...Hinduism Paper Crystal Haile HUM-130 March 6, 2012 Michael S. Bickford Hinduism Paper Hinduism which is also known as Sanatana Dharma or Eternal Truth has many uniting belief systems which include the conviction that truth is known and can be directly experienced. Hinduism has many different traditions and each different tradition has a different meaning and view. There is an underlying unity to the belief of the Hindu system it has a deep sense of morality and ethics. Hinduism is a widely different system that draws on the form of philosophy, theology, and religious places. Hinduism obtains true bliss and transcends temporary labels, gender, race, ethnicity, and religious labels like Islam and Christian. Hinduism follows the truth and even though it has had many attempts to be destroyed with aggressive methods of conversions and the holy wars it is still alive today. Hinduism is a living way of life for some people and has out lived many cultures and civilizations like the Greeks and Romans that is why it still exist long after the religions like Islam which had died out. The cultures and societal influences that have made Hinduism vital to the region that it was originated is that Hinduism is a very large extensive religion with many sides, gods, and impacts. The cultural and societal influences that make Hindu a way of life and religion vital is the practices that come from outside. Other faiths such as Islam and Christianity have sought out to overcome Hinduism...
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...* Skip to Navigation * Skip to Content TermPaperWarehouse.com - Free Term Papers, Essays and Research Documents The Research Paper Factory * Join * Search * Browse * Saved Papers ------------------------------------------------- Top of Form Search Bottom of Form * Home Page » * Religion Topics Hinduism Worldview In: Religion Topics Hinduism Worldview Hinduism Worldview 1. The Question of Origin. The beliefs of a Hindu can be very confusing with the question of origin because they believe in so many different God’s and there are so many different sects. What unifies the sects though is the worship of Braham. It would be my guess that they believe that Brahma, the creator God, Is what brought them into existence. 2. The Question of Identity. To a Hindu all forms of living beings are a manifestation of God. They do not see themselves above animals or even plants. They belief that because animals and plants give them sources of food that they should be worshipped. 3. The Question of Meaning/Purpose. There are 4 goals in life for a Hindu. To have pleasure, wealth, harmony, and liberation. The first two consume each person because it causes suffering. The other two fulfill them. The concept of Salvation is to overcome the evil desires (pleasure and wealth) and achieve the last two to become moksha (the release of the evil). 4. The Question of Morality. Like the previous question they strive to be moksha. They have to release all the evil doings...
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...Hinduism Paper HUM/130 June 8, 2012 Hinduism Paper The Hindu concept of god is confusing to most Westerners. The religion is generational and its beliefs and traditions are hard for those not brought up in the belief to comprehend. God to those of the Hindu faith is an omnipresent deity. Most Western religions see the supreme being, or god, as an individual and give the deity an individual identity. Hinduism does this to some degree, but recognizes thousands of god and goddesses Hinduism has a polytheistic concept of god at first glance. (McDowell & Brown, 2009). There are thousands of gods and goddesses that worshipped by its adherents. Three of the major deities in Hinduism are Vishnu, Rama, and Shiva. Vishnu is steadfast in the principles of order, righteousness, and truth. Rama is the deity of chivalry and virtue. Shiva is the deity of death and dissention. The text and my conversation with a follower of Hinduism seemed contradictory. I assume that my conversation with the follower was confusing due to the language barrier. Her words and descriptions were different than those in the text used in this class and the books that I use for research. Though there is a polytheistic view of a god in Hinduism, there is a monotheistic concept of a singular entity. Trimurti is the absolute entity that consists of the deities of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014). This entity could seen as the Holy Trinity recognized in Christianity. Hinduism...
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...Hinduism Paper Greg L. Fowler Hum/130 Religions of the World March 6, 2011 Michael 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...
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...Hinduism Paper 1 Hinduism Paper William Anderson Hum 130/Philip Engelman Hinduism Paper 2 Hinduism is not a religion but a set of beliefs and traditions. Hinduism is the third oldest existing religion today. Originated in India, Hindu religions have more then a billion followers with the majority living in India. Hinduism derives from the ancient Vedic tradition as well as other beliefs created over a period of 4,000 years. The practice of Dharma, which is the Hindu religions ethics and duties, offers equality in theology, spiritual insights and myths. Samsara, Karma and Moksha are other beliefs. Samsara means the continuing cycle of life, death and rebirth, Karma meaning an action with a cause and effect, and Moksha meaning liberation from the cycle of Samsara. Buddhism and Sikhism religions focus on self-improvement which helps attain a personal spiritual experience. Buddhism and Sikhism originated in India and share similarities but are very different religions. (Morales, (n.d). Hinduism is lacking in a uniting belief system. However, Hinduism is still practiced today and could stay intact for many years. Fighting off attacks from other religions that have tried to destroy Hinduism. Hinduism followers believe their souls are the true self of every person called the Ataman. The two lifelong goals of the Dharmas are the Grihastha Dharma...
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...Running Head: Assignment: Hinduism Paper Hinduism Paper Kalip Frazier II University of Phoenix/Axia HUM 130 Please repeat title and center it on first page of the body of the paper. Hinduism is a difficult religion for many to understand. The difficulty stems from the fact that many different variations of the religion has developed over time. There are many sects and a variety of other religious groups that have spawned from the bases of Hinduism. Hinduism is a religious belief that was formed and cultivated in South Asia more precisely, India. Hinduism is widely known as the world’s oldest religion. Although America is becoming more and more diverse, most Americans do not know a great deal about Hinduism. The caste system is one of the most connecting links of Hinduism; it combines religion with societal classifications. Understanding this system of hierarchy and what it represents to the people that believes it, is very critical to understand before digging into the religious beliefs of Hinduism. There are four fundamental castes or social classifications of Hinduism. Each individual caste has its own guidelines and mandates for being part of that particular caste. The elite social class is know the Brahman, or priest caste. This class is the equivalent to the King and Queen classification of the monarch system. The next tier in the caste system is the Kshatriyas classification, which includes warriors and rulers. The third tier of the caste system is the Vaisyas...
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...Hinduism Paper Rory Richards HUM/130 June 30, 2013 Dawn Tawwater Hinduism Paper Hinduism does not have a set orthodoxy, but there are several main beliefs that share a commonality among the different sects. The caste system is one of the oldest principles of Hinduism, an aspect as much religious as it is social. According to Hindu teaching, there are four basic social classes, or castes. Each social order has its own rules and obligation for living. The select few are the Brahman, or priest caste. Second are the warriors and rulers, the Kshatriyas. Third are the Vaisyas, or merchants and farmers. Finally, the fourth caste is the Shudras, or laborers. Existing outside of the caste system are the untouchables, the outcasts of society. One does not get choose to enter his or her caste, rather, that is decided according to what family the person is born into. Some other aspects of Hinduism that are shared among the different sects are the belief in the three-in-one god known as “Brahman,” which consists of: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the Preserver), and Shiva (the Destroyer). There are three gods that make up Brahman – Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Hindus also worship the “wives” of Shiva, such as Kali, or one of Vishnu’s ten incarnations (avatars). There are literally millions of Hindu gods and goddesses, by some counts, as many as 330 million! At the same time, Hinduism teaches that all living things are Brahman at their core. In other words, all living...
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...HUM 130 Hinduism Paper Assignment One of the best ways to describe Hinduism and the Hindu religion is a collection of different forms of beliefs all of which come from India, which is considered to be the oldest area on earth. Hindu's however do belief in many different types of religion. While some believe in the idea of God, others believe in reincarnation. Hindus also believe that Life, Death, and Re-birth are all parts to life and how we live. Hindu religions may all be different, they also all believe in Karma; or how what we do in our life time not only affects us but also affects others and the cycle of life as we know it. It is also believed that a soul can be liberated from the cycle of life. There are about four different types of religion braches that Hindus follow and they are; Vaishnaism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. Although it has been said that there are more, and that some of them are hard to label or name as well because they follow other religious beliefs from Hinduism as well. It is said that Hinduism has united our society as a whole because of how it does not discriminate other cultures or people. They do not find it important to discriminate against other people because of their cast's or how they viewed by society. It has also been said that this in fact helps strengthen our society also. Women who follow Hinduism are actually considered to be more aggressive and dominant depending on the branch of Hinduism they follow. It is also known that...
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...Hinduism Hinduism Beliefs Lindsey Painter Hum/130 Religions of the World Scott Matkovich May 13, 2012 Hinduism Beliefs “Our beliefs determine our thoughts and attitudes about life, which in turn direct our actions. By our actions, we create our destiny.” (http://www.himalayanacademy.com/basics/nineb/) I now know more about Hinduism beliefs from the research of this paper. It is a belief that believes in karma, reincarnation, and in one God. Considering that Hinduism lacks a uniting belief system, what makes up the Hindu religion? The Hindu's have always known this philosophy of freedom of action, for the reason that they had a perfect religion, a religion on which one aspect of God was characterized as human, and their various Deva's are nothing but various characteristics of human nature, each of them adored and worshipped. In this way not only God, but the whole human nature in all its aspects was adorned and worshipped. Hinduism, which is actually known as the Sanatana Dharma or Eternal Truth, has many uniting belief systems. Hinduism definitely has some uniting beliefs that all people of the faith follow. Hinduism teaches that all living things are Brahman in their core. In other words, all living things are Brahman, or God. Enlightenment is attained by becoming tuned in to the Brahman within. Only then can one reach Nirvana. The release from the wheel of life that allows access to Nirvana is known as “moksha...
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...Hinduism Paper Jessica M. Thomas HUM/130 July 20, 2014 Daniel Davis Hinduism is considered the World’s oldest organized religion, it is also the third largest in the World. “It consist of thousands of different religious groups that have evolved in India since 1500 BCE. Because of the wide variety of Hindu traditions, freedom of belief and practice are notable features of Hinduism”. (Hinduism: The World’s third largest religion, 2014) The way Hinduism expresses its spiritual traditions is not by one unified religion but by supreme variations of religious paths, this allows for no central tradition but a diverse worship of deities. There has been various definitions of what Hinduism actually is and what it involves so it is important to understand what connects these various beliefs and practices in order to form the religion Hinduism. What makes up the Hindu Religion is that it is not a standard type of religion, but it is a set of religious traditions and beliefs that has evolved over time. Although the Hinduism religion is various in many ways, all of the religious groups and traditions follow certain types of beliefs and practices but also acknowledge and follow the ancient scriptures called Vedas. These sacred writings contain hymns, incantations and rituals from ancient India. “According to orthodox Hindus, the Vedas are not the work of any humans. They are considered shruti texts—those which have been revealed, rather than written by mortals. They are the breath...
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...Hinduism Chandler W. Morgan HUM/130 3/10/2013 Dr. Virginia Merlini Hinduism Paper Hinduism originated in India around 2000 B.C.E. (Before Common Era). At the time of origination Hinduism had 1,000,000,000 followers (Reincarnation of Hinduism, 2012). This religion has originated from the ancient Vedic Age and other indigenous beliefs. Incorporated over time, Hindu religion comes in many different religious beliefs. Hindu religion includes Dharma, meaning religion, encompasses duty, social welfare, natural law, health, ethics, and transcendental realization. Karma is another well-known belief of Hinduism, meaning action or the consequences of action, followed by Samsara, which is the ultimate goal of the eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Lastly, Moksha, which means the liberation from the limitation of space, time, and matter through realization of the immortal absolute (Fisher, M.P., 2005). Considering that Hinduism lacks a uniting belief system, what makes up the Hindu religion, includes Veda, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Epics, also known as Sanatana Dharma. Still practiced today, Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism is one of the oldest religions known to mankind. The spiritual expression of Sanatana Dharma range from extreme sensuality, from the heights of a personal devotion, to a deity, to a abstract philosophy (Fisher, M.P., 2005). This religion is still one of the major religions in the world and has been able to hold itself together...
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...The Religion Hinduism Hum/130 The religion of Hinduism is very complicated and has many different aspects to it, from cultural and social influences. This paper will discuss these many different aspects that make up this belief system, along with the liberation from earthly existence. The term Hinduism is not the main word used today for this religion, the term used in this modern time is Sanatana Dharma. The religion has a wide range of expressions and beliefs that is believed to have developed of the course of approximately ten thousand years. “The spiritual expressions of Sanatana Dharma range from extreme asceticism to extreme sensuality, from the heights of personal devotion to a deity to the heights of abstract philosophy, from metaphysical proclamations of the oneness behind the material world to worship of images representing a multiplicity of deities. According to tradition, there are actually 330 million deities in India. The feeling is that the divine has countless faces.”(Fisher, 2005, p. 69). There is a philosophical and metaphysical element to Hinduism. The Vedic age is believed to exist from around 2500 BCE. Many people believe that today’s Sanatana Dharma stems from this period. This worship consists of the praising of hymns and the worship of the cow. It is believed that the cow is a sacred animal. “In the Aryan Invasion Theory of Western historians, the highly organized cultures of the Indus Valley and the villages in other parts of the subcontinent...
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...Hinduism Paper HUM/130 March 17, 2013 Hinduism Paper Hinduism, otherwise known as Sanatana Dharma is one of the oldest religions in the world. Sometimes it is defined as the religion of India because of its origins in the Indus River region (Tri State Hindu Temple Newburgh, n.d.). Hinduism is a difficult religion to define because there is no founding father, no main religious book, and a multiplicity of deities. It arose out of a combination of religious, philosophical, and cultural practices so varied that there is no central tradition. It has evolved from the diverse Indian cultures for over four thousand years. This could explain why the matter of listing all things that Hindus believe in or even what all Hindus do is not a simple matter. Nevertheless there are some basic tenants of Hinduism and some key Hindu scriptures that help us to understand the concepts and beliefs which are held by many Hindus in a somewhat unifying principle. Central Themes in Hinduism The desire for liberation from earthly existence could be consider the ultimate goal of a Hindu. This desire to exit the cycle of birth, death and rebirth is directly related to the concept of reincarnation which is a major cornerstone of Hinduism. Reincarnation is the belief that when the soul leaves the dead body it enters a new one, living again and again in countless bodies whether human, animal, or plant. The key is that the self remains the same. The ultimate goal is to end the suffering of reincarnation...
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...East/West Religious Paper Misanna Gordon HUM 130 July 15, 2012 Vickie Burns- Sikora Religion has in the past and will continue to be in the future one of the main forces that has constantly shaped and drives the world. Throughout many centuries, wars were fought, laws were made, towns and countries were built and broken down all in the effort to make known or protect many of the different religions that exists in the world today. In this paper I will be comparing and contrasting the different western religions which are Hinduism and Buddhism and the eastern religions which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The country of origin for Hinduism is India and Southeast Asia. Hinduism was originated from the word “India” which has the very similar spiritual and cultural practices; this was developed in India more than one thousand years ago. There are several societal and cultural influences that made the religion of Hinduism vital to the region in which it originated. The Hindus of India tends to follow several traditions and social standards. When it comes to culture, the Hindus have several myths indicating that there are multiple faces of the divine, and also myths indicating that the divine interacts in many forms with the believers Hinduism is a religious belief system that lacks unity; it is also referred to as the Santana Dharma. The Santana Dharma means the “eternal religion” (Fisher, 2005). The Hindu religion is made up of several religions that were...
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...Hinduism Paper HUM/130 Due Hinduism is a set of traditions and beliefs that have evolved over a 5,000 year period. There are many forms of Hinduism that cannot be traced to one source. Hinduism is also known as Sanatana Dharma. “Sanatana means “eternal” or “ageless” reflects the belief that these ways have always existed.” (Fisher, 2005, 69) ”Dharma, translates as “religion,” encompasses duty, natural law, social welfare, ethics, health, and transcendental realization.” (Fisher, 2005, 69) The earliest forms of the ancient scriptures, Vedas, contain four parts. The earliest is the Samhitas, hymns of praise and worship to the deities. Then is the Brahmanas, directions about performances of the ritual sacrifices to the deities. Next is the Aranyakas, when people would go to the forests to meditate and recluse. Lastly is the Upanishads, consisting of teaching from highly realized spiritual master’s. (Fisher, 2005) Hinduism followers believe in the Supreme Being and many other Supreme Deities. Rig Veda is the oldest of the known Vedic scriptures which praises and implores the blessing of the devas. The major devas include Indra (the god of thunder and bringer of the welcome rains), Agni (god of fire), Soma (the sacred drink), and Ushas (the god of dawn). (Fisher, 2005) The devas represent and unseen reality as which include opaque earth gods and transparent deities. Hindus believe that once one discovers the...
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