Nine Beliefs of Hinduism

[Debashish]

Our beliefs determine our thoughts and attitudes about life, which in turn direct our actions. By our actions, we create our destiny. Beliefs about sacred matters--God, soul and cosmos--are essential to one's approach to life. Hindus believe many diverse things, but there are a few bedrock concepts on which most Hindus concur. The following nine beliefs, though not exhaustive, offer a simple summary of Hindu spirituality.

   1. Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.
   2. Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion.
   3. Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.
   4. Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
   5. Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny.
   6. Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.
   7. Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God.
   8. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, noninjury, in thought, word and deed.
   9. Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God's Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.


Hinduism, the world's oldest religion, has no beginning--it precedes recorded history. It has no human founder. It is a mystical religion, leading the devotee to personally experience the Truth within, finally reaching the pinnacle of consciousness where man and God are one. Hinduism has four main denominations--Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism and Smartism. For more information, see the sidebar at right.



Source: http://www.himalayanacademy.com/basics/nineb/

[shibli]

The Hindu scriptures also preached 'ONE GOD'

“Hinduism, as most Hindus would say, is not a religion but a "Dharma" and a Culture. The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Brahmanas Granth are considered to be the holy scriptures, most sacred being the Vedas. Also there is the Bhagavada Gita, the Mahabharata and the Ramanayan.
The degeneration of any society starts with becoming heedless to the guidance of God and falling prey to our own whims and desires. This eventually may lead to the degeneration of the concept of God itself. The worship of innumerable Gods in Hindu society is a degeneration of the message of God and in stark contrast to the oneness of God preached in the Hindu Holy Scriptures Vedas and Upanishads. A few examples from these scriptures reveal that they also preach Oneness of God, which is exactly the same truth which was conveyed by God through His final messenger Muhammad (There is no god, but God).
•   "There is only one God, worship Him" (Rig Veda, Vol. 6, Hymn 45 vs 16 )
•   "Do not worship any one beside Him" (Rig Veda Bk. 8, Hymn 1, Vs 1)
•   "God is only one, - not a second"- (Chandogya Upanishad Ch. 6, Sect. 2, verse 1).
•   "na tasya pratima asti "There is no image of Him." [Yajurveda 32:3]

[sushmita]

Well discussion.

[Narayan]

Nice sharing.

Thanks