Hinduism
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In order to understand all religions, there is a great method to use. This method is called the seven elements, and these seven elements include experiential, historical, doctrinal, ethical, ritual, social, and material. These key points, along with what the Catholic Church deems as "true and holy" is what I will use to explain the religion of Hinduism.
The first element is experiential. This element is the hardest to capture in words, because the purpose is to understand what it feels like to be a part of the religion. This is hard because you cannot not truly know the experiential aspect of a religion unless you practice it yourself. Hinduism is a very introspective religion. It is like this because the same religion could be practiced in completely different ways around the world. There are central teaching, but many can be adapted and changed in different societies. In other words, there is a feeling of diversity. Reflection also has a huge role in Hinduism. This comes out particularly in yoga. Hindus spend a lot of time reflecting on there lives and trying to uncover their Atman.
The second element is historical, which is all about how Hinduism began. For Hinduism it is hard to pinpoint an exact date or time that it began. It began in India, but unlike Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, there are no founders that help place dates on these events. There are two main reasons that Hinduism is hard to trace, the first is that Hinduism was not a found religion per say. It began as more a way of life. Those who followed were called Hindus, and the culture was called Hinduism. The second reason, as I said before, is that there is not specific founder, or prophet, of Hinduism. Although the exact time cannot be known for sure, most agree that it began about 4000 years ago in India. It was the religion of ancient people who were known as the Aryans, or the noble people. These people’s philosophy, religion, and customs are the stories of the 330 million Gods and Goddesses that were passed down, and now are written and serve as important teachings for the Hindu faith. There is also archaeological evidence from the Indus Valley civilization of northwestern India helped to establish Hinduism as the world's oldest living religion, which I had not realized.
The third element is Doctrinal. This represents the main and central beliefs in Hinduism. Hindus believe that there is a piece of God in all of them, called the Atman, and they also believe in reincarnation. They believe that the only part of a person that does not die, but enters the new life, is the Atman. Throughout the life a Hindu it is their primary goal to figure out what their Atman is and how to live it out to the fullest. Another big doctrinal aspect is the idea of Maya, or that all reality is an illusion. Karma and Darmha are also important. Karma mean "work," and it is the explanation for why your life is the way it is. It is about complete personal responsibility, and that nothing happens by chance. Darmha is similar, but understanding the difference in very important . Darmha is what you must do based on your caste and stage in life. It is what all your life decisions should be based on.
Ethical is the fourth element of religion, and its purpose is to understand what the morals of this faith are. The idea is that religions have different ethics, and we want to see what ones are specific to Hinduism. The central ethic teaching in Hinduism is Dharma. Dharma is the ethical duty based on the divine order of reality. Along with being an ethical duty, it is also one of the 4 goals of life. Hindus strongly believe in service, and Karma Yoga is one of the paths that is dedicated to a service filled lifestyle. They seek the Atman within and have different notions of sin and forgiveness than other faith traditions might have. To them, God lives within, so when one "sins" they are hurting themselves essentially, and the God that is inside of them. There is also the practice of Ahimsa which includes cow veneration and being vegetarians.
The fifth element of Hinduism is ritual. The purpose of ritual is to discuss the main religious activities and celebrations. Rituals give faith traditions their structure. The four types of yoga are a big part of Hinduism ritual. The types are Bahkti, or devotion, Karma, focusing on works and service, Jnana, which is focused on reflection and philosophy, and lastly Raja, or meditation. Pujas are also very important in this element. Puja is the act of showing reverence to one of the gods or goddesses through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals, and it falls under Bhakti yoga. An essential part of puja for the Hindu is making a spiritual connection with the divine. Most often that contact is done through an object: an element of nature, a sculpture, a vessel, or a painting. Many times Pujas are done daily, and they can be set up anywhere.
Social is the sixth element of religion. This element is supposed to help us understand how this religion functions, and who the leaders are. Mahatma Gandhi is a huge religious and political leader in Hinduism. He was the primary leader of India’s independence movement and also the architect of a form of non-violent civil disobedience that influenced the world. His leadership for India and Hindus has played a large role in how Hinduism is practiced. Yogis, or those who lead yoga, are also important leaders in Hinduism. The last, but probably most important social aspect is the caste system. The caste system determines people’s social rankings based on their occupation, and their occupation is determined by the occupation of their parents.The highest caste is the Brahmin. These are the seers, the intellectual and spiritual leaders. The second highest is the Kshatriya, and it takes on all forms of public service, including administration, maintenance of law and order, and defense. The third caste is Vaishya, which includes those who engage in commercial activity as businessmen. They are the farmers and artisans. The second lowest caste is the Shudra, or those who work as semi-skilled and unskilled laborers. Those who belong to the fifth caste are known as the untouchables. These are people who are almost completely isolated from society, and people are barely allowed to look at you.
The seventh, and last, element of religion is material. The purpose of material is to recognize what objects and places play a role in Hinduism.
Ganges River
Bindi- "third eye"
Vedic
Sacred cow
Temples
Puja materials
The first element is experiential. This element is the hardest to capture in words, because the purpose is to understand what it feels like to be a part of the religion. This is hard because you cannot not truly know the experiential aspect of a religion unless you practice it yourself. Hinduism is a very introspective religion. It is like this because the same religion could be practiced in completely different ways around the world. There are central teaching, but many can be adapted and changed in different societies. In other words, there is a feeling of diversity. Reflection also has a huge role in Hinduism. This comes out particularly in yoga. Hindus spend a lot of time reflecting on there lives and trying to uncover their Atman.
The second element is historical, which is all about how Hinduism began. For Hinduism it is hard to pinpoint an exact date or time that it began. It began in India, but unlike Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, there are no founders that help place dates on these events. There are two main reasons that Hinduism is hard to trace, the first is that Hinduism was not a found religion per say. It began as more a way of life. Those who followed were called Hindus, and the culture was called Hinduism. The second reason, as I said before, is that there is not specific founder, or prophet, of Hinduism. Although the exact time cannot be known for sure, most agree that it began about 4000 years ago in India. It was the religion of ancient people who were known as the Aryans, or the noble people. These people’s philosophy, religion, and customs are the stories of the 330 million Gods and Goddesses that were passed down, and now are written and serve as important teachings for the Hindu faith. There is also archaeological evidence from the Indus Valley civilization of northwestern India helped to establish Hinduism as the world's oldest living religion, which I had not realized.
The third element is Doctrinal. This represents the main and central beliefs in Hinduism. Hindus believe that there is a piece of God in all of them, called the Atman, and they also believe in reincarnation. They believe that the only part of a person that does not die, but enters the new life, is the Atman. Throughout the life a Hindu it is their primary goal to figure out what their Atman is and how to live it out to the fullest. Another big doctrinal aspect is the idea of Maya, or that all reality is an illusion. Karma and Darmha are also important. Karma mean "work," and it is the explanation for why your life is the way it is. It is about complete personal responsibility, and that nothing happens by chance. Darmha is similar, but understanding the difference in very important . Darmha is what you must do based on your caste and stage in life. It is what all your life decisions should be based on.
Ethical is the fourth element of religion, and its purpose is to understand what the morals of this faith are. The idea is that religions have different ethics, and we want to see what ones are specific to Hinduism. The central ethic teaching in Hinduism is Dharma. Dharma is the ethical duty based on the divine order of reality. Along with being an ethical duty, it is also one of the 4 goals of life. Hindus strongly believe in service, and Karma Yoga is one of the paths that is dedicated to a service filled lifestyle. They seek the Atman within and have different notions of sin and forgiveness than other faith traditions might have. To them, God lives within, so when one "sins" they are hurting themselves essentially, and the God that is inside of them. There is also the practice of Ahimsa which includes cow veneration and being vegetarians.
The fifth element of Hinduism is ritual. The purpose of ritual is to discuss the main religious activities and celebrations. Rituals give faith traditions their structure. The four types of yoga are a big part of Hinduism ritual. The types are Bahkti, or devotion, Karma, focusing on works and service, Jnana, which is focused on reflection and philosophy, and lastly Raja, or meditation. Pujas are also very important in this element. Puja is the act of showing reverence to one of the gods or goddesses through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals, and it falls under Bhakti yoga. An essential part of puja for the Hindu is making a spiritual connection with the divine. Most often that contact is done through an object: an element of nature, a sculpture, a vessel, or a painting. Many times Pujas are done daily, and they can be set up anywhere.
Social is the sixth element of religion. This element is supposed to help us understand how this religion functions, and who the leaders are. Mahatma Gandhi is a huge religious and political leader in Hinduism. He was the primary leader of India’s independence movement and also the architect of a form of non-violent civil disobedience that influenced the world. His leadership for India and Hindus has played a large role in how Hinduism is practiced. Yogis, or those who lead yoga, are also important leaders in Hinduism. The last, but probably most important social aspect is the caste system. The caste system determines people’s social rankings based on their occupation, and their occupation is determined by the occupation of their parents.The highest caste is the Brahmin. These are the seers, the intellectual and spiritual leaders. The second highest is the Kshatriya, and it takes on all forms of public service, including administration, maintenance of law and order, and defense. The third caste is Vaishya, which includes those who engage in commercial activity as businessmen. They are the farmers and artisans. The second lowest caste is the Shudra, or those who work as semi-skilled and unskilled laborers. Those who belong to the fifth caste are known as the untouchables. These are people who are almost completely isolated from society, and people are barely allowed to look at you.
The seventh, and last, element of religion is material. The purpose of material is to recognize what objects and places play a role in Hinduism.
Ganges River
Bindi- "third eye"
Vedic
Sacred cow
Temples
Puja materials