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History of Hinduism Religion and Main BeliefsHinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world, originating in India.
The origins of Hinduism lay with the Vedas. The Vedas are considered the worlds oldest scriptures. Scholars have suggested various dates for the origin of the Vedas, ranging from approximately 1500 BC to as far back as 5000 BC. The Vedas were first spoken in the oral tradition before being written down around 1200 B.C.
The word 'Veda' comes from the Sanskrit 'vid', meaning knowledge. The Vedas are 'sacred knowledge'.
There are four Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda. Each is divided into four sections:
The Samhitas - Contains the mantras and hymns
The Brahmanas - The ritualistic teachings
The Aranyakas - The theological section
The Upanishads - The philosophical section
The most significant doctrine expressed in the Vedas and the Upanishads (composed ~ 8th or 7th century BC, the first philosophical explorations of Hinduism) is that Reality is One or Absolute, changeless, perfect and eternal, Brahman. The ordinary human world of many separate and discrete (finite) things (which our mind represents by our senses) is an illusion. Through meditation, one can experience their true Self which is Brahman, God, the One infinite eternal thing which causes and connects the many things. True enlightenment is Self-realisation, to experience the supreme reality as Self. One no longer remains a bound, limited creature; one achieves total union with God. As Mahatma Mohandas K. Gandhi expressed;
Man is not at peace with himself until he has become like unto God. The endeavor to reach this state is the supreme, the only ambition worth having. And this is self-realisation. This self-realisation is the subject of the Gita, as it is of all scriptures … to be a real devotee is to realise oneself. Self-realisation is not something apart. (Fox, Towards a Transpersonal Ecology, 1995. quoting Gandhi)
Hinduism differs from Buddhism in the assertion that Brahman and Atman are in some sense the same (the immortality of the soul). As written in Fifty Eastern Thinkers, 2000;
The world of ordinary human experience, of individuals standing in mutual causal relations in space and time (samsara) is not reality. Reality is a oneness or absolute, changeless, perfect and eternal, Brahman. Again human nature is not exhausted by its samsaric elements of body and individual consciousness of mind (S: jiva): there is further present in each one of us an immortal element, our true self, the atman. The atman has no form, and whatever is without form is without limit; whatever is without limit is omnipresent, and whatever is omnipresent and immortal is God. This is the basis for one of the most striking and central of Upanishad doctrines, the assertion that Brahman and atman are in some sense the same:
'Containing all works, containing all desires, containing all tastes, encompassing this whole world, without speech, without concern, this is the self [atman] of mine within the heart; this is Brahman. Into him, I shall enter, on departing hence.'
It is this doctrine which is summed up in the phrase 'that art thou' (S: tat tvam asi), 'that' referring to Brahman.
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There are six different systems (or orthodox schools) of Hinduism which recognise the Vedas as their metaphysical, philosophical and religious foundation.
They are usually grouped together as Nyaya and Vaishesika, Mimamsa and Vedanta, Samkhya and Yoga.
Some Hindus interpret the Vedas as eternal, absolute truth not written by humans. It is here the Buddhist and Jains (the other two main religions of India) differ from the Hindus.
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Contrary to popular belief, true Hinduism is neither polytheistic nor monotheistic. The various gods and avatars that are worshipped by Hindus are understood as different forms which the ONE supreme god, Brahman, has taken in order to be approachable. (Note: Brahman (pronounced braH-MUNN), the supreme being and ultimate source of all divine energy, is not to be confused with Brahma (pronounced braH-mA), the creator of this particular universe. (http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Hinduism)
Hindu religion (like Christianity) has a trinity of Gods. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer.
Other Hindu Gods and Goddesses are Annapurna, Balrama, Bhuvaneshwari, Buddha, Dhanwantari, Dhumavati, Durga, Ganga, Ganesha, Garuda, Hanuman, Indra, Kali, Kartikay, Krishna, Kurma, Lakshmi, Matangi, Maya, Ram, Saraswati, Shakti and Vamana.
Many Hindus worship all or some of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses, recognising they are all of the same divine energy.
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Brahman is the unborn (aja) in whom all existing things abide. (Rig Veda)
The One manifests as the many, the formless putting on forms. (Rig Veda)
Reality or Brahman is a unity, oneness or absolute, changeless, eternal, and such that no predicates can apply to it: in the Absolute there is neither time, space nor causation. The idea of time cannot be there, seeing that there is no mind, no thought. The idea of space cannot be there, seeing that there is no eternal change. What you call motion and causation cannot exist where there is only one. (Vivekananda, Fifty Eastern Thinkers, 2000)
Hindu cosmology is non-dualistic. Everything that is is Brahman. Brahman is the eternal Now, and in eternity there is no before or after, for everything is everywhere, always. To use the words of Pascal 'it is a circle the center of which is everywhere and the circumference nowhere.' (Sudhakar S.D, 1988)
The Universe is Brahman, the One that underlies and make possible all the multiplicity; the universal consciousness that is the soul of all existence. It is the primordial no-thingness from which all things arise, the one reality whose oneness is all-inclusive; and includes all that is, or shall be. It is Brahman; the source of the entire cosmos and all cosmic activities relating to the emergence, existence and dissolution of the terrestrial phenomena that form the cosmic rhythm. And this ultimate reality is One - absolute and indeterminable. (Sudhakar S.D, 1988)
The Vedic concept of Rita anticipates the idea of karma which was developed later to express the dynamic interplay of all things and events. The word karma means 'action' and denotes the 'active', or dynamic, interrelation of all phenomena. In the words of the Bhagavad Gita, 'All actions take place in time by the interweaving of the forces of nature.' (Capra, The Tao of Physics)
Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is. (Bhagavad-Gita)
The most important characteristic of the Eastern world view - one could almost say the essence of it - is the awareness of the unity and mutual interrelation of all things and events, the experience of all phenomena in the world as manifestations of a basic oneness. All things are seen as interdependent and inseparable parts of this cosmic whole; as different manifestations of the same ultimate reality. (Capra, The Tao of Physics)
In Indian philosophy, the main terms used by Hindus and Buddhists have dynamic connotations. The word Brahman is derived from the Sanskrit root brih - to grow- and thus suggests a reality which is dynamic and alive. The Upanishads refer to Brahman as 'this unformed, immortal, moving', thus associating it with motion even though it transcends all forms.' The Rig Veda uses another term to express the dynamic character of the universe, the term Rita. This word comes from the root ri- to move. In its phenomenal aspect, the cosmic One is thus intrinsically dynamic, and the apprehension of its dynamic nature is basic to all schools of Eastern mysticism.
They all emphasize that the universe has to be grasped dynamically, as it moves, vibrates and dances. ..The Eastern mystics see the universe as an inseparable web, whose interconnections are dynamic and not static. The cosmic web is alive; it moves and grows and changes continually. (Fritjof Capra, 1972.)
In Hinduism, Shiva the Cosmic Dancer, is perhaps the most perfect personification of the dynamic universe. Through his dance, Shiva sustains the manifold phenomena in the world, unifying all things by immersing them in his rhythm and making them participate in the dance- a magnificent image of the dynamic unity of the Universe. (Capra, The Tao of Physics)
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