Hindus believe in the divinity of
the 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 which has neither beginning nor end.
Hindus
believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both
immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.
Hindus
believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation,
preservation and dissolution.
Hindus
believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each
individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
Hindus
believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births
until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, spiritual knowledge
and liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single
soul will be eternally deprived of this destiny.
Hindus
believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that
temple worship, rituals, sacraments as well as personal devotionals
create a communion with these devas and Gods
Hindus
believe that a spiritually awakened master, or satguru, is
essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal
discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry and
meditation.
Hindus believe that all life is
sacred, to be loved and
revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, "noninjury."
Hindus
believe that no particular religion teaches the only way to
salvation above all others, but that all genuine religious paths are
facets of God's Pure Love and Light, deserving tolerance and
understanding.
Five Obligations of all Hindus
Worship,
upasana: Young Hindus are taught daily worship in the family
shrine room--rituals, disciplines, chants, yogas and religious study.
They learn to be secure through devotion in home and temple, wearing
traditional dress, bringing forth love of the Divine and preparing the
mind for serene meditation.
Holy
days, utsava: Young Hindus are taught to participate in Hindu
festivals and holy days in the home and temple. They learn to be happy
through sweet communion with God at such auspicious celebrations.
Utsava includes fasting and attending the temple on Monday or Friday
and other holy days.
Virtuous
living, dharma: Young Hindus are taught to live a life of duty
and good conduct. They learn to be selfless by thinking of others
first, being respectful of parents, elders and swamis, following divine
law, especially ahimsa, mental, emotional and physical noninjury to all
beings. Thus they resolve karmas.
Pilgrimage,
tirthayatra: Young Hindus are taught the value of
pilgrimage and are taken at least once a year for darnana of holy
persons, temples and places, near or far. They learn to be detached by
setting aside worldly affairs and making God, Gods and gurus life's
singular focus during these journeys.
Rites
of passage, samskara: Young Hindus are taught to observe the many
sacraments which mark and sanctify their passages through life. They
learn to be traditional by celebrating the rites of birth, name-giving,
head-shaving, first feeding, ear-piercing, first learning, coming of
age, marriage and death.
