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In India, more than three-quarters of the population consider themselves ‘Hindu,’ which essentially means ‘Indian.’ It helps distinguish them from other native religions like Islam, Jainism, and Buddhism. Hinduism is broadly described as a way of life. It seeks to explain how human life fits into the universal context. Also, it focuses more on practices that aim to address three levels of relationship: person to divine, person to person, and person to oneself.
The common beliefs of Hinduism are as follows: first, the notion of samsara, or the cycle of birth and rebirth of the soul, connected to karma & reincarnation. Hindus believe a person may undergo a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth depending on karma. Karma is generated by actions from the previous life, which may lead to consequences. Karma (actions) may present as either good or bad. Good karma is received by those who do good things in their previous life, leading to improved prospects in future lives, while those who do bad will be punished and may receive bad karma that will lead them to be reborn into a lower caste or as an animal. Therefore, individual action is responsible for its consequences. Hence, Hinduism aims to release from suffering that is inevitable from living and dying in the process of the cycle of rebirth. Second, the belief in the possibility of moksha or release from the endless cycle of life. It is said that people can be released from the suffering of reincarnation and the endless cycle of life through the realization of the true nature of atman (self) or Brahman (soul). Based on Adi Shankara, the knowledge we have about the world based on our senses is not the absolute reality but rather an illusion. Senses may fool us and lead to misconceptions. Absolute reality is not known through senses but directly to our atman or innermost self or soul. With this, a person might end reincarnation and operate karma through knowing their innermost self (Brahman) and absolute reality, which transcends the level of the physical body and subtle mental. Also, the true self is permanent and unchanging, while the non-true self is impermanent and undergoes changes all the time. The main goal of a person is to know true reality – Brahman, and it may be achieved through self-realization. Another belief is the key to achieving moksha following the principle called “Dharma.” It is translated as “virtue,” “natural law,” “right living,” or “appropriateness.” It has been divided into three main ways collectively known as the marga. These are the Jnana-marga (knowledge or insight), Karma-marga (appropriate action or right behavior), and the Bhakti-marga (devotion to gods).
When it comes to the concept of God in the belief of Hinduism, they accept the idea of the trinity or what they call Trimurti, which is responsible for the existence, order, and destruction in the universe. It is composed of a supreme creator god called Brahma together with Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer). Shiva is known to be the destroyer but also the transformer. There is what they call the dance of Shiva, which refers to the cycle of creation and destruction that balances the concept of birth and death.
In the 6th century C.E., devotional Hinduism or the bhakti (Hindu movement on personal devotion) became popular. Worshipers make their offerings in the form of self-sacrifices to develop a personal relationship with the gods. And the Dharma, which is the original form of Sanatana Dharma translated from Sanskrit as “the eternal order of things,” defines truth or reality. This order of things expresses the idea that there is an underlying, rational order to the universe. Second, this sense of order is acknowledged when we perform sacrifices to the gods. Next, in the sacrifice, we learn our place and the right way to live. Lastly, through sacrifice, we understand and maintain the order of the universe. Hindus believe that by performing and following this concept, they align themselves with the rational ordering of human life and society.
The Hindu tradition is guided by sacred texts known as the four Vedas. They are the oldest Hindu scriptures and the most ancient Sanskrit texts, written between 1200 and 900 B.C.E. One of the contents of the four Vedas is the Rig Veda. Based on the Rig Veda, there are four main varnas or classes in society that represent various parts of the divine person they call Purusha. These are the Brahmins, which serve as the mouth of Purusha and they are the Priests. Next, Kshatriyas serve as Purusha’s arms, and they are the military, warriors, or administrative class. Next, Vaishyas are the merchant class, artisans, or craftsmen and serve as Purusha’s thigh. Lastly, Shudras are the workers and laborers. They serve as the feet of Purusha. These four varnas play an essential part in the ordering of society. Their roles reflect their dharma or their divine duty. Also, those four varnas are sometimes called castes, which follow the Indian caste system. It refers to classifying people, broadly based on their occupation. Another part of the Vedas and Sanskrit sacred texts is the Upanishads, which offer a philosophical approach to religion that is concerned with the nature of the self and the universe. The Upanishads argue that to understand the self is to understand everything. It has a view that the self is described into three parts: the material body, the subtle body, which is made up of thoughts, feelings, & experiences, and lastly, the atman, which has pure consciousness.
Hinduism proposes that life has several main goals: dharma (right living), the concepts of artha (wealth), kama (pleasure), and moksha (liberation). According to Vedic texts, the principal goal in life or the four stages of life are: The first stage of life is being brahmacharya or a student, which is to learn and study the concept of Vedas. This stage is related to the concept of Dharma, which keeps a person on the righteous path through knowing and learning the right way to live. The second stage is being a grihastha or a householder, who seeks wealth and pleasure to support his/her family. The next stage is vanaprastha or retirement, which involves letting go of overall responsibility for business and financial matters and may take time to reflect and advise. In the last stage, people may experience wandering asceticism in which individuals set aside all their concerns in the world and are committed to their physical and mental discipline to achieve final release and liberation (moksha). The four stages of life combined are known as Varnashrama-dharma, which refers to the right ordering of life according to one’s class and stage in life. Aside from the four stages of life, Hinduism also believes in the importance of following the five moral principles: Ahimsa (not killing), Satya (speaking the truth), asteya (not stealing), brahmacharya (sexual continence), and aparigraha (not being avaricious). These principles are mainly concerned with eternal morality and involve pursuing the five qualities, which are cleanliness, contentment, pure concentration, and devotion to god. Also, those five principles are based on personal spiritual development, progression, and devotion.
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