HINDUISM
1. Hinduism is the world's oldest extant religion, with a billion followers, which makes it the world's third largest religion. Hinduism is a conglomeration of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices that originated in India, characterised by belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths.
2. Hinduism is a way of life, a Dharma ie the law that governs all action. It has its own beliefs, traditions, advanced system of ethics, meaningful rituals, philosophy and theology.
ORIGIN
3. Its origin in such remote past that it can not be traced to any one individual.
4. Some believe that it must have existed even in circa 10000BC & the earliest of the Hindu scriptures- the Rig Veda- was composed well before 6500BC.
5. The word "Hindu" is derived from the name of River Indus which follows through northern India. In ancient times the river was called the "Sindhu" but the persians who migrated to India called the river, 'Hindu', the land 'Hindustan' and its inhabitants 'Hindus'. Thus the religion followed by the Hindus came to be known as 'Hinduism'.
6. It is considered to be the oldest religion in the history of human civilization.
BASIC TENETS OF HINDUISM
7. Hinduism is a conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions, in which the prominent themes include:-
- Dharma (ethics & duties)
- Samsara (rebirth)
- Karma (Right action)
- Moksha (liberation from the cycle of samsara)
8. It believes in truth, honesty, non-violence, celibacy, cleanliness, contentment, prayers, austerity, preserverance, penance and pious company.
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