IMPORTANT CONCEPTS

• Dharma – this refers to the religious and moral laws governing all people’s action and lives. It instructs Hindus to follow a path of laws governing all people’s action and lives.
• Puja and Hindu Worship – Puja is the central act of Hindu worship. It is a ritual where the devotee connects and communicates with a Hindu deity. The ritual involves meditation and the offering of food and flowers to Brahma and the other Hindu deities, and may be performed either at home or in a temple. In general, they believe that rituals and meditation help tame an individual’s unnecessary desires in life, and aid in developing spiritual discipline, without this, according to Hindus, one may easily give in to the allure of worldliness.
• Moksha – can be regarded as the end of the cycle of birth and rebirth. It is the stage in life where one has already attained the ultimate liberation of the soul.
• Reincarnation – is the Hindu phenomenon of the atman’s immortality. Through reincarnation, the atman will repeatedly undergo birth and rebirth until it finally attains liberation.
• Karma – In Hinduism, karma is the law of cause and effect. According to karma, every action has a corresponding consequence. This consequence will be experienced either in this current life or in future lives.
• Avatar - The avatar is an incarnation (pagpapalit anyo; either animal or human) of a Hindu on earth in various forms, including animals and human beings. Avatar have appeared throughout time in order to ensure that humans do not ultimately succumb to evil forces. These avatars also exist in order to restore cosmic order.