How a person is reincarnated is determined by karma, which is a principle of cause and effect governed by nature’s balance. The spiritual goal of a Hindu is to become one with Brahma, thus ceasing to exist in its illusory form of “individual self.” This freedom is referred to as “moksha.” Until moksha is achieved, a Hindu believes that he/she will be repeatedly reincarnated in order that he/she may work towards self-realization of the truth (the truth being that only Brahman exists, nothing else). All of reality outside of Brahman is considered mere illusion. Because Brahma is everything, Hinduism asserts that everyone is divine. For the Christian, the conflict is more likely simple hypocrisy. For the Hindu the conflict is genuine logical contradiction. But, to be fair, Christians are no more logical when they claim belief in Yahweh yet live life as practical atheists, denying Christ with their lives. This openness to contradiction can be a headache for Westerners who seek logical consistency and rational defensibility in their religious views. If the system accepts Indian culture and its theo-mythical history, then it can be embraced as “Hindu” even if its theology is theistic, nihilistic, or atheistic. Therefore, a belief system is rejected by Hinduism if it does not embrace Indian culture to some extent. This “theo-mythology” is so deeply rooted in India’s history and culture that to reject the Vedas is viewed as opposing India. They contain a rich and colorful “theo-mythology,” that is, a religious mythology which deliberately interweaves myth, theology, and history to achieve a story-form religious root.
With such diversity included under the title “Hindu,” one may wonder what makes them “Hindu” in the first place? About the only real issue is whether or not a belief system recognizes the Vedas as sacred. Observing other schools, Hinduism can also be atheistic, deistic, or even nihilistic. Hinduism can be:ġ) Monistic-Only one thing exists Sankara’s schoolĢ) Pantheistic-Only one divine thing exists so that God is identical to the world Brahmanismģ) Panentheistic-The world is part of God Ramanuja’s SchoolĤ) Theistic-Only one God, distinct from Creation Bhakti Hinduism.
It is difficult to summarize Hindu theology since the various Hindu schools contain elements of almost every theological system. These “facets” of Brahma are also known through the many other incarnations of each. Brahma is both impersonal and unknowable and is often believed to exist in three separate forms: Brahma-Creator Vishnu-Preserver and Shiva-Destroyer. Brahma is an entity believed to inhabit every portion of reality and existence throughout the entire universe. Though Hinduism is often understood as being polytheistic, supposedly recognizing as many as 330 million gods, it also has one “god” that is supreme-Brahma. Other texts used in Hinduism include the Brahmanas, the Sutras, and the Aranyakas. These writings contain hymns, incantations, philosophies, rituals, poems, and stories from which Hindus base their beliefs. The main texts of Hinduism are the Vedas (considered most important), Upanishadas, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana. Although it is the third largest religion in the world, Hinduism exists primarily in India and Nepal. Hindus have a wide variety of core beliefs and exist in many different sects. It is also one of the most diverse and complex, having millions of gods. Hinduism is one of the oldest known organized religions-its sacred writings date as far back as 1400 to 1500 B.C.