"That man attains Peace who lives devoid of longing, freed from all desires, and without the feeling of "I" and "mine"..."
Hinduism teaches that there is one ultimate reality behind the universe, which is called Brahman. This reality is manifested as various gods and goddesses, who are worshiped as forms of Brahman. Some of the major gods and incarnations of Hinduism include Rama, Krishna, Lakshmi (goddess of prosperity-see picture), and Ganesh.
This same divinity exists as the inner soul of man, where it is known as the Atman. Through reincarnation, the soul tries to realize its unity with God. This is accomplished through spiritual disciplines known as the Yogas. God also incarnates on earth as Avatars, those enlightened beings that incarnate only for the purpose of helping others reach awareness of God. Jesus might be used as an example of an Avatar.
The major scriptures of Hinduism are the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.
There are two main types of worship in Hinduism. A simple form is the Arati, in which fire and other items are waved in front of the deity, which is usually a picture or symbol of one of the gods or goddesses. A more elaborate form of worship is the Puja, in which fruit, flowers, and other ingredients are offered to the deity. Fire may also be used as the symbol of God.
There are more than 764,797,000 followers of Hinduism around the world and approximately 1,285,000 live in the United States.
(In my next post I will write about Jainism, one of the oldest religions of India.)
Namasthe Rev. Carla Golden: I am very much impressed your statements about Hinduism.
You have pictured Hinduism as it is. My hats are off to you.
May God bless you. Ed
Posted by: Ed Viswanathan | May 06, 2007 at 06:36 PM