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Essay on Hindu Religious Tradition
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the Hindu religious traditions. Initially this paper explains that what Hinduism is. Then this paper explains five sacred elements of Hindu religion and their significance.
Overview of Hinduism
Hinduism is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Vedas and is the direct descendant of the Vedic religion. It encompasses many religious traditions that widely vary in practice, as well as many diverse sects and philosophies. An array of deities, all manifestations of the one supreme monistic Ishvara, is venerated. Beliefs, codes and principles vary from region to region. It is also the third largest religion in the world with a following of approximately 1 billion people. Ninety-eight percent of Hindus can be found on the Indian subcontinent, chiefly in India.
Sacred elements of Hindu religion and their significance
It would be difficult to completely list all the sacred elements that make up the Hindu religious traditions because of the sheer vastness and depth of the Hindu culture and traditions that have evolved through thousands of years but I will try to cover the maximum possible in this report.
- Hinduism stresses on the importance of the absolute truth. According to Hindu philosophy, God is the absolute reality and the universe is the manifestation of the single Supreme Being alternatively called as the supreme consciousness. Many Hindu philosophers equate the Hindu Brahman (the Supreme Being) to pure consciousness, which according to Hindu traditions have no beginning or end. The ultimate reality is blocked from the perception of the mundane man by Maya or delusion that makes him think that the ephemeral world is real. The objective of each man and woman is therefore, to go beyond this Maya and find his true nature. In fact, Hinduism stresses on the fact that every living organism is a manifestation of the ultimate truth and so in essence every being is the Lord himself......
