Hinduism is more of a way of living than a religion, because it lacks a single founder, a specific theological system, a holy text, central authority or an earmarked single prophet. Hinduism is made up of a number of religious groups that have been in existence since 1500 BCE. It is the third largest religion in the world after Christianity and Islam with an estimated 837 million followers.
Some of the parts that have a strong following are India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, faithful are also found in other parts of the world, for instance there are almost 1.1 million in the United States of America. Hinduism is regarded as the oldest religion in the world; despite its lack of a unified way of worship, its followers continue to practice the same religious beliefs and practices that make up the religion.
Factors that makes Hinduism a religion
Even though Hinduism is made up of different sects it is unified by the ancient scriptures referred to as Vedas. An example of the Vedic scriptures is the Upanishads which advocates for a free will rather than reincarnation of human souls. The theme that Brahman is a central theme in Hinduism, it refers to the ultimate reality , that all human beings go through a cycle that is predetermined by Karma .It also holds that one can free himself or herself through self realization to attain Moksha (Liberation).There are specific Gods of Hinduism, Brahman is the ultimate God and represent the reality which is infinite and formless.
However, given that the human mind is limited, the followers are allowed to form their personified attributes of god. The most popular attributes in the religion are the deities of Shiva, Shakthi and Vishnu. Another unifying factor of Hinduism is the mythology of Hindus which originated from Vedic civilization; other mythologies come from Mahabharata, Puranas and Ramayana. Most Hindus are vegetarians although this habit is by choice; one of the reasons why they are vegetarians is their regard of the cow that is considered as holy. Most Hindus wear a mark on their forehead , the women decorate their hair,a traditon called bindi and wear vibhuti (holy ash). Hinduism is based on the worship of idols that represent gods to the different sects.
Cultural and Societal characteristics that are related to the origin of Hinduism
Hinduism started near the Indus River, in fact the name Hindus was applied by foreigners who described the inhabitants who lived near the river .The name Indus also refers to Sanatana, it implies eternity and reflects what most Hindus believe in that a human being does not die but his soul moves from one body to the other through reincarnation. Indus also refers to religion that should encompass duty, social welfare, health, ethics, natural law and transcendental realization [3]. Dharma entails a holistic approach that ensures that there is social coherence among humanity. Given that Dharma and Satana is attributed to the region where the religion came from and in one way or another they form the basis of the Hinduism religion.
After the invasion of the Aryans in the northern India during 1500 BC, a linguistic connection was developed among the north Indian, Iranian and European languages.This interrelationship among the existing languages in the era led to the formation of the Vedic literature. However this belief has been challenged pointing out that Vedic was already in existence before 1500 BC.
Another region that developed the Hinduism religion is the Sapta Sindhuy region which was also an origin of the Vedic texts and this was almost 8000 BC. The Sarasvati area forms most the tradition and belief that are practiced among the Hindus. Based on this analysis, it is evident that Vedic which also refers to the region where the Indus river was based, makes up most of Hinduism social and religious practices such as abiding by the natural law, belief in some creatures such as the cow, staying away from the slays of the dragon among others.
Explain the desire for liberation from earthly existence
Liberation in Hinduism does not mean going to heaven, no soul desires to get to heaven because heaven is closely related to earth, it is transient and limited even though life in heaven is more intense [4]. What most Hindus aspire for is the attainment of nirvana, mukti, kaivalya or Moksha. It is breaking the soul's attachment with nature or prakriti through delusion and egoism and attaching them to the physical existence. After a soul discovered its true nature and transcends its limitation,it becomes one with the divine. However for a soul to be one with the divine it has to undergo several deaths and births and has to tirelessly work hard to attain that ultimate goal of being liberated.
Some of the parts that have a strong following are India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, faithful are also found in other parts of the world, for instance there are almost 1.1 million in the United States of America. Hinduism is regarded as the oldest religion in the world; despite its lack of a unified way of worship, its followers continue to practice the same religious beliefs and practices that make up the religion.
Factors that makes Hinduism a religion
Even though Hinduism is made up of different sects it is unified by the ancient scriptures referred to as Vedas. An example of the Vedic scriptures is the Upanishads which advocates for a free will rather than reincarnation of human souls. The theme that Brahman is a central theme in Hinduism, it refers to the ultimate reality , that all human beings go through a cycle that is predetermined by Karma .It also holds that one can free himself or herself through self realization to attain Moksha (Liberation).There are specific Gods of Hinduism, Brahman is the ultimate God and represent the reality which is infinite and formless.
However, given that the human mind is limited, the followers are allowed to form their personified attributes of god. The most popular attributes in the religion are the deities of Shiva, Shakthi and Vishnu. Another unifying factor of Hinduism is the mythology of Hindus which originated from Vedic civilization; other mythologies come from Mahabharata, Puranas and Ramayana. Most Hindus are vegetarians although this habit is by choice; one of the reasons why they are vegetarians is their regard of the cow that is considered as holy. Most Hindus wear a mark on their forehead , the women decorate their hair,a traditon called bindi and wear vibhuti (holy ash). Hinduism is based on the worship of idols that represent gods to the different sects.
Cultural and Societal characteristics that are related to the origin of Hinduism
Hinduism started near the Indus River, in fact the name Hindus was applied by foreigners who described the inhabitants who lived near the river .The name Indus also refers to Sanatana, it implies eternity and reflects what most Hindus believe in that a human being does not die but his soul moves from one body to the other through reincarnation. Indus also refers to religion that should encompass duty, social welfare, health, ethics, natural law and transcendental realization [3]. Dharma entails a holistic approach that ensures that there is social coherence among humanity. Given that Dharma and Satana is attributed to the region where the religion came from and in one way or another they form the basis of the Hinduism religion.
After the invasion of the Aryans in the northern India during 1500 BC, a linguistic connection was developed among the north Indian, Iranian and European languages.This interrelationship among the existing languages in the era led to the formation of the Vedic literature. However this belief has been challenged pointing out that Vedic was already in existence before 1500 BC.
Another region that developed the Hinduism religion is the Sapta Sindhuy region which was also an origin of the Vedic texts and this was almost 8000 BC. The Sarasvati area forms most the tradition and belief that are practiced among the Hindus. Based on this analysis, it is evident that Vedic which also refers to the region where the Indus river was based, makes up most of Hinduism social and religious practices such as abiding by the natural law, belief in some creatures such as the cow, staying away from the slays of the dragon among others.
Explain the desire for liberation from earthly existence
Liberation in Hinduism does not mean going to heaven, no soul desires to get to heaven because heaven is closely related to earth, it is transient and limited even though life in heaven is more intense [4]. What most Hindus aspire for is the attainment of nirvana, mukti, kaivalya or Moksha. It is breaking the soul's attachment with nature or prakriti through delusion and egoism and attaching them to the physical existence. After a soul discovered its true nature and transcends its limitation,it becomes one with the divine. However for a soul to be one with the divine it has to undergo several deaths and births and has to tirelessly work hard to attain that ultimate goal of being liberated.
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