Religion paper

UNIFYING FACTORS WITHIN HINDUISM

1. Acceptance of the Vedas (composed between ca. 800-600 BCE) as the most important sacred scriptures. Two epic works are also very popular and of almost as much importance, the Mahabharata (which includes the very popular Bhagavad-Gita) and the Ramayana.

2. Belief in Brahman (impersonal godhead, ultimate reality) and its connection to (or identification with) Atman, the divine “spark’ or manifestation within every human being.

3. Belief in many deities (as many as 330,000,000!) coupled with devotion to one or several (especially either VISHNU [Vaishnava Hindus] and one or more of his avatars/incarnations, such as Krishna or Rama); SHIVA (Shaiva Hindus); or the GODDESS (Devi) in one of her many manifestations, e.g., Durga, Kali, Lakshmi or Sarasvati (Shakti Hindus). Also important are the elephant god Ganesha and the monkey god Hanuman.

4. Belief in karma: any willed action produces an effect, god or bad, on the individual performing the action, and this karma determines your fate in a future life (see # 5).

5. Belief in rebirth/reincarnation by most Hindus. Your karma from the previous life determines the situation of your rebirth (into a higher or lower caste).

6. Belief in ultimate liberation or moksha from the cycle of rebirth.

7. The celebration of numerous festivals (e.g., Dipavali [Diwali], “Necklace of Lights,” celebrated on the new moon between mid-Oct. & mid-Nov.)

8. The practice of one or more disciplines or yoga paths (cp. English “yoke”) in an effort to attain liberation, e.g., devotionalism/bhakti yoga; the way of knowledge/jnana yoga; and exercises to promote well being and meditation/hatha yoga). CSUF offers beginning & intermediate hatha yoga.

9. Remarkable tolerance for believers with different world views (Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.)

10. Acceptance by most Hindus of the caste system which includes four basic groups: Brahmins (priests & wise men), Kshatriyas (warriors & administrators), Vaisyas (skilled workers, bankers, merchants & farmers) and Shudras (servants/unskilled workers). Beneath the four castes are a large number of people—perhaps 350 million (i.e., 35% of the population of India!)—called “untouchables” or “outcastes.” Untouchability has been outlawed in the Indian constitution but still persists in rural areas.

Note 1: There is no explicit founder of Hinduism, just anonymous sages who wrote the Vedas and other scriptures.

Note 2: India’s population is about 1.2 billion, 80% of whom are Hindu, 13% Muslim; remaining 8% Christian, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, & Jewish.