Owner: Hinduism Beliefs URL:http://hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com Join Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:28:15 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Learn about Hinduism beliefs, history, gods and practices. Site statistics:Click here
The Dharma of Hinduism 2008-11-30 10:17:00 When we explore the classical Hindu view of karma we may note that this notion takes on decidedly moral overtones witht the ideas of positive and negative karma. What we didn’t talk about is what determines wether the karma is good or bad and how to know the difference. To answer these questions I must introduce the concept of Dharma. Dharma is one of those difficult to translate notions that ha
The Caste System 2008-11-30 10:11:00 The caste system is a social, economic, political and religious phenomenon. And it is extremely complex. Here we will simplify greatly to try to understand it. The Hindu caste system is based on an assumption that lies at odds with the assumption of Western democratic ideals: that all people are created equal. From the classical Hindu perspective it is apparent that people are born with different Read more:System
How Hinduism Was Started 2008-11-30 05:09:00 How Hinduism was started? To understand how this religious tradition began, we need to look at its roots, that is the Indus Valley Civilization and the Aryan Civilization. By 600 B.C. the religious system of the Aryan Vedic tradition began to undergo reassessment and criticism. For many, this old religion of rituals and sacrifices seemed no longer to address their deepest spiritual needs. New ques
Hinduism and Karma 2008-11-30 05:04:00 The word karma is a common one in our world. But what is karma? First, we need to understand something about Hinduism. The belief in the reincarnation of the soul is a fundamental assumption of Hinduism. The form that one returns to after death can be almost anything: another human, an animal, perhaps a demon, perhaps a god. What determines one’s status in the next life is simply the way one l
What is Reincarnation 2008-11-30 05:01:00 What is reincarnation? What meaning does it have in Hinduism? The belief in reincarnation or transmigration of the soul is a fundamental assumption of virtually all philosophical and religious perspectives that have originated in India. Although they tend to understand it differently; Hindu, Buddhists and Jains share the view that humans are reborn after they die. In Hinduism, this idea involves t Read more:Reincarnation
The History of Hindu Rituals 2008-11-29 14:39:00 The Aryans, like most religious people throughout the world, considered ritual much more important than doctrine and belief. The Veda itself was a manual of ritual, not of creed statements or theology. We’ll examine the kinds of rituals the Aryans practiced, the purposes for which they were intended and the persons who performed them.I will talk about three basic kinds of rituals. Of course, thi Read more:Hindu
, History
, Rituals
The Vedic Understanding of Human Beings 2008-11-29 09:34:00 For the Aryan civilization, the essence of human life is the soul, which they associate with breath. The word they used to designate the soul was Atman. The Sanskrit Atman has cognates in the English word atmosphere and in the German word Atem, which means to breath. The ancients frequently associate breath with the soul. That connection derives from the simple observation that one a person dies Read more:Understanding
, Vedic
The Hindu Gods 2008-11-28 18:45:00 Which are the most important Hindu
gods? First, how do Hindus define the word god? There are about twenty Sanskrit words for the English word god. The most commonly used word is deiva. A deiva is a divine being or a supernatural power but not necessarily an omniscient and omnipotent being. Deivas are not moral exemplar nor law givers like Yahweh or Allah in the Western monotheistic traditions.Acco
The Hindu Creation Story 2008-11-28 08:29:00 What is the Hindu
creation story? We have to look at the tradition of the Aryans and specifically the Veda, Hinduism’s holy book. The Aryan civilization honored how this world came into being and the Veda offered several different explanations. It doesn’t seem to be a problem that the stories of the world’s creation are often at odds with one another. Even today, the Hindu tradition contains Read more:Creation
Hinduism’s Holy Book 2008-11-27 18:12:00 The Aryans gave Hinduism its priestly language, Sanskrit; and what could be called Hinduism’s holy book: The Veda. The Veda is a rather unusual collection of literature. It is not narrative like the Bible. It tells no grand story of gods and humans. The Vedas are more like a liturgy manual. It includes hundreds of hymns addressed to various deities, as well as myths, some spells and a bit of phi
The Aryan Civilization 2008-11-27 08:40:00 Who were these Aryan
s? Most historians believe that the Aryans related to people who migrated into Iran, Irak, Ireland and other parts of Europe. In many ways, the Aryans were different from what we know about the Indus Valley dwellers. First, they were no highly organized. The Aryans were nomads rather than settled down agriculturalists.Unlike the dwellers of the Indus Valley, the Aryans used hor Read more:Civilization
The Indus Valley Seals 2008-11-27 06:17:00 The excavation of the Indus Valley
civilization has revealed many intriguing artifacts. The most interesting of these relics are seals used to stamp designs in soft clay. Anthropologists believe that these seals probably have some religious significance. When anthropologists say that something has religious significance what they really are saying is that they don’t know what these objects meant
The Origin of Hinduism 2008-11-27 05:26:00 Hinduism is the world’s oldest living religious tradition. It is unlikely that there was a single founder of Hinduism, but if there were such an individual, he or she is unknown to us today. Although we don’t know the name of individuals, we do know several cultures that contributed to the development of Hinduism.Of these contributing sources, two are specially important for our understanding Read more:Origin
The Indus Valley Civilization 2008-11-27 05:16:00 About 150 years ago, a discovery was made that has caused scholars to revise their understanding of the early history of India. In 1850’s, while excavating for a railroad system in Northern India, workers discovered the existence of an ancient and sophisticated civilization that had long been forgotten.The Indus Valley
civilization, as it is now known is considered one of the great cultures of t Read more:Civilization
India and Religion 2008-11-26 22:23:00 Unlike other great religions like Christianity, Islam and Buddhism; Hinduism has not as yet taken root in a natural way outside the land of its origins. This geographical immobility is due in part to Hinduism’s decided lack of proselytizing impulses. In part is also due to the importance of India
itself for the Hindu traditions.India as a Western ConstructWhat do we mean when we use the term Ind Read more:Religion
Introduction to Hinduism 2008-11-26 20:55:00 One of the first things people want to know is what Hindus, or for that matter, Buddhists or Jains believe. It is important to recognize that belief and doctrine are extremely important for practitioners of Western religious traditions. This is not always the case with the traditions originated in India.Hindus not only believe many different and sometimes contradictory things, the importance that Read more:Introduction
Facts About Hinduism 2008-11-26 20:01:00 Here are some fast facts about Hinduism:Hinduism is the dominant religion of India, about 85% of the over one billion persons living in India are known to the world as Hindus.Hinduism is often thought of not as a single religion, but as a family of religions.About 95% of all Hindus in the world live in India. Most of the remaining five percent live in areas immediately adjacent to India. Approxima
Hinduism Religion: Is it Really? 2008-11-26 08:23:00 Is Hinduism a religion? First of all, what is religion? Many people find it surprising to learn that the word religion is a Western construct of relatively recent origin. Like the concept of Hinduism, scholars have questioned its appropriateness and value.The word religion derives from the Latin religio, a term that Romans and later Christians initially used with infrequency and imprecision. Inter Read more:Religion
What is Hinduism 2008-11-26 06:50:00 What is Hinduism? Hinduism is characterized as the dominant religion of India. You might think this is a simple and uncontroversial statement. About 85% of the over one billion persons living in India are known to the world as Hindus. This apparently simple factual statement is far more complex and problematic that it might seem on first glance.A Word Coined by OutsidersThe difficulties arise when
Recommend Site To A Friend
