Hinduism
4 We now come to the third most popular world religion, Hinduism. 2Even though it has just over a billion followers, the Hindu religion is still very much exclusive to India.
3Before we go any farther, let it be clearly stated that Hinduism is complicated. 4It has a very different world view from most other religions (especially to people who are more familiar with monotheistic beliefs). 5Deity and belief concepts are much more diverse, multi-faceted and very often imprecise.
6This religion is a very personal one and it centres on one s own personal growth and spiritual learning. 7When compared to rather rigid and rule-based religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism, it can appear very unusual.
General Beliefs
BEven as a diverse religion, Hinduism does have some tenets that are common amongst all of its followers, but since people tend to forge their own paths these beliefs and practices are not universal.
9There are a few areas where they do agree:
1. Acceptance of Brahman as the ultimate universal force beyond the individual gods
2. The Vedas contain revealed spiritual truths
3. Moral and righteous living (called dharma)
4. Immortality of the soul
5. Reincarnation
6. Karma
1OHindus strive to gain spiritual knowledge and understanding during their lives as a way of getting closer to the divine forces they believe in. 11The practices of yoga and meditation are two ways that Hindus develop their own personal spiritual understandings and focus the mind.
Holy Texts
12There isn t a single religious text that is associated with Hinduism, but rather a wide range of collected texts that have been written over the course of many centuries. 13Some are considered by followers to be divinely revealed or inspired, but not all of them. 14There are several dozen writings but a few are more crucial and central than others.
15The Vedas are the oldest group of texts and are thought to have been revealed over a period of several centuries to many different writers. 16They are broken down into four parts: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvaveda. 17These are all fairly large books, filled with a mixture of poetry, prose and hymns. 1BMost of their content revolves around the rituals and prayers to be used by the priesthood.
19Another group of texts is called the Upanishads, and they were written some time after the Vedas. 2OThe theme of the Upanishads is spiritual growth and ways in which to develop a closer relationship with the central universal force of Brahman. 21This is also where the concept of karma is laid out. 22The Upanishads are not a revealed text. 23These verses were written by various scholars who studied the Vedas and wanted to further explain their meanings. 240verall, the Upanishads are a more philosophical text than the Vedas.
25The Mahabharata is a very long epic poem, filled with the legends of the time (around 400BCE).
26Though the entire text is important, the final book of the Mahabharata, known as the Bhagavad Gita, stands out. 27This part of the text includes a narrative between Krishna and a warrior named Arjuna.
28Many noble qualities are discussed in this piece and it is one of the central texts in Hinduism.
Main Deities
29Though it is a polytheistic religion for all intents and purposes, there is a single creator force that runs the universe, known as Brahman. 301t is not really worshipped as a deity like the others, but the vast myriad of gods and goddesses in the Hindu pantheon are all considered manifestations of Brahman, though treated as completely individual beings.
31After Brahman, there are three principle gods: Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. 32Together they are called the Trimurti (sound familiar?), and each god has a consort goddess that he is paired with. 33Each one has a long list of alternate names, forms and reincarnated avatars. 34This will make understanding them a little difficult.
35Brahma is considered to be the god of creation, and most images of him have four heads and four arms. 36His consort is Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, the arts and science. 37She also has four arms like her husband.
38The next is Vishnu who maintains and supports creations as the omnipresent manager of the universe. 39Because he is in control of the existing universe, Vishnu is more actively worshipped than the other gods. 40His wife is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.
41Finally, the last of the Trimurti is Shiva. 42To complete the natural triad with the creator and maintainer, Shiva takes the role of the destroyer. 43Even so, he is not looked at as a negative influence. 44Rather, Shiva is often worshipped as a family man and household deity. 45His wife is Parvati, who is associated with the general concept of feminine power as well as love.
Proselytising
46For the most part, Hindus (aside from Hare Krishnas) do not proselytise. 47They believe that all religious and spiritual paths will eventually lead to the same place of universal deity, so no one religion is better than another. 48Because of this viewpoint, they can find the concept of proselytising offensive and are generally not receptive to anyone else trying to convert them.
The Concept of Sin
49Since Hinduism is philosophically different from Christianity, it should come as no surprise that the idea of sin is basically non-existent. 50There really aren t any prohibited actions that would be called sins, but any behaviour that takes one away from dharma should be avoided.
51They believe that actions create positive or negative karma, which then affects one s next and future lifetime. 521n other words, everything you do influences your karma, and actions cannot be atoned for nor forgiven. 53You re accountable for everything that you ve done in life, but you can balance negative actions with more positives ones, within reason. 54Karma has its own chapter later in this book where you can find out more.
The Afterlife
55Hinduism has no concept of heaven or hell, and the afterlife for Hindus is simply a rebirth into this world. 56The soul is immortal and lives forever, so it does not come to an end with death. 57Among the Hindu texts, the Upanishads do mention reincarnation on a few occasions but it's the Bhagavat Gita that covers the afterlife in the most detail:
“As a person gives up old and worn out garments and accepts new apparel, similarly the embodied soul giving up old and worn out bodies verily accepts new bodies (chapter 2, verse 2)
58The idea of karma is key here, and it means that the acts of your life are used to determine what your next life will be. 591t can be seen as reward/punishment for good/bad living, but also as a way of providing your soul with additional lessons to be learned as each lifetime is complete.
60The end of this cycle is called moksha, which is when all suffering that comes from a mortal life is over and your soul is returned to the force of Brahman.