INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGION AND BELIEF SYSTEMS

A WRITTEN REPORT ON HINDUISM

G12-05 HSS

Submitted by:
Bautista, Moira
De Guia, Raquel
Funtaniel, Jv
Gonzalez, Millibeth
Luchavez, Aidan
Panambulan, Rainidah

Submitted to:
Sir Remson De Leoz
Hinduism
 Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars,
with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Today,
with about 900 million followers, Hinduism is the third -largest religion
behind Christianity and Islam. Roughly 95 percent of the world’s
Hindus live in India. Because the religion has no specific founder, it’s
difficult to trace its origins and history. Hinduism is unique in that it’s
not a single religion but a compilation of many traditions and
philosophies.

Origins of Hinduism
 Most scholars believe Hinduism formally started somewhere between 2300
B.C. and 1500 B.C. in the Indus Valley, near modern-day Pakistan. But many
Hindus argue that their faith is timeless and has always existed. Unlike other
religions, Hinduism has no one founder but is instead a fusion of various
beliefs. Around 1500 B.C., the Indo-Aryan people migrated to the Indus
Valley, and their language and culture blended with that of the indigenous
people living in the region. There’s some debate over who influenced who
more during this time.
 The period when the Vedas were composed became known as the “Vedic
Period” and lasted from about 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C. Rituals, such as
sacrifices and chanting, were common in the Vedic Period.
 The Epic, Puranic and Classic Periods took place between 500 B.C. and 500
A.D. Hindus began to emphasize the worship of deities, especially Vishnu,
Shiva and Devi.
 The concept of dharma was introduced in new texts, and other faiths, such
as Buddhism and Jainism, spread rapidly.

Medieval and Modern Hindu History

 The Medieval Period of Hinduism lasted from about 500 to 1500 A.D. New
texts emerged, and poet saints recorded their spiritual sentiments during this
time.
 In the 7th century, Muslim Arabs began invading areas in India. During parts
of the Muslim Period, which lasted from about 1200 to 1757, Hindus were
restricted from worshipping their deities, and some temples were destroyed.
Saints expressed their devotion through poetry and songs.

Mahatma Gandhi
 Between 1757 and 1848, the British controlled India. At first, the new rulers
allowed Hindus to practice their religion without interference. But later ,
Christian missionaries sought to convert and westernize the people.
  Many reformers emerged during the British Period. The well-known politician
and peace activist, Mahatma Gandhi, led a movement that pushed for India’s
independence.
 The partition of India occurred in 1947, and Gandhi was assassinated in
1948. British India was split into what is now India and Pakistan , and
Hinduism became the major religion of India.
 Starting in the 1960s, many Hindus migrated to North America and Britain,
spreading their faith and philosophies to the western world.

Hindu Deities
Hindus worship many gods and goddesses in addition to Brahman, who is believed
to be the supreme God force present in all things.

Some of the most prominent deities include:

 Brahma: the god responsible for the creation of the world and all living things
 Vishnu: the god that preserves and protects the universe
 Shiva: the god that destroys the universe in order to recreate it
 Devi: the goddess that fights to restore dharma
 Krishna: the god of compassion, tenderness and love
 Lakshmi: the goddess of wealth and purity
 Saraswati: the goddess of learning

Hindu Sects
Hinduism has many sects, and is sometimes divided into the following:

 Shaiva (followers of Shiva)

 Vaishnava (followers of Vishnu)
 Shakta (followers of Devi)
 Smarta (followers of Brahman and all major deities)

Some Hindus elevate the Hindu trinity, which consists of Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva. Others believe that all the deities are a manifestation of one.

Caste System
The caste system is a social hierarchy in India that divides Hindus based on their
karma and dharma. Many scholars believe the system dates back more than 3,000
years.
The four main castes (in order of prominence) include:
1. Brahmin: the intellectual and spiritual leaders
2. Kshatriyas: the protectors and public servants of society
3. Vaisyas: the skillful producers
4. Shudras: the unskilled laborers
Many subcategories also exist within each caste. The “untouchables” are a class
of citizens that are outside the caste system and considered to be in the lowest
level of the societal hierarchy.
For centuries, the caste system determined every aspect of a person’s social,
professional and religious status in India.

Hindu Philosophy
 The compound “Hindu philosophy” is ambiguous. Minimally it stands for a
tradition of Indian philosophical thinking. However, it could be interpreted as
designating one comprehensive philosophical doctrine, shared by all Hindu
thinkers. The term “Hindu philosophy” is often used loosely in this
philosophical or doctrinal sense, but this usage is misleading. There is no
single, comprehensive philosophical doctrine shared by all Hindus that
distinguishes their view from contrary philosophical views associated with
other Indian religious movements such as Buddhism or Jainism on issues of
epistemology, metaphysics, logic, ethics or cosmology. Hence, historians of
Indian philosophy typically understand the term “Hindu philosophy” as
standing for the collection of philosophical views that share a textual
connection to certain core Hindu religious texts (the Vedas), and they do not
identify “Hindu philosophy” with a particular comprehensive philosophical
doctrine.

 Hindu philosophy, thus understood, not only includes the philosophical

doctrines present in Hindu texts of primary and secondary religious
importance, but also the systematic philosophies of the Hindu schools:
Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Pūrvamīmāṃsā and Vedānta. In total,
Hindu philosophy has made a sizable contribution to the history of Indian
philosophy and its role has been far from static: Hindu philosophy was
influenced by Buddhist and Jain philosophies, and in turn Hindu philosophy
influenced Buddhist philosophy in India in its later stages. In recent times,
Hindu philosophy evolved into what some scholars call "Neo -Hinduism,"
which can be understood as an Indian response to the perceived
sectarianism and scientism of the West. Hindu philosophy thus has a long
history, stretching back from the second millennia B.C.E. to the present.
Cultural
 Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. Hinduism is world's third largest
religion after Christianity and Islam. Hinduism is the dominant religion in
India, where Hindus form about 84 per cent of the total population. Hinduism
is also known as "Sanatan Dharma" or the everlasting religion. Hindu religion
is based on the concept that human and animal spirits come back to earth to
live many times in different forms. The Hindus believe that a soul moves up
and down hierarchy on the basis of behavior.
  According to Hinduism a person is born into the higher class because he/she
must have done good deeds in past life whereas a person is born into poverty
and shame because of misdeeds in past life. Central to Hinduism are the
concepts of reincarnation, the caste system, merging with Brahman, finding
morality, and reaching Nirvana (the peaceful escape from the cycle of
reincarnation). According to Hinduism the paths to salvation include rituals,
devotion and the way of knowledge (realization of reality and self -reflection).
If the practitioner follows the paths of these ways, salvation can be achieved.

 The main Hindu scriptures are Sruti (what is heard), Smriti (what is
remembered) the Vedas, the Brahmanas, the Upanishads, the Puranas and
epics. The Sruti include deeply religious things communicated to a seer and
recorded. The Vedas, the religious writings, include mantras (hymn s of
praise), brahmanas (sacrificial rituals) and Upanishads (108 sacred
teachings). The Smriti include the law (books of laws), puranas (myths,
stories, legends) and epics (sets of holy myths including Ramayana and
Mahabharata).
Tradition
 Hinduism has no central doctrinal authority and many practising Hindus do
not claim to belong to any particular denomination or tradition. Four major
denominations are, however, used in scholarly studies: Vaishnavism,
Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism. These denominations differ primarily in
the central deity worshipped, the traditions and the soteriological outlook.
The denominations of Hinduism, states Lipner, are unlike those found in
major religions of the world, because Hindu denominations are fuzzy with
individuals practicing more than one, and he suggests the term "Hindu
polycentrism".

 Vaishnavism is the devotional religious tradition that worships Vishnu and

his avatars, particularly Krishna and Rama. The adherents of this sect are
generally non-ascetic, monastic, oriented towards community events and
devotionalism practices inspired by "intimate loving, joyous, playful" Krishna
and other Vishnu avatars. These practices sometimes include community
dancing, singing of Kirtans and Bhajans, with sound and music believed by
some to have meditative and spiritual powers. Temple worship and festivals
are typically elaborate in Vaishnavism. The Bhagavad Gita and the
Ramayana, along with Vishnu-oriented Puranas provide its theistic
foundations. Philosophically, their beliefs are rooted in the dualism sub-
schools of Vedantic Hinduism.
 Shaivism is the tradition that focuses on Shiva. Shaivas are more attracted
to ascetic individualism, and it has several sub-schools. Their practices
include Bhakti-style devotionalism, yet their beliefs lean towards nondual,
monistic schools of Hinduism such as Advaita and Yoga. Some Shaivas
worship in temples, while others emphasize yoga, striving to be one with
Shiva within. Avatars are uncommon, and some Shaivas visualize god as
half male, half female, as a fusion of the male and female principles
(Ardhanarishvara). Shaivism is related to Shaktism, wherein Shakti is seen
as spouse of Shiva. Community celebrations include festivals, and
participation, with Vaishnavas, in pilgrimages such as the Kumbh Mela.
Shaivism has been more commonly practiced in the Himalayan north from
Kashmir to Nepal, and in south India.

 Shaktism focuses on goddess worship of Shakti or Devi as cosmic mother,

and it is particularly common in northeastern and eastern states of India such
as Assam and Bengal. Devi is depicted as in gentler forms like Parvati, the
consort of Shiva; or, as fierce warrior goddesses like Kali and Durga.
Followers of Shaktism recognize Shakti as the power that underlies the male
principle. Shaktism is also associated with Tantra practices. Community
celebrations include festivals, some of which include processions and idol
immersion into sea or other water bodies.

 Smartism centers its worship simultaneously on all the major Hindu deities:
Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha, Surya and Skanda. The Smarta tradition
developed during the (early) Classical Period of Hinduism around the
beginning of the Common Era, when Hinduism emerged from the interaction
between Brahmanism and local traditions. The Smarta tradition is aligned
with Advaita Vedanta, and regards Adi Shankara as its founder or reformer,
who considered worship of God-with-attributes (Saguna Brahman) as a
journey towards ultimately realizing God-without-attributes (nirguna
Brahman, Atman, Self-knowledge). The term Smartism is derived from Smriti
texts of Hinduism, meaning those who remember the traditions in the texts.
This Hindu sect practices a philosophical Jnana yoga, scriptural studies,
reflection, meditative path seeking an understanding of Self's oneness with
God.
ISSUES ENCOUNTERED/CONCERNING HINDUISM

Love Jihad
 ‘Love Jihad’ is a war declared by Jihadis against Hindus and Christians
through the medium of deceptive love.’ Today it has become need of the hour
for Hindus to take proper precautions so that Hindu women should not fall
prey to this demon of Love Jihad. Unite and come forward to thwart the
conspiracy of ‘Love Jihad’ and save our cultural heritage by preserving the
valuable treasure of Hindu girls.
Protest the anti-Hindu ‘Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill,
2011’
 Apparently ‘Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to
Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011’ is brought to curb the riots taking place
between majority and minority communities. After the alleged post -godhra
riots in Gujarat, the so called secularists are going pillar to post to bring this
enactment. So called social activists like Teesta Settlewad, Asgar Ali
ENgineer are the people involved in pushing this draft bill.
Few of the prominent issues include caste system, Sati practice, dowry system etc.
Hinduism takes a very strong stand on unity and considering all the Hindus as
family regardless of age, gender, beliefs or Hindus living in different countries.
 Views on the position of women, ranging from feminine leadership as the
highest goddess, to limiting her role to an obedient daughter, housewife and
mother. The Devi Sukta hymn of Rigveda, a scripture of Hinduism, declares
the feminine energy as the essence of the universe, the one who creates all
matter and consciousness, the eternal and infinite, the metaphysical and
empirical reality (Brahman), the soul (supreme self) of everything. The
woman is celebrated as the most powerful and the empowering force in some
Hindu Upanishads, Sastras and Puranas, particularly the Devi Upanishad,
Devi Mahatmya and Devi-Bhagavata Purana.

 Ancient and medieval era Hindu texts present a diverse picture of duties and
rights of women in Hinduism. The texts recognize eight kinds of marriage,
ranging from father finding a marriage partner for his daughter and seeking
her consent (Brahma marriage), to the bride and groom finding each other
without parental participation (Gandharva marriage). Dowry or Sati did not
exist in Vedic period and only became prevalent later. Sati started spreading
during the later part of the first millenium CE.
  Hinduism, states Bryant, has the strongest presence of the divine feminine
among major world religions, from ancient times to the present. The goddess
is viewed as central in Shakti and Saiva Hindu traditions.

Religious Conversion
 Religious conversion is one of the issue that haunts the very existence of
Hindu Dharma. It is reported that laksha of Hindus get converted to other
religions for various reasons as Hindus lack pride of their own Dharma .

Cow slaughter – A conspiracy to destroy the seat of faith of Hindus

 Cow, which is the abode of 33 crore Deities, is the seat of faith of Hindus. To
deliberately hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, non-Hindus engage in
cow slaughter, every year non-Hindus slaughter over 2 crore 40 lakh cows.
Protection of the Cow is protection of Dharma; Bharat, from ancient times,
has a history of protecting and nurturing Cows at any cost. Hence, O Hindus,
stop cow slaughter and perform your duty towards Dharma.