Introduction
Hinduism is classified as one of the world’s largest religion. This is basically supported by facts because it is a predominant indigenous religion that was known long before modern religions like Roman Catholicism and Protestantism became present. Hinduism is also known or is sometimes called as Sanatana Dharma, a phrase in Sanskrit which when translated to English means “the eternal law”. The focus of this paper is to identify some of the most vital aspects of Hinduism and to be able to have a clearer view about Hinduism and what it means to be a Hindu.
Elements of Hinduism
Just like in any other religion, there are things that Hindus prioritize the most. Now, there is quite a misconception about Hinduism by other people. Some perceive Hindus as a religious tradition who believes in many Gods. This is absolutely misleading because all Hindus know that there is only one God, one Supreme Being, which should be worshipped. This God is the one who created the universe and everything that we could see in our surroundings.
Also, perhaps the reason why many people see Hinduism as a polygamous religion is because the one Supreme Being that they worship has created many gods (HAP, 2002). Yes, they kind of believe that there are many Gods but they only worship one God and that is the one who created all the other gods.
Also, here is an explanation why Hindus may look like worshipping different Gods although they only have one. The reason is because Hindus typically use different Languages and because of that, they may have perceived their God in different and distinct ways (HAP, 2002). In India alone, there are different mixes of cultures and traditions although majority of the people there are Hindus.
Another interesting thing about Hindus is their belief about the existence of the soul. For them, a soul is considered eternal, imperishable, unchanging, and limitless and cannot be seen by the naked eye (Jayaram, 2011). Hindus address such as Atman or Atman.
Usually, the next interesting part that follows the Hinduism belief of the eternal soul is their belief of the rebirth phenomenon. According to Hindus, the soul, which was described as something that is eternal in the previous paragraph, continues to reincarnate, until it becomes perfect. The soul has to be in its perfect form because Hindus also believe that it will have to reunite again with it source. In such process, the soul will have to enter different cases or bodies and it could either assume a human or an animal form. The soul could also experience more than one birth and death, contrary to what Christians believe.
Hindus also believe about a certain thing they call “Karma”. Karma operates under the law of causality. Therefore, it is the Hinduism law of moral causation. Karma was originally a fundamental doctrine of Buddhism because it was Buddha who explained and created this doctrine.
The principle of karma is actually simple. Suppose you did something bad to another person. Now, in due time (any particular time in the future but not immediately), that bad thing you did to that other person will go back to you. If it’s a good thing that you did to your kin, then you will benefit from good Karma. Karma uses the cause and effect cycle as a principle in the Hinduism and Buddhism religions.
References
HAP. (2002). Hindu Basics. Himalayan Academy. Accessed December 2011. Available at
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/basics/tenq/tenq_1.html.
Jayaram, V. (2011). Belief in the Eternal Soul or the Inner Self. Accessed December 2011
Available at http://www.hinduwebsite.com/beliefinsoul.asp.
