HINDUISM
ToexplainHinduismis,forsome,animpossibletask.Ametaphormayhelptounderstandthisproblem:
In Calcutta'sBotanical Gardensisa tree:notjust any tree,butagreatBanyan.
Banyantreesarenotableinthattheygrowandspreadby sendingdownaerialshootswhichtakeroot,becomethickandstrong,andeventuallybecomeindistinguishablefromtheoriginaltrunk.ThespreadingnatureofBanyan'shasresultedinthetreesbecomingpolycentric,ormanycentred.Inotherwords,thetreebecomesanetworkorwebofparticular "trees"integrallyconnectedtooneanother.Itisnolongerpossibletoidentifytheoriginaltrunknortofixtheboundariesofone"tree"fromitsneighbours,sincetheedgesofonepartoftheBanyanfuseandoverlapwiththeothers andcreate asinglecomplexforest.
ThetreeismuchlikeHinduism.Whatappearstobealargeandovergrowndiverse
forestofreligioustraditionsisalsothesinglegrowingtreeofHinduism.AnydiscussionofHinduismmustacknowledgethegreatvarietyof"Hinduisms"existent,however,justas·brothers,sistersandcousinshavemanydifferences,therearealsosomesimilarcharacteristics.BelowaresomeconceptscentraltomuchofHinduism.
Brahman,theoneGreat Poweraccording toHinduscanbe translatedas"God".Itiseverywhere,andeverythingthatexists livesinBrahmanallthe time.Nothingwouldexist ifBrahmanwasnot init.Inthesamewaythatsalt,whendissolvedinwater,isinvisibleyetpresenteverywherewithinthe water,Brahmanisinvisibleyetpresentin everythingintheuniverse.
KeytermsDharma:
"duty/law/teaching"
Karma:Good/badactionsSamsara:
thecycleofdeathandrebirth
Moksha:
releasefromSamsara.
Atman:
one'strueself
TherearethousandsofgodsandgoddessesinHinduism.SomeHindusbelievethatthesegods are realandusedtowalktheEarth,buttodaymostHindusagreethatthesegodsarenotreal.Insteadtheyare symbolic,andaredifferentmeansbywhichonecandescribeBrahman.Hindusbelievethatworshipiseasieriftheydosothroughagodthattheycanunderstand.
TheTrimurtiismadeupofthethreemostimportantgodswithinHinduism.TheyareBrahmathecreator,VishnuthepreserverandShivathedestroyer.Thesethreegodsworktogetherinanever-endingpattern.Everythingismade,lastsforatimeandisdestroyed.
Hindusbelievethattheyarestuckinacycleofsamsara.Whentheydie,theiratmanmovesontoanotherbeing.Theirpurposeistoachievemoksha.Thisisdonebygettingridofanynegativekarma,which,inturn,isaccomplishedbyfulfillingone'sdharma.Whenthesoulachievesmokshaandbreaksoutofthecycleofrebirth,itjoinswithBrahman.Hindussay itislikearivermergingwiththesea.