Hinduism

Hinduism

Omer Dee Greer IV

HUM/130

Chris Dietz

08/05/2012

The original name of Hinduism is Sanatana Dharma, this means the Eternal or Universal Righteousness. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. It is practiced by close to one billion people worldwide. (Robinson, 2012) It is a religion that has been in practice for over four thousand years, so it is generally regarded as the oldest religion still practice in the world. There is no one founder of the religion.(Robinson, 2012) Hinduism is generally henotheistic among its followers, meaning that, a single deity is recognized and other Gods and Goddesses are viewed as aspects of that deity. (Robinson, 2012) Followers of Hinduism consider ancient scriptures called Vedas to be sacred. Hinduism has been the dominant religion of India. Brahman is the ultimate god, which is infinite and has no form. Deities are parts of this god and are associated with different aspects of the supreme god Brahman. Shiva is the god of destruction and Vishnu is the preserver. Hinduism has countless deities that take many forms, therefore, Hinduism is practiced in many ways different depending on the region. Dharma, one’s duties in life is the gauge on how Karma is gained in order to reach the next level of existence in the next life. The ultimate goal is to become one with Brahman. Hinduism has four main denominations--Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism and Smartism.

Hinduism has introduced Dharma into society, therefore giving people a purpose in their lives and a code of conduct to uphold. Depending on how the person fulfills their Dharma is what determines the type of Karma they gain. Karma will then determine if what level of existence they will be in during the next reincarnation. Karma determines a person’s caste in life. The Caste determines every aspect of that person’s life. These beliefs in Caste determine who that person can associate with, the person’s diet, their hygiene, how they present themselves in society as well and other aspects of life. Good fortune and bad fortune are related to the person’s Karma in this life and their past lives. The final reincarnation will be of one in tune with the cosmos and a part of Brahman. Sanatana