Due to poor documentation and the abstract nature of the religion itself, there are several interpretations (and misinterpretations) of this religion. The core idea, like in all religions, is to somehow relate the self to the divine. Hinduism tries to offer different paths to this goal (every individual can pick the path that's right for him/her) and argues that they are essentially equivalent.
There are three so-called "major paths" classified by the nature of the human. Jnana Yoga (Path of Knowledge) is suitable for Sattvic people ("Pure" people, usually Brahmanas (Priests) - more on the caste system in a later article), Karma Yoga (Path of Action) for Rajasic people ("Dim" people, usually the Kshatriyas (Warriors) and Vaishyas (Merchants)), and Bhakti Yoga (Path of Devotion) for Tamasic ("Dark" people).
So to sum it up, the goal of human life is salvation (called Nirvana = release from the cycle of reincarnation), which can be achieved through Knowledge, Action, and Devotion.
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I've written this very short introduction because too much detail will only lead to complication ==>confusion. Please feel free to ask questions.
does this mean there's more to come sujee? cuz i'm curious what the reasoning that is given to hindus who question the validity of their faith is. What is the evidence/proof? Also, what pleases the Gods and why?
And hm, do you think you can wait if you are going to post a long version? I'm going to have a schedule where all of these related religious posts will come out together so they aren't separated randomly by other posts.
I agree, I am still curious on what other aspects of Hinduism are out there! I'm also interested in your viewpoints.
Of course, I can wait. To answer your question briefly though, here's the sort of justification given: the world is an effect. Every effect has a cause. The first effect must also have a cause (something which itself isn't an effect, of course because that would contradict our first assumption). Hindus call this Brahman - universal soul. This is considered to be the only truth. Everything else is an image of Brahman - sort of like how we get a different reflection with different mirrors, but the original image is still the same, making the image, or the world(which includes humans, gods, etc) in our analogy, transient. It's therefore unnecessary to please gods, since the purpose of life is to recognize the existence of Brahman and become one with it, which can be achieved through Knowledge, Action, and Devotion.
ahh, so Gods are not the top level, they too are just reflections of this ultimate truth. They simply are more powerful and a different type of reflection than we are? What happens at a temple then? Are Gods closer to the truth than humans?
o and feel free to post up your longer version anytime since I forgot to put up something telling people to hold off... and it's gotten rolling already =)
Gods are essentially "achieved/enlightened" souls. Hindus believe Buddha, Jesus, and other prophets to be gods. Gods and temples are essentially aids to help a commoner reach the final goal. They are supposed to be a material representation of "the ultimate truth", for those who can't handle abstract concepts.
hmm, so even though they all preach different beliefs, there is one unifying theme in the end? What is this unifying thing? Knowledge? Truth? Something material?
I THINK YOU SHOULD POST ANOTHER THREAD WITH GREATER DEPTH!!! I want to learn more about hinduism. I haven't known many people who practice hinduism.
The unifying theme is that the goal of a man is to realize that the individual soul/consciousness (Atman) is equivalent to the universal soul/consciousness (Brahman). That is, the world is simply an image of this universal soul, including the human body. Ignorance gives us the notion of "I" (the individual soul), but through this intuitive realization (that Atman = Brahman), liberation (Moksha/Nirvana) is achieved.
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