Clear me out!!?

Question

How do you say hinduism is not a religion, but hinduism is a culture? I see most of the people mentioning in yahoo answers. So please explain. Just to know, Not to hurt anyone or any religion.

Thanks all for your answers. It was helpfull and good to learn around here. Different views were also excellent.

Answer 1

A religion is generally institutionalised .the is some religious head who initiates somebody into a religion just like somebody taking an oath of office and eing bound / attached to some church / temple which he is bound to attend regularly and make certain payment .
There was nothig as hinduism before the arab traders gave the people of the Indian sub continent the name of Hindus , meaning those livng in the Indus valley following the worship of idols. peopleof ths continetn did not worship any particular idol and people of each region had ther own deities and ecah socity had be eenfollowing thier own mode of woprship. But there was some common thread in the manner of worshipo in that they worshiped idols and perfomed pujas to the idols . the worship of he gods was not a regular feature of the lives of all the people. Despite the fact the people worshipped different idols they lived in amity and peace and considered as people belonging to one society .Religion wasnt a importanr aspect of the lives of all the people the worship fo god was pat of the cultural activity of the people .it was an activity that one had complere freedom to do or not to do and by reasoin of one not doing it , he was not excommunitacted or considered as not forming part of the society. There was no compulsion or duty for any one to observe any rite specifically . Even after the religious institutions came to be established by certain saints , the is no tcompulsion or duty for any one to perform any specific rite in any matter like wedding or funerals .The rites that different people perform on such occasions are entirely according to the habits of the people and not according to any specific religious rules in he case of all people .No one is considered to be a non -hindu on account of this .. Since the
all the gods hat the diferent groups of people worship are equally respected and worshipped by all , the whole of he idol worshippers have some common gods and every mode of worship is respected by all.since these characteristeics are different from the modern religions , the people who still worship idols according to the ancient pracices in te Indian sub continent are known as Hindus and their philosoiphy of worship oif /god is known as Hindu religion.

Answer 2

When we say Hinduism is not a religion, but "a way of living" or a culture, we mean that it was not founded by one spiritual leader or prophet, and does not have one written code or set of rules or beliefs.

As the various civilisations (such as the Dravidian and the Aryan) in the Indian sub-continent grew and adapted and developed, something of a common set of broad values were adopted. A lot of knowledge in all fields of human endeavour were collected as the Vedas and studied and taught and recorded.

There was a broad-minded acceptance of various, seemingly contradictory philosophies and ideas. It is said in the scriptures that one should consider carefully the knowledge available and accept only what seems right.

According to Vedanta, which is considered the culmination of the Vedas, there is one Brahman, often called Truth, who has no attributes such as male or female, old or young, big or small, etc. Wise people, from their experience describe it in different ways for easier understanding.

However, any way of realising this Truth is acceptable. Just as a temple on a hill can be approached from many sides, through straight roads or long, tortuous roads, on a vehicle or walking or running, as long as you keep climbing towards it, you will eventually reach.

It is accepted in this way of thinking that all people are not the same, and the same things don't appeal to everyone. The human mind often has problems with something abstract, and so it is acceptable to think of Brahman as Siva, Vishnu, Devi, (or any other form or shape or colour or as any aspect of Nature) that helps one to concentrate on the Divine.

This gives a lot of flexibility to the seeker, but causes a lot of misunderstanding about Hinduism as an "idol-worshipping" religion!

This is also why these people of the Indian sub-continent accepted with respect the different thoughts and philosophies of their invaders!

I would like to add that this is also why people who cannot tolerate other ways of thinking and worshipping cannot really be called Hindus.
As wisdom grew over the centuries, it was all assimilated into the culture which is now called Hinduism. You will see that it is not a unified, organised religion, but a way of living a decent, worthwhile life in keeping with your own circumstances.

The people who practised these values did not call themselves Hindus. They considered themselves followers of the Sanatana Dharma, which is the eternal, universal set of values.

The word "Hindu" was used by the people of the Islamic cultures to describe the people living beyond the river Sindhu (Indus) who were not of the Muslim religion.
And their land was called Hind or Hindustan. Eventually, Sanatana Dharma came to be called Hinduism.

I am sorry to be so long-winded, but hope this answers your question!

Answer 3

Hindus are the people living in land of HInd. It came from the Indus Valley civilisation. Bcos it doesnt have a Founder or Prophet. It developed with time. Jawaharlal Nehru said" you tell Hindu anything in name of his religion" He will believe it.
Such a phenomena was developed by a group of people to keep others under their control for their own benefits. If vedas are really the source then each & every Hindu should read that book. Like how a Christian reads his bible or how a muslim reads Quran. But due to that group of people, even learning Sacred Books by all is discouraged among the Hindus of today. Why bcos few want the mass to be unaware of the truth.

Answer 4

In my opinion Hinduism is a very ancient religion. This is a religion, that is based on the principles of eternal human nature. And therefore it is eternal. And since it is based on human nature, therefore culture.
My dear friend, there is lot of depth in Hinduism. Not very easy to be cleared out with simple answers of few lines.

Answer 5

Hinduism is a modern name of Vaidic Sanskriti and none of religion was before this this is only and one religion was on the earth and this name was Vaidic or Arya Sanskriti. So, I want to say you my dear friend forget Hinduism and remember Satya Sanatan Vaidic Dharm and follow 4 Vedas and 6 Shastras and if you really want to know about hinduism pls read StyarthPrakash written by Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati. this is my personal request to you
urs roshan

Answer 6

Hinduism in a religion however it is not one of the abrahamic religion. but never the less it is a religion you are right

Answer 7

hinduism has its culture but hinduism itself is not a culture.

Answer 8

It is both a Culture and Religion........

Answer 9

Sanatana Dharma or Righteousness Forever was the original name of Hinduism. It was Persians who invaded India during 6th century B.C. who gave the name Hinduism meaning the religion of people living near the Indus river. In Persian the letter H and S are pronounced almost the same so they mistook the word Sindhu (Sanskrit name for Indus) to H and then started calling Hindus and Hinduism.

Hinduism is a way of living according to the one's understanding of principles of Vedas and Upanishads. Veda is revealed knowledge. Just as the knowledge of gravity was revealed to Newton, similarly, in India, many Rishis or Seers were awakened to certain transcendental Eternal Truths. These Rishis realized that their real nature was not concerned with or linked with 'body or mind', nor was it dependent on sense perceptions, but was in fact identical with the Universal Consciousness.

It is the true culture of Indians in India. Many call it "A way of life." It is not an organized religion like Christianity or Islam. It has no founder. It has no Pope. It has no hierarchy. Just a lot of scriptures. In Hindu scriptures, you are actually studying about the history and culture of India, like in 66 books of the Holy Bible you are actually studying about the culture and history of the Jews.

Hinduism cannot be destroyed, even if we burn every Hindu scripture and kill every Hindu theologian on earth. Hinduism or Hindu Culture is a very dynamic living, breathing Reality. Strength of Hinduism lies in its most amazing ability to adapt to different circumstances and different ages while maintaining its very strong continuity with the past. How does it do that? That is a billion dollar question.

I believe anyone who search after truth is a Hindu. There is One and only God and One Truth. The very first book of Hindus named Rig Veda proclaim, "Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti". (There is only one truth, only men describe it in different ways). So a Jew or a Christian or a Muslim who is in search after truth is automatically a Hindu.

The concepts of utmost freedom of thoughts and actions. That's what attracts many to Hinduism. Hinduism never forbids any one to question its fundamentals. On one side, in Hinduism, you may come across people worshiping pests like rats, and still on other side you will come across concepts parallel to Quantum Physics and Neil's Bohr Theory of nuclear structure and reactions. On one side Advaita (There is only one) philosophy is discussed and promoted, still on other side Dvaita (Two – duality) philosophy is discussed and promoted. Hinduism never ever banished any one, since he or she wrote a wrong scripture or did not observe a particular ritual.

There was never a Salman Rushdie (author of Satanic Verses) in Hinduism and never will be there one. Mahatma Gandhi wrote, even atheists can call themselves as Hindus. That is very true. In fact the Charvaka philosophy or Nastika philosophy, (existed during the Vedic period) founded by Charvaka rejected the existence of God and considered religion as an aberration. Voltaire in Essay on Tolerance wrote: "I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death, your right to say it." Hinduism is the symbol of what Voltaire wrote.

Hinduism has the strange capability to absorb and grow from all quarters and that is why in it you can see relics of all other civilizations like Egyptian, Celtic, Mayan, Greek, Roman etc. To me it does not matter the exact date it was born, since nobody can prove or disprove the exact date. I am more concerned about what it has to give to the world.

Sanskrit older than Hebrew and Latin. The first words in English language came from Sanskrit. The word mother came from Sanskrit word mata and father came from Sanskrit word pita as per the PBS video "The Story of English". Believe it or not the word geometry came from a Sanskrit word named Gyaamiti meaning 'measuring the earth'. The word trigonometry came from the word Trikonamiti meaning 'measuring triangular forms'. Sanskrit, which literally means "cultured or refined" was the classical language of India and is the oldest and the most systematic language in the world. Forbes Magazine, (July, 1987) wrote: "Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages and is the most suitable language for the computer software."

One interesting fact:
Robert Oppenheimer, the very first Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and father of Atom bomb was a great admirer of the Bhagavad Gita. He learnt Sanskrit during Manhattan Project to understand the true meaning of Gita. He really shocked the world, when he quoted a couplet from Gita (Chapter 11:12) after witnessing the first Atomic Explosion in the state of New Mexico. Later when he addressed congress regarding Atom Bomb he said Atom Bomb remind him of Lord Krishna who said in the Bhagavad Gita, "I am death devourer of all".

I think this may satisfy you. There is a lot of interesting facts and views of various personalities who treat hinduism or Sanatana Dharma as a way of life not a religion.

Answer 10

hey leave hinduism its nothg ok