Hinduism

Professor Roy Shaff
World Religions
March 11, 2012 Hinduism is a very complex religion that consists of a variety of beliefs and traditions.
The Indian religion embraces the belief and practices of Hindu. Hinduism is a religion of many gods and goddesses. There are many elements that characterize the Hindu religion. The oldest and most sacred scriptures, is the Vedas which originated around fifteen hundred B.C. The Hindu people believe that Vedas is timeless. Veda means “knowledge”. The knowledge came from Lord Krishna, the Supreme of Godhead. The four Vedas consist of Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva. One Divine and the divinities of nature come from the prayers of the Vedas. Prayers also consist of matrimony, progeny, prosperity, concord and domestic rites for magic just to name a few. The prayers consist of day-today spiritual realization as well as the needs to live (Coogan, 2005). The Vedas prayers are written in metrical verse which includes approximately four lines.
Hinduism is three popular religions in the world. Hindus worship in their homes and their Temples. Hindus use a small room in their home to pray daily. The worship of Hindu is puja. This is carried out in the home of the Hindu before a Hindu Temple. There are many places of worship for the Hindu religion and each one as special features that are present in the house of worship. The five senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing involves the Hindu worship (Coogan, 2005). Hindu also considers the basic elements light, fire, earth, air and water.
Before Hindus pray at home they wash thoroughly. When entering the Temple or at home, the Hindus remove their shoes to show respect to their god (Coogan, 2005). Hindus believe in the immortality of the soul and in reincarnation. The religion of Hindu believes in the battle between the good and evil. The religion teaches that man advance through successive levels of knowledge to final of truth. Truth and knowledge is very important to the Hindu faith.
There are quite a few misconceptions about the Hindu faith; the first is the belief in many Gods. Many people have the understanding there are many gods and goddesses, but if you really look into the philosophically of the Hindu belief they believe in one god. The gods are a manifestation of the same god. There is not just any one founder and it does not have a bible or Qur’an to learn about and have a resolution. Hinduism does not adhere to just one idea. In my findings I learned that Hinduism can be identifying with civilization which is happening now. The caste system was created by the Hindu belief. The caste system keep it ring on the people for over 4,000 years, because their religion is sanctions. The cast system was abolished, but the custom remains in effect in rural areas (Fisher, 2011). In the urban centers, there are ads for a bride or groom to be their mate and who is from the same caste. There is misconceptions that woman are subservient to men. The woman status according to sacred text is abysmal; the status of today’s Hindu woman is very different than it was over 60 years ago. The Hindu women are educated, there are jobs available and being accepted has allowed the woman to become more mobile. Men view the equality of woman differently; the sacred text does not sway on this issue. There are still hills for woman to climb, especially in areas of marriage and their customs. Although child marriages have been outlawed, there are still locations that have arranged marriages. When someone dies, family and friends are informed. Within a few hours, the dead body is carried on a litter in a procession to the local cremation ground. The procession is lead by the eldest son, acting as the chief mourner of the deceased. The name of the god is either Rama, Hari or Shiva is cried out as the precession moves. At the cremation ground, the body is laid on a specially prepared pyre of wood and is cremated in the belief of its soul will be united with the ancestors after the proper funerary rituals are performed (Wangu, 2001). The mourners return to their homes without looking back.
The people who think they are in heaven (devaloka) enjoy happiness also long as their karma allows it. They souls will return to earth and continue the cycle of rebirth as long as their karma has been exhausted. Hindus believe. What really comforts the Hindu religion is the comfort of knowing that after the death their loved one is reincarnated. They believe that reincarnation means to be born again. Another problem with Hindu nationalism faces is that by promoting Hindu values, it has tended to harden the positions of it non-Hindu neighbors against it (Wangu, 2001).

My prior understanding was altering after I met with my Hindu neighbors; I sit with them for hours and hours and received a full understanding about their religion. As respect for their religion, as I entered their home I respectfully took off my shoes and gladly left them on the front porch. The atmosphere was very warm and welcoming and as I sit on the sofa and begin to feel spirit of love. Their Temple is so beautiful, very colorful and very interesting. My neighbors made sure before we left for the Temple that I had the right clothing on, the woman must cover their entire body, I wore a long dress and long selves. The Temple is beautiful, and very colorful. Once you enter the Temple you must take your shoes off before you enter the Temple. In my research, the Hindu people are very compassionate, loving and caring. All the Hindu scriptures are based upon the principles. They contain profound philosophical and spiritual truth. They form the fountainhead of Hindu philosophy. They embrace the gamut of their religious, moral, social, political economical and legal realms. The Hindu faith shows the ideal way of life. The Hindu people include their beliefs and practices like meditation on God and deal with the nature of God, sacred living and the meaning of worship. I learned through the guru that one understands the true meaning of the scriptures, develops faith in them and the finds the inspiration to abide by them. Also through a spiritual bond with the guru, they realize one is blessed with a direct realization of God. I thought my religion was the right religion, but who we to say are judging other people religion. My life has changed since I had the opportunity to spend time with my Hindu neighbors; my eyes were open to whole new world.
Misconceptions about other people’s religion are common because they are not educated on other religions. They lack knowledge about the religion. It is common to make assumptions about other religions when you are unfamiliar, when you don’t know the facts. Misconceptions are formed on popular opinions and attitudes. People feel that if you are from another part of the world you are different. We lack education about the different religion that surrounds our world. People fail to realize that the differences in the world between humans and their beliefs are a result of our culture, upbringing and our experiences. Instead of people learning about other religions, they look to the media and other negative ways to hear about religion. September 11, brought tears to everyone, but the media painted a negative picture of the Muslin faith. In the work environment, on the streets, airplanes and other areas, everyone Muslims turn people were talking about their faith because of September 11. The majority of the world was talking about the Muslins, and felt that all Muslins were the same. We should be educated to know that all people with a certain religion are not evil. If people who spend a little time and read about religion would have a better understanding of the belief of others.
It is true that most of our neighbors, co-workers, and friends are virtually clueless about Hinduism. Few people are well-informed about people, cultures and religions. Ignorance and wrong ideas about Hinduism have spread across the world. Unfortunately, the ignorance leads to problems for Hindu religions and other religions. Most people in the United States can learn about Hinduism in the classroom, textbooks in schools, library and the internet tend to provide a superficial treatment of non-western cultures. People have learned little about that Hindu faith through the mass media. The mass media have done more harm to religions than helping them. Movies and T.V. portray the Hindu religion that is demeaning, stereotypical and wrong.
The best way to address the ignorance in our country is take an active approach in educating others. By using every appropriate opportunity to talk to about religions you have learned about will help each and everyone. You can form a group with people who has the same ambition and passion you have to learn about various religions. By learning and teaching others will dismiss wrong ideas and allaying the fear of the unknown.
Maybe the world will be a better place if we learn how to respect others religions by learning and teaching others. Maybe we won’t be so judgmental of others and make people feel that they are not worthily. As I mentioned about September 11, that is a perfect example of how everyone judged the Muslim faith, and how it is still happening today especially when we get on the plane. Let’s work together and teach it other about Religion, the world would be a better place.

References
Coogan, Michael D. (2005). Eastern Religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Shinto. New York: Oxford University Press Inc.

Fisher, M. P. (2011). Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, N.J. Pearson Education.

Wangu, Madhu B. (2001). Hinduism World Religions. New York, N.Y. Facts on the File Inc.

References: Coogan, Michael D. (2005). Eastern Religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Shinto. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Fisher, M. P. (2011). Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, N.J. Pearson Education. Wangu, Madhu B. (2001). Hinduism World Religions. New York, N.Y. Facts on the File Inc.