World Religions: Hinduism

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The religious life of Hindus can be focused on devotion to God. Others try to achieve liberation through intense meditation. Traditional Hindus are expected to pass through the four stages known as ashramas. During these stages many Hindus perform rituals to achieve feeling of devotion, and closeness to God. The rituals can go anywhere from reciting mantras to doing charitable work. A devout Hindu is expected to perform prayer every single day.
Many rituals in Hinduism revolve around sacrifice to please the gods; this can be traced all the way back to the Vedic period. The concept of sacrifice has changed dramatically. Many modern sacrifices do not involve blood, but many have involved blood during the Vedic period. Many sacrifices involve strict governing rules such as purification, and preparation of offerings. Many people bring fruits, rice, and other fluids (mainly milk) as offering for God. Ghee also known as butter is the most used offering for the Gods.
Not all Hindu rites and ceremonies take place in temples; many pujas take place in individual homes. After performing pujas at home, fasting gets performed to appease the Gods. All 100 percent of my family consider themselves to be Hindus. We usually fast on Fridays; during fasting we do not eat any meat or food that contains salt. Fasting is very popular because it shows devotion to God, and lets us feel the pains of hunger which will ultimately make us more understanding of poor people. There are also health benefits that come along with fasting such as digestion of unprocessed foods.
Death is a very vital part of life to Hindus, and many do not fear death. Hindus understand that death is a transition of stage from one life to another life. The shraddha or known as fun...

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...nges from family to family. Usually neighbors or other relatives bring food to relieve the mourning family of some burden. Mourning for the dead is never denied, but excessive mourning is looked down upon. The soul gets a chance to move on with life, and excessive mourning can delay its transitioning into another life.

Works Cited

"The Cow in Hinduism." The Hindu Sacred Cow. Religion Facts, 29 Jan. 2007. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
"Divine Knowledge." : Why People Visit Tirupati Temple ? Divine Knowledge, 27 Apr. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Kinnard, Jacob N. "Hinduism." Rites and Ceremonies. Patheos Library, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
"Mass of Christian Burial." St Ambrose Catholic Parish. N.p., 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
"Christian Funeral Rites." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
Huda. "Islamic Funeral Rites." About.com Islam. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.

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