...Hindu Religion Hinduism is one of the oldest organized religions in the world. The religion has thousands of diverse religious groupings that evolved in the Indian subcontinent from as far as 1500 BC. The Hindu religion has a variety of traditions, and, therefore, freedom of practices and beliefs are some of the notable feature of this religion. Hinduism includes the following traditionsVaishnavism, Srauta, and Shaivism, among others (Georgis 62). The religion has groupings such as Kapalikas. Hinduism has a variety of philosophies which include a spectrum of prescriptions as well as laws based on dharma and karma among other societal norms. By 21st century, it is reported that the Hindu religion had about a billion followers around the globe, and about eighty percent of Indians practices Hinduism. Hinduism differentiates itself from Christianity and other religions in that; the religion does not have a single founder, a single concept of deity, a central religious authority, a single system of morality, a concept of prophet, or a specific theoretical system. These are some of things that are found in other religions. Early history of Hinduism is a subject to numerous debates, and this is because of various reasons. First, the term Hinduism is a modern term but the sources of Hindu traditions are exceedingly ancient. Secondly, the religion embraces many traditions. Thirdly, there is no definite start point for Hinduism, and the traditions associated with...
Words: 1609 - Pages: 7
...Hindu and Pregnancy Cultural diversity within the healthcare setting is becoming more prominent and more important on the basis that more and more racial minorities are becoming a part of the Indianapolis community. An important part of being a healthcare provider or a nurse is to provide the necessary understanding of different cultures as the cultures appear in the clinical setting. A culturally competent nurse or student will have the skills and knowledge needed to provide a genuine experience for patients who are of a culture that is different from the average American culture. In cultures such as the Hindu culture, the process of pregnancy is observed much differently than the traditional pregnancy. When approaching care for the pregnant Hindu woman, it would benefit one to be aware the cultures approach for pregnancy, birth and postpartum. The Hindu culture holds standards for specific diets and mentions multiple taboos that should be avoided during the pregnancy. This work will focus on basic Hindu background, the care for the woman throughout pregnancy and specific variables that are important for the healthcare provider to be aware of when caring for a patient of Hindu descent. Geographically, Hindu is the dominant religion of both India and Nepal. It exists in parts of China, Mongolia and much of the Eastern Hemisphere. Today, it is becoming more common that individuals of Hindu descent are settling in the United States. Rodrigues (2006), states that Hinduism...
Words: 1270 - Pages: 6
...eternal and all-embracing principal. Hinduism is one of the most sacred religions in the world. There is no other religion that compares to it. Hindus do not try to push their religion on anyone nor do they feel their religion is better than anyone else’s. They are a very nonviolent religion and do not discriminate. Hinduism has been the main religion for Indian people for centuries, so it is vital to the place it was originated in. Sikhism, Islamism and Christianity are the other religions practiced in India but Hinduism is the biggest religion practiced out there. The temple I visited was a Hindu Temple in Calabasas California, far away from my home in Victorville, California, since there are no temples nearby. The actual name of the temple was just “Hindu Temple”. A few years back I did not see many Hindu temples, but now I have seen one in each major city that I drive by. Hindu temples are decorated with bright colors and usually each temple has a different god or goddess statue in it. They are so beautiful inside and have a very welcoming feel to them. There are bells hanging from the ceiling that Hindus ring when they pray, it is a part of their worshiping process. You...
Words: 2176 - Pages: 9
...Word What is your personal understanding of each of these terms? After reading the text, how would you redefine each of them? What differences did you find between the popular usage and actual definitions? Karma The way that you treat people is the way that life will treat you Every act a person makes and every thought and desire we have shape our future experiences The definition is what I have always believed it to be Reincarnation When someone passes away and comes back at another point in life as someone else When the soul leaves the body in someone who has passed away and enters a new body The definition is what I have always believed it to be Yoga Exercise that helps to control stress and to clear ones mind Spiritual disciplines designed to clear the mind and help a person to reach a state of serenity, purity, and peacefulness within oneself The actual definition is pretty similar to what I thought it would be. I did not know that it encompassed more than a being a reliever of stress Guru A spiritual teacher A spiritual guide who people are drawn to in order to reach enlightenment and realization in themselves This was a word that I was unfamiliar with and the definition in the dictionary matched the one in the book Chakras One of the seven centers of spiritual energy in the human body according to yoga philosophy Subtle energy signals along the spine This was a word that I was unfamiliar with and the definition in the dictionary matched the one in...
Words: 268 - Pages: 2
...Hindu Influences in America Many scholars have questioned the idea of a one religion in India. Some Indian scholars state that the term Hinduism is a misnomer because its origin derived from the word Hidu. The early American history is closely tied with Hinduism. Unitarians represented as a small, liberal sect of American Christians. In the period following American Independence many writers showed interest in religious ideas and texts of India. They belonged to the social and religious community of New England Unitarianism. Later they entered a uniquely American religious movement. Transcendental writers of the nineteenth century commented on Hindu texts. During that period the Transcendentalists were not alone who was interested in Hinduism. They were considered radical by the larger Unitarian movement from which they emerged. Their interest in Hinduism combined a modest tradition of earlier Unitarian writers. Those writers had been studying works of European scholarship on India in the 1790s. Unitarians are marked that they made a decisive American transaction with Oriental thought in the beginning of the nineteenth century. The early studies of Hinduism were written by Unitarians. They introduced certain biases in the general American understanding of Indian religiosity. In their early studies Unitarians initiated two ongoing traditions of response to religious pluralism. One of the first serious American studies of Hinduism appeared at the end of the eighteenth century...
Words: 681 - Pages: 3
...Week Three Checkpoint: Hindu Terms Map HUM/130 Axia College Material Appendix E Hindu Terms Map |Word |What is your personal understanding of each of these |After reading the text, how would you redefine each of |What differences did you find between the popular usage| | |terms? |them? |and actual definitions? | |Karma |Karma is when one does something bad, something bad |Karma means action and the consequence of every action |The difference between my understanding of karma and | | |will happen to them in return. |that is made will shape the future. |the Hindu term is the consequence of any action paths | | | | |the way of their future. | |Reincarnation |Reincarnation is when one’s soul comes back to life in |When one dies, the soul leaves the dead body and enters|The main difference I found between my understanding of| | |a different form. |a new one. One can take birth again and again, over and|reincarnation and the Hindu term is that reincarnation | | ...
Words: 488 - Pages: 2
...Espousement is the institution whereby men and women are joined in a special kind of gregarious and licit dependence for the purport of founding and maintaining a family (Webster's Dictionary). When a couple gets espoused they make a vow in front of their dotted ones and their God to be together for the rest of their lives and abide by each other. In the Hindu religion, which is the third most sizably voluminous religion in the world, weddings are very sacred, therefore a wedding ceremony takes an abundance of time and effort and it is composed of different rituals and ceremonies. The Hindu espousement, "Lagan Vivah" is the connection of two human beings in a nuptial ceremony that takes place according to their religion. It's the connection of not only the man and woman being espoused, but additionally of two families that will have a very special relationship from that day forward. According to Hinduism, espousement is the joining together of a man and woman spiritually, mentally and physically. Hinduism is facilely the oldest major world religion that is still in utilization today. It has not only survived countless attacks but has supplemental thrived and has transmuted little to none in the last 2500-3000 years. “In Hinduism, salvation is achieved through a spiritual oneness of the soul, atman, with the ultimate authenticity of the macrocosm, Brahman. To achieve this goal, the soul must obtain moksha, or liberation from the samsara, the illimitable cycle of birth, death,...
Words: 2259 - Pages: 10
...The Hindu rate of growth is a derogatory term referring to the low annual growth rate of the planned economy of India before the liberalizations of 1991, which stagnated around 3.5% from 1950s to 1980s, while per capita income growth averaged 1.3%. India’s economic performance during the first three decades since independence was christened the “Hindu” rate of growth, a term connoting a disappointing but not disastrous outcome The word "Hindu" in the term was used by some early economists to imply that the Hindu outlook of fatalism and contentedness was responsible for the slow growth. The later economists attribute the rate to the Government of India's protectionist and interventionist policies (see Licence Raj), rather than to a specific religion or to the attitude of the adherents of a particular religion. That cliché, of course, is gradually lapsing into disuse thanks to the remarkable transformation in India during the last two decades. Since 1980, its economic growth rate has more than doubled, rising from 1.7 percent (in per-capita terms) in 1950-1980 to 3.8 percent in 1980-2000 Until 1991, India’s policy makers followed misguided policies that closed the economy to international trade, erected inefficient industries under state guidance, riddled the private sector with extraordinarily cumbersome and detailed regulations, and suffocated private economic activity with controls and bureaucratic impediments. Then in 1991, the big breakthrough happened. Spurred by a...
Words: 619 - Pages: 3
...Section 23 of the Hindu Succession Act: Before and After The Hindu Succession Act came into force on 17th June, 1956, with the basic objective of providing a comprehensive scheme of intestate succession for Hindus. The Hindu Succession Act 1956 was amended in 2005. The amendments were made to make the Hindu Succession Act more empowering to women by altering, deleting and adding certain sections. The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 sought to make two major amendments in the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. First, it is proposed to remove the gender discrimination in section 6 of the original Act. Second, it proposed to omit section 23 of the original Act, which disentitles a female heir to ask for partition in respect of a dwelling house, wholly occupied by a joint family, until the male heirs choose to divide their respective shares therein. This paper focuses on the rights of women regarding section 23 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 and its effects after it got deleted in 2005. Hindu Succession Act, 1956: Before the amendment The framers of the Indian Constitution took note of the adverse condition of women in society and a number of provisions and safeguards were included in the Constitution to ward off gender inequality. In this context, Articles 14, 15(3) and 16 of the Constitution can be mentioned. After the advent of the Constitution, the first law made at the central level pertaining to property and inheritance concerning Hindus was the Hindu Succession Act...
Words: 2046 - Pages: 9
...“The Religion of Hinduism” Since previous decades until these days there are many general interpretations of religion. These have been usually been either naturalistic, treating religion as a purely human phenomenon or, if religious, have been developed within the limitations of a particular confessional conviction of which interpret all other traditions in its own terms. The term "Hinduism" simply derives from the word "India" and refers to a wide variety of religious traditions and philosophies that have developed in India over thousands of years. Two main cultures blended together to create the beginnings of Hinduism: the Aryans of the north and Northwest regions of India and the Dravidians, who are thought to be of central Asian origin, of South India. Hinduism is an all-embracing term to describe a huge array, deities and traditions. Most Hindus would accept a cyclical view of time, as being without origin and without destination. All is reincarnated and all is subject to change, even the very gods themselves. Hinduism is an ancient religion with no founder or known date of origin. It is not based on the spiritual experiences of a single individual, but on the intuitions and experience of a large number of prophet, saints and mystics called Rishis. These ancient Rishis were only propagating this Eternal Religion and were not the founders in the sense that is normally understood and applied to other religions. Their experiences have been systematized and handed down...
Words: 1566 - Pages: 7
...The Hindu religion is very different than what we have always considered a religion. In reality it is a group of several smaller religions, or beliefs, that are all comprised of the same basis. Most see that there is a uniformity of behavior and not belief. Hinduism, in a general speaking though, is the belief in either several Gods and Goddesses, or the belief in one god that has many different faces. The gods would choose whether you were a good soul or bad soul, and your fate depended upon their choice and your deeds. Those that lived there lives with good karma were able to be liberated from the circle of birth, and given redemption, or Moksha meaning freedom. Those who had bad karma though, were to be punished for their sins by being forced to live in this world and be born again and again (Pecorino & Romano 2001). As said, Hinduism is a religion with various Gods and Goddesses. The three main Gods that are considered to rule the world are, Brahma: the creator, Vishnu: the preserver, and Shiva: the destroyer. For some, they believe that one God controls all three characters. Some people outside the Hindu religion do not believe it is a true religion. Some say that since it does not have one single unified structure that it cannot be. One who felt very strongly about this was Chief justice P.B. Gajendragadkar. In 1995 he was quoted: "When we think of the Hindu religion, we find it difficult, if not impossible, to define Hindu religion or even adequately describe it...
Words: 963 - Pages: 4
...The Hijras acceptance with their feminine side makes them stand out from the rest of the social groups. The ancestors of past generations offered unique beliefs that set up the modern societies for the Hijras belief. The concept of making their ancestors proud carried on through our generations and it one of their religious beliefs. It was nothing but tradition that led the Hijras to making the decisions they did, and decisions that changed their views up on society. This was just a prime example of following tradition and sticking to the beliefs of their ancestors. Religion was one of the things that led them to their beliefs of gender. Religion plays a major role in the construction of the Hijras. Most Hijras are of Hindu faith. Their beliefs from the Hindu faith are that sex is the key to everything. Having sex was like a blessing to the...
Words: 1653 - Pages: 7
...Harris Hinduism Paper In this paper the subject is the religion of Hinduism. In this paper the subjects to explain are the makeup of the Hindu religion, what the cultural and societal influences that have made Hinduism vital to the region in which it originated are and finally will explain the desire for liberation from earthly existence. The Hindu Religion “Hinduism is the oldest religion on the planet. Hinduism is actually known as the Sanatana Dharma or Eternal Truth. The uniting belief systems of Hinduism, and there are many, include the conviction that Truth is knowable and can be directly experienced” (Rood, 1995-2011). The Hindu religion has two core values. The first core value is the “doctrine of karma. Karma states that every thought and action results in certain consequences born by the actor or thinker. If a person lies or steals, he will be wronged in some way in the future. Most Hindus believe that though his/her present is determined by his/her past, nonetheless we can influence our future by conducting ourselves in a proper manner in the present” (Rood, 1995-2011, p.1). The modern day member of the Christianity faith may see some similarity between the karma and the verse in Galatians 6:7 which whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Hinduism has a strong sense of morality. The Hindu religion teaches non-violence. Another belief of Hinduism is the passage of a dead person’s soul into another body at or after death. Cultural...
Words: 894 - Pages: 4
...the fact it was formed by those of differing faiths, and ethnicities. I have chosen to write about the Hispanic and Latinos for my ethnic group, and Hinduism for my religious group. The Hindu religion is based around karma, and dharma. Karma is believed to be the actions, and intent of a person as an individual factor in the outcome of their future. An example of this is those who do good deeds, and help others will be rewarded positively in life for those deeds. Dharma in the Hindu faith is like Karma, but it is more of a concrete set of rights/duties, laws, virtues, etc. promoting in their eyes the right way of living. The followers of the Hindu faith differ from other religions as the perception of a God, or Gods is quite complex, and differs based on the beliefs of each individual. The perceptions of those who follow the Hindu faith are tolerant when met with others of a differing faith. In fact Hinduism itself has evolved throughout the years with various sub-faiths based on others religions. Hindus for the most part are an accepting, and peaceful religious group. They understand that others will have differing opinions, and are ok with that. Hinduism has contributed more than most will think to America. The practice of Yoga is one instance of something that has come from the Hindu faith. Vegetarianism comes from the art of Yoga, although not everyone who practices Yoga is a vegetarian as well as not everyone who is a vegetarian practices Yoga. Hindus are also a sexual...
Words: 1190 - Pages: 5
...one’s mind to lead to personal freedom. Mental development can also control and strengthen the mind to help maintain good conduct and spirit. Prajna: The real heart of Buddhism is the practice of wisdom, discernment, enlightenment, and insight. If your mind is calm and pure, then wisdom will emerge. Around 1500 BC the roots of Hinduism can be traced. Back then Hinduism was very different than it is today. In the west Hinduism is viewed as a polytheistic religion as followers worships many gods and goddesses. There are also some who view Hinduism as Trinitarian, one God, being three persons. Earlier Hindu scriptures refer to Henotheistic, where male and female are deities, but only one is recognize as being supreme. Vaishnavism and Shivaism are practice by the urban Hindus. Vaishnavism: regards Vishnu as the ultimate deity, while Shivaism is also practice. The main act of Hindu worship is puja, a ritual that...
Words: 582 - Pages: 3
