I’m obviously very, very far from even knowing the basics here, but these are my notes for building my understanding

  • Not a single unified concept
  • No single prophet or holy book
  • Intensely diverse and inclusive of its variations
  • Questioning authority and itself, in search of eternal truth
  • Nonviolence, especially to higher forms of life such as animals, leads to high numbers of vegetarians and vegans

The word “religion”, which implies a systematic church and a specific dogma, doesn’t exactly capture the essence of Hinduism. Its supporters prefer the word “Dharma”, which translates more to “way of life”.

Key concepts

Many forms of Hinduism embrace the following concepts

Dharma

  • Following the universal order (rta), of both the physical and spiritual realm
  • duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and “right way of living”

Artha

  • Providing for yourself and your family
  • Includes politics, diplomacy, anything that enables financial security basically
  • I wonder if this includes professions traditionally seen as unethical, e.g prostitution? Or does that violate the dharma?

Kama

  • The search for worldly pleasures, in all their forms
  • Unlike Catholics, it’s accepted to have fun, even recommended

Moksha

  • Freedom from sorrow, suffering and the samsara (birth-rebirth cycle)
  • They made the buddhism reference kinda on the nose there
  • Changes a fair amount across different schools of Hinduism

God

Okay, god is a complex thing here. Remember that there are like, a gazillion variations each with their own ideas. Some generally common themes are:

  • There is a supreme god
  • The god has many manifestations
  • It’s okay if there are more gods, no fighting

Supreme god

  • Pick your fave: Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, Vishnu are all treated as the supreme god

Personal god

  • This is a pretty cool concept
  • iṣṭa devatā, or chosen ideal
  • Basically a manifestation of the supreme god that you choose to worship as your personal one
  • May be influenced by locality, culture, caste