HINDUISM

JUNE 2014

HINDU
THE RELIGION AND BELIEFS

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the

world and some say that it is the oldest
organized religions that still exist today.
Hinduism can be traced back to 1500 B.C.E. in
India (www.religioustolerance.org). While
Hindu is one of the oldest religions it was not
founded by a single person, as it was founded
based on many beliefs and traditions. The
sacred text of Hindu is called the Vedas; these
are sacred text that for many of years was
passed down verbally from teacher to student.
These texts were eventually written down over
800 or 900 years (Fisher, M. P. 2014).
HINDU BELIEFS PRACTICED TODAY
Hindu has survived for thousands of years and
so have their beliefs and practices that are still
around today. One of these practices that
millions of Hindus still consider a scared
principle is the practice of yoga. The meaning
of yoga a Hindu theistic philosophy teaching
the suppression of all activity of body, mind,
and will in order that the self may realize its
distinction from them and attain liberation
(www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yoga).
Basically there are four kinds of people and
the sages developed yoga practices that fit
each basic of these basic types (Fisher, M.P.
2014). These practices are in an order enable
the person to attain the union with the Self.

HINDUISM A PICTURE OF
RELIGION

THE FOUR TYPES OF YOGA

As mentioned earlier there are four different
types of yoga, each made for the four basic
types of people
(www.religionfacts.com/hinduism).
Raja yoga for the meditative person
enabling them to find the path of
mental concentration
Jnana yoga for the rational person
enabling them to find the path of
rational inquiry
Karma yoga for the naturally active
person enabling them to find the path of
right action
Bhakti yoga for the emotional person
enabling them to find the path of
devotion
Yoga is not a physical position or exercise, as
it has become known in the West. Yoga is a
practice of obtaining the union with ones inner
self.

HINDUISM
JUNE 2014

WHERE HINDU ORIGINATED AND HOW IT HAS SPREAD ACROSS THE WORLD
The Hindu religion originated in India, it is
made up of many different beliefs that over
thousands of years has developed into what we
today call Hindu (Fisher, M.P. 2014).
In the West Hindu has been researched by
scholars, as there is a need to find out how this
religion has been able to survive the many
changes over the thousands of years.
I do not believe that the West fully
understands the role that various paths of
Hinduism plays, it is difficult to understand the
beginnings of the religion. While there are
many different paths that one can take in this
religion and the spread of Hindu has been able
breakthrough many different boundaries.
There are over 900 million followers of Hindu
across the world today. Most of the followers
are in India; however there are many followers
in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Temples have been built in many cities across
the United States and account for
approximately 4% of the American population
(www.religionfacts.com/hinduism).

THE SPREAD OF HINDU

"That which we call the Hindu religion is

really the Eternal religion because it
embraces all others." Sri Aurobindo

CAPTION YOUR PHOTO HERE

HINDUISM
JUNE 2014

THE SACRED TEXT OF HINDUISM

The sacred text of Hinduism is referred to as the Vedas. These
texts reportedly go back to the beginning of Hinduism. They
were originally passed down from teacher to student verbally
over thousands of years, eventually these texts were written
down, this of course happened during a period of eight or nine
hundred years. The sacred Hindu text, the Vedas, consist of 4
collections or mantras, which are also known as the Samhitas.
These collections are as follows
(www.himalayanacademy.com);
Rig Veda the wisdom of verses
Sama Veda the wisdom of the chants
Yajur Veda the of the sacrificial formulas
ANCIENT HINDU TEMPLES

Atharva Veda the wisdom of the Atharvan Priests

Over the centurys additional text were added to the original
sacred text. These additions became known as:

THE HINDU PURPOSE OF LIFE

Brahmana the discussion of the ritual

Dharma fulfilling ones purpose; to reach

dharma one must always live morally and
ethically

Aranyakas the books studied in the forest

Artha prosperity; to reach artha one must

pursue wealth and prosperity but the means
must be within the dharma

Kama desire, sexuality and enjoyment; to

reach kama one must have been able to obtain
love and pleasure

They must worship Brahama directly or indirectly, must recite

the Veda, the Gayatri Mantra, to show respect for elders and
parents, give shelter to poor or holy men, and to feed animals.
The most common of Hindu worship is called Puja. Puja is
worshiping a particular god, which is chosen based on their
personal wishes or family. They also practice yoga, this is not
the yoga you or I think of, this way of meditation allows the
person to reach oneness with the Self.

Moksha enlightenment; for one to reach

moksha one must have been able to reach the
previous levels. Enlightenment may not be
reached in a single lifetime, but through
reincarnation the pursuit of enlightenment can
be reached

Upanishad the philosophical writings

There are five daily rituals that are followed daily:

I find that the sacred text and ways of Hinduism is complicated

yet open to many people. Learning of the different aspects of
Hindu is interesting. Just by reading the views from nonpracticing Hindus and the views from practicing Hindus is very
different and shows how outsiders can perceive things they
do not understand.

HINDUSIM
Truth is one; sages call it by various names Rig Veda

About the Author

While there are hundreds of different religions
out in the world today, I found Hinduism to be
the most intriguing religions of the ones we
have discussed in the class. Knowing that
Hindu is the oldest organized religion, I found it
amazing that it has been able to stand the test of
time and has grown in the number of followers
and spread to many different countries. While I
have enjoyed reading and learning about
Hinduism I have not had the opportunity to
observe any of the practices and I think it would
be very interesting to experience.

HINDUSIM

References
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm
Fisher, M. P. (2014). Living religions (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson.

http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/index.htm

http://www.himalayanacademy.com/readlearn/basics/nine-beliefs

"Yoga." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 15

June 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yoga>.