Learning about Hinduism - Essay Example

?Learning about Hinduism Introduction The paper aims to study the practices, rituals, festivals and ideologies of the Vedanta religion, which is acclaimed as one of the most scientific religions of the world. This religion aims to focus on a unified whole and thus transcends the normal barriers of day-to-day lives and beliefs. It aims to deliver the thought that every living being in itself is the manifestation of the Divine Unity and thus is God omnipresent. (What is Vedanta?). Being a part of both Islamic and Christian background I am more acquainted with monotheism and had little opportunity to understand the basis of a religion based on multiple Gods and Goddesses, such as Hinduism. To divulge more into this matter and to enhance the understanding of the religion in a better manner that the paper takes into accord an interview conducted upon a person who is a spiritual aspirant in this direction. The Interviewee The interview in this direction is taken online through chat with a person who is an engineer by profession and is aged around 47 years. He resides in Bangalore and is a staunch believer of Advaita Vedanta Philosophy. This person agreed to share his own personal views about the practices and rituals of Vedanta Religion on being contacted through the online sphere. Questions that were asked to him concerned mainly on understanding the religious framework of Vedanta religion along with the doctrines and practices ingrained in such. The Religion of Vedanta The first question that was asked to the interviewee was concerned in understanding and identifying the philosophy of Vedanta as a religious philosophy practiced in India. Focus of the question was directly placed to know that whether Vedanta is truly a religion or just a set of dogmas and preset ideologies. To this end, the interviewee acclaimed that Vedanta is a scientific and intellectual religion. The interviewee stated that Vedanta as a religion renders focus on a universal God which the Vedantists or the followers of such religion regard as the Omnipresent Power of Supreme or Absolute Consciousness. He stated that the religion of Vedanta goes farther in understanding the realms of sublime consciousness ingrained in the physical system, which is regarded as the Universal Truth. The interviewee also stated that the religion of Vedanta is a more refined understanding of the Hindu philosophy or religion. He stated that Vedanta acts as a backbone to the Hindu religion. The Vedanta religion according to him stands on three main pillars viz. Existence, Knowledge and Supreme Bliss, which is also maintained in the Hindu religion as Sat, Chit and Ananda respectively. The interviewee also acclaimed that through Vedanta one can easily approach higher states of consciousness which transcends the body and mind to a Supreme and Unified state thus bringing peace and enlightenment. (Vedanta). Ritualistic Practices of Vedanta The second question that was asked to the interviewee mainly focused on understanding the ritualistic practices of the Vedanta religion. The question tried to divulge on understanding the ritualistic principles in use by the people following the Vedanta religion. The interviewee stated in regards to this question that the Vedanta philosophy being a refined state of the Hindu philosophy believes in the Unity of the Divine Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as the Supreme Self that resides within the body and is beyond mind and intellect. Vedanta Religion operates based on three religious doctrines or practices, which have been in use in Hindu religious systems from time immemorial. These three paths practiced by Vedanta religion are considered as highly sacred and are observed to grant liberation to the Self. The interviewee stated that the three paths viz. the road based on devotion, on knowledge and on performances and action all lead to the Supreme Being. The interviewee started that a Hindu person based on these Vedic principles can move forward to earn the salvation from all worldly misery and troubles concerning life and death. Further the interviewee also mentioned that the Hindu religion being governed by Vedic principles from time immemorial also set some specific practices along different stages of one’s life. The interviewee said that Vedanta Religion being shaped by the Rishis or men of Supreme Intellect also governed the Hindu religion based on four stages in the total life period. Out of the four stages the first stage dealt with imparting the right education and knowledge to the person and also works on developing the characteristics trait of one’s personality. This stage is known as the Brahmacharga and is the primary stage of the life of a Hindu person. Vedic and Hindu religion in the second stage speak about Grastha where the people are lead to live in the realm of material and wealth enjoying all sorts of worldly pleasures and working towards a better career. The interviewee further said that the third stage that a person should enter according to Hindu and Vedic religion is Vanaprastha where the person starts abandoning the material things and moves forward to embrace spirituality. Fourth and the final stage in the life of a person is referred to as Sanngasu where the person by abandoning all kinds of material and personal bondages moves to a life of serenity and solitude. (Hindu Rituals and Practices). Thus it is found that the interviewee has sound knowledge of the Vedic systems of livelihood, which shape a person’s lifestyle. Festivities in Vedanta Religion The third question that was placed before the interviewee was regarding the practice of different festivals in Vedic or Hindu religion. This question aimed to focus on the colorful aspects of the Vedanta religion. The interviewee stated that Vedanta Religion being the modified form of Hindu religion does not believe on a personal God. Rather Divinity according to Vedanta religion is an omnipresent principle and regards God to be the Universal Reality or Brahman, which is present in all things. However the interviewee also mentioned that Vedanta is a very comfortable religion which has place for every kind of worship be it Unified or of Diversified nature. HInduism endeavors to understand the ‘Brahman’ in its various manifestations like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the Shakti. The interviewee stated that though Vedanta religion does not render focus on festivities as way of worshiping the Omnipresent Power yet based on the realm of Hindu religion it moves further to celebrate a whole lot of different festivals. The main festivals that are in place in India the land of Hindus are Diwali, Janmasthami, Dusshera, Holi, Durga Puja, Navratri and many others. These festivities both of regional and national character help to reflect unity among the different people to attain the Unified goal of merging with the Divine Power. Thus the festival worships of Hindu religion also help in satisfying the objective of Vedanta Religion in search for Unification. (Schools-Religion). I was enlightened regarding the colorful aspects of Hinduism which I was previously unaware of. The only festivity I was acquainted with was the ‘Holi’, which is known as the festival of colors. The Dussehra, Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja etc are the other religious ceremonies and rituals practiced by the Hindu devotees. Conclusion Through the process of interview taken based on a set of three questions upon the interviewee, an engineer based in Bangalore the paper successfully divulges into the study of Vedanta Religion. This religion originally formed by the sages and considered the backbone of Hindu religion is considered as one of the most scientific and logical religions of the world. Vedanta religion regards Divinity as not restricted to only idols or sacred quarters like temples but states of its present everywhere as a Unified whole. Vedanta moves further to regard this ideology as the Universal Truth or utmost Reality. However Vedanta being the beholder of faith and the background of Hindu religion also gives way to the different festivals and religious occasions in Hindu system. It is because the Vedanta Religion understands that whatsoever be the path of Hindu religion it all moves to merge with the common God, the Brahman or the Universal Reality. I had a misconception previously that Hinduism was a religion of multiple Gods and I initiated the interview mainly out of my curiosity to understand how a devotee concentrates on these many forms and still remain on one religious path. The valuable inputs from his elderly man have helped me gain proper knowledge about the religion and clear my misconceptions regarding the polytheism aspect. References 1. “What is Vedanta?”, ramakrishna.org, 1997, March 25, 2011 from: http://www.ramakrishna.org/vedanta1.htm 2. “Vedanta”, spiritualworld.org, n.d., March 25, 2011 from: http://www.spiritualworld.org/vedanta/index.htm 3. “Hindu Rituals and Practices “,religionfacts.com , n.d., March 25, 2011 from: http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/practices.htm 4. “Schools-Religion”, BBC Home, n.d., March 25, 2011 from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/hinduism/ Read More