Hinduism Paper

Hinduism Paper
By Andrew M Cherny
UOPX
HUM/130
4/19/2014
Andrew Stern

    When considering that Hinduism lacks a uniting belief system, to say what truly makes up the Hindu religion can be a tough question because it is a religion with much diversity. In my opinion it is the Santana Dharma that makes up the Hindu religion, the Santana Dharma is also known as the eternal or ageless religion. Hinduism is the devotion to a deity and philosophy, where the Santana Dharma produces many spiritual expressions it is said to have 330 million known deities in India. These “expressions of the Santana Dharma range from the extreme asceticism to the extreme sensuality, from the heights of personal devotion to a deity to the heights of abstract philosophy and the oneness behind the worship of multiple deities” (Fischer, 2014). To the Hindu person Hinduism is not viewed as a religion but it is instead a way of life, to become a Hindu a person is either born a Hindu or chooses Hinduism as a form of worship. Because of the many variations of the Santana Drama of Hinduism scholars have concluded that there are no central traditions that can be called Hinduism (Fischer, 2014). Depending on what village of India or the world for that you choose to visit the forms of worship is very diverse much more than any other religion.
    The basic principles of Santana Dharma are the belief of Reincarnation and Karma. The first teaching Reincarnation is when the soul leaves our dead body it will enter a new one. At the time of death one will be reborn again into either another body human form or it may be animal or any other form of life. The rebirth to another human is said to be rare but “allows the soul to advance towards its ultimate goal” that is not to be reborn again, to merge with “absolute reality” (Fischer, 2014). When we practice Hinduism the belief of reincarnation tells us the soul will reincarnate over and over again until the soul has learned all of life’s lessons...