H1

• HINDUISM

  • IS AN INCLUSIVE RELIGION THAT EMPHASIZES THE UNITY OF ALL RELIGIONS IN ACHIEVING SALVATION OR KNOWING THE SUPREME BEING.
  • IT SHARES DOCTRINES AND TEACHINGS WITH OTHER RELIGIONS, BUT ALSO HAS CULTURALLY CONDITIONED TEACHINGS, MAKING IT A UNIQUE AND INCLUSIVE SYSTEM.
• HINDUS BELIEVE A PERSON IS COMPOSED OF MULTIPLE LAYERS:

  • PHYSICAL BODY,
  • SOUL
  • TRUE SELF
• THE PHYSICAL BODY IS SUBJECT TO TIME AND SPACE
• THE SOUL IS AN IMMATERIAL BEING WITH A PRINCIPLE OF LIFE.
• THE SOUL IS LIKENED TO ENERGY THAT CANNOT BE CREATED OR DESTROYED, MAKING IT A LIFE SOURCE.
• THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE SOUL AND THE TRUE SELF IS NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR.
• ATMAN

  • OR TRUE SELF, IS THE INNERMOST SPIRITUAL PROPERTY OF AN INDIVIDUAL, DISTINCT FROM THE MIND, INTELLECT, EGO, AND OBJECTIVE SELF.
  • DISCOVERED THROUGH SELF-EXPLORATION AND SELF-ANALYSIS, IT LIES BENEATH THESE ELEMENTS.
• BRAHMAN - MEANING 'THE GREAT' OR 'THE SUPREME' , IS THE COSMIC PRINCIPLE IN HINDUISM, THE ORIGIN OF LIFE AND EXISTENCE, WITH PERSONAL AND IMPERSONAL ASPECTS.
• HINDUS STRIVE TO ACHIEVE ATMAN, THE TRUE SELF, BY PERFORMING THEIR DUTIES WELL.
• THE ATMAN BEING THE TRUE SELF THAT LIVES IN EVERY INDIVIDUAL PERSON AND IS IMMORTAL OR IMMUTABLE.
• THE BRAHMAN IS SEEN AS THE COSMIC BEING THAT RULES THE UNIVERSE, WHILE ITS INTERNAL IDENTITY MANIFESTS IN ATMAN.
• KARMA AND REINCARNATION ARE CONCEPTS RELATED TO ATMAN AND BRAHMAN
• KARMA STATING THAT ONE'S ACTIONS DETERMINE THEIR FUTURE LIFE.
• Reincarnation or Samsara state that after death, soul moves onto another form of Existence.
• THIS LIBERATION FROM REINCARNATION IS CALLED MOKSHA.
• THE STATE OF LIBERATION IS ACQUIRED THROUGH THE DISCIPLINE OF YOGA.
• Yoga : A Way of Salvation
• YOGA

  • DERIVED FROM THE SANSKRIT ROOT WORD YUJ, REFERS TO ASCETICAL AND MEDITATIVE PRACTICES IN HINDUISM THAT LEAD TO KNOWLEDGE BEYOND HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS.
  • IT ORIGINATED IN THE KATHA UPANISHAD, WHERE IT IS DESCRIBED AS CONTROLLING THE SENSES AND MENTAL ACTIVITY, LEADING TO THE SUPREME STATE.
• KRISHNA

  • TEACHES ARJŪNA THAT KILLING ENEMIES DOESN'T MEAN KILLING THEIR SELF, BUT RATHER DESTROYING THEIR BODIES.
  • HE EMPHASIZES THAT THE ETERNAL ATMAN KEEPS THEIR "SELVES" ACTIVE, NOT THEIR PHYSICAL BODIES.
• THE GITA ALSO OUTLINES FOUR WAYS TO ATTAIN LIBERATION FROM THE CYCLE OF REBIRTHS:

  • JNANA-YOGA
  • KARMA-YOGA
  • BHAKTI-YOGA
  • RAJA-YOGA
• JNANA-YOGA - A DISCIPLINE IN THE UPANISHAD TRADITION, INVOLVES UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE NATURE OF THE ATMAN, A STATE OF WISDOM, SERENITY, AND DETACHMENT FROM EARTHLY DESIRES.
• KARMA-YOGA

  • THE DISCIPLINE OF ACTION, EMPHASIZES FULFILLING ONE'S DUTIES WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING.
  • KRISHNA, AS A SUPREME DEITY, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COSMOS' CREATION AND MAINTENANCE.
  • FULFILLING THESE DUTIES AND OFFERING THEM TO KRISHNA LEADS TO BECOMING A PERFECT PERSON WITH A GOOD HEART.
• BHAKTI-YOGA

  • THE THIRD PATH, IS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE AND REQUIRES SINCERE DEVOTION TO KRISHNA.
  • IT IS A HOUSEHOLDER PATH, NOT AS TEDIOUS AS KNOWLEDGE, AND CAN LIBERATE INDIVIDUALS FROM KARMA BONDS.
• RAJA-YOGA - IS A MEDITATION-BASED YOGA METHOD THAT INVOLVES SAMYANA, A DHARANA-DHYANA-SAMADHI TRIAD CONTEMPLATION-TRANCE, AIMING TO TRANSCEND MIND THOUGHTS AND ELIMINATE NON-ESSENTIAL CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH STRENUOUS EFFORT.
• HINDUISM'S TEACHINGS, INCLUDING BHAKTI-YOGA, FOCUS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A DEVOTEE AND THE GOD, PROMOTING PRAYER AND MEDITATION THROUGH POSTURES WITH RELIGIOUS MEANINGS, ENABLING THE BODY TO FUNCTION NORMALLY.
• AHIMSA(respecting all living things)

  • HINDUISM, ROOTED IN REINCARNATION TEACHINGS, VIEWS ALL ANIMALS AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, EMPHASIZING NONVIOLENCE AND PROTECTION.
  • THE MAHABHARATA EMPHASIZES NONVIOLENCE AS A CENTRAL PRINCIPLE, PROMOTING KINDNESS TO ALL CREATURES, NOT JUST TO ONE'S OWN SPECIES (LOKAHITA).
• DHARMA

  • HINDUS VIEW IT AS THE HIGHEST WORLDLY AIM, SIMILAR TO LEARNING VIRTUES FOR LIBERATION FROM SUFFERING.
  • DHARMA, DERIVED FROM SANSKRIT ROOTS, MEANS "TO SUPPORT, HOLD UP, OR BEAR" AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH FIRMNESS AND DUTY, THOUGH ITS EXACT DEFINITION IS UNCLEAR.
• DHARMA

  • CAN BE CONSIDERED AS THAT WHICH MAKES A THING OR BEING WHAT IT IS.
  • IT IS THE ESSENCE OF A THING.
  • FOR EXAMPLE, IT IS THE DHARMA OF HUMAN BEINGS TO BE RATIONAL BECAUSE IT IS WHAT DEFINES THEM.
  • IT IS THE DHARMA OF THE COW TO GIVE MILK.
  • IT IS THE DHARMA OF A MOTHER TO GIVE BIRTH TO A CHILD.
• SANATANA DHARMA

  • A CENTRAL TENET IN HINDUISM, REFERS TO THE ETERNAL SOUL FUNCTION THAT DEFINES A PERSON'S IDENTITY AND ACTIONS.
  • IT IS THE ESSENCE OF AN OBJECT, REQUIRING UNDERSTANDING ITS MAIN FUNCTION.
• HINDUISM EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE DIVINE AND ONESELF, AS IT LIBERATES INDIVIDUALS FROM ILLUSION OR MAYA.
• SANATANA DHARMA - IS A UNIQUE VEDIC TRADITION THAT OFFERS COMPREHENSIVE SCRIPTURAL TEACHINGS AND A SYSTEMATIC METHOD FOR ATTAINING SPIRITUAL GOALS.
• VARNASHRAMA DHARMA

  • ALSO KNOWN AS THE CASTE SYSTEM, IS A SOCIORELIGIOUS SYSTEM IN HINDU SOCIETY THAT PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN FULFILLING ONE'S DHARMA.
  • IT IS PART OF THE PURANA LITERATURE AND IS OUTLINED IN THE BHAGAVAD GITA.
• LORD KRISHNA CREATED FOUR SOCIAL DIVISIONS (VARNAS) WITH SPECIFIC SPIRITUAL QUALITIES (ASHRAMS) TO FACILITATE THE EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF ETERNAL SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES.
• THE SOCIAL HIERARCHY, CONSISTING OF

  • BRAHMINS
  • KSHATRIYAS
  • VAISHYAS
  • SHUDRAS
  • IS BASED ON PERSONALITY TRAITS LIKE INTELLIGENCE, COURAGE, HONOR, INTEGRITY, AND PERSEVERANCE.
• THE CASTE SYSTEM HAS LED TO SOME CONVERTS FROM HINDUISM, SUCH AS ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY, WHO SEE THEIR CONVERSION AS A WAY TO ELEVATE THEIR SOCIAL STATUS, DESPITE THE BRAHMINS' RESENTMENT.
• INDIA HAS PRODUCED FEMALE GURUS IN MODERN TIMES, THANKS TO HINDU REFORM MOVEMENTS IN THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES, ACKNOWLEDGING WOMEN'S ROLE IN SPIRITUALITY.
• • THE RISE OF FEMALE IMAGERIES IN HINDU SECTS AND NATIONALIST MOVEMENTS HAS FACILITATED WOMEN'S ACCEPTANCE AS SPIRITUAL LEADERS.
  • THE IMAGE OF INDIA AS A GODDESS POPULARIZES WOMEN'S ROLES IN SOCIETY, REMINDING HINDUS OF THE FEMININE ASPECT OF GOD.
  • RAMAKRISHNA'S WIFE WORSHIP WAS A SIGNIFICANT EXAMPLE OF THIS ACCEPTANCE.
• • HINDU WOMEN ARE BEING APPOINTED AS TEMPLE PRIESTS, DESPITE CONSERVATIVE OBJECTIONS.
  • SOME ARGUE THEY ARE MORE HONEST AND SINCERE, MAKING THEM BETTER AT PERFORMING RITUALS AND ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS.
• Poverty

  • INDIA, A GLOBAL EMERGING MARKET, FACES POVERTY DESPITE FOREIGN INVESTMENTS AND HINDUISM'S CASTE SYSTEM.
  • ECONOMIC EXPERTS ATTRIBUTE THIS TO LARGE POPULATION, JOBLESSNESS, AND SURPLUS LABOR IN AGRICULTURE, LEADING TO HIGH MALNUTRITION RATES AMONG CHILDREN.