Hinduism: Beliefs, Practices, and Key Concepts
Samsara: The Cycle of Reincarnation
Samsara, the transmigration of souls, is the reincarnation of successive atman (individual soul). This is symbolized by a wheel always moving.
Bhakti: Devotion and Personal Relationship with God
Bhakti is a form of devotion that goes beyond routine rituals. It represents a personal relationship between the faithful and their god. Its origins are found in certain hymns of the Veda. This concept is based on the conception of God that appears in the Bhagavad Gita. It is made up of two attitudes: prapatti and seva.
Caste System: A Hierarchy Based on Purity
Caste is a religious reality that reflects a hierarchy within the community based on the religious functions of each group. The division of these groups is based on the notion of purity. This system acts as a kind of counter-power. The positions within the system are neither immutable nor monolithic.
Yoga: A Path to Spiritual Union
Yoga is a spiritual practice that aims to unite the individual soul with the divine. It involves various techniques, including physical postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), and meditation.
Hindu Gods and the Trimurti
Hindus worship different gods depending on the region, village, and family. Theoretically, they worship only one: Brahman, the “one universal, absolute, unlimited, eternal, from which all things are born, but their presence is hidden.” However, in practice, there are several gods, making Hinduism a polytheistic religion. The three most important gods (Hindu trinity or trimurti) represent all aspects of the divine:
- Brahma: Creator of the universe and everything, Brahma is the first character of the “Trimurti.” He represents the essence in which everything exists. What is worshipped is “the power of Brahma,” personified in the form of “Saravasti” (Brahma’s wife). Sarasvati protects knowledge and especially the arts, and is the groundbreaking of Sanskrit. She is represented as a goddess (“Maha-Devi”) as the concentration of all feminine aspects.
- Vishnu: The second manifestation of the “Trimurti.” Originally a sun god (ray of sun that penetrates and makes a living), Vishnu is also space as he is everywhere at once, omnipresent. Vishnu is the keeper of the law of “Dharma” and intervenes in the form of “avatars” to annihilate the “asuras” (evil) and restore order in the world.
- Shiva: The third character of the “Trimurti.” Shiva is both engendering and destroyer, protector and avenger. He is the god of duality, creating and destroying in endless acts. The first manifestation of Shiva is the “linga” (cylindrical stone that comes from a kind of spouted vessel resting on a base round or square). The linga is merely the material representation of God’s presence in life, which engenders a kind of devoted support. The popular image of Shiva shows him dancing in the middle of a circle of flames, crushing demons. He is “Nataraja,” the “Lord of the Dance.” Shiva is also the ambiguous god of time.
Initiator/Founder
Hinduism is not founded on any historical figure who has acted under divine inspiration.
Main Message
“There is a universal order and cyclic rules the world and society. Every thing and every being is in place
DEATH-Hindus believe in reincarnation or transmigration of souls. Each individual soul or atman, eternal soul that lives Ennead be, is reincarnated after death in another living according to his conduct in life. There is a cycle of rebirths called samsara. The goal of each atman is to break the cycle of rebirths to merge into Brahman. Individuals who have taken the moral law (karma) for their path (dharma) can reincarnate into a higher stage and, finally, free from the cycle of reincarnations. However, depress wrongdoing on the scale of beings reborn in a lower class man or an animal or stone.
SACRED BOOKS-The sacred books of Hinduism are the Vedas (Rigveda, Yajuerveda, Samaveda,
Mahabharata and Ramayana). The latter two have respectively the epics of Krishna and Rama, incarnation of the god Vishnu.
COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS-CHURCH-The hierarchy of the community of believers generates the caste system, based on the notion of purity. It was considered sacred and no one can change his caste. The highest is that of the Brahmins, who have decided to devote his life to the worship of God. They are the priestly class in Hinduism. They belong to the upper caste, which is closer to Brahma, the universal energy. They are the guardians and transmitters of the deeds. Belong to this caste “pandit” (or theologians and scholars of Hinduism), the “sadhu” who practice fasting and silence as a means of achieving the brahma, fleeing the universe, the “gurus” …
MORAL “Since our actions determine our Karma, had better live as we do not exist, be detached from everything. The resignation and tolerance are fundamental attitudes.
BRANCHES AND CURRENT-created around many different gurus or spiritual teachers.