Hinduism

Sanatan Dharma is the sanskrit name for Hinduism, a western name for a belief system that originated in India. Sanatan means 'that which is always there' and dharma comes from a word meaning 'to sustain life.' Dharma deals with all life, not just human life. There is an interdependence between all life.

Hindus believe in one God, Brahman that is a universal force existing everywhere, always and in everything, both in the living and non-living. Brahman is eternal, unchanging and the source of all knowledge.

Brahman is 'ultimate reality.' All living souls originate from, and seek to be reunited with Brahman. Like a droplet of water the soul makes a series of contacts with the physical world until it achieves its liberation from the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation. Each contact is an 'incarnation.'

Brahman has been revealed in many forms. In a Hindu temple, there will be shrines to many deities. At home, a Hindu family may have a shrine that includes any of their chosen deities. Popular deities include Shiva, Krishna, Ganesha, Durga, Rama and Sita.

The law of karma is important. The principle objective is to provide the soul with further opportunities to achieve its goal of reunion with Brahman. The law of karma is the law of cause and effect. Free will ensures the existence of choice, but it follows that there are consequences of the actions chosen. The actions of the present life will result in another incarnation or liberation from re-birth.

The spiritual journey is therefore different for each individual and religious disciplines will vary from person to person and at different stages in a person's life.

The working population was divided into four groups, which became well known as the caste system. Many Hindus today do not recognise these divisions and caste barriers are beginning to break down.

Hinduism has much in common with other religions originating in the east, such as Buddhism and Sikhism.These are variants of Hinduism rather than contradictions, so from a religious point of view there is common ground between believers.

Other points to note:

  • There is tolerance for other religions.Although other religions are viewed to be different from Hinduism, they are not thought to be incompatible with it.
  • There is respect for life in all its forms and for the doctrine of non-violence (Ahimsa).
  • There is little congregational worship in Hindu temples as religion is considered to be a matter for the individual. Congregational worship in the temple takes place at festival time.
  • Many Hindus pray at home twice a day - before sunset to start the day with prayer for righteous living and at sunset to end with reflection on the day's
  • work
  • People who are followers of a personal God are likely to begin the day with prayer (puja) at a shrine within the home.They may also visit a temple occasionally to make offerings and to pray.

Followers: Hindus

Holy Book: The Vedas, Ramayana, Bhagavadgita (Gita) which forms a part of the great epic, the Mahabharata

Main Religious Festivals: Include Divali and Holi

Holy Day: No one specific day of the week. For some, Guruvar (Thursday) is a special day

Language: Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu or the language of the country of origin.There are about 14 regional languages in India

Community Contact: In Devon there is no Hindu temple, although there is a growing community in Plymouth that meets once a month at the Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity, usually on the second Sunday of the month, 3:00-6:00pm.  The nearest temple is in Bristol:

Tel: 0117 935 1007

http://home.freeuk.com/hindutemple/