CULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECT

Cultural Research Project



Cultural Research Project

Introduction

Hinduism is a religious tradition of India, in Sanskrit known as Sanatana Dharma (eternal religion) or vaidika dharma (duty Vedic). It is the third largest religion with more than nine million members, after Christianity and Islam. The states in which it is most common are: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Malaysia, Sri Lank(Bass, 2010)a. Hindu religion has no founder; however, it is the result of a long evolution of thought, and characterized by a set of regulatory and practical suggestions, backed up by scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmanas) and collections of legends and epics.

Sum of Cultures

Hinduism has no founder, and that is a sum of different religions, a set of metaphysical beliefs, religious cults, customs and rituals that make up a tradition, in which there is neither priest's orders to establish a single dogma, nor a central organization. It is rather an accumulation of peoples' beliefs from different regions along with those brought by the Aryans, who settled in the Ganges River basin and discussed in various disclosures, in the sacred Vedic Hindu and other books. The Hindus call their religious tradition as Sanatana Dharma ('eternal religion'), believing that it has no beginning or end. According to them, it has existed for over 5000 years (Bhallan, 2006), and that Hinduism is the oldest religious traditions in the world.

Doctrines

In Hinduism, there is a diversity of beliefs, but mainly the Hindus believe that behind the visible universe (Maya), which attributed, to successive cycles of creation and destruction, there is another life eternal and unchanging. Leaving the cycle of reincarnation (samsara) and returning to the spiritual universe is the greatest of all achievements for the Hindus. Currently, the impersonal Hindu God called Brahman, and all the other beings are its expression(Bass, 2010). This view can be called pantheism, the difference is that the impersonal Brahman is not the personification of God, and is distinct from Brahma, who is the creator of this universe. Brahma is a very high embodied soul temporarily occupying this high position within the material world, but can fall from his post and replaced by another entity. Depending on the complexity of the universe, Brahma the creator may have different number of heads, but that number may be up to a thousand. However, the complexity of Hinduism is such that it can hardly be labeled or given a description.

Hiduism and Christianity

Services

The services in Hindu temples ...