Hinduism
Introduction
Sanaatan Dharma, popularly known as ‘Hinduism’ is a belief system with roots in Ancient India. However, its teachings and practices are universal and eternal. Hinduism is more than just a religion, as the term is used in a Western context, it is also a philosophy and a way of life. Hinduism is the oldest philosophy , not developed by any specific person, but influenced by many great people in history, and not developed during any specific time period, but carrying on its ancient roots while accepting ideas throughout the years. The message of Hinduism is eternal and can never be outdated. Hindu philosophy outlines ways for “good living” and spiritualiy and part of its development includes its acceptance of all religions and faiths as different paths for different people. Even within the religion, diversity in its practice can be noticed in the different regions of North, South, East or West India alone.
To document Hindu belief and practice is a monumentous task. For now, we will outline some basic concepts and explain some myths and misconceptions… but look forward to more soon.
“Just as all rivers flow to the same ocean, all worship flows to the same supreme soul”
“The truth is one, but the wise can see it in many ways”
The world, and people of all religions have a lot to benefit from Hindu belief. These two ancient prayers translated into English form the basis of Hindu mindset and the acceptance of different ways of worship. Just as we all have different tastes in food and music, we cannot all be expected to worship in the same manner. Hinduism encourages finding the right path based on your individual personality. This is why there are “many gods”, choice of being vegetarian, and a large range in ritual observation.
Is Hinduism Polytheistic?
“OM Poornamadah Poornamidam Poornaad Poornamudachyate;
Poornasya Poornamaadaaya Poornamevaavashisyate”
Translated, this verse means “What is Whole - This is Whole - What has come out of the Whole is also Whole; When the Whole is taken out of the Whole, the Whole still remains Whole”.
Basically put, the prayer says that the Infinite cannot be measured arithmetically - God is Infinite. However, although you cannot divide or subtract from the Infinite, you can definitely represent the Infinite in different ways. The Infinite also manifests in billions of ways.
The truth is - Hinduism Believes in One God. However, Hinduism believes not only in One God, but also in His Supreme Personality. This personality of the Supreme Being is manifested in different forms around us and within us perpetually. To meditate on the Supreme Being, man would have to absorb all these infinite manifestations (which are continually taking place without a starting point or an end) with his finite or limited capabilities. Clearly, this is not possible. Therefore, the Infinite manifests Himself in billions of ways to help mankind visualize him. This belief of Hinduism is often confused with polytheism.
To illustrate this point - We all observe the unending processes of birth, existence and death, which seem to be continually taking place around us. We constantly witness these processes and are yet ignorant of them, living as we do in the comfort of our illusory lives. The seers of ancient Hinduism realized the truth behind these activities. They gave form and shape to the truth beginning with the Hindu Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma creates, Vishnu sustains, and Shiva destroys or consumates everything in the universe.
That the Supreme can be worshipped in any form is a unique concept in Hinduism. It should be clear from the above that Hinduism worships multiple forms of the one God. Such worship is truly a tribute to His greatness.
There are so many beautiful aspects of ‘Paramatma’, supreme soul, that we can we worship. Knowledge, Love, etc. Since there are so many aspects of God, we have different forms to worship. The gods are a way for us to connect with these aspects of the supreme being. Worshiping Saraswati, our goddess of knowledge, is a way for us to love and worship the Knowledge aspect of Paramatma. Kama is for love, and so on. There are endless aspects of God that we love and worship, as there are endless forms of God we can worship. However, all of these aspects are all part of the same supreme being. This is also reflected in the two prayers written in the introduction.
Do Hindus worship Idols?
Hinduism does not promote idol worship. To the contrary, Hinduism urges us to transcend all physical aids to worship, in our spiritual progress. It is not possible for the individual to attain oneness with Paramatma right away. Instead of sustaining false hopes of such achievements, the religion urges us to slowly and steadily continue our progress in pursuit of the Truth. For such steady progress, the religion asks us to start with physical aids such as temples and idols, and through practice and devotion, ultimately succeed in interacting with God without the aid of temples and idols.
In addition, Hinduism states that an individual may worship God in any form. The actual form is of no importance, and the name is insignificant; what matters is the attitude of worship and the intensity of devotion. Worshiping an idol does not signify worshiping an inanimate object as God; we worship God in the idol, not the idol as God. This is done to facilitate contemplation of the Infinite with our finite capabilities. We have our human limits and bounds, and there is nothing wrong in using aids to help us conceptualize God and to help focus our love and devotion. To quote none other than the great intellectual, Swami Vivekananda on this matter - “If a person wants to drink milk, he uses a cup as he cannot drink it directly. For the quivering and unsteady mind, there should be a visible form or a symbol, the idol, so that it becomes a foundation for his adoration. The idol form of God is akin to a vessel which enables a man to drink the milk. Through the instrumentality of an idol, a devotee comprehends divinity.”
Does Hinduism prohibit eating meat?
The question of meat consumption is a very important one, but with no clearly defined answer. As is with many aspects of the religion, every Hindu is able to decide individually how they interpret it . In no Hindu text is meat consumption clearly prohibited, but it is very strongly suggested against its consumption, and this belief is adhered to by a large number of Hindus.
There is a concept of unity of all life and all creatures with God. Hindus believe that every living creature is a part of God, and that God is within every living creature. All living beings, not just humans, are sacred, and it is believed that no injury should be brought on to any living being. In addition, when an animal, just like a human, is killed, it brings sorrow and pain to the actual creature and those related to it.
A meat consumer’s desire for meat leads another to kill an animal and provide meat. Slaughter houses and breeding of animals purely for the intent of killing them for their meat begins with the desire of the consumer. Meat consumption naturally leads to a violent mentality, and when one ingests meat he absorbs the slaughtered creature’s pain, terror, and fear.
Hindu scriptures suggest how what we eat truly does affect our personality, actions, and our thoughts. Eating flesh, with all of its gross qualities and consuming the violence locked within it, leads to an increase in anger, a weakness to lust, and other negative qualities. With the chemicals of killed flesh active in our systems, we can never transcend into a higher level of consciousness. In order to lead a moral life, we must eat pure and satvic foods.
In addition, the Gita suggests that since God resides within our bodies, all our consumption is an offering to God. Ancient Hindu scriptures (which not only contained spiritual knowledge, but ’scientific’ knowledge) also suggest many nutritional and dietary reasons why flesh consumption is detrimental to our health, and how our human body is not designed for it.
Who’s the leader of Hinduism? Who do Hindu’s seek their guidance from?
Just as Hinduism does not have a specific founder, or has originated at any specific date or time, Hinduism does not have a single human spiritual leader. There is no individual who can claim to be the sole authority of Hinduism, nor has there ever been. Hinduism explains of certain eternal laws and provides a framework for individuals to seek their own paths and attain realization through their own individual means (every individual is different, yet certain laws are fundamental). The only true undisputable authority is the scriptures (primarily the Vedas).
However, on a more personal level Hindu’s do often seek gurus to aid in their spirituality. Currently, and throughout history, there have been many gurus who offer guidance in understanding Hinduism and individuals’ own spirituality. These gurus range in their interpretation of the scriptures, and different people choose to follow different gurus based on their views and beliefs. The relation between a Guru and his devotees is often one of deep love and devotion, and often provides the framework for one’s life, but no one guru is the sole authority of Hinduism, and many Hindus follow many or no gurus.
Does Hinduism promote stratification under a social “caste system”?
Although Casteism still exists and is a major problem in Indian society, it is not promoted by Hinduism. Hinduism , as almost every religion at some point, has been abused and its scriptures and teachings altered by those in power to keep their position and to hold other people down.
People argue that Caste is supported and described in Hindu Scriptures; this claim is not necessarily false, but the references to caste in scripture are not fully understood. The idea of caste alluded to in scriptures, talks about different paths people can take in their lives and the customs and ideas associated with each of these paths. In these references, it was never meant to be a position born into without any choice or mobility, but a classification of someone on how they chose to live their lives, and explanations of the respect and ritual associated to them.
Even these references to caste are all found in later scriptures. The core scriptures, the Vedas, which spell out the true fundamental tenets of Hinduism do not refer to caste.
Casteism is a social problem that has an abuse of a concept that is not really spelled out. Many great saints in the past during ancient times through modern times, like Gandhiji, have fought against the caste system, and have demonstrated how it has no true role in Hindu philosophy or religion.
Although there has been a lot of progress in trying to remove casteism from Indian society, to say it is not a big problem would undermine the plight and hardships of a lot of people; however to attack Hinduism or believe that conversions of low-caste people would be the right thing is not necessarily true. (That would be like blaming Christianity as a religion, for slavery and decimation of native peoples). Religion can be abused, but true understanding of Hindu Dharma would lead to the understanding of how casteism is not supported.
Does Hinduism believe in Heaven and Hell , What is Karma and Reincarnation?
Hindus believe in the law of karma (literally means ‘actions’), a law of cause and effect by which each individual creates their own destiny through their own thoughts, words and deeds. This law of Karma basically maintains that whatever actions one performs, will cause an equal impact in their destiny. Good actions, will lead to a good destiny and good things will happen to that person, and bad actions will have the opposite effect.
It is more complex than this, but still a pretty basic notion. However, often karmas are not accounted for during that individual’s lifetime. Often one performs bad karma throughout their lives, and it seems ‘nothing happens to them’, while one may perform good deeds all their life, and it seems they keep getting played. This however is not what actually happens.
Our current lifetimes are only temporary, while our souls are eternal. When our bodies die, our essence (Atma) continues on and is reborn into another form. This is reincarnation, the evolution through many birth cycles. This is where all karmas are resolved. Good karma leads to one’s soul being reborn into a higher life form, while bad Karma leads to a ‘punishment’ in a lower life form. It is not an arbitrary selection, but is determined purely by one’s own actions.
There is a concept of hell, but it is a temporary hell. Hindu’s do not believe that one’s soul could not be cursed to eternal damnation for actions they made in one life; however, those who built up a lot of bad Karma may be born as millions of different creatures and suffer before they are again reborn into life as a human. Also, those who perform good karma, but not necessarily attain realization, may be born as devas or devis (celestial beings) into temporary heavens for long periods of time, where they are ‘rewarded’ for their good karma.
The ultimate goal however is to attain moksha, self-realization, that liberates one from the cycle of rebirth.
Closing Thoughts
Hindu philosophy has been in existence in the world even before the development of writing. Its teachings and philosophies are universal and have developed over the years while maintaining its Ancient wisdom. Hinduism has always stressed seeking the truth, and it doesn’t conflict with Science or any other religion. It stresses behaving nobly and treating others with respect. Not necessarily noticed by most of the world, Hinduism in its thought has affected all religions around the world. Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, all distinct religions share a lot with the Hindu Dharma. Hinduism can be found within all belief systems. Hinduism does not attempt to make the whole world Hindu, but rather attempts for everyone to learn something from its teaching.
Seek the truth and find your own path
“Follow your Dharma perfectly instead of following another’s Dharma imperfectly”.