The Hindu belief is totally non-exclusive and accepts all other faiths and religious paths. An ancient Vedic text says that God or truth is one and wise persons refer to it by many names. Hindus believe that no one religion is exclusively true, that all major faiths are aspects of the one universal all encompassing truth, and that there are many paths to seek and experience religious understanding and enlightenment.
Hinduism has monotheistic (one God) as well as polytheistic (many Gods) elements. The one Ultimate reality or supreme being (Brahman) also exists simultaneously in the deities of the Creator (Brahma-Saraswati), Sustainer (Vishnu-Lakshmi) and Destroyer (Shiva-Parvati). The sacred writings, the four Vedas are considered to be divine in origin and the direct transmission of God’s word.
Follow the concept of Dharma
An important aspect of Hindu dharma is the law of Karma. It is the law of cause and effect, in which each and every action has reaction, generating conditions to be experienced within this life time or the next. Hindus believe in incarnation, life, death, rebirth, until one has exhausted one’s karmas. A Hindu views the entire universe as God’s and everything in the universe as God. Hindus believe that each person is intrinsically divine and the purpose of life is to seek the divinity within all of us. There is no conversion or excommunication in Hinduism. One must follow the concept of Dharma (duty) which is a social and ethical system.
A Hindu is enjoined to seek personal purification on the path to self-realization through one of four combinations of the four paths. The four paths are:
- Ritualist worship, chanting of prayers, devotional surrender to the Divinity.
- Through service.
- Through Yoga and meditation.
- Through inquiry (know thyself).
Dear ones, I want to share with you and point out that when we follow the teachings of Swami Sivananda and his disciples, we become practicing Hindus. All of us who are practitioners of Yoga can follow one or all of the four paths. It is possible for us to change by daily prayers and chanting, through karma yoga, through Yoga and meditation and through knowing oneself.
Extracted from Culture and Religion.
Aim Hrim Klim