Hinduism

To understand India and to know its people is to understand its spiritual beliefs. Since the dawn of its own civilization, India remained to be the land of faith and spirituality. From India came Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. In this blog entry we will discuss the major faith of India, Hinduism.

Hinduism teaches us that one's state of happiness in one's present life is dictated by how one performed good deeds in one's past life. Eventually the faithful Hindu's goal is to gain deliverance from the everlasting cycle of birth and rebirth. The path to life is based on knowledge, devotion and work. God is one but his incarnations are many. God is Brahman and is composed of Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva, the destroyer plus his ten avatars or inacarnations. All in all there are about 300 million Hindu gods and godesses.

Hinduism basically believe in the law of karma wherein every action or decision, good or bad has a consequence that will return to the person who acted upon it. And in reincarnation where one goes through a series of physical births, deaths and rebirths. Good karma reborns a person to a higher caste or to godhood and bad karma reborns a person to a lower caste or to an animal. Finally all Hindus aspire for Nirvana, the highest state by which the soul is released from the cycle of eternal rebirth.

Part of Hinduism's oldest aspect that is still observed today though not as strict as it was hundreds or thousands of centuries ago is the caste system which I personally do not like. The caste system is based on the teachings of Hinduism dividing the society to four castes or social classes and each class has its own rules. The four classes are the elite Brahman or priests, followed by the Kshatriyas, or warriors and rulers. Third are the Vaisyas, or merchants and farmers. Fourth caste is the Shudras, or laborers. Outside the caste system are the untouchables or the outcasts of Hindu society. A person is born into a particular caste.

Finally Hinduism tells us that the way to nirvana is through meditation and prayers and in fulfilling one's social duties honestly. Faithful Hindus practice karma yoga the way of works, jnana yoga - realizing we are one with the divine through deep meditation and bhakti yoga - self surrender to the deities of Hinduism absorbing divine reality.

Writing and preparing this article for you is such an education for me.

Photo Credit: New Year's First Morning Worship in Benares, India
Photographer: Saleem Reshamwala
Photo Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kidethnic/sets/