Key Hindu Teachings, Beliefs, and Practices

What follows is an attempt to present the central teachings, beliefs, and practices of a major world religion. Few outside a religion are likely to express its essence adequately and therefore completely do it justice.

Hinduism, the world’s third largest religion, refers to a closely related set of philosophical systems and devotional observances that appear to have spawned Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. All four are dharmic religions that originated on the Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), in the Indus Valley, running along the boundary between northwest India and Pakistan. Adherents of dharmic religions generally do not believe in heaven, hell, or judgment as they are conceived in Christianity, Islam, or Judaism.

Hindus subscribe to samsara (cycles of death and rebirth), which is affected by karma, a universal cause-and effect law assumed to reflect an individual’s behavior in this life. The ultimate goal for a Hindu is moksha (liberation). Dharma is taken to be the fundamental principle of the universe and is closely associated with righteous versus unrighteous living. It is regarded as an enveloping morality that demands virtuous conduct as well as service to others and to the divine.

Four collections of writings called Vedas (knowledge) are regarded within Hinduism as scripture, the best known of which is the Rig Veda. Hinduism underwent a major transformation in the seventeenth century B.C. when it came under the influence of mystics, who encouraged believers who at times had been warlike to pursue inner peace and deep spirituality. The teachings of these mystics is captured in the Upanishads, which also achieved holy status. The influential 700-verse text known as the Bhagavad Gita (referred to as the “Gita”) later gained this status, and among other values emphasizes indifference to and detachment from material gain.

Three divine beings are believed to exist in Hinduism. Vishnu, portrayed as having a human body with four arms and blue skin, is associated with light. Vishnu is believed to manifest himself in human form, specifically as Krishna or Rama. Shiva, depicted with a human body and a third eye for wisdom, is believed to be both hedonistic and ascetic. Vishnu or Shiva are the principal recipients of devotion in different strands of Hinduism. The third of the three gods, Brahma, has a red complexion, a beard, four heads, and four arms, each reading from the Vedas. Although Brahma is regarded as the first of the three divine beings, few temples are devoted to him.

There is a strong sense within Buddhism that divinity lies within all of us, and that we would recognize this, if only we could dispel what obstructs our view. Some Hindus are monotheists—believe in one God—but it is not always clear what the nature of this God is. Hindus view Jesus as a God-Man but also believe there have been other such beings.

Hindus generally believe that the cycle of samsara can only be broken through attainment of perfect self-knowledge that is associated with detachment. Karma is the product of whether actions have been right or wrong. Behavior therefore has consequences in this life or the next. Transgressions against dharma result in bad karma, while good deeds result in good karma. Each individual is responsible for his or her karma and destiny.

There are several kinds of karma in Hinduism. One is the accumulated debt from past lives. Another is whatever part of this debt a person is attempting to work off in this life. Still another is whatever, upon death, is added to or subtracted from an individual’s cumulative karmic debt.

Liberation comes only when, with help from the gods, a person has discharged this accumulated debt by living an exemplary ethical life. Hinduism is not so much renunciation as transcendence, ridding oneself of attachments to worldly things.

Life for a Hindu is divided into four stages and their associated roles: student (acquiring spiritual knowledge, often under the guidance of a guru); householder (marriage, home, parenthood, and service to the community); retirement (more free time devoted to reflection and meditation. sometimes in relative seclusion); and completion (preparing for and accepting death).

Several paths are believed to help a person travel through these stages, each path defined as a yoga. Unlike the relatively restricted understanding of that term in the West as a form of physical exercise, yoga in Hinduism is far more encompassing. In addition to exercises for proper breathing, a yoga in Hinduism typically involves specific spiritual disciplines and cultivation of altered states of consciousness.

Many Hindus make pilgrimages as adults, but they are under no obligation to worship in temples, which many enter only during festivals. Hindu families often have an icon of a specific god in their homes. Prayer assumes the form of reciting scripture or chanting. There are many rites of passage within Hinduism, some centering on purification, such as washing in a river.

Although India has the highest percentages of vegetarians in the world (roughly 30%), it is a misconception that no Hindus eat meat. Some Hindu scriptures promote vegetarianism as a corollary to non-violence toward sensate beings, but there are wide regional differences. In northwest India, as many as 70% of Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs are vegetarians. In the south and east, however, only a minority abstain from meat. This is comparable to how roughly 10% of people in North and South America, Europe, and East Asia are vegetarian (over 5% of Americans now identify themselves not just as vegetarians but as vegans.

Differences from Christianity

Although India’s economy is rapidly changing for the better, it continues to be a land where millions of people live in poverty and must endure whatever miseries come with it. Hope that a person’s next life could be better may be its corollary. Many Christians believe that, upon death, some undergo additional purification (purgatory). Yet, the belief, hope, and expectation of all Christians is that for those who have embraced Christ, his life, death, and resurrection cancelled all debts due to sin and therefore, as it were, settled their accounts with God. Traditional Hindus, by contrast, do not believe faith in Christ to be sufficient grounds for hope but instead rely on personal moral merit and its effects on karma. Because Christians believe Christ paid their karmic debts, in that sense their focus is outward. Hindus believe they must personally pay off karmic debts, and in that sense their focus is inward.