Religion in India
What is religion? Religion has always played an important role in man’s existence. It is hard to define religion because every person has, his or her own way of defining religion. For some of us it might be a way of life, which determines what they ear, who their friends are, and it also makes up what culture they follow from day to day. For others, religion simply means going to church or temple and seeing religious festivals. India is the land of culture. This country is very rich of culture and religion, and this is the backbone of the social structure. India’s fight for religion has been going on for decades, from the mogul empire to the British and now to the present day with Pakistan. In this day and age, anyone from around the world can practice and preach almost any religion known to man. Religion is one of the single most important reason for who we are and what we are, without the presence of the supernatural being we might no even be here at this point in time. With India being one of the top three countries populations wise, there are bound to be clashes within itself. India has had its share of different religions affecting its structure, but the three main religions are Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. All three of these religions have evolved drastically and have left a lasting mark on where India stands right now.
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. The history of Hinduism extends over centuries, and the lack of early documents makes it difficult to trace exactly. “Inwardly it changed from century to century, taking on new gods and forgetting old ones, acquiring strange rites and neglecting native ones, but at least in its caste structure and priestly character the old religion of the Hindus never wavered from first to last.” Hinduism has been through it all, and still standing strong. Hinduism is not based around any one God. In fact anyone can be a good in Hindu and worship a number of gods or even no god at all. The system being vast and complicated, Hinduism cannot be put in one term because of the great variety of customs, forms of worship, styles of art and music, different gods, all this can be contained within the bounds of the Hindu religion. “He can have no dread of this material universal because he tells himself it simply isn’t there – and means it. Matter does not exist for him. Only Brah...
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... are different, they all share basic traits. India has been affected in major ways but religion was the most important. A country with so much culture is shows that without religion there is no social backbone. Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Islamic faith all have their own system, but you can still see similarities in each of them as a whole. At some point, other people or the influences of other religions have influenced India in major ways. No matter how diverse the religions are, they all use some kind of artwork as an interpretation of their beliefs and practices. Religion is what makes human beings different. They set the values and cultures for each race, and for some people their entire way of living, depends on religion.
Reference Page
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Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ
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The Buddhist Tradition in India, China, and Japan
De Bary, William Theodore
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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.
Other than a religion, Hinduism is a way of life through philosophy that is mostly concerned with spirituality and enlightenment. The impracticality of the Hindu religion comes from the Vedas. Vedas are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu religion that are considered to be a straight ...
Hinduism is made of many different religions and does not have one origin or single founder. The religion of Hinduism is very old, “300-100 B.C.E.--- The first trace of temple worship. Hindu people worship at the shrine, where Hindus make offerings to a murti. A murti is a statue of a god or goddess” (McMillan). In addition, other religions are based off Hinduism, “5000-10000 B.C.---Hinduism can be traced back to 5000-10000 B.C. Hinduism is a very old religion, many religions are based off of Hinduism, like Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism” (McMillan).
Hinduism, also known by the name Sanatana-Dharma, is often referred to as the “oldest religion” in the world, is generally considered to be an ethnic religion and is fundamentally based on the religion of the original Aryan settlers. “Hinduism, from the Persian Hindi (Sanskrit sindhu), literally "river." Means "of the Indus Valley" or simply "Indian." Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma,"eternal religion" or "eternal truth” (“Facts on Hinduism”). It was founded around 3000 BCE, and is now considered to be the third largest religion in the world. Followers of Hinduism, which is estimated to be anywhere around 900 million, are especially concentrated in India, Nepal, and other countries throughout Asia. The broader world contact that has occurred since World War II allowed various forms of Hinduism to become more widely known and accepted. The multiple Hindu sects, including the Krishna Consciousness, have been particularly successful among young American and Europeans and claims to be adherent around the world. Hinduism is dissimilar compared to other religions, in the fact that it has no founders. This religion is considered to be permissive in creed or code as it is not necessarily coordinated in any way, even though various sects and cults are formulated. This religion is especially known for its tolerance because it is willing to accommodate those who are exceptionally religious; whether it be a Jew, Christian, or Muslim as a part of their religion. Hinduism is very transformable and accepts elements of different religion. Overtime it has even developed different aspects of both Christianity and Buddhism and incorporated them into the religion of Hinduism. Hinduism worships a multiplicity of gods; the most important in...
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.
Hinduism is unlike many other religions in that it does not have a single founder or text, but is more like an umbrella in ways of life. In death and life for the Hindu, “The ultimate goal of the soul is liberation from the wheel of rebirth, through reabsorption into our identity with the Oversoul (Brahma)-- the essence of the universe, immaterial, uncreated, limitless, and timeless” (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, p. 134).
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).
Hinduism is an ancient religion. It has no known founder. It has several holy books. The most important of these is the Vedas, a collection of hymns. Hinduism like buddism believes in reincarnation. The goal of this religion is also to escape the birth-death cycle. Through Hinduism the entire Indian social structure was formed by creating the caste system. The major difference between Buddism and Hinduism is that Hindus believe in a god. Brahman is the spirit that encompasses all living things. There are several lesser gods who are believed to be incarnates of Brahman.
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.
Religion itself can mean many different things and is interpreted differently by each group of people. The literal meaning of the word “religion” is “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.” Religion is divided into different secs such as Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc. Although religion is aimed to unite people and bring them together, I believe there are certain aspects that divide people or make them “different” from everyone else. The factors that have caused religion to divide are war and violence, the caste system, and rituals.
There is a lot to learn about Hinduism and even other religions. Hindus ultimately believe in one god, Brahman. There are also other gods that are nevertheless apart of Brahman that people still worship. They also believe that fate directly influences people’s lives and they are controlled by a caste system that has recently not been as harsh or restrictive as it has been thousands of years ago. Hindus believe people are reincarnated after they die and continue this cycle of birth and rebirth until they can achieve Moksha. Moksha is jumping off the wheel of birth and rebirth and consists of complete oneness with Brahman. Thank you for visiting the Hindu Temple and we hope to see you here again
Religion plays a lot of roles in many different cultures. Most things are religion based like in the United States. We are based off Christianity in many different things. In East and Southeast Asia, religion had a big role in shaping the modern history.
As a country with multiple religions, a secular state, the political process has been moulded. around not only ethnicity and caste but religion has proved to be a major factor in the decision. India has long been known as a very spiritual, religious. area of the world. Religion is a way of life, an integral part of Indian tradition.
Hindu mythology has been around for ages; it is the world’s oldest surviving religion. Hinduism was formed through diverse traditions in the year 2,000 B.C.E. There is no single person that gets the credit of developing Hindu Mythology because one person did not create it. Hinduism was originated in India, where it is the most practiced now. Hinduism has over a billion followers and about two-thirds of those people are in India. There are many temples open to worship gods and goddesses. “The needs of the gods would be met by the worshipers who have to prepare themselves through purification rites to draw near to their god” (Organ,193) Hinduism is not only the oldest religion but one of the biggest, with Islam then Christianity being above it.