Introduction to Hinduism

Hinduism is probably one of the oldest religions that is still practiced by over 800 million people in India. The term Hindu was coined by the moslems to refer to the people from the Indus valley.

Study of Hinduism is often very complicated since new ideas evolved without discarding the older ideas that are not relevant or had been discarded. As one author on Hinduism put it, "Hinduism can be best related to a collector who keeps collecting things without discarding the old."

There are two significant works of Hindu literature that I use as my source for describing Hinduism, viz. the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.

Basic beliefs:

All of us are composed of a material or a physical form or the outer body and an indestructible form the Atman. All living organisms have Atman and they are connected together in a universal soul or Brahman. Atman is indestructible and is recycled, that is when we are born the Atman acquires a new body and when we die the Atman leaves the body to take on a new form. The form acquired would depend on the nature of actions. If one were involved in good actions s/he would be born in a higher level in the food chain and correspondingly if one is involved in bad actions s/he would be born in a lesser form. This is the law of Karma and we are all bound by the endless cycle of rebirth.

Although older works of literature do indicate the concept of heaven and hell, everything is only temporary. That is according to Hinduism all the creatures in the three worlds (earth, heaven and hell) are bound by Rita or the laws of nature. Even Gods such as Indra are subject to birth and death. There are only two eternal Gods, Shiva and Vishnu.

Vishnu is the preserver of Dharma in society. Mankind goes through four stages each stage increasing evil. Ultimately in the final stage Vishnu will take human or animal form, or an avatar to free mankind of the evil and establish law in society. Also the king is highly regarded, Rama being the noblest of all the kings.

"Choose a king before you choose a wife or start earning wealth, for without a king who will protect your wife and wealth"

Shiva is associated with the destroyer, the cleanser of the worlds after destruction and Brahma is the creator. In the beginning, Brahma emerges from Vishnu, and creates the three worlds. Saivites, worship the Linga or the phallus. Lingas were originally found in Harappa and Mohenjodaro indicating the worship of Shiva that predates the Aryan Hindu period.

There are two goals one can have depending on his/her motivation.

1) Dharma: Dharma means to do what you are meant to do. Perform your worldly duties which is to be part of the economy, have a family and children and be responsible for them. If one performs his/her duties well and serves the world, he/she shall be rewarded in the current life and the next.

By worshipping Vishnu or his Avataras (viz. Rama and Krishna) one can have a good life and a good afterlife. Bhagavad Gita would serve as the text for someone seeking the path of the Dharma.

To achieve salvation one must perform activities without expecting a result
The four ways (Yogas) of achieving salvation are
a) KarmaYoga: By performing ones duties without an end result which can be a reward. By excelling in our work and striving for the very best without expecting a reward, one can achieve Moksha.

b) Nyaana Yoga or Knowledge: By having a desire for knowledge and putting it into good use. By acquiring knowledge and putting it into good use, it will mature into wisdom or Bhakti. One must be humble regardless of what he/she knows or understands and be willing to divulge information to help others as needed.

c) Bhakti Yoga: By devoting oneself to a God or by becoming totally immersed in the worship of a God without expecting anything in return, one can achieve moksha. There are no rules on what God and the form of worship. Educated individuals typically choose a God and worship idols merely as points of concentration. The objective is to focus on one point and experience peace and a higher state of mind.

d) Raja Yoga: This involves living a life that is pure. Followers of Jainism follow these principles. The objective is to live and let live. By not harming other organisms and by living a life that is pure one can lead an ideal life and achieve salvation and be rewarded in the next life.

2) Moksha: This is a harder path and the ultimate result is to be free from the endless cycle of birth and death. The philosophy here is that all the souls are united in a universal soul or Brahman. By following the harder path one can achieve moksha and be forever free from rebirth and become one with Brahman or the universal soul.

"All of us are united like the honey in the honeycomb, you don't see the flowers you only see all of the honey as uniform. By achieving moksha we will see us as being part of the honey comb and not the flowers which are distinct." Human desire is the cause of suffering and everything that we experience. To be free from desire is the ultimate salvation from suffering.

Buddhist concept of Nirvana is also the same as the Hindu Moksha. According to some when one achieves Moksha he/she will have a sustained level of a higher energy state. Others describe Moksha as just a state where you cease to exist in any form. In either case you are free from the endless cycle of birth and death. To achieve Moksha one must live a life of renunciation and austerity.

There are other forms of worship such as Tantric, which involves the use of drugs and sex to achieve this higher state. These are not part of the original Hindu practice and Hinduism forbids the use of drugs or sex to achieve the higher state. One should only achieve a higher state by sustained levels of meditation and performing different Yogic practices to help in this endeavor.

I would like to devote this section to debunk a few popular misconceptions about Hinduism.

Westerners typically associate several negative connotations when it comes to Hinduism such as a pagan society that believes in multiple deities, a religion that enforces caste system, etc. However the western society often ignores the often complex yet highly developed philosophies that Hindu scholars developed.

Hinduism is a monotheistic religion and believes in one God which comprises of the universal soul Brahman. Brahman can either be worshipped as Vishnu or Shiva depending on one's objectives in life and the after life. By worshipping Vishnu one accepts the role of dharma and rebirth. And one's objective is to have a good life and a good after life. By worshipping Shiva, one's objective is freedom from the constant rebirth and achieve Moksha. Hinduism neither encourages nor discourages idol worship. For an advanced practitioner, the idols are meant purely as a point to help one concentrate during the worship. For a lower practitioner the idol may represent an actual God.

Although western religion such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism may feel that they are a superior religion due to the lack of idol worship and monotheistic culture, when it comes to philosophy Hinduism is far advanced than any religion and that explains why it has survived for over 3000 years.

You may or may not believe in a God, you may or may not worship idols. Unlike western religions there are no rules for following Hinduism.

Hinduism offers intellectual freedom, the ability to question and the flexibility to adapt to cultural changes.

There are some religions meant for intellectuals and some that are meant for the masses. While Christianity and Islam offer good solutions for the mass guided practitioners, Hinduism is meant for the independent intellectual who is interested in the pursuit of the truth.