what is hinduism?

Question

what is it about?? i know enough about christianity and buddhism but whats hinduism about??

for really intolerant people making fun of religions they dont understand, SHUT UP and go read a book or something....your parents did a poor job teaching you something about tolerance to different people/culture/religion.

Answer 1

The main ideas of Hinduism are :-

1_ There is one Supreme Consciousness (called God or Aum or Brahm), who manifests as a Trinity for creation of the universe viz. Brahmaa (creator), Vishnu(Preserver) and shiva(Destroyer)

2- Hinduism gives full liberty to worship/love god in any form...like Father, Mother, friend, Guru or a child...hence different people worship the Same God with different names.

3- Hinduism has 2 parts... Mythology and Philosophy. Mythology is as questionable as any other religion..because it has a seprate cultural back ground, not understood by foreignners.

4- The philosophy of hinduism is the real Backbone of our faith. This philosophy tells us how the Universe is born, how human beings come into existence, and where they go after death and what is the way out of this loop of re-births and karma

5- Yoga and Meditation are 2 main ways of hinduism to achieve Enlightenment (Moksha)...which means merging of individual soul into the supreme soul (god)

Hinduism is the most misunderstood religion in the world...mainly due to bad publicity by westener media

Most of the poeple make fun of hinduism in the name of cows, idols, castes, sati and some rituals....all of which are not part of Hindu philosophy...but social customs of India.

They fail to understand that hinduism is the oldest religion and it has no central authority to control people...moreover it gives full liberty to its followers to worship god in any form they like.

Over the years there have been some rituals in India which have no standing in Hinduism

Our core philosophy is stated in Vedas, Upanishadas and Gita... and none of the haters have read an iota of our philosophy.

The philosophy of hinduism is deep, and deals mainly with the mysteries of the Universe, Life, Death, Re-birth, Karma, astral lives and God.

Hindus have never attacked any country in the name of religion. Hinduism does not condemn other faiths to hell

Our philosophy is - "Vasudhaiv Kuttumbakam" all human on earth is my family; and

Like all rivers rush towards ocean, all faiths point towards truth

Answer 2

Hinduism, Western term for the religious beliefs and practices of the vast majority of the people of India. One of the oldest living religions in the world, Hinduism is unique among the world religions in that it had no single founder but grew over a period of 4,000 years in syncretism with the religious and cultural movements of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is composed of innumerable sects and has no well-defined ecclesiastical organization. Its two most general features are the caste system and acceptance of the Veda as the most sacred scriptures.
Early Hinduism
Hinduism is a synthesis of the religion brought into India by the Aryans (c.1500 B.C.) and indigenous religion. The first phase of Hinduism was early Brahmanism, the religion of the priests or Brahmans who performed the Vedic sacrifice, through the power of which proper relation with the gods and the cosmos is established. The Veda comprises the liturgy and interpretation of the sacrifice and culminates in the Upanishads, mystical and speculative works that state the doctrine of Brahman, the absolute reality that is the self of all things, and its identity with the individual soul, or atman (see Vedanta). Later Upanishads refer to the practices of yoga and contain theistic elements that are fully developed in the Bhagavad-Gita.

Post-Vedic Hinduism in all its forms accepts the doctrine of karma, according to which the individual reaps the results of his good and bad actions through a series of lifetimes (see transmigration of souls). Also universally accepted is the goal of moksha or mukti, liberation from suffering and from the compulsion to rebirth, which is attainable through elimination of passions and through knowledge of reality and finally union with God.

Answer 3

What is hinduism? Hidu Religion who is real god in hinduism? Brahmam when this was named? Hindu name :-Some medivial period by Arabs Brahmam's name:-from time immemorial who started it ? No single individual-It is Sanaathanam=from time immemorial who are the followers? 1.2 billion people all over the world. who does it belongs to ? to 6 billion world population what hindu religion preach or teach There are 100s of web sites to refer. what are its basic concepts and principles? Same as above ( for eg. Ahimsa cannot be hindu pricinple though it is your statement is wrong .Ahimsa is Hindu principle--"Ahimsa Paramo Dharmaha" if ahimsa is hindu concept why then animal sacrifice Animal sacrifice is not in main Stream of Hinduism --It is in other Indian ETHNIC Religions. Tantram simply means Action"Silent communication" by gestures" etc with "Divinity" is Taantric-Black Magic is NOT Taantric. Why so much of confusion in basic understanding of hinduism? Only you are confused 1.2 Billion Hindus have NO confusion at all-They have a very clear understanding and it is on the RISE. Why Hindu gods have no history? No other Religious God has any History -only Mythology is there in other religions also.Hindu "Avatharams"ike sri.rama and sri.Krishna have History (Aithikaasam). Hindu is claimed to be old religion, then why no evidence was found in Indus valley excavations? How do you know there is No evidence?What has benn excavated is only a microscopic part A lot remains to be excavated.In Hastinaapuram excavations Mahabharatham evidences are there.. Was hinduism offshoot of Sramanic religion of dravids? (sramanic religion is known as Jain) Jainism is 2700 years old .Vedic(Hindu) Religion is 6000 years old (Please refer Max Muleer and sir .Monier Williams.) The portion of India below Vindhya mountains is "Draavida Desam"--above Vindya mountain upto Himachalam(Himalaya Mountain) is "Gauda Desam" they are just Goegraphical Regional names--Politically twisted.. Upper class aryans --"Arya" simply means Noble person.It is not a Caste Name.Even in England Noble persons --Duke -Earl etc--House of Lords are there."Arya is just a similar name.--Politically twisted.. .

Answer 4

Hinduism as I have understood is a system of belief in which we recognise and work for our salvation through Self realisation. Liberation or mokha is ultimate end of spiritual exercises. Moksha means the release from the cycle of birth and death, by working out our karma. The theory of karma and the theory of rebirth are the cornerstones of Hindu faith.

A Hindu is known for his tolerance towards other beliefs and views other religions as other ways of reaching out to God. For a Hindu, God is but one but He is seen as many, as the perceptions are. Religious tolerance is ingrained in the Hindu faith and hence its appeal to the modern theologians and the western thinkers.

To know about the perception of Hinduism, from the point of view of a Christian in the West, please visit this site.http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/hindu.html

Answer 5

Hinduism is one of the oldest known organized religions--its sacred writings being dated as far back as 1400 to 1500 B.C. It is also one of the most diverse and complex, having millions of gods, a wide variety of beliefs, and many different sects. Although it is the third largest religion in the world, Hinduism exists primarily in India, Nepal, and to a smaller extent in a few of the surrounding countries.



The main texts Hinduism uses are the Vedas (considered most important), Upanishadas, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana. These writings contain hymns, incantations, philosophies, rituals, poems, and stories from which Hindus base their beliefs. Other texts used in Hinduism include the Brahmanas, the Sutras, and the Aranyakas.



Though Hinduism is often understood as being polytheistic supposedly recognizing as many as 330 million gods, it also has one "god" that is supreme: Brahma. Brahma is an entity believed to inhabit every portion of reality and existence, throughout the entire universe. Brahma is both impersonal and unknowable, and is often believed to exist in three separate forms as: Brahma--Creator; Vishnu--Preserver; and Shiva--Destroyer. These "facets" of Brahma are also known through many other incarnations of each. But it is admittedly difficult to "pin down" Hindu theology since most every theological system is represented in some way by a Hindu school of some sort. Hinduism can be:



1) Monistic—Only one thing exists; Sankara's school



2) Pantheistic—Only one divine thing exists so that God is identical to the world; Brahmanism



3) Panentheistic—The world is part of God; Ramanuja's School



4) Theistic—Only one God, distinct from Creation; Bhakti Hinduism.



And it can still be argued, observing other schools of Hinduism, that it is atheistic, deistic, or even nihilistic. With such diversity included under the title "Hindu" one may wonder what makes them "Hindu" in the first place? About the only real point at issue is whether a belief system recognizes the Vedas as sacred or not. If so, then it is Hindu. If not, then it is not Hindu. But the more significant issue is intangible. The Vedas are more than theology books. They contain a rich and colorful "theo-mythology," that is, a religious mythology which deliberately interweaves myth, theology, and history to achieve a story-form religious rooting. This "theo-mythology" is so deeply rooted in India's history and culture that to reject the Vedas is viewed as opposing India. Therefore a belief system is rejected by Hinduism if it does not embrace Indian culture to some extent. But if it accepts Indian culture and its theo-mythical history then it can be embraced as "Hindu" even if its theology is Theistic, Nihilistic, Atheistic, or what have you. This openness to contradiction can be a headache for Westerners who seek logical consistency and rational defensibility in their religious views. But, to be fair, Christians are no more logical when they claim belief in Yahweh yet live life as practical atheists denying Christ with their lives. For the Hindu the conflict is genuine logical contradiction. For the Christian, the conflict is more likely simple hypocrisy.



Hinduism also has a different view of mankind. Because Brahma is everything, Hinduism asserts that every one is divine. Atman, or self, is one with Brahman. All of reality outside of Brahman is considered mere illusion. The spiritual goal of a Hindu is to become one with Brahma, thus ceasing to exist in its illusory form of "individual self." This freedom is referred to as moksha. Until moksha is achieved, a Hindu believes that he/she will be repeatedly reincarnated in order that he/she may work towards self-realization of the truth (the truth being that only Brahman exists, nothing else). How a person is reincarnated is determined by karma, which is a principle of cause and effect governed by nature's balance. What one did in the past affects and corresponds with what happens in the future, past and future lives included.

Answer 6

I'm not going to give an explanation because others have done it so well, but I did want to thank you for reprimanding the "retards" who gave demeaning replies.
I am a Hindu convert and I am extremely happy having found this complex yet simple, mature yet child-like faith.

Answer 7

_/\_ Namaste

Everyone gave really good answers. I'm a Hindu convert from a Christian family. Really I wasn't looking for religion when I started following the Hindu way of life. Hinduism is a huge umbrella covering many philosophies and schools of thought. It is more of a way of life rather than religion. It is a lot more complex than Christianity and Islam. But yes there are common threads among many of the philosphies that make up the backbone of Hinduism.

I started falling in love with Hinduism when I started reading the biographies of Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Satchidananda and Mother Meera. These people were saints from India. They had just profound wisdom, knowledge and love that was absent from most people in the Western world.

It was when I first met Mata Amritanandamayi "Amma" (http://www.amritapuri.org) and learning from Her teachings that I started to understand the purpose and meanings behind many of the Hindu practices and rituals such as mantras/chanting, poojas, worshiping, bhajans (songs), and so on.

The cool thing about Hinduism is that the sages/yogi's were also scientists. They studied the science of God, of our divinity within ourselves. As a result of their studies, they imparted their knowledge into sacred texts that have been preserved for eons; it's truths still applicable today. Many of these sages have proven over and over and over that these truths are valid.

There are four paths towards Self Realization/Moksha/liberation in Hinduism which are also applicable in other religions as all rivers lead to the same ocean. They are: karma yoga (path of action), raja yoga (path of meditation), jnana yoga (path of knowledge) and bhakti yoga (path of devotion). It's quite simple. The path of action is like giving selfless service to humanity, like feeding and clothing the poor, building homes for them, taking care of others first before taking care of yourself, and being of service in anyway that you can for others with love. Mother Theresa followed the path of action (karma yoga) by caring for the poor, sick and dying. That is all she did most of her life is to be of service to others. That way of life can lead you to God.

The path of meditation (raja yoga) would be one whom spends a lot of time in meditation. The path of knowledge (jnana yoga) is studying the scriptures. Some people spend their entire lives studying the sacred texts and achieve Self Realization based on what they learnt.

The most powerful and easiest of all paths is the path of devotion (bhakti yoga) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhakti_yoga Why is it the most powerful? Amma says that when we cry for God for five minutes, we have in fact accomplished what a person accomplishes in one hour of meditation. Love for God is the key here. When we give God our love, that brings us closer to God.

I am a bhakti. I have been on this path for over a year now. Ever since I followed the principles of a bhakti (see the Wikipedia link), I have felt so much closer to God and experienced Divine love several times. It is amazing! It really works. I had been more of a jnani for many years always reading and studying, but that itself wasn't enough. In this time and age, knowledge alone is not enough. A combination of several paths above is pretty common. I've started doing selfless service to the community. I don't mediate yet and that is a low priority at the moment. My lack of meditation experience has not deteried my spiritual growth.

Hinduism appeals to many whom are very serious about advancing spiritually with very specific methods imparted by many gurus and sages.

Answer 8

Hindus believe in a all powerful god figure called Rita that is too powerful for a human to approach so the God head appears as many different lesser gods that you can choose to follow as you like. Your chosen god then takes your case to Rita and represents you, kind of like Christ representing you to The father because alone you can't do it

Answer 9

That's where they Chant "moo-moo instead of Om -om. They think cows are holy. Holy cow. They are holy because they give milk to eat. Since the milk comes from the hind part of the cow they decided to call it Hind-uism. Many bells are attached to silk threads and wound through the Queen Cows horns. I f she shakes them and makes them ring loudly that means no warlike people can marry each other that year. If the Queen cow just lays down and naps and the bells don't ring it means whoever ate rabbits is going to develop a bad case of sinusitis.

Answer 10

the false worship of a giant ball of smegma......lawl