what makes up hinduism religion?

Answer 1

Hinduism is not a religion in the normal sense, but it is a set of traditions and beliefs evolved over a long period of time. There are different sects of Hinduism, but they all admire the ancient scriptures called Vedas. Upanishads are more philosophically inclined Vedic texts. The ancient Indian scholars called Rishis' search for the knowledge, that would make man kind to be free from the cycle of reincarnation can be seen in Upanishads.

Central themes

The fundamental concept of Hinduism is the belief in the ultimate reality called Brahman (universal soul) and its identification with the Aatman (individual soul). All creatures go through a cycle of birth and re-birth. The status of the being in each birth is determined by the principle of Karma. This can be broken only by self realization, and the being is said to be attained Moksha (liberation).

Gods

The ultimate God is supposed to be Brahman, the absolute reality, which is formless and infinite. For the sake of worshipping the infinite reality with the limited human minds, Gods had been personified and associated with different attributes. The most worshipped Hindu deities are Shiva, Vishnu and Shakthi (Devi).

Mythology

The roots of the Hindu mythology lie in the Vedic civilization. But the major sources of Hindu mythology are epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana and Puranas.

Vegetarianism

A large section of Hindus are advocates of vegetarianism, even though it is not made compulsory in Hindu tradition. Cow is considered to be a holy animal.

Themes and symbols

Tilaka and Bindi: Hindus traditionally wear a mark on their forehead and other parts of the body, in different forms. Hindu women wear a decorative dot on their forehead, which is called Bindi. Sometimes Hindus wear holy ash called Vibhuti also.

Aum is the sacred symbol which represents the absolute reality, Brahman. This can be seen in all mantras and prayers. It represents God in its three aspects- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Another noble and auspicious symbol is Swastika, which stands for purity of the soul. The four directions, which had been shown in the symbol, represent four Vedas and their harmonious existence.
Hindu philosophy

There exist six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy. They are:

* Nyaya
* Vaishseshika
* Samkhya
* Yoga
* Purva Mimamsa
* Uttara Mimamsa (Vedanta)

Non Vedic schools are called Nastika. The schools that enrich Hinduism today are Yoga, Purva Mimamsa and Vedanta. -

Answer 2

What makes up the Hindu Religion?

I don't get your question, but i can tell you that it is a flexible, gentle, non-agressive, tolerant religion/teaching/following. It teaches you the way of life. Different paths but one destination. In the end all that matters is, you surrender yourself to God.

Hindus, don't go around preaching to people about God. Nor do they shove the religion down peoples' throats. "Ematham Samatham" which in tamil means, All religions are accepted with wide open arms ( not a word for word translation but generally that's what it means ).

There is no initiation process for a non-indian to become a Hindu. A non-indian is welcomed by all means to worship Hindu Gods. The same way, a Hindu can convert to another religion and would not be frowned upon. Different paths same destination.

Answer 3

Holy Cow!!!

Answer 4

A belief in a false god.