Hinduism Paper

HUM/130
August 11, 2013

Hinduism Paper - Unity
According to Das Subhamoy (2013), “Hinduism is the world's oldest extant religion, with a billion followers, which makes it the world's third largest religion. Hinduism is a conglomeration of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices that originated in India, characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths.” Hindus believe that God is the love and light that protects and nurtures mankind.
Given the fact that Hinduism lacks a uniting belief system, there are four main components that must be understood: Dharma, Samsara, Karma, and Moksha. Dharma is the law that sustains cosmic order and religious laws that guide behaviors in society. It represents duties and responsibilities that must be fulfilled for peace, happiness and contentment not only within the family but the community as well. One’s adherence to dharma will impact what his life will be like in the next being his atman inhabits.
Hinduism teaches that a person is not the body they live in, but rather their atman, or soul. Samsara is the cyclical process of birth, death, and rebirth in the form of reincarnation. A person does not know when this process will begin or end.
Karma is the law of cause and effect, not one’s fate. Hinduism reinforces that you reap what you sow. The decisions and actions that one chooses is of his own free will and will have an impact on the samsara to be experienced. The karma of a previous life is