Hinduism is an Indian religion and dharma, or way of life,widely practiced in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as Sanatana Dharma. “the eternal tradition”, or the “eternal way”, beyond human history.
Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion; its followers, known as Hindus, constitute about 1.15 billion, or 15–16% of the global population.
To many Hindus, the Western term “religion” to the extent it means “dogma and an institution traceable to a single founder” is inappropriate for their tradition. In India the term dharma is preferred, which is broader than the Western term religion. Hinduism, is a tradition that can be traced at least to the ancient Vedic era. The word Sanatana means eternal, perennial, or forever; thus, Sanātana Dharma signifies that it is the dharma that has neither beginning nor end.
Moksha is the ultimate, most important goal in Hinduism. Moksha is a concept associated with liberation from sorrow, suffering and samsara (This cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth).
Hindus believe that all living creatures have a soul. This soul – the spirit or true “self” of every person, is called the aatma. The soul is believed to be eternal.
The ancient scriptures of Hinduism are in Sanskrit. These texts are classified into two: Shruti and Smriti. Hindu scriptures were composed, memorized and transmitted verbally, across generations, for many centuries before they were written down.
Hindu Institutions :
- Temple :- A Hindu temple is a house of Gods. It is a space and structure designed to bring human beings and gods together.
- Ashrama :- The life of Hindu is divided into four ashrama. a) Brahmacharya(Student), b) Grihastha (Householder), c) Vanaprastha (Retired), 4) Sannyasa(Renunciation).
Brahmacharya represents the bachelor student stage of life. Grihastha refers to the individual’s married life, with the duties of maintaining a household, raising a family, educating one’s children, and leading a family-centered and a dharmic social life. Grihastha stage starts with Hindu wedding, and has been considered as the most important of all stages in sociological context, as Hindus in this stage not only pursued a virtuous life, they produced food and wealth that sustained people in other stages of life, as well as the offsprings that continued mankind. Vanaprastha is the retirement stage, where a person hands over household responsibilities to the next generation, took an advisory role, and gradually withdrew from the world. The Sannyasa stage marks renunciation and a state of disinterest and detachment from material life, generally without any meaningful property or home (ascetic state), and focused on Moksha, peace and simple spiritual life. - Monasticism :- Some Hindus choose to live a monastic life (Sannyāsa) in pursuit of liberation (moksha) or another form of spiritual perfection. Monastics commit themselves to a simple and celibate life, detached from material pursuits, of meditation and spiritual contemplation.
Hindu practices such as Yoga, Ayurvedic health, Tantric sexuality through Neotantra and the Kama Sutra have spread beyond Hindu communities and have been accepted by several non-Hindus:
Hinduism is attracting Western adherents through the affiliated practice of yoga. Yoga centers in the West—which generally advocate vegetarianism—attract young, well-educated Westerners who are drawn by yoga’s benefits for the physical and emotional health; there they are introduced to the Hindu philosophical system taught by most yoga teachers, known as Vedanta.
Religious conversion to Hinduism has a long history outside India. Merchants and traders of India, particularly from the Indian peninsula, carried their religious ideas, which led to religious conversions to Hinduism in southeast Asia. Within India, archaeological and textual evidence such as the 2nd-century BCE Heliodorus pillar suggest that Greeks and other foreigners converted to Hinduism.
Religious conversion is in bad faith and it should stop if we want to live together in harmony.
Djkastra 