Beliefs & Practices
Beliefs of Hinduism
The following are examples of some of the essential notions in Hindu spirituality that continue to be taught today. Brahman is a divine reality at the heart of things. Brahman is something that can be known, not simply believed in. Brahman is the lived experience that all things are in some way holy because they come from the same sacred source. It is also the experience that all things are in some way ultimately one. Atman is related to Brahman and is an equally important term in the Upanishads. Atman is sometimes translated as “self” or “soul.” The notion of Atman in the Upanishads is different from the notion of an individual soul. In Hindu belief, each person has an individual soul and the individual soul confers uniqueness and personality. Atman when experienced full is identical with Brahman. Atman is divine, holy, and timeless. Atman refers to the experience of the sacred within oneself. Samsara refers to the wheel of life, the circle of constant rebirth, and it suggests strongly that the everyday world is full of change as well as struggle and suffering. (pg. 81-86) |
The caste system, which is "a division of society into social classes that are created by birth or occupation". So if you are born into a rich family, you too are rich, same goes for a middle class or poor family. The Bhagavad Gita "recognizes that there are different types of people ad their ways to perfection will differ," because all humans have a different personality and roles within society. There are five main social classes:
|
|