Analysis of the Religion and Culture of Hinduism

[suchandra 1]

Looks like people are gradually getting aware of the existence of Hinduism but immediately know how to write an analysis.

 

Analysis of the Religion and Culture of Hinduism

 

posted August 20 2008

http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2008/08/the-religion-an.html

 

In many ways, culture and religion are almost similar because of the factions that they perceive and how the people in society believe these will affect their movements, their ideas, and even the growth of their skills. Behaviors are highly affected by the specified norms and values of the society, which both culture and religion are strict to implement. There are different ways in which they may be identified, yet it can be seen that religion and culture are generally close to each other. By identifying the specific practices of the society, sociologists are also focusing on the rules and beliefs of the society, wherein values take a greater part.

The norms of the people are those that dictate the way that their behaviors pan out as well as the ways that their decisions will progress—yet it is through the beliefs, ideas, and practices of values wherein religion comes in. In this context, the religion of the society is thus embedded in the formulation of the culture, the beliefs, and the current outcome of the people. Religion in a culture does not necessarily focuses only on the spiritual types or an explanation on the unknown; rather, it also focuses on the ideas that may propagate within the society and their views on particular actions, situations, especially regarding their traditions and their practices.

Anthropologic studies, while mostly concerned with culture and its effects within the society and their behavior, may also delve into the psychological implications of such studies. The results are then mostly on the ethnographic scale. Assessments of the involvement in the religion of the people are based not only on the interview but also with the observed ideas that are taken note of. This paper’s focus is to concentrate on the religious aspects of the culture on the practice of Hinduism. In assessing the anthropologic nature of the Hindu religion, thus showing their beliefs and the norms that the people are practicing, this paper will also delve into the traditional beliefs of the people and how they are very likely to be affected by the practice of their culture and religion. It must be emphasized, however, that while there are several information that are given here in discussion, it has been highly attempted to ensure that there was no subjective assessment; the objective analysis was more focused on the description on the practices. It has been acknowledged that the practice of one area is not necessarily the practice of another, and that religions and beliefs may greatly differ in different areas

The Religion of Hinduism

Although it can be argued that there are several religions around the world where the religion is also able to clearly reflect the current beliefs and society of the people, Hinduism was chosen because it is one of the most widespread religions as it takes up around 830 million followers around the world. It is highly prominent in India wherein 80% of the people follow its religion. It is also one—if not the—oldest religions in the world with some continuing ideas on the its beginnings and how it has come to be a practice; nevertheless, it has been quite agreed upon that with the beginnings of the Indus Valley civilization has also brought about these changes. The beginnings of the civilizations, as is with the society, have brought about the rules and the norms that have been imposed upon the society and therefore have also brought about the beliefs that the people have had. The practices have emerged accordingly to their beliefs and how they are able to consider their participation to the society and the decisions that they have had.

This is not to say that the religion in Hinduism started as soon as the civilization began, rather it is more on the idea that there is still very little idea on how the civilization has flourished even while the archaeological evidences are already underway; nevertheless, the culture of the area and the norms that they practice are shown to be very intertwined with their beliefs. Here, the ties of Hinduism and the culture of the people in India are shown through the different ways that they have affected each other. Studies have been continuing with regards to finding more information concerning the religion, the culture, and the emergence of society within the area. Because of the all-encompassing state of the practice of Hinduism, this then influences the behaviors and the practices of the people and their views on their life, as well as influences their relationship with other people.

Cosmogony of Hinduism

The beginnings of the Hinduism practice can be found in several sources that are scripts, one of which is the Rig Veda. Other accounts may vary although there are still some similarities in the ways in which they are portrayed. One of the most common is the presence of the Vaal which is the cosmic womb from which everything comes from and from which the god Brahma comes from—or sometimes Brahma himself. The entire premise of the Hindu idea is the cyclic terms of life in which Brahma is to live for 100 years before dying and being reborn, taking the universe with him. It is also unique in their setting due to the rise of the female goddesses take root in the Hindu texts with several passages, one of which is the material force and the structure that they bring to the universe.

The Hindu cyclic belief has been discussed as based on their belief in which the good Brahma will become reborn and as such depend on sidereal astrology wherein the time period is mostly focused on the cosmic bodies such as the stars, moon, and stars. The orbits of these bodies help with keeping track of the eventual days and the years before the destruction of the universe and the recycling of the world. Evolutions of the things in the world are based on the cyclic events and the material lines that help with the transformation or evolution of the things within the world. From these creation stories and the several ideas that were based on the religion, hereon formed the beliefs of the people; from the beliefs came the restrictions on their practices and also the views that they have on their environment and their societies. The worshipping methods that the Hindus have and their belief on their different gods and goddesses are also interlocked; their method of believing their gods is through henotheistic practice, which is the belief that all gods are equivalent or parts of one deity. Because of this, the Hindus are very open to the practice of other religions and are also very tolerant when it comes to other religions.

Summary of Cultural Practices of the Hindu Religion

In the practice of a religion, there is also the focus on the spiritual ideas that affect the behaviors and the decisions of the people who are practicing. Moreover, the religious practices also give high expectations on the norms and the values of the people. The values are formed based on the ideas that are considered to be accepted in society, as well as based on the formed ideas that the people have formed according to rules.

The formation of the rules for the Hindus is based on the specific texts as was described in the previous part. These texts, such as the Rig Veda, the Shute, and others, are part of the formation of the ideas for the outcome of the society and also in the formation of the beliefs of the people that help with their views on society and other people within their society. Organization, being one of the most important parts for the outcome of the society and also helps with the root of the beliefs and methods used for the society should therefore be present. Because organization needs to be a controlling faction for the society, religion is thus one of the ways for ensuring that beliefs, norms, and values will be helpful in the accounting of the behaviors of the people within the community.

One of the things that should be remembered is that there is also the great certainty for which a person may be judged through the soul. One’s existence in the current state of the person is shown through the way in which they decide on their life then, and such belief shows through the way that the people practice their beliefs. With the idea of their souls seeking the higher plane of existence, there is more reason for the people to continue striving for it. This method of reincarnation to an existence that will allow for striving for a better existence as they believe they can. This is shown through the belief on the Transmigration of the Souls, where after death a person’s soul is transferred to another body—the body of one that suits their previous actions.

Because of this belief, there is then the widespread concern for the karma, that is, how they believe they should live their lives and also through their relationships with others. Their treatments of particular people are thus included in how they are to be judged and how they believe their existence will be included. Such decisions also affect the rebirth of the humans and even the birth of plants and animals. It certainly shows the coexistence of all things within this earth and how the people view these. With this practice, there is also the way in which the practitioners are able to treat not only the people but also develop their own philosophies and views regarding how they treat the things around them.

 

The Caste System

One of the most important and famous part of the practice of Hinduism is the caste system. Although this has not been practiced over the recent years due to some political assessment, it nevertheless made a mark in the practice of Hinduism through their observations and also through their own philosophies on the action. The evolution of the caste system is not entirely clear although these are also included the texts from which the religion was also brought up from.

The caste system is a method of stratification within the society and also gives definitions on the practices that the people are supposed to follow. These are also thought to be part of the reincarnation process, in which those belonging to one system are not allowed to interact with others because of the belief in which the reincarnation process states where the soul is to be based due to the actions and the deeds that they have observed in their previous lives. These come along to the people based on their births and thus they are not able to mix with others and also show that there is very low mobility within the society itself as long as the caste was being regularly followed. According to historical texts, this was not so during the earlier times yet following it became very strict over time and also became based on birth rather than allowing mobile changes within the system.

The caste system is divided into four based on their descriptions and their professions, thus they are also expected to perform accordingly to how they have been born. There are the Brahmins (the priests, philosophers, and teachers), the Kshatriyas (the rulers and warriors), the Vishay's (the businesspeople and others who are working in the ordinary society), and the Shards (the servants and the laborers for everyone else). Over the years, the existence of this method of defining the people through their professions has also developed over the years and has included sub-categories within the caste system. Because of the labels and the strict implementations on how the relationships of the others should be with each other, there is also the strict implementation on the treatment. One of the noted way is the distance in which people will treat each other within the caste system; those considered to be part of the hierarchy in the top is shown to be better off than the rest. Part of the treatment is shown on the dictations on how the people walk or how a member of a specific category is supposed to treat others within a specific category.

Although it can be shown that this practice is one that mostly focuses on the culture of the people because it identifies with their social stratification, it is nevertheless a part of the religious teachings that have been further assessed and changed over time. This has brought about some of the changes within the historical contexts and has also affected the decisions of the governments and the leaders, especially when it comes to the ways that they ensure the fulfillment of their ideals. Over the years, the caste system has also become abolished due to the changes in the government of India.

 

 

 

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