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Hinduism Hinduism is the world's oldest extant religion, with a billion followers, which makes it the world's third largest religion. Hinduism is a conglomeration of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices that originated in India, characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths.. Hinduism has its origins in such remote past that it cannot be traced to any one individual. Some scholars believe that Hinduism must have existed even in circa 10000 B.C. and that the earliest of the Hindu scriptures – The Rig Veda – was composed well before 6500 B.C. The word "Hinduism" is not to be found anywhere in the scriptures, and the term "Hindu" was introduced by foreigners who referred to people living across the River Indus or Sindhu, in the north of India, around which the Vedic religion is believed to have originated. There is no “one Hinduism”, and so it lacks any unified system of beliefs and ideas. Hinduism is a conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions, in which the prominent themes include: Dharma (ethics and duties) Samsara (rebirth) Karma (right action) Moksha (liberation from the cycle of Samsara) It also believes in truth, honesty, non-violence, celibacy, cleanliness, contentment, prayers, austerity, perseverance, penance, and pious company. The basic scriptures of Hinduism, which is collectively referred to as "Shastras", are essentially a collection of spiritual laws discovered by different saints and sages at different points in its long history. The Two types of sacred writings comprise the Hindu scriptures: "Shruti" (heard) and "Smriti" (memorized). They were passed on from generation to generation orally for centuries before they were written down mostly in the Sanskrit language. The major and most popular Hindu texts include the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Hinduism believes that there is only one supreme Absolute called "Brahman". However, it does not advocate the worship of any one particular deity. The gods and goddesses of Hinduism amount to thousands or even millions, all representing the many aspects of Brahman. Therefore, this faith is characterized by the multiplicity of deities. The most fundamental of Hindu deities is the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - creator, preserver and destroyer respectively. Hindus also worship spirits, trees, animals and even planets. Just the Facts: meaning of name Hinduism, from the Persian hindu (Sanskrit sindhu), literally "river." Means "of the Indus Valley" or simply "Indian." Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma,"eternal religion" or "eternal truth." date founded Earliest forms date to 1500 BC or earlier place founded India founder none adherents 900 million size rank third largest in the world main location India, also United Kingdom and United States major sects Saivism, Vaisnavism, Saktism original language Sanskrit spiritual leader guru or sage place of worship temple or home ultimate reality Brahman human nature in bondage to ignorance and illusion, but able to escape purpose of life to attain liberation (moksa) from the cycle of reincarnation how to live order life according to the dharma afterlife if karma unresolved, soul is born into a new body; if karma resolved, attain moksa (liberation) major holidays Mahashivarati (mid-February) Holi (Spring) Ramnavami (late March) Dusserah (early November) Diwali (mid-November) three paths: karmamarga - path of works and action jnanamarga - path of knowledge or philosophy bhaktimarga - path of devotion to God three debts: debt to God debt to sages and saints debt to ancestors four stages of life: brahmacharga - school years - grow and learn grhastha - marriage, family and career vanaprastha - turn attention to spiritual things sanrgasu - abandon world to seek spiritual things four purposes of life: dharma - fulfill moral, social and religious duties artha - attain financial and worldy success kama - satisfy desires and drives in moderation moksha - attain freedom from reincarnation seven sacred cities: Ayodhya Mathura Gaya (Bodhgaya) Kasi (Varanasi, Benares) Kanci Avantika (Ujjain) Dvaraka ten commitments: 1. Ahimsa - do no harm 2. Satya - do not lie 3. Asteya - do not steal 4. Brahmacharya - do not overindulge 5. Aparigraha - do not be greedy 6. Saucha - be clean 7. Santosha - be content 8. Tapas - be self-disciplined 9. Svadhyaya – study 10. Ishvara Pranidhana - surrender to God