Brief Introduction to Hinduism

Hinduism is the oldest of all major religions. It is also the 3rd largest religion in the world with most of it's followers living in India, Sri Lanka, Bali, Nepal, Fiji , US and the Carribean. In addition, Hindu converts can be found all over the world from Brazil to Italy to Kazakhstan.There is not one place in the world that is shy of at least one Hindu temple.

Hinduism has evolved with its origins in the Indus Valley Civilization and Vedic civilization. It spans over 4 thousand years of philosophical thought by various enlightened sages, saviors, gurus and rishis (both men and women) from all classes, rich and poor. The ultimate goal for all Hindus is God realization. It is the only ancient belief system that is prevelant in such large numbers. Today, one can only find remnants of Ancient Egyptian and Mayan religions and civilizations, Hinduism has proven to be a survivor.

What’s unique about Hinduism is that it's not an organized religion. Prior to British rule, Hindus never cared to label themselves. Distinctions were most likely made from having different Gurus or belonging to different schools of thought. And although all traditions and schools within Hinduism stem from the Vedas, there is within Hinduism, a wide array of scriptures and traditions. Also, historically, it was not uncommon for Hindus belonging to different philosophical schools to hold traditional debates with one another about a myriad of subjects such as the nature of the soul, the concept of God, metaphysics, cosmology etc... This has led many Hindus to have vastly different beliefs from one another. Some newcomers seeking knowledge about Hinduism may find this problematic and/or confusing. However, many Hindus themselves do not, simply because they see Hinduism not as a religion, but as a process of personal and spiritual growth and any dogma (at least to it’s fullest extent) would only inhibit spiritual development. Furthermore, such an approach leaves little room for intuition, logic and reason. With that said, it must be noted that there are certain sects, traditions and individuals within Hinduism (both historical and modern) that have and do follow a rigid dogmatic approach.

Some people also argue that because of the diversity within Hinduism, many Hindus think that other religions are a part of or stem from Hinduism. Therefore, it must be noted that while Hinduism does share many similarities with other Indic religions such as Buddhism and Jainism, one must be careful not to include them within Hinduism. These religions have evolved into their own religions/philosophies.

Lastly, some curious souls will eventually come to ask why Hindus refer to themselves as such if the name was given to them by the British. The only answer to this would be that they do so for the same reason that every group belonging to a particular religion or nation would. For some, belonging to a larger group gives them a sense uniqueness. For others, it’s simply a means to identify themselves ( most people are familiar with the Hindu). Plus, since Hinduism does have a common origin (The Vedas), it can be argued that it’s perfectly reasonable to do so.

Hope you enjoy your stay and make this a fun place for learning and personal growth.