Who is the founder of Hinduism?
Hinduism has no founder, it developed out of Brahminism.
Hinduism is the oldest religion, it may date to prehistoric times.
What is the symbol of Hinduism?
Aum is the main symbol of Hinduism. It is the sound heard in deepest meditation and is said to be the name most suited for God.
Hindu Artefacts
Where does the name Hindu come from?
The word "Hindu" comes from the name of the river Indus, which flows 1800 miles from Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the sea.
How is Hinduism different from other faiths?
Hinduism has no founder, single teacher nor any prophets.
Hinduism is not a Single Religion. Hinduism is the practices of a variety of different religious groups which come out of India.
What do Hindus believe?
For many Hindus, religion is a matter of practice rather than of beliefs. It's more what you do, than what you believe. Hindus believe in a universal soul or God called Brahman. Brahman takes on many forms that some Hindus worship as gods or goddesses in their own right. Hindus believe that there is a part of Brahman in everyone and this is called the Atman.
Hindus believe in reincarnation - a belief that the soul is eternal and lives many lifetimes, in one body after another. The soul is sometimes born in a human body, sometimes in an animal body and sometimes in a plant body etc.. Hindus believe that all forms of life contain a soul, and all souls have the chance to experience life in different forms.
Samsara means going through the cycle of repeated births and deaths (reincarnation).
Hindus believe that existence of this cycle is governed by Karma. What is Karma?
Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived. (Similar to Buddhist beliefs) Karma is the cause of our particular destiny. Misfortunes in our present life are the result of acts that we have committed in the past. In the same way, our actions in our present lives will determine our fate in the lives that follow. Hindus therefore aim to live in a way that will cause each of their lives to be better than the life before.
What is Moksha?
The spiritual goal of a Hindu is to become one with Brahma. This freedom is referred to as moksha. Until moksha is achieved, a Hindu believes that he/she will be repeatedly reincarnated in order that he/she may work towards self-realization of the truth (the truth being that only Brahman exists, nothing else).
What is the Hindu way of life?
For many Hindus there are four goals in human life (purusharthas);
1 Moksha - the release of the soul (Atman) from the cycle of rebirth.
The individual soul (Atman) unites with Brahman the universal soul. There are different ways to Moksha. spiritual - involves acquiring spiritual knowledge through yoga and meditation. devotion to god working selflessly for the good of society.
How a person is reincarnated is determined by karma.
2Dharma - the code for leading one's life.
Respect for elders is considered important and many consider marriage as a son's religious duty.
3 Artha - the pursuit of material gain by lawful means.
4 Karma- through pure acts, knowledge and devotion, you can reincarnate to a higher level. The opposite achieves the contrary result.
How do Hindus achieve Moksha?
There are four different paths to achieve Moksha which a Hindu can take.
The Hindu can choose one or all four of the paths they are:
1 The path of knowledge - Jnana-Yoga
Spiritual knowledge -leading to the knowledge of the relationship between the soul (atman) and God (Brahman)
2 The path of meditation - Dhyana-yoga
The idea is to concentrate so you can reach the real self within you and become one with Brahman
3 The Path of Devotion - Bhakti-yoga
Choosing a particular god or goddess and worshipping them throughout your life in actions, words and deeds.
4 The path of good works - Karma-yoga This involves doing all your duties correctly throughout your life.