Hinduism
Introduction
Hinduism - stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live
in India.
Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs
and religious practices. Around 1750 BC Aryan invaders from central Asia
settled in North - West India and introduced their own religious ideas.
Slowly the Hindu came to accept the idea of the existence of an eternal
supreme being. They called this being, Brahman. Hindus also worship different
gods which individually represent one particular aspect of Brahman. The most
popular one of the lesser gods are Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver),
and Shiva (the destroyer)
Hinduism has no founder. It is a religion that has slowly developed over a
period of time.
Hindu Beliefs
Hindu Gods
The Hindus have four gods Brahman, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. There
main god is Brahman. He is the origin and the sustainer of all life, and the
goal of all things. He is eternal and omnipotent and only he is real. They
believe that Brahman is so great that he cannot be explained in human words
because all humans are imperfect and Brahman is perfect.
Shiva
Shiva is usually depicted with six arms each one representing a
different function to preform. He is known as the destroyer and restorer of
life, symbol of the reproductive force of nature, philosopher and sage. He has
a third eye which signifies wisdom or higher consciousness. He has a blue
throat which is a result of him swallowing a full cup of mans sins. Worship of
Shiva includes fertility rites and veneration of the symbols of male and female
sex organs. Most Hindus imagine Shiva as being in deep meditation high in the
Himalayas. Shiva is the ultimate god who holds in divine tension the
preservation and destruction of the cosmos, both its birth and death. At times
he is portrayed as the great ascetic. He is often depicted as the reconciler of
dualities such as good and evil, eroticism and asceticism, his creative energy
is depicted in the Lingam and Yoni. Shiva is frequently shown in loving union
with his consort Parvati (another form of the great goddess)
Shiva devotees are called Shaivites, and devotion usually takes the form
of Yogic practice. Shiva is often pictured, in one of the best known religious
images from India, as the lord of the cos...
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...in January-February and
lasts thirty-six hours. The name of this festival means "night sacred to Shiva",
because worship goes on throughout the night. Compared to other festivals it is
a solemn occasion marked by fasting. Some devotees of Shiva do not sleep, eat
or drink for the thirty-six hours. During the night Shiva is worshiped with
singing and dancing in shrines dedicated to the god. In the shrine is a small
stone pillar representing the god Shiva around which people assemble and perform
puja. Offerings are made by pouring milk, honey and melted butter over the
linga. When the fast ends at about four o'clock much feasting follows with
sweet potatoes and cucumbers among the many foods eaten. The people remember a
story which helps to explain why they fast and keep watch throughout the night.
The story tells of a hunter who was once chased by a tiger, he climbed a tree to
escape, and he had to perch the whole night as the tiger crouched below. To
make sure he did not fall asleep he plucked the leaves one by one and dropped
them on the ground. There was an image of Shiva under the tree, as the leaves
fell Shiva felt he was being worshiped and blessed the hunter.
The Question of Origin: Hinduism believes everything has been in existence and is a part of numerous gods. In (Foundation of Indian Psychology Vol.2 Pg.116) the text Hinduism is a treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different people in different times of life. Over the centuries the Hindus beliefs are not literally interpreted by the scriptures and there ethics are derived from them.
goal. It is only us who have to walk the final path of attaining our
Six thousand years ago in Northern Europe a teenager named Torak wakes up with his shoulder throbbing in pain. His father lies next to him bleeding from an open wound. The two have been attacked by an enormous demon bear, which is bound to come back at any moment. As he bleeds out, Torak’s father can only bare to say a few more words. He says that the demon bear will only grow stronger with each kill it makes, and he also tells Torak that he has to go to the Mountain of the World Spirit in order to defeat the bear. With his last few breaths he reveals that a guide will find Torak and lead him to the mountain. There is so much more that Torak wants to know, but it is too late. He hears the bear crashing through the forest and takes off in the opposite direction. After running for miles Torak stumbles upon a small wolf den that had been destroyed by a flash flood. The only wolf who survived the flood is a small wolf pup. The pup gives a small howl and instantly memories of the past begin to flow through Torak. At a very young age Torak’s mother died and his father placed him in a wolf den for three months. The wolves took him in and raised him as one of their own. While in the den Torak formed a strong bond with the wolves and learned how to communicate with them. Back at the den the pup begins to howl, and Torak joins in. The two become great friends and treat each other like brothers. The wolf calls Torak Tall Tailness and Torak calls the pup Wolf. The brothers track, hunt, and play together for many moons. Torak comes to the realization that Wolf is his guide, and together they begin to head north towards the Mountain of the World Spirit.
This word is used by the inhabitants of the religion. In the beginning the phrase Hindu is thus cultural, political, and geographical. Although, some Hindus say that people are born Hindu; however, there are many people who follow the Hinduism and they are of Indian descent. Indeed, Hinduism is rooted in India, but it is growing across the world in modern times. About eighty percent of the Indian population identify themselves as Hindu, which is a huge number, the other twenty percent of Indian population follow, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.
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.
Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion and was originated in the Indian subcontinent. Is rare that a big religion like Hinduism don’t have a single founder, religious organization, specific theological system and don’t even a system of morality, but it is a religion that has evolved over thousands of years. Hinduism has a diverse body of cultural and philosophical practices. Hinduism consists of belief and tradition. The most recognized belief and traditions of the Hinduism are Karma, Dharma, Samsara and Moshka. Hindu people don’t believe in violence, but they do believe in prayers, honesty, truth, austerity, celibacy and penance. The Hindu scriptures are collectively referred to as the Shashtras. The Hindu scriptures were initially passed on orally from generation to generation until finally ancient scholars wrote them down; mainly in the Sanskrit language that was the prevailing language of the time. Some of the Hindu scriptures are the Shruti and Smritis. The Shruti primarily refers to the Vedas which represent eternal truths revealed to ancient sages but some other Hindu individuals associated the Vedas with a God or a powerful person. The Smritis are all of the other text different than the Shruti. The most know of the Smritis are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Although the Hindus worship a large pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, they believe in the one Supreme Power that manifests itself in various forms.
He went on down the hill, toward the dark woods within which the liquid silver voices of the birds called unceasing - the rapid and urgent beating of the urgent and quiring heart of the late spring night. He did not look
There are many religions that are practiced around the world, especially in Asia where there are eight different religions being practiced. In the country of India, Buddhism and Hinduism are the main religions that are practiced today. Buddhism and Hinduism were both founded in Asia, but they were founded by two different people and practiced in two different ways and languages. Buddhism is a living tradition that is passed down from teacher to student as a set of instruction and techniques for sanity and brilliance in the inner self and the world. Hinduism is more based on the thoughts and attitude about one’s everyday life, and reflects in his actions.
shows that he was about to die just as the leaves in the tree were.
Religion is big part of human life. Every area of the world has some kind of religion or belief system. Religion is defined as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices” (“Religion” Def.2). With such a large amount of religions today, religion is widely variegated, usually with divisions in each one. Despite the large amount of religions, I will only be covering only three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
goal in life is to seek, in pursuit of happiness and truth, and hold on to that of what you
Hinduism is a very unique religion; it is the oldest living religion and does not have a single founder unlike Buddhism. Hinduism
Hinduism is easily the oldest major world religion that is still in use today. It has not only survived countless attacks but has also thrived and has changed little to none in the last 2500-3000 years. "The Aryans are said to have entered India through the fabled Khyber Pass, around 1500 BC. They intermingled with the local populace, and assimilated themselves into the social framework. The Aryans did not have a script, but they developed a rich tradition. They composed the hymns of the four vedas, the great philosophic poems that are at the heart of Hindu thought" (The Aryans and the Vedic Age, 2004, par. 2).
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.
Hinduism is a very complicated religion from an outsiders prospective. When I think about it I never have really given any thought to what Hinduism is, so what is this religion, what do they believe in, what are the social and cultural influences and what is the desire for liberation from earthly existence?