Hinduism Essay

Questions On Hinduism
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,...show more
content...
Moreover, the Vedas illustrate how much geography, culture, language, and politics were shaped by
religion and how much Hinduism was shaped by it (BBC Religion Profile, Hinduism) 2. In what
ways do the sacred texts of Hinduism continue to inform Hindu ritual and practice? How does
Hinduism shape daily lives in a large population centers where it is practiced today? Think in terms
of policy, education, commercial institutions, and security.
The Bhagavad Gita is illustrative of how sacred texts continue to shape society. The Bhagavad Gita
is one of the most popular Hindu texts and is actually a sort of dialogue between prince Arjuna and
Krishna, his charioteer. Arjuna in the end wants to withdraw from the battle but Krishna teaches
him that he must do his duty in accordance with his class and he argues that death does not destroy
the soul. You can see this concept played out in how people organize themselves even today in
India, where everyone seems to have "a place, a reason, a duty." (BBC Religion Profile, Hinduism)
The caste system itself is a system of social stratification, based on two concepts, varna and jati.
Varna
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Hinduism Essay
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November 19, 1997 By Jordan Bruins Buddhism/Hinduism Comparison Report Hinduism is the
oldest known religion and is very rich with literally hundreds of gods, symbolistic rituals and
beliefs. It is believed to have been established around 1500 B.C. but no one person founded
Hinduism as it evolved over a long period of time. Buddhism on the other hand has a definite
founder, Siddhartha Gautama who is otherwise known as the Buddha or Enlightened One who lived
from 565 to 483 B.C. Both these religions originated in India. Siddhartha Gautama was a Hindu who
found Hindu theology lacking and after years of searching for truth created a religion now known as
...show more content...
The ultimate goal is to achieve Nirvana. There are numerous rudimentary similarities and
differences between Hinduism and Buddhism. In Buddhism the place of women is an inferior
one which stems from traditional, cultural, and social values of Asia. Although females can
accumulate good karma, they can rarely attain Nirvana and therefore must wait until they are
born as men. In Hinduism the role of women is downgraded as well and no act is to be done
according to her own will. A woman must always be cheerful and clever in the household
business and keep the furniture well cleaned. She must always have a free hand. She must have
only one husband, even if he dies. If a woman commits adultery, she must be burned to death and
all property a couple may acquire belongs to the male. Buddhists preach compassion, charity and
nonviolence and while Hindus profess pacifism and ahimsa which is the avoidance of harm to
people and animals they still believe war is justifiable in certain cases. They see it as their duty to
fight in a just war. Harming others is wrong but if refusing go to war will cause undue suffering to
others, then violent acts are justifiable. "There is no greater good for a warrior than to fight
in a righteous war" (Bhagavad Gita 2:31) Many Buddhist beliefs and goals are similar if not
the same as Hindu beliefs and goals. The concept that life

Hinduism Essay
Hinduism Hinduism, known today as Sanatana Dharma, originated primarily in India and is the
oldest religion in history. Unlike Christianity, Hinduism cannot be dated back so it is unknown
exactly when this religion came about. Hinduism is often broken down into three different groups
which express Brahman in different forms. Hindus recognize one God known to them as Brahman.
Brahman is the creator of everything and is present in everything. Brahman represents many
different gods. There are three gods that have a major influence over the religion, they are Vishnu,
who is the preserver along with his three incarnations Rama, Krishna and Narasimha; Shiva, the
destroyer; and Sakti, the Mother of Goddesses, also known as Parvati,...show more content...
On thing that has remained relatively the same is the organized functioning of India's society
which includes a clear division of labor among four major occupational groups; this later became
known as the caste system. The purpose of the caste system is to uplift people from worldly
concerns and to encourage them to behave according to the higher laws. This division of labor
that is represented by the caste system is a strong part of Sanatana Dharma's emphasis on social
duties and the sacrifice of an individuals desires for the sake of the social structure. This religion
consists of many other things that influence the culture as well. Such as arranged marriages
which are different than a forced marriage. In an arranged marriage both parents of each the bride
and the groom believe that there son and daughter are compatible and could form a lifelong
partnership. The bride and the groom both must agree to the ceremony before it occurs. Hindu
scriptures prohibit any use of physical punishment or blackmail should either party disagree to the
marriage. Hindu's believe in a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth also known as samsara. This cycle
they believe is controlled by what they call karma. They believe that each time they are reborn they
are born again as a hire being than there last form on earth. This is because of karma. If in a person's
life they perform, think, and desire only good things than when death comes they

Hinduism Research Paper
Hinduism is known as the world's oldest religion. According to ISKCON Educational Services
(2004), it is hard to construct a timeline because Hinduism has no identifiable human founder or
specific origin in history. It is so old that its past goes into pre–history. It is extremely diverse with
the Hindu people being more interested in the meaning of events than in providing first hand
records. There is also no clear–cut divide between history and myth. It is believed that Hindu
traditions appeared around 1500 B.C.E. and can be traced to the ancient Aryans as they migrated into
southeastern Asia. It was during this time that the Vedic hymns were composed. These hymns, called
Vedas, were composed by different Brahman priests and...show more content...
The caste system initially served to maintain strict social boundaries between the invaders and the
previous inhabitants. Through the generations, the origins of the caste system were forgotten
and it became the general rule of a single society (University of Wyoming, 1997). People are born
into the caste of their parents and are not allowed to cross into another one. They are also
expected to marry in the same caste. The unequal distribution of money, influence, pain and
suffering are seen as a natural consequence for ones previous actions, both in this life and in
previous lives. Hindus can be reborn at a higher level through pure acts, good thoughts and
devotion. They can also be reborn at a lower level through bad deeds. It is even possible to be
reborn as an animal. Arizona State University (2004) lists the five social castes. They are: Brahmins
(priests and academics); Kshatriyas (military); Vaishyas (farmers and merchants); Sudras (peasants
and servants); and Harijan (outcasts or untouchables). The caste system has been extremely stable in
India for over two thousand years. It is only since the more modern, independent state of India was
formed that the system has come under any scrutiny at all. It is presently outlawed, but many of the
practices, attitudes and traditions remain ingrained in Hindu society (University of Wyoming,
1997). The Hindu religion is often mislabeled as a religion of 330 million gods. This

Hinduism Essay example
Hinduism
Introduction
Hinduism is a religion that originated in India and is still practiced by most of the Natives as well
as the people who have migrated from
India to other parts of the world. Statistically there are over seven hundred million Hindus, mainly in
Bharat, India and Nepal. Eighty five percent of the population in India is Hindu. The word Hindu
comes from an ancient Sanskrit term meaning "dwellers by the Indus River," referring to the
location of India's earliest know civilization, the Pakistan. There is not much organization and
hierarchy is nonexistent. The religion suggests commitment to or respect for an ideal way of life
know as Dharma. Hinduism absorbs foreign ideas and beliefs making it have a...show more content...
In the medieval times the Hindus evolved into having philosophers, plays and music with their
religion. A man named Chaitanya came into power and claimed to have a god reincarnated inside of
him. In the
19th century, movements to reconcile traditional Hinduism with the social reforms and political
ideas of the day took place. Many people where sent out to Europe and Asia preaching and spreading
the religion. Throughout all these periods of time, the religion mutated and changed to fit with the
times and as it did it just kept gathering more and more followers.
Hinduism Today Today there are numerous self proclaimed teachers who have migrated to Europe
and the United States, where they have inspired large followings. In India Hinduism thrives despite
all the reforms and shortcuts made in the practicing due to the gradual modernization and
urbanization of
Hindu life. Hinduism continues to serve vital function by giving passionate meaning to the Hindus
of today.
Beliefs and Practices
Caste System The ideal way of life is referred to as the "duties of one's class and station". In the
phrase the word class is changed to CASTE. The ancient texts tell of four great classes, or castes:
the Brahmins, or priests; the
Ksatriyas, or warriors and rulers; the Vaisayas, or merchants and farmers; and the Sudras, or peasants
and laborers. A fifth class, Panchamas, or untouchables, are people whose jobs make them touch
unclean or unholy objects.

Hinduism Essay
Hinduism
The word `Hindu' originally meant `those who lived on the other side of the river Indus (in
Sanskrit, Sindhu)'. Alternate names for the people following the religion can be `Vaidikas',
followers of the Vedas, or `Vedantists', followers of the Vedanta. So, let us have a brief overview of
the Vedas.
The Vedas is not the utterance of persons. The Vedas do not owe their authority to anybody, they are
themselves the authority, being eternal –– the knowledge of God. They were never written, never
created, they have existed throught time; just as creation is infinite and eternal, without beginning
and without end, so is the knowledge of God without beginning and without end. And this knowledge
is what is meant by `the Vedas'...show more content...
Next come the Smritis. These are books written by the sages. These are subordinate to the Vedanta.
The Smritis have varied from time to time. As essential conditions changed, as various circumstances
came to have their influence on the race, manners and customs had to be changed, and these Smritis,
as mainly regulating the manners and customs of the nation, had also to be changed from time to
time. But the basic principles in the Vedanta, like the dynamics of thesoul, which are eternal do not
change.
Then there are the Puraanas. They deal with history, cosmology, symbolic illustrations of
philosophical principles, and so forth. They were written to popularise the religion of the Vedas.
They give the lives of saints and kings and great men and historical events, etc. The sages made use
of these to illustrate the eternal principles of religion.
There are still other books, the Tantras. These are very much like the Puranas in some respects, and
in some of them there is an attempt to revive the old sacrificial ideas of the Karma Kaanda.
All these books constitute the scriptures of the Hindus. When there is such a mass of sacred books
in a nation and a race ehich has devoted the greatest part of its energies to the thought of philosophy
and spirituality, it is quite natural that there should be so many sects. These sects differ very much
from each other in certain points. But there are some essential principles which are common to all

The History of Hinduism Essay
The word Hindu has evolved from being the word the Persians used for the Indus River in 500 BC
to the accepted name for the primary religion of India this name was originally given by foreign
rulers and ultimately used by Europeans in the 1500's as the official name of the religion. History
plays an important part of Hinduism because new developments reinterpret an update past practices
rather than end them. The Hindu religion is broke down into three periods the Vedic period, the
Upanishadic period, the classical period, and the devotional period.
The Vedic period lasted from 1500 to 600 BCE. The Dravidian civilization was located in the Indus
Valley of northwest India, this area is now known as Pakistan. The Dravidians were advanced...show
more content...
The Upanishad scriptures suggest that followers exercise their body and mind. These exercises
become more important to Hindu practice as time goes by. Through the teachings of Upanishads
there is a spiritual essence called "Brahman". Brahman is a single world soul that is the base of all
physical matter, energy, time and space. Brahman is all things on earth and beyond. It is thought
that a person's inner soul known as the "atman", is part of Brahman and therefore; a person's
innermost soul is part of the single world soul. The meditation associated with the search for perfect
knowledge has evolved into a permanent aspect of Hinduism and is known as "Yoga". During this
period Buddhism and Jainism were created as additional ways of reaching enlightenment while
denying key teachings and practices.
The Classical period lasted from 400 – 600 BCE. There was a change in rule which affected all of
India during this period. The Mauryan dynasty was pro Buddhist and extended Aryan rule to all of
India. There was an increase in the number of conversions to Buddhism and Jainism. The rising
number of converts caused the Hindu religion to integrate foreign elements into Hindu tradition.
The scriptures of Veda was now deemed compatible with the Upanishadic teachings and added into
the Vedic body of scriptures. Due to a caste system upper classes accepted the tradition of the lower
class and controlled the way lower class

Essay about Hinduism
What is Hinduism? Sanatana Dharma, otherwise known as Hinduism, means "eternal religion".
Defining Hinduism may be difficult due to multiple variations of religions, such as Buddhism,
Jainism and Sikhism, which have steamed from Sanatana Dharma beliefs. Instead of focusing on a
direct definition of Hinduism, it might be easier to identify Hindu philosophies and key practices
that make up Hindu beliefs. Is it a religion or is it a culture? The truth is – it is both a religion and a
way of life. Hinduism is also known as "Sanatana Dharma" to Hindus. Hinduism was founded and
in India. India gave to the world the original, oldest and most profound philosophy of life. The
brilliant ancestors of present–day Indians explored the Truth behind...show more content...
Since Hindu beliefs are based on Vedic literature, Hinduism is vital to the preservation of early
Indian history and beliefs. The four main parts of the Veda are the Rig–veda, Yajur–veda,
Sama–veda, and Atharva–veda. Hinduism is influenced by all four parts of the Veda and the Veda is
held sacred in Hindu religion.
The Veda is what would be comparable to the Christian Bible or the Muslim Quran but is Hindu
belief. All four parts of the Veda include separate, but related, philosophies. Since Vedic literature is
vast it is important to know what the focus of the Veda is, Absolute Reality. Absolute Reality is
liberation from the material world with the understanding of one's Self and what cannot be
experienced through the five senses. Liberation is obtained through numerous reincarnations of the
soul into other life forms until the soul is liberated from rebirths due to achieving moksha, or
realization of the immortal Absolute. Desire for liberation of earthly existence is the desire to be
freed of earthly despair.
The caste system, originally described in the Vedas, but much abused and maligned over the years, is
nothing but a representation of an efficient human society. The four castes described in the scriptures
are – the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Shudras. According to the Vedas, an
efficient human society is based on the strength of its educational/knowledge–pursuit system

Hinduism Essay
Hinduism
Hinduism cannot be described as an organized religion. One individual did not found Hinduism.
Hinduism is God centered and therefore one can call Hinduism as founded by God. Hinduism is
based upon Eternal Principles. If a great scientist like Einstein discovered or realized laws of physics,
Hinduism would call him a great Rishi (Maharshi or seer of truth.) Such seers of truth are not
confined to any one age or country. Self realized persons like Jesus Christ would be called Rishis
(seers) and their teachings would be readily acceptable to those who properly understand the
principles of 'Hinduism'. From the ancient times, many great Rishis achieved "self–realization"
through such means as meditation and they realized...show more content...
The classical theory is now being rejected by increasing numbers of archeologists and religious
historians. Since Hindus believe that Hinduism pertains to all human beings many timelines begin
with the creation of life and includes major human accomplishments.
The Om is to Hindus As the cross is to Christians. It is made up of three Sanskrit letters, aa, au and
ma which, when combined, make the sound Aum or Om. The most important symbol in Hinduism,
it occurs in every prayer and invocation to most deities begins with it. As the symbol of piety, Om is
often found at the head of letters, pendants, enshrined in every Hindu temple and family shrines.
This symbol is actually a sacred syllable representing the Brahman or the Absolute –the source of all
existence. Brahman, in itself, is incomprehensible so a symbol becomes mandatory to help us
realize the Unknowable. The syllable Om occurs even in English words having a similar meaning,
for instance, 'omniscience', 'omnipotent', 'omnipresent'. Thus Om is also used to signify divinity
and authority. Its similarity with the Latin 'M' as also to the Greek letter 'Omega' is discernable.
Even the word 'Amen' used by Christians to conclude a prayer seems to be akin to Om.
Second in importance only to the Om, the Swastika, a symbol that looks like the Nazi emblem,
holds a great religious significance for the Hindus. Swastika is not a syllable or a letter, but a pictorial

Hinduism Essay
Hinduism
In India there are six orthodox schools of philosophy which recognize the authority of the Vedas as
divine revelation, and they generally function as pairs – Nyaya and Vaishesika, Mimamsa and
Vedanta, and Samkhya and Yoga. Those who did not recognize this authority were the Jains,
Buddhists, and materialists. Even in India where spiritual ideas dominate the culture there were
some who were skeptical of those ideals and held to a materialist view of the world; they were called
Carvaka, and their doctrine that this world is all that exists is called Lokayata.
The materialists did not believe in an afterlife and found sense perception to be the only source of
knowledge, denying the validity of inference or general concepts. They...show more content...
How can fasting, begging, penance, and exposure to the elements be compared to the ravishing
embraces of women with large eyes and prominent breasts? The pleasures of life are no more to be
avoided because they are mixed with pain than a prudent person would throw away unpeeled rice
because it has a husk. Sacrifices, reciting the Vedas, and penance are merely ways thatignorant and
weak men contrive to support themselves.
Yet upon analysis it was often found that the materialists' theory that no general inferences can be
made contradicted their own views about the nature of the world. Nevertheless their hedonistic
philosophy at times gave a humanistic criticism of the ethical contradictions of others. In the great
epic Mahabharata a Carvaka is burned to death for preaching against the bloodshed of the great
war and condemning Yudhishthira for killing thousands to regain his kingdom. They did criticize
sacrifices and valued the arts as a means of pleasure. Hell they believed to be the pain experienced
in this world, but all this ended in death. Like Epicureans they found that pleasure could be
maximized and pain minimized by detachment (vairagya). Immortality was only found in the fame
one leaves behind for noble deeds performed.
Nyaya and Vaishesika
The Nyaya and Vaishesika schools are primarily analytic and are therefore more concerned with
logic and epistemology than ethics. The word nyaya means that by which the

Hinduism Essay
Hinduism
Introduction
Hinduism – stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in India.
Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs and religious practices.
Around 1750 BC Aryan invaders from central Asia settled in North– West India and introduced their
own religious ideas.
Slowly the Hindu came to accept the idea of the existence of an eternal supreme being. They called
this being, Brahman. Hindus also worship different gods which individually represent one particular
aspect of Brahman. The most popular one of the lesser gods are Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the
preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer)
Hinduism has no founder. It is a religion that has...show more content...
His upper right hand is holding a drum (to beat the rhythm of the time) while the upper left hand
holds a flames (element of destruction).
His second right hand is raised for blessing, while his second left hand points to the raised left foot
(symbolizes release). The right foot treads on a dwarf that represents ignorance and spiritual
blindness.
Life Before and After Death
A Hindu believes and hopes that eventually his soul will join with
Brahman. They welcome death as a step towards gaining this everlasting union with him. They
believe that their souls were never born and therefore never dies, but it moves on from one body to
another. This movement form one body to another in the cycle of birth death and re–birth is called
reincarnation. This belief that a person will be born again following the death is linked with the
law of karma. They also believe that the type of existence a person will experience in the next life
depends on the good and bad karma built up in the previous life. The white cows are considered
holy because they believe that they are a symbol of "atman", which means the soul in all living
things.
The Caste System
A caste is a group of people with a particular place in society. Hindu people are born into their caste,
wether high or low, they must accept their place without question. This means that a person can only
be born a Hindu. To maintain purity Hindus can only

Hinduism Essay examples
Hinduism
Hinduism is the religion followed by the people of South Asia, mainly in India though. The term
HInduism actually means "what the Indians do" and was applied to these people by Islamic
Invaders. Hinduism is actually a mix of several differents ideals from different religions. Parts of it
draw on the Vedic religion of the Aryan tribes from the north, some from the Dravidian civilization to
the south, along with ideas from Buddhism. From the Dravidians came the beilief of intense
devotion to the gods and the rituals for fertility and other such things. It is not known yet how the
Vedic religion manifested intoHinduism. As in all civilizations of the time, the priests held high
power and stature in society, but...show more content...
This deity would then bring violence and destruction to the world. This ideal of women and of
fertility is almostly directly to the beiliefs of the Dravidians. There are also many, many other
gods besides these three main ones. That's one of the distinguishing factors of Hinduism, the
amount and the variety of gods that were used to explain events in life and life itself. Even with
all of these gods out there, worshipers were to devote most of their worship at one specific deity.
This did not mean that the other gods would strike back for not being worshipped, for each was
worshipped by at least one person. This sense of unity amongst the gods and the people is brought
out buy certain texts, such as the Bhagad–Gita. The purpose in life was to praise your deity to the
best of your ability so as to get the god's favor. Religious duties were not only based on class, but
also on gender and on age. The center of worship for these gods was the temple, some being
simple and others being extremely elegant. Many of these temples had a beautiful statue of their
deity. This statue was there for the diety to possess so that they could be worshipped by the people
even more. To worship their deity, some would take part in puja, which was a service to the deity
that involved bathing, clothing, or feeding the statue. Some people were even blessed enought to see
their god, even if just for an instance. They called

Hinduism
To begin, my part of the project focused on the gods Krishna, Parvati and Shiva and these three
gods play a significant role in Hinduism. Hinduism has many deities within this religion and it is
most commonly practiced in South Asia in countries such as India. Hinduism currently has over 900
million followers. The first topic, in my essay, I am going to compare and contrastHinduism from
the Abrahamic religions to Hinduism. Most religions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism have a
founder and a main religious text but Hinduism on the other hand is unique in its own way. In the
second topic I am going to talk about the gods that I chose for my part in the project. The god
Krishna in Hinduism is one of the most popular gods of the religion....show more content...
Because Hinduism was started in India, some are offshoots of it, one is considered to be a direct
link of it and the others are movements of it based on a certain guru they follow. Here are some of
the religions that are similar to Hinduism, Buddhism and the movements are Hare–Krishna's and
followers of both the Sai Baba gurus. Here are some of things that make Buddhism and Hinduism
similar, both believe in reincarnation and practice different kinds of yoga. Another thing that is
common between the two is that Ashoka Gautama was a Hindu and he is the founder of Buddhism
and his religion still incorporates some of the practices that are from Hinduism. Hare–Krishna is a
movement that was founded in the U.S. in recent times and they focus their belief on Krishna.
The founder of this movement was A.C. Bhaktivedanta and he was told to bring the teachings he
learned to the west to spread the word and spark interest to join this movement. Their teachings
come primarily from the Bhagavad gita and another text. Another thing that they practice is they
view the cow very sacred and are vegetarians just like other Hindus. Also they are very small in
numbers but they do have their own temples. This group is similar because of how they look at
only one part of the yoga's Bhakti, but they do follow everything else of the religion. Another
movement of Hinduism, are the followers of Satya Sai Baba and believed he was the
reincarnation of the god Shiva and also a living god. He was also known for saying he performed
miracles just like the god Krishna did, but there was a lot of speculation that he didn't. Also he
was well known for his philanthropy on providing clean water in rural areas of India and has other
projects that are currently going on. The other one is the original Sai Baba, his name is Sai Baba of
Shirdi and he also was a spiritual

Hinduism Essay

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