Hinduism and its beliefs
Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It also exists among significant populations outside of the sub continent and has over 900 million adherents worldwide. Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings.Most Hindus worship one Being of ultimate oneness (Brahman) through infinite representations of gods and goddesses. These various manifestations of gods and goddesses become incarnate within idols, temples, gurus, rivers, animals, etc.
Hindus believe their position in this present life was determined by
their actions in a previous life. Hinduism therefore provides a possible
explanation for suffering and evil in this life. If a person’s behavior
before was evil, they might justifiably experience tremendous
hardships in this life. Pain, disease, poverty or a disaster like a
flood is deserved by that person because of their own evil actions,
usually from a previous lifetime.A Hindu's goal is to become free from the law of karma...to be free from continuous reincarnations. Only the soul matters which will one day be free of the cycle of rebirths and be at rest.
Hinduism gives a person freedom to choose how to work toward spiritual perfection. There are three possible ways to end this cycle of karma:
1. Be lovingly devoted to any of the Hindu gods or goddesses;
2. Grow in knowledge through meditation of Brahman (oneness)...to realize that circumstances in life are not real, that selfhood is an illusion and only Brahman is real;
3. Be dedicated to various religious ceremonies and rites.
