...What Is Hinduism? What is Hinduism? According to Yahoo education.com, the definition of Hinduism is, “A diverse body of religion, philosophy, and cultural practice native to and predominant in India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being of many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by a desire for liberation from earthly evils.” (2009) The diversity comes from questioning, “what makes up Hinduism?” To understand it you must understand part of the history of the religion. The history of the religion is as diverse as the “body of the religion”. Hinduism is also identified as Sanatana Dharma the “ageless or eternal religion”. The Hindu origin dates back to 8000 BCE, by Indian tradition, when the first Vedas, religious texts, were heard by rishis, ancient philosophical teachers, and passed by word of mouth. To some the birth of Hinduism is dated more around 3000 BCE when the Vedas were put into written form. Even though eighty percent of people from India believe in some form of Hinduism, there is a disputed belief that an Aryan invasion from southern Russia brought the religion to India and did not originate in India. However Hinduism came to the Indian people, it is a strong belief among them. The Hinduism religion has 330 million deities according to Hindu customs and yet there is a focus on Brahman, the ultimate infinite reality. The Brahman has no form or shape, is never-ending, and philosophically...
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...What Are The Problems Associated With Attempting To Define Hinduism? What is Hinduism? Who are the Hindus? Why is there this problem of association within this religion? This paper will try to give a few simple reasons to answer this question: a brief Hindu history, the multiplicity of faith, a comparison made with Christianity (the dominant worldwide religion ). However, when trying to define, or describe, something, it is always best to start from the beginning and so let us look at Hinduism in Context. Hinduism, perhaps the oldest religion in existence, in today’s recorded history, can be traced back to the Rig-Veda , to today’s one billion followers, most of whom still inhabit the Indian subcontinent. In fact, the word Hindu was given by Greek, British and/or Persian explorers to describe a set of people who lived on the other side of the river in the Indus Valley, whom all shared a similar set of beliefs. As Christianity spread across Europe as the religion, it would only make sense that a people on the same (sub)-continent would also have a unifying religion. This is perhaps the biggest problem when it comes to trying to define Hinduism: an historical event that set the wheels in motion to trying to coin the Western interpretation of the word religion to the Eastern. Although they are both spelt the same, both have very different meanings. As mentioned before, Hinduism was an archaic term for a collection of people all of whom shared similar beliefs, but...
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...For my paper, I chose to write about the similarities between hinduism and buddhism. I chose to write about this because after our visit to the indian temple, I realized that both religions had many similarities among each other. Which got me thinking that could they poetically be the same type of religion with just a few differences here and there. In order to discover their similarities I chose to use the following books, “The world of buddhism,” by Heinz Bechert and Richard Gombrich, “Hinduism past and present,” by Axel Michaels, and “Experiencing the world’s religions,” by Michael Molloy. As we continue to read these books we will discover what their real similarities are and maybe how they come about. Both hinduism and buddhism originated in the Indian subcontinent and share a very long, but rather peculiar and uncomfortable relationship, which in many ways is comparable to that of Judaism and Christianity. The buddha was born in a Hindu family, just like Christ was born in a jewish family. Some people still argue that buddhism was an offshoot of Hinduism and the Buddha was a part of the Hindu pantheon, a view which is not acceptable to many Buddhist. It is however widely accepted that Buddhism gained popularity in India because it released the people from the oppression of tradition and orthodoxy. The teachings of the Buddha created hope and aspiration for those who had otherwise no hope of salvation and freedom of choice in a society that was dominated by caste system...
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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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...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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...Thinking – Hinduism Worldview” Hinduism is the world's oldest extant religion, with a billion followers, which makes it the world's third largest religion. Unlike other religions, Hinduism is a way of life, a Dharma, the law that governs all action. It has its own beliefs, traditions, advanced system of ethics, meaningful rituals, philosophy and theology. In this paper I will attempt to explain my view on Hinduism worldviews and will also elaborate on differences between Christianity and the Hinduism religion. The question of Origin asks "How did life begin?", "How did I come into existence? There is no central person to whom Hinduism can trace its origin unfortunately. The word “Hinduism” is not to be found in the scriptures, making it difficult to present a moment in time when the movement launched. Hinduism is a system that “attempts to maintain a complex polytheism on the one hand, and an earth-based worship of nature on the other” (Hindson and Caner, 263). Somewhere in the middle, these two religious impulses collide, and Hinduism is born. The question of Identity seeks to identify "What does it mean to be a human?" Hinduism states that humans are the highest of all creation. Souls can take many births in lower forms to get the eligibility to be born as human. Life can form lower than human beings, such as insects, plants and animals to name a few. The question of meaning/purpose asks, "Why does mankind exist?”, “Why do I exist?" In Hinduism they believe...
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...Hinduism Death, Dying and Destiny Ideas about what happens after death, and its connection with how life is lived on earth, is a fundamental part of all religions. Many people accept death as the end of any form of existence. However others argue that death is not the end of life. The Australian Catholic University has held this conference about Death and Dying to address some of the ultimate questions that humans have always asked themselves. This particular seminar will deal with the aspects of death, dying and destiny. The religion that will be investigated around the issue of death, dying and destiny will be Hinduism. Based on the essence of Hinduisms framework and various interpretations of scriptures the basic fundamentals of what is expected of followers in life and death are dictated what expectations are up held and performed. What happens after death, and its connection with how life is lived on earth, is fundamental to every religion. These beliefs and ideas; help people make sense of life, give support and comfort at times of loss and bereavement, and provides purpose to life (BBC; 2014). In Hinduism it is believed that any attempt to permanent happiness in this world is an illusion (maya). Hindus believe that a person’s atman (spirit) is permanent and cannot change while the physical body is permanent (About Religion; 2014). This quote from Bhagavad Gita 2:22 (As a man casts off his worn-out clothes and takes on other new ones, so does the embodied soul cast off...
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...is University of Phoenix | Hinduism | Religion | 7/20/2010 | Basically, anyone can be of Hindu religion. When we are born we are giving a choice of what religion we want to peruse. A person is not forced to worship or be of one type of religion, but what religion that is chosen predicts was the person will be in the next life. People of Hindu religion are considered to have pure hearts so if you feel that your heart is pure you can consider yourself Hindu. Although flexibility is good is does bring up an argument about the real meaning of Hinduism. Whether or not a person is Hindu or not. The one thing about Hinduism that I believe to be true is that the religion is very flexible. It doesn’t have strict rules on how to worship or what to worship and still can be considered as practicing Hinduism. Hinduism is a different but interesting religion because of its beliefs and how open and flexible it is. “According to historians, the origin of Hinduism dates back to 5,000 or more years. The word “Hindu” is derived from the name of River Indus, which flows through the northwestern India. In the ancient times the river was called the “Sindhu”, but the Persians who migrated to India called the river Hindu (Melissa Lorentz, 2008).” Hinduism is the belief of what you feel such as peace and freedom. People of Hindu religion believe and accept that there is a higher power that is makes the world go round. God is known to have a higher power, and if you believe...
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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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...1. What elements of earlier belief systems do you see integrated into Hinduism? What were the external conditions (environmental/societal/political/economic etc.) which gave rise to the origination of Hinduism? What was it about this time period? Location? Population? In some ways Hinduism is the oldest living religion since some elements of it date back thousands of years; Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings despite many key figures and numerous holy books that might indicate otherwise. Hence why Hinduism is often referred to as a “way of life” and why it makes sense that the religion was informed by so many external conditions around its “birth” (BBC Religion Profile, Hinduism) For instance even though the birth of the term “Hindu” could be traced back to the Sankrit word, Sindhu, the river complex of the northwest, used by the Aryans in the second millennium B.C. It likely dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries when it was used by people to differentiate themselves from followers of other traditions, especially Muslims in Kashmir and Bengal at the time (BBC Religion Profile, Hinduism) (Hinduism, www.web.csulb.edu). Hinduism evolved or rose as a religion by the way it was used to group people by certain cultural practices, belief systems and rituals that enshrined certain sacred things or defined rites of passage. But it was also used to group people by geography and politics. Most scholars can...
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...Hinduism 1 The Meaning, Liberations and Influences of Hinduism Kijafa Wright HUM130 August 26, 2010 Sean – David J. McGoran Hinduism 2 In this paper, the religion of Hinduism will be research and explained in different areas. I will research and discuss what makes of the Hinduism religion. This paper will present an explanation of what the cultural that have made influences to the land where Hinduism was start off. Also people will learn the about the religions earthy desire of liberations. “Hinduism is made of a variety of religious paths. (Fisher, 2005)” A set of traditions and beliefs are what make up the Hinduism religion. According to Living Religions chapter 3 (Fisher, 2005), “Hinduism consists of philosophical and metaphysical elements, devotional aspects as well as ritual aspects with a feature as a way of life.” Nonetheless, there are like several religious groups. “The majority of Hinduism is henotheistic religions that recognize a single deity...
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...What is Hinduism? It is the true culture of Indians in India. Many call it "A way of life." It is not an organized religion like Christianity or Islam. It has no founder. It has no Pope. It has no hierarchy. Just a lot of scriptures. In Hindu scriptures, you are actually studying about the history and culture of India, like in 66 books of the Holy Bible you are actually studying about the culture and history of the Jews. Hinduism and Judaism are mothers of all modern religions in the world. Buddhism, Sikhism and to some extent Jainism and Zoroastrianism came from Hinduism. Of course, Jainism existed during Rig Vedic Period. Statues of Rishabha, the first Thirthankara and founder of Jainism was found in the Mohenjadaro, Harappa excavations. Islam and Christianity came from Judaism. Judaism, Islam and Christianity have Abraham as the common father figure. All three have many common prophets. There is even mention about Jesus Christ many times in the Holy Koran. Coming back to Hinduism, C.S. Lewis, the great author and theologist wrote, finally it will come to two religions. Hinduism and Christianity. The first [Hinduism] will grow absorbing ideas and concepts from everywhere and later [Christianity] will keep away from everything that is foreign to it. What C.S. Lewis wrote is very true. Hinduism cannot be destroyed, even if we burn every Hindu scripture and kill every Hindu theologian on earth. Hinduism or Hindu Culture is a very dynamic living, breathing Reality. Strength of Hinduism...
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...Introduction Hinduism is a major world religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent and consists of several schools of varied rituals, philosophies and beliefs. The name, Hinduism, is actually coined by British journalists and writers in the early 19th century to refer to the tradition of texts and practices. It is believed that Hinduism is now the worlds oldest and widely practiced religions known today having dated back to around the 3rd or 2nd millennium bce. When the term “Hinduism” was first published to describe the religion, it has since been met with mixed reactions with some rejecting it in favor of indigenous formulations. Some have taking to the term “Vedic Religion” as a way to refer to the ancient texts known as the “Vedas”. The majority of those who practice the religion do accept the term “Hinduism”. Hinduism and Buddhism Despite the labeling and acceptance thereof, Hinduism has managed to stay as a thriving religion with various influences in many cultures. Its believed that Hinduism and Buddhism share a common bond. The Buddha was born to a Hindu family and some still argue that because of this, Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism and that the Buddha was a part of the Hindu pantheon, a view which is not accepted by many Buddhists. Long ago, Hindu tradition accepted the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu. There were many that didn’t believe that Buddha’s teachings and enlightenment were of any relation to the Hindu beliefs though. Despite the fundamental...
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...Hinduism 1 Hinduism Starla R. Heyward Religions of the World HUM/130 April 29, 2012 Dr. VL Merlini Hinduism 2 When we think of Hinduism, we do not think of a religion. Hinduism is a set of beliefs that revolve around traditions that have been around for a long time. The Hindu belief is one of the oldest religions in the world. There are different sects of Hinduism. In addition to that, there are ancient scriptures called the Vedas that are admired by all who practice Hinduism. There are many cultural and societal influences surrounding Hinduism. One big societal element is that India is one of the last ancient worlds culture. The actual name is Sanatana Dharma or “Universal Truth or Way.” In the Hinduism belief, they have a concept that the ultimate reality called Brahman, (universal soul) and its identification with the individual soul. Each person or creature goes through a birthing that is determined by karma. Karma is what happens if a person does something bad in their present life, it will come back to haunt them in their present or future life. I like to refer to it as the law of sowing and reaping. The post-Vedic deals with elaborate myths of popular gods. It is described as undergoing on eternally cycle of preservation, dissolution, and creation. This represents the trinity of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer as the supreme. In Hinduism, the beliefs that hundreds of deities control everything...
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...Hinduism is one of the oldest known religions of the world; having no founder and no known starting year. Hinduism is the third largest practicing religion in the world, following Christianity and Islam. There are approximately 905 million practicing Hindus live in India and Nepal. The earliest origins of Hinduism can be traced to the Vedic civilization. The thing that makes up the Hindu religion is Sanarana Dharma. Sanarana Dharma is the proper name for Hinduism. Hinduism is the traditional religion of India with a whopping 80% of Indians still practicing Hinduism today (Pearson Education, Inc, 2007). Sanatan Dharma is one of the oldest religions known to mankind (Basham, 2013). One of the biggest spiritual expressions of Sanatana Dharma is personal devotion to a specific God or deity. Like, for instance the female goddess Shakti, who was the other half of Lord Shiva, has several of her own temples built in her honor (Subhamoy, 2013). Hinduism is still one of the major religions in the world, Hinduism it is more than a way of life, Hinduism is indeed a restrictive and organized religion. The Hindu religion has many different beliefs that have greatly evolved over time. The Hindu religion includes Dharma meaning religion, which encompasses duty, natural law, social welfare and many other things. Many of the religious paths of Dharma still continue to coexist in present day India. Other well-known beliefs in Hinduism include karma which...
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