest religion to follow because of the strict rules to Buddhism and Hinduism with a more relaxed approach of spiritual enlightenment. The devote following them has spread worldwide. I now have a better understanding of these religions.
Eliot, Sir Charles. HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM. 1921. Vol. 1. London: ROUTLEDGE & KEGAN PAUL LTD, 1954. 3 vols. wisdom library. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. .
Hinduism is regarded as the world’s oldest organized religion. Hinduism as a whole consists of thousands of various religious groups that have evolved over time. Hinduism has no recorded origin or founder and is applied to many of the philosophical and religious traditions found in India. The External Teaching or “Sanatana Dharma” is known as the religions collection of sacred texts. These texts while complex, encompass traditions and practices that share common ground but lack overall unity and consistency. To grasp the traditions and true understanding of Hinduism, one must first learn the history of the Aryans, the scripture, the God Brahma Vishu Shiva and the religions key ideas in relation to Christianity.
Prachi, a militant Hindu living in the rural side of India believes that the Hindu life is for her. In a Hindu camp she preaches resistance to Islam, Christianity and western culture. Prachi feels strongly about defending her beliefs and would not hesitate to use violence. In this camp, Prachi and the girls are taught to use firearms and to fight. This training has made Prachi believe that she is capable of killing, and ready to put her life at risk in defense of Hinduism. Her dedication to Hinduism has made Prachi question God’s desire for her. She states, “I'm different from girls, I'm different from boys. My life is not to get married, to produce children. I have the feeling I’ve not been made by God for these things” (Prachi). With this declaration, Prachi reveals a lack of sexual continuum and this leads us to consider that her sexual identity had an impact in her choosing to live her life this way. Being surrounded by so much violence has made Prachi tough and the treatment she receives from her father has made her strong. Her father doesn’t allow her to cry, he believes it shows weakness. He ...
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.
Many foreigners cannot know what makes Hinduism so strange. Hinduism lacks an uniting belief system and many people do not know faithfully what makes up the Hindu religious belief. After one goes in-depth concerning Hinduism, one must be familiar with the fundamental details about this difficult religion. Do you realize that almost 80 percent of the India people find themselves being Hindus? Hinduism is in addition known as the Sanatana-Dharma, which means everlasting religion. Hinduism is the third leading religion following Christianity and Islam and has no one initiator, teacher, or spiritualist and it is not an unconvinced religion. All through this article, I will look further in-depth on what makes up the Hindu religion what the traditional and group influences that have prepared Hinduism fundamental to Hinduism, and I will provide details the yearning for freedom from early existence.
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.
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.