RELIGIONS: EXPERIENCES AND SPIRITUALITY
Module 6 – Religious Expressions of Hinduism
Lesson 1. History
a. Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs
dating back more than 4,000 years
b. Because the religion has no specific founder, it’s difficult to trace its origins and history;
Hinduism is unique in that it’s not a single religion but a compilation of many traditions
and philosophies; unlike other religions, Hinduism has no one founder but is instead a
fusion of various beliefs
c. Most scholars believe Hinduism started somewhere between 2300 B.C. and 1500 B.C. in the
Indus Valley, near modern-day Pakistan; but many Hindus argue that their faith is
timeless and has always existed
d. Around 1500 B.C., the Indo-Aryan people migrated to the Indus Valley, and their language and
culture blended with that of the indigenous people living in the region; there’s some
debate over who influenced who more during this time
e. The period when the Vedas were composed became known as the “Vedic Period” and lasted
from about 1500 B. C. to 500 B. C.; rituals, such as sacrifices and chanting, were common
in the Vedic Period
f. The Epic, Puranic and Classic Periods took place between 500 B.C. and 500 A. D.; Hindus began
to emphasize the worship of deities, especially Vishnu, Shiva and Devi
g. The name Hinduism is relatively new, having been coined by British writers in the first decades
of the 19th century; it refers to a rich cumulative tradition of texts and practices, some of
which date to the 2nd millennium BCE or possibly earlier
Lesson 2. Religious expressions
a. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book; truth or reality cannot be
encapsulated in any creedal formulation, a perspective expressed in the Hindu prayer
“May good thoughts come to us from all sides”; thus, Hinduism maintains that truth must
be sought in multiple sources, not dogmatically proclaimed; tolerance is the foremost
religious virtue
b. The primary sacred texts, known as the Vedas, were composed around 1500 B. C.; this collection
of verses and hymns was written in Sanskrit and contains revelations received by ancient
saints and sages
c. The Vedas are made up of:
[1] The Rig Veda (pronounced rik veda)
[2] The Samaveda
[3] Yajurveda
[4] Atharvaveda
d. Hindus believe that the Vedas transcend all time and don’t have a beginning or an end.
e. The Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, 18 Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata are also
considered important texts in Hinduism
f. Hinduism embraces many religious ideas; for this reason, it’s sometimes referred to as a “way of
life” or a “family of religions,” as opposed to a single, organized religion
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g. Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic, which means they worship a single deity, known as
“Brahman,” but still recognize other gods and goddesses; followers believe there are
multiple paths to reaching their god
h. Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara (the continuous cycle of life, death, and
reincarnation) and karma (the universal law of cause and effect)
i. One of the key thoughts of Hinduism is atman, or the belief in soul; this philosophy holds that
living creatures have a soul, and they’re all part of the supreme soul; the goal is to achieve
moksha, or salvation, which ends the cycle of rebirths to become part of the absolute soul
j. One fundamental principle of the religion is the idea that people’s actions and thoughts directly
determine their current life and future lives.
k. Hindus strive to achieve dharma, which is a code of living that emphasizes good conduct and
morality
l. Hindus revere all living creatures and consider the cow a sacred animal
m. Food is an important part of life for Hindus; most don’t eat beef or pork, and many are
vegetarians
n. Hinduism is closely related to other Indian religions, including Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism
o. Doctrine: expressed in a vast textual tradition anchored to the Veda (“Knowledge”), the oldest
core of Hindu religious utterance, and organized through the centuries primarily by
members of the learned Brahman class
p. Practice: despite India’s enormous diversity, a common grammar of ritual behaviour connects
various places, strata, and periods of Hindu life; while it is true that various elements of
Vedic ritual survive in modern practice and thereby serve a unifying function, much more
influential commonalities appear in the worship of icons or images (pratima, murti, or
archa); broadly, this is called puja (“honouring [the deity]”); if performed in a temple by a
priest, it is called archana; it echoes conventions of hospitality that might be performed
for an honoured guest, especially the giving and sharing of food; such food is called
prasada (“grace”), reflecting the recognition that when human beings make offerings to
deities, the initiative is not really theirs; they are actually responding to the generosity that
bore them into a world fecund with life and possibility; the divine personality installed as
a home or temple image receives prasada, tasting it (Hindus differ as to whether this is a
real or symbolic act, gross or subtle) and offering the remains to worshipers; some Hindus
also believe that prasada is infused with the grace of the deity to whom it is offered;
consuming these leftovers, worshipers accept their status as beings inferior to and
dependent upon the divine; an element of tension arises because the logic of puja and
prasada seems to accord all humans an equal status with respect to God, yet exclusionary
rules have sometimes been sanctified rather than challenged by prasada-based ritual
