Hinduism is more then a religion, it is a way of life. The Hindu religion is filled with traditions that have been practice for thousands of years. Hindu’s religion or way of life is based on living well and keeping in tune with their traditions rather then a set of commandments.
Modern day Hindus like to be referred to as Sanatana Dharma. The part of the name Sanatana encompasses an ageless belief that their ways have always existed. The second part of the name Dharma refers to their “religion”, and day to day life including societal issues. Dharma is directly the laws that govern a person’s actions. The Hinduism religion does not have a bible or anything of that nature. It does contain scriptures that are more spiritual stories and some even include ideas on medicine and science. Hindus are not forced to believe any one idea either. The complex Hindu belief is atheistic, monotheistic, and agnostic all in one. Hindus believe in “the truth,” referred to as many things. The Hindus do spiritually follow two doctrines; the Doctrine of Spiritual Competence (Adhikaara), and the Doctrine of The Chosen Deity. The Doctrine of Spiritual Competence requires that a person’s spiritual practices be on the same level of their spiritual competence. The Doctrine of The Chosen Diety allows Hindu people the option of creating or choosing their own form of a Brahman to worship. (Shreedhar,2001) Hindus also believe that life has four basic goals that a person should achieve. The goals are dharma, religious duty; artha, material possession; kama, desires; and moshka, salvation. The Hindu religion is different from almost every religion in almost every way. It barely meets the criteria to even be considered a religion.
Hinduism -3-
There are quite a few cultural and societal influences that have made Hinduism vital to region in which it originated. First off, the society of India practices several different traditions and practices. Hinduism does not fit into a...