Hinduism is term used to describe a wide array of religious beliefs that have collectively been categorized as Hinduism. This collective group of religious beliefs makes it difficult to give a solid understanding of the religion but in this essay I will focus on some aspects that make up the religion, cultural and societal influences that makes this religion vital to the region that it originates from, and aspects of Hinduism that give those that practice a desire for liberation from earthly existence.
What makes Hinduism a Religion?
The Hindu religion is a collection of several religious beliefs but the common ground can be found in a few similar understandings. All of the collective beliefs share the understanding in the Vedas which are scriptures that are thought to be thousands of years old and are a collection of moral codes and mediation practices that were thought to have been written by sages or rishis but were told by the eternal. Another shared belief is the understanding of karma which is literally the belief that all actions dictate how your life will progress. If you are a good person and do good things for people, good things will happen. There is also the shared belief that all human suffering can be attributed to a person lack of understanding of self which is thought to be perfect in every way but can only be understood through the lack of external distractions and replaced with a focus on the internal self (Fisher, 2005).
Cultural and Societal Influences
The caste system, which is still used in India today but dates back to the Vedic age, is deeply engrained into the Hindu culture and greatly impacts every aspect of the regions that practice this religion in Ind ...