Hinduism (सनातन धर्म;
Sanātana Dharma, roughly Perennial Faith) is generally
considered to be the oldest
major world religion still practiced today and first among
Dharma
faiths. Hinduism is characterized by a diverse array of belief
systems, practices and scriptures. It has its origin in ancient
Vedic
culture at least as far back as
2000
BCE.
It is the third largest religion with approximately 1.05
billion followers worldwide, 96% of whom live in the
Indian subcontinent.
Perhaps the Hindu spirit, inspired by no single man or woman in
particular, is best captured in a line from the ancient
Rig Veda,
the "oldest religious scripture in the world." (1):
-
Sanskrit: एकम् सत् विप्रा: बहुदा वदन्ति
- Transliteration: Ekam Sat Vipraaha Bahudaa Vadanti
- English: "Truth is One, though the Sages know it as Many."
- — The Rig Veda (Book I, Hymn CLXIV, Verse 46)
Essentially, any kind of spiritual practice followed with faith,
love and persistence will lead to the same ultimate state of
self-realization. Thus, Hindu thought distinguishes itself by
strongly encouraging tolerance for different beliefs since temporal
systems cannot claim sole understanding of the one
transcendental Truth.
To the Hindu, this idea has been an active force in defining the
'Eternal Dharma.' It has been for Hinduism what the infinite Divine
Self of
Advaita is to existence, remaining forever unchanged and
self-luminous, central and pervasive, in spite of all the chaos and
flux around it.
Hinduism: a brief overview
10th century Khajuraho Mandir (Temple) in Madhya Pradesh
Hinduism rests on the spiritual bedrock of the
Vedas,
hence Veda
Dharma,
and their mystic issue, the
Upanishads, as well as the teachings of many great Hindu
gurus
through the ages. Many streams of thought flow from the six
Vedic/Hindu
schools,
Bhakti sects and
Tantra
Agamic schools into the one ocean of Hinduism, the first of the
Dharma religions.
The Eternal Way
"The Eternal Way" (in
Sanskrit सनातन धर्म, Sanātana Dharma), or the
"Perennial Philosophy/Harmony/Faith", is the one name that has
represented Hinduism for many thousands of years. According to
Hindus, it speaks to the idea that certain spiritual principles hold
eternally true, transcending man-made constructs, representing a
pure
science of
consciousness. But this consciousness is not merely that of the
body or mind and intellect, but of a supramental soul-state that
exists within and beyond our existence, the unsullied Self
of all. Religion to the Hindu is the native search for the divine
within the Self, the search to find the One truth that in actuality
never was lost. Truth sought with faith shall yield itself in
blissful luminescence no matter the race or creed professed. Indeed,
all existence, from vegetation and beasts to mankind, are subjects
and objects of the eternal Dharma. This inherent faith, therefore,
is also known as Arya/Noble Dharma, Veda/Knowledge Dharma,
Yoga/Union Dharma, Hindu Dharma or, simply, the
Dharma.
What can be said to be common to all Hindus is belief in
Dharma,
reincarnation,
karma,
and
moksha (liberation) of every soul through a variety of moral,
action-based, and meditative
yogas.
Still more fundamental principles include
ahimsa
(non-violence), the primacy of the
Guru,
the Divine Word of
Aum and
the power of
mantras,
love of Truth in many manifestations as Gods and Goddessess, and an
understanding that the essential spark of the Divine (Atman/Brahman)
is in every human and living being, thus allowing for many spiritual
paths leading to the One Unitary Truth.
A typical north-west Indian lady wearing a bindi
An example of the pervasiveness of this paramount truth-seeking
spirituality in daily life is the bindi (seen left), which
is a common marker for Hindu women. It symbolizes the need to
cultivate supramental consciousness, which is achieved by opening
the mystic "third eye." Hindus across the board stress meditative
insight, an intuition beyond the mind and body, a trait that is
often associated with the ascetic god
Shiva.
Men, too, will bear on their foreheads the equivalent tilak
mark, usually on religious occasions, its shape often representing
particular devotion to a certain main deity: a 'U' shape stands for
Vishnu,
a group of three lines for
Shiva.
It is not uncommon for some to meld both in an amalgam marker
signifying Hari-Hara (Vishnu-Shiva indissoluble).
Yoga Dharma
Hinduism is practiced through a variety of
Yogas
(spiritual practices), primarily
bhakti (loving devotion),
karma Yoga (selfless service),
Raja Yoga (meditational Yoga) and
Jnana Yoga (Yoga of discrimination). These are described in the
two principal texts of Hindu
Yoga:
The
Bhagavad Gita and the
Yoga Sutras. The
Upanishads are also very important as a philosophical foundation
for this rational spiritualism.
The four goals of life
Another major aspect of Hindu dharma that is common to
practically all Hindus is that of purushartha, the "four
goals of life". They are kama, artha,
dharma
and
moksha.
It is said that all humans seek kama (pleasure, physical or
emotional) and artha (power, fame and wealth), but soon,
with maturity, learn to govern these legitimate desires within a
higher, pragmatic framework of dharma, or moral harmony in
all. Of course, the only goal that is truly infinite, whose
attainment results in absolute happiness, is
moksha,
or liberation, (a.k.a.
Mukti,
Samadhi,
Nirvana, etc.) from
Samsara, the cycle of life, death, and existential duality.
The four stages of life
The human life is also seen as four Ashramas ("phases"
or "stages"). They are
Brahmacharya,
Grihasthya,
Vanaprastha and
Sanyasa. The first quarter of one's life, brahmacharya
(literally "grazing in Brahma") is spent in celibate, sober and pure
contemplation of life's secrets under a
Guru,
building up body and mind for the responsibilities of life.
Grihastya is the householder's stage, alternatively known as
samsara, in which one marries and satisfies kama and artha within a
married life and professional career. Vanaprastha is gradual
detachment from the material world, ostensibly giving over duties to
one's sons and daughters, spending more time in contemplation of the
truth, and making holy pilgrimages. Finally, in sanyasa, the
individual goes off into seclusion, often envisioned as the forest,
to find God through Yogic meditation and peacefully shed the body
for the next life.
