Hinduism and Its Multiple Belief Systems

Hinduism and Its Multiple Belief Systems

Hinduism is term that covers multiple belief systems that originated in India. The word Hindu means “Indus River” which runs through part of India. Hinduism is the religious, philosophical, and cultural traditions native to India, an umbrella term. Hinduism is often referred to as Sanatana Dharma, “the eternal law or the way of life”.
Hinduism has no single founder and the term covers Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and many more religions. Hindu beliefs include but are not always restricted to beliefs in dharma. Dharma is your ethics and duties of Hinduism. Hinduism also includes samsara. Samsara is their belief in the cycle of life. The Hindu culture believe that the circle of life or “Samsara” includes birth, life, death, then rebirth and so on. “ As a person puts on new clothes and discards old torn clothes, similarly and embodied soul enters new material bodies, leaving the old bodies” (B.G. 2:22)
Karma is very important to the religions and cultures that are included in Hinduism. Karma is the cycle of cause and effect. The karmic effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping the past, present and future experiences. Since the soul carries on through many bodies in the Hindu beliefs, you are to live according to dharma to assure good karma in future lives, or future bodies with the same soul. In addition to the cycle of life and reincarnation, Hindu people believe in Moksha. Moksha is liberation from samsara, reincarnation and all of the suffering and limitation of worldly existence after realization of god. Some Hindu beliefs are that the key to obtaining moksha is yoga or self realization. Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental discipline originating in India.

According to one expert on the religion, “One big societal element is that India is one of the last bastions of the ancient world's culture. Its population practices scores of diverse religious traditions. One of "Hinduism's" greatest strengths is its able to unite the diverse...

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