The Origin and Evolution of Hinduism

The term Hinduism is a derivative of the word ‘Hindu’ that is a Persian distortion of ‘Sindhu’, which was the ancient name of the Indus river that charts its course through Northern India, the place where the Vedic religion is believed to have originated (Kumar 2017). Hinduism does not have any founder and is a conglomeration of a plethora of traditions and beliefs (Jackson 2016). Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion in the world and Hinduism dates back to over four thousand years. Although there are Hindus all over the world, yet Hinduism is followed primarily in India and Nepal (Kumar 2017).

 Modern Hinduism, which evolved from the Vedas, which are the ancient texts of Hinduism, is akin to Zoroastrianism in their worship of nature gods (Jackson 2016). By fourth century BC, Vedic Hinduism had spread throughout the Indian subcontinent incorporating elements of all religious practices and beliefs. Over the next decade Hinduism further evolved and absorbed the tenets of Jainism and Buddhism which laid an emphasis on non violence and preached vegetarianism (Jackson 2016).

The major thoughts in Hinduism include the concept of Dharma, which refers to the code of conduct that is ethical in nature. The other concept is Samsara, or reincarnation which refers to the eternal cycle of life, birth and death; Karma which refers to an action being committed by a person and its resultant reaction, Moksha which implies freedom from Samsara and the plethora of Yogas i.e. the call to imbibe the righteous path, the various paths to attain Moksha and engage in spiritual practices ( Lucia 2017). The majority of Hindus has faith in and believes in Brahma, the omnipresent and supreme spirit that encompasses the universe and that the human soul or atman is everlasting and an indistinct part of Brahma. According to Hinduism, the human soul passes through a series of lives and deaths and the present life of a person was determined on how the person lived his past life (Lucia 2017).

According to Hinduism, the goal of life is the realization of non-duality and leading a life that would help a person to attain Moksha (Wood 2017). Other schools worship Brahman as Vishnu , Shiva, Shakti Brahma depending on the sect. The Hindu mythology or scriptures refer to divine entities as Devas who are a personification of divinity and divine qualities. Human manifestations of God that are corporeal in nature are called Avatars (Wood 2017).

Pilgrimage is not obligatory to Hinduism though there is a plethora of sacred and holy centres for worship. The important places of Hindu pilgrimage include Allahabad, Haridwar, Varanasi, Tirumala-Tirupati, home to the temple of Vaishno Devi as well as other centres of pilgrimage and sites of worship.

One of the most significant impacts of Hinduism includes having an impact on the evolution of society. According to Hinduism, human life comprises of four stages, which are known as the Ashramas. The first stage is the stage of a student who follows celibacy and stays under the guidance of a teacher, the second stage is the stage of ‘householder’, the third stage is the stage of retirement wherein a person gradually detached himself from the material world and the fourth stage is the asceticism in order to find Moksha (Lucia 2014).

Major Thoughts in Hinduism

Earlier Hindu society was categorized under four classes which was called the Varnas. They included Brahmins who were teachers and priests of society, the Kshatriyas, which comprised of farmers, businesspersons and merchants, and the Shudras where were considered the lower classes of society and included labourers and servants. Modern Hinduism is liberal, though some people still believe and hold on the principles of class and class in society (Lucia 2014).

The Hindu scriptures , which are together known as the Shastras, are a compilation of religious laws that was revealed by sages and saints during the course of its history (Kumar 2014). The Hindu scriptures comprises of two types of sacred writing: Shruti, which implies heard and Smriti, which means memorized. They were passed down orally from generation to generation primarily in the language of Sanskrit. Gita is the holy book of Hinduism and the main Hindu scriptures include the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas and the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana (Kumar 2014).

Hinduism teaches four Purusarthas or the goals of human life. They include Dharma, which refers to duty and ethics, Artha which refers to work and prosperity, Kama which implies desires and passion and Moksha which implies the freedom from the cycle of Samsara (Lucia 2014).

Followers of the Hindu religion consider that there is only highest Absolute known as Brahman. However, the Hindu religion does not preach the veneration of any one God. There are various Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism but they all represent the various aspects of Brahma. Thus multiplicity of deities characterizes Hinduism. The fundamental deity of Hinduism includes the divine trinity which comprises of Brahma, who is the creator, Vishnu who is the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. The Hindu religion also promotes the worship of the natural world (Lucia 2014).

The Hindu calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and the sun and is lunisolar in nature. The Hindu year comprises of twelve months and a plethora of festivals take place right through the year.

Unlike other religions, where a person has to follow a certain practice in order to join a religion and practice the faith, Hinduism does not require any such prerequisites. In order to be a Hindu a person must abide by the tenets of Hinduism, abiding by the Purusarthars and conducting one’s life by following the principles of Hinduism and practicing honesty, compassion, prayers  and also self-restraint.

Buddhism developed as a reaction to the caste system that was prevalent in Hinduism. Hinduism has an orthodox caste system which is absent in Buddhism and people sought to escape from an oppressive caste-ridden society which granted special privileges to the upper sections of society i.e. the Brahmins (Siderits 2017).

Unlike Hinduism Buddhism has a single founder, the Buddha. The founder of Buddhism was Siddhartha  Gautama, who founded the religion during the 5^th and 6^th century BC. According to Buddhism, the Middle Path was the ideal path towards enlightenment. The Middle Path teaches the followers of Buddhism to avoid extremes (Siderits 2017).

Deities and Scriptures in Hinduism

Buddhism and Hinduism share certain similarities and differences and at times use the same vocabulary.  Dharma that implies righteousness, also refers to the Natural Law or Reality. It is peceived as the ‘Path of the Higher Truths’ (Eliot 2015). For Buddhists, Dharma refers to the teaching of the Buddha. According to the Hindu religion, the soul or the atman is eternal while the body of the human beings is subject to birth, decay, old age and death. The entire concept of reincarnation is intricate intertwined with the idea of karma, which is includes the superior and dreadful actions performed by a person in one’s lifetime. In addition, karma controls the cycle of death and rebirth and is known as samsara. Buddhism on the contrary did not believe in reincarnation. Shakyamuni Buddha was against the belief of Hinduism that preached that all beings have a soul or atman in the body that is immortal in nature. Buddhism challenges this view of reincarnation preached by Hinduism. Both Hinduism and Buddhism employ symbolism. For example, hand gestures or mudra to express emotions, Dharma Chakra that appears on the National Flag of India as also on the flag of the Thai Royal Family. Other examples include Rudraksha that is used by devotees and monks while praying, Tilak or vermillion that is used n the forehead and that which implies the Third Eye and Sauwastika or Swastika which is considered to be a sacred symbol. Buddhism employs the chanting of mantras. According to Buddhist philosophy chanting these words, produces vibrations, which helps a person to gain concentrate during prayer. Chanting of mantras is further done to gain wealth, eliminate enemies and avoid danger. Chanting of mantras is intrinsic to Hinduism and Hindu worship of deities. Mahayana Buddhism in Japan, Tibetan Buddhism among other forms of Buddhism practiced Homa and Yagna (which are the rituals of fire) concepts of Hinduism and incorporated them into their own cultures. These philosophies further offered prayers for ancestors and people who had passed away (Eliot 2015).

Despite a plethora of similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism, a host of differences exists between the two religions. Examples of differences include the concept of God (Kyabgon 2014). Hinduism practices idol worship while Buddhism does not believe in the practice of idol worship. Also Buddhism does not subscribe to the view that the universe and the human race was created by God. This ideology is in sharp contrast from the tenets of Hinduism. While Hinduism followed the caste system and discriminated people on the basis of caste, the Buddha was completely against the caste system and did not differentiate people on the basis of caste. The Buddha negated the claims of the Brahmins that the caste system was divine. Buddha openly offered ordination to everybody regardless of caste. Scholars feel that it is because Buddha belonged to the Kshatriya caste and was not a Brahmin. Hence, from the Brahminical point of view, he was not entitled to teach Dharma, i.e. to teach the religious truth. The idea of ritual purity prevalent in Hinduism was also absent from Buddhism. While Hinduism preached that one’s soul is akin to the universal soul, Buddhism on the other hand preached that there was no self and therefore no need to attach one’s soul to Brahman. In addition, Karma meaning activity or action also refers to its consequent results, i.e. the fruits of one’s actions. Karma denotes the complete cycle of cause and effect and is explained in this way in both Hinduism and Buddhism. However, in Hinduism, karma refers to ritual action while for Buddhism karma, which can be good or bad, lies in the intention of a person. Other differences include the fact that the caste of Brahmins who had access to God through rituals was no longer considered a privileged class in Buddhism. Also, in Buddhism anybody could achieve salvation as long as they understood the teachings of Buddha. In Buddhism, a person can reach a state of nirvana once a person has become enlightened (Kyabgon 2014). Nirvana is described as escaping the cycle of continuous birth and death, the process of reincarnation that is cardinal to Hinduism. Both Hinduism and Buddhism are extremely ancient religions and both had its origin in the Indian subcontinent. It was believed that Buddha was born in a Hindu family and over one thousand five hundred years ago, Buddha was accepted by the Hindus as one of the ten incarnations of Lord Shri Maha Vishnu. Despite the differences between the two religions, both religions had an impact on each other in a plethora of ways. For example, while Hinduism practiced the principle of Bhakti or devotional worship, the Buddhist thought of empathy and ahimsa, which is non-violence, has its roots in Hinduism (Sikka 2016). The tantra shastra of Hinduism created the Vajrayana school of Buddhism. Hinduism further adopted the Buddhist methods of yoga, meditation and pranayama using it as a means to gain a higher state of perception and awareness. Buddhism also had a positive impact on Indian culture and art. The Vedic theme of culture of Hinduism shares a plethora of similarities with Buddhism and Jainism. All these were influenced by the regions of North-east regions of India, Uttar Pradesh Bihar and Nepal. Buddhism however is an extension of the Shramana belief while Hinduism is an extension of the Vedic belief and a combination of Shramana belief, tribal and folk traditions of India. The Buddha did not believe in the fact that in order to attain nirvana or salvation, one had to accept the scripture or  the acknowledgement of God. The Buddhist texts rejected such kinds of path condemning them as destructive views. This line of beliefs of Buddhism influenced later religious thoughts in Hinduism. Buddhism and Hinduism co-existed peacefully since time immemorial. Reference to The Buddha is made in the Puranas. Some Buddhists thoughts and principles seems to have their roots in the ideologies and ideas presented in the Upanishads (Kyabgon 2014).

Impact of Hinduism on Society

Some scholars opine that the Bhagavad Gita, which was written after the birth of Buddha was written as a part of the Hindu insight of Buddhism.  Buddhist kings respected and revered Buddhist Hindu teachers and deities while Hindu rulers extended the support to build several Buddhist temples. A plethora of Buddhists texts in particular the Mahayana scriptures reflect the influence of Hinduism (Sikka 2016).

The basic tenets of Buddhism include the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. The Four Noble Truths include the fact that life includes suffering and it is because neither the world nor the individuals living in the world are perfect. The second noble truth includes the origin of suffering which is due to desire or attachment. The third noble truth preaches the fact the suffering can be mitigated through a detachment of craving and desire. And lastly, suffering can be ended by following the Middle Path which will also ensure that one does not get embroiled in reincarnation (Sikka 2016).

The Middle Path can be attained by following the Eight Fold Path in order to conclude suffering  and begin in the process of attaining nirvana. The Eight Fold Path requires a follower to practice Right or Perfect View, which is the beginning and the end of the path, which means to perceive things as they really are and to realize the Four Noble Truths. The Right Intention refers to the commitment of mental and ethical self- improvements. Right of Speech refers to the practice of abstaining from the use of hurtful, false and slanderous speech and words, which may hurt others. Right Action means to abstain from sexual misconduct, abstain from causing harm to others and abstaining from taking something that is not one’s own. Right Livelihood implies that one should live righteously and acquire wealth in the right way, i.e., legally. Right Effort implies the willingness to act as the unwillingness to act will lead to no results. Right Mindfulness refers to the ability to think actively and Right Concentration, which is the ability to focus on right actions and thoughts through meditation (Siderits 2017).

In conclusion, one can say that both Hinduism and Buddhism have a plethora of similarities as well as differences. Both Hinduism and Buddhism are among the oldest religions of India. Both Hinduism and Buddhism had a positive effect on each other and both religions coexisted peacefully and in harmony, which shows that India is truly a secular country that respects all religions.

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