Hinduism

 Hinduism

Leonardo Brito

Axia College of University of Phoenix

 

            Within the Asian continent and south of the Himalayas, there is a large section which is considered as the Indian subcontinent (Living Religions, p. 69). Ever since the Vedic age, this area of the continent has encountered anything from practices and rituals, to political and regional separations, to disciplines and religions, some extremist and some polytheistic practices; there are a series of religions or philosophical systems such as, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism that make up a distinct tradition, Hinduism. This name was first introduced by the British community during the 19^th century as a consensus or a head-count to categorize that specific group of individuals. Nowadays, the Hinduism tradition was renamed Sanatana Dharma as a substitute characterization;  Dharma meaning “religion” and Sanatana meaning “ageless” or “illimitable” (Living Religions, p. 69). This new label encloses essential living laws, public abundance, morality, mental wellness, and spiritual realization.

            The specific origin of Hinduism may never be known because of different theories that derive from different places of the world. Some say that the Hindu tradition was adopted from another part of the world, or that it was brought by some foreigners into the Indian subcontinent; others specify and argue that the theory of Hinduism being born from somewhere else rather than India itself is a false claim, therefore the belief of a native born tradition -in this case India- is based off two different elements, philosophical and metaphysical elements; the philosophical element bases the Hindu tradition into a scientifically proven origin of a set of established or supposed principles to explain or organize a specific series of acts. This part of the Hindu tradition is caused or based on the existence of the universe, the man and the society, in this case the existence of Hinduism itself. For example, the Aryans which were, according to Living Religions, Indo-European tribes that were thought to reside on the southern parts of Russia, and then later migrated towards Indian land. This migration set the material part of the Aryan culture into the Santana Dharma; same occurrence of migration also came from the Brahmanas, Upanishads and other tribes or groups which gave Hinduism the practice of personal transformation within the spirit. This transformation may occur from the belief of reincarnation, which is the belief of the soul re-birthing into unlimited and different bodies or form of life; Karma is also another belief of transformation of the spiritual state that follows the consequences of actions, whether the actions were taken in the present life or past lives, the present actions will shape the future of the being.

            On the other hand the metaphysical element of the Sanatana Dharma is composed of general and abstract theories that practice the principles, properties and causes of the most elevated thoughts of the human being. In this case, the Hinduism tradition reflects the metaphysical element by the representation of Samkhya, Advaita Vedanta, and yoga (Living Religions, p. 76). The Samkhya system is based off two frames of mind, the Purusha or the Self, and the Prakriti, the reason of this material universe; this also implicates the belief of the “Self” being part of, or in fact, god itself. The Advaita Vedanta is a non-dualistic single reality that incorporates the false belief of a bodily life. Lastly, yoga is a spiritual discipline that has been practiced by several different groups within the Indian subcontinent. The discipline enables a clear, undisturbed or calm state of mind, and disconnected alertness (Living Religions, p. 77); so the practice of finally reaching this calm, clear, undisturbed state of mind is considered as a sattvic quality, which is transformed into the discipline of yoga.

            There are cultural and societal influences that has made Hinduism vital to the Indian subcontinent; starting with rituals which have been practiced over 16 different ways to purify and sanctify the being’s life, that according to Living Religions (page 95) they consist of ceremonies during spiritual realization, the braiding of the pregnant mother’s hair, birth, setting a name, beginning of solid foods, education, giving children a piece of clothing, leaving the family house for the first time, the study of Vedas, marriage, and death. Another important influence is that one of society working in an orderly matter, divided into four different castes or groups; the Brahmins or priests, kshatriyas or aristocrats, Vaishyas or economists, and the shudra caste or the blue-collar workers.  There are also Home Pujas or leaders within the families that take the role of knowing the Dharma. Continuing on, the Guru, which reaches a spiritual rank that many desire, becomes a guide over the spiritual belief towards realization; once a guru is found then the followers adore and honor him or her, this being a key function of how society seeks spiritual realization. Between these influences and others, pilgrimages and festivals have involved the society as a vital element by making individuals travel to holy places and co-exist with other people.

            Ultimately, the desire for liberation from earthly existence is that one of releasing the body from the flesh and mental burdens. This release ends the material life and then the start of the new after life experience. So, the most important element is the detachment of the soul from the body, which to Hinduism tradition, life and the body is an illusion; this illusion would be finally over for the soul, meaning that the spiritual realization has being thoroughly achieved. Therefore, spiritual realization is the biggest desire from the liberation of earthly existence.

References

Fisher, Mary Pat. (2005). Living Religions (6^th ed.). Hinduism [Ch. 3 (p. 69-106)]. Prentice-Hall.