Eastern religions originated in East, South, and Southeast Asia and differed from Western, African, and Iranian religions. Eastern religions are multifaceted, with each including several sacred books and diverse belief systems. Eastern religions have specific common characteristics, including love being conditional, God exists in three persons, Jesus is not the son of God, death and life are cyclical through reincarnation, and they do not ascribe to one God apart from Islam. Nearly all Eastern religions do not ascribe to one God; instead, they have alternatives for deity, such as god is in everything, god is within each person, and many gods, while others believe that there is no god. There is no mention of love in certain religions, simply self-improvement, Karma, Dharma, and punishment. In Eastern thinking, there is a total absence of patience, longsuffering, grace, and mercy. In Eastern religions, there is no eternal love narrative. Only Christianity teaches that God loved all people enough to sacrifice for them, redeeming their sin and humiliation. As the Trinity, they maintain that God exists in three persons. This concept is incomprehensible to Eastern philosophy, especially to God-believing Muslims (Allah). Pantheism and nihilism are easier to accept than believing in a single God who exists and manifests himself in three personalities. This discussion will focus on Hinduism, one of the Eastern religions, describe why it is hard for outsiders to understand d this religious tradition, define why it would be important for the outsiders to gain a better understanding of Hinduism and how they can better understand Hinduism.
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world that has no beginning because it precedes the history recorded by different people. It has no human founder and is a mystic religion that leads its adherent to experience the truth personally, ultimately attaining the peak of consciousness when man and God are one. Some of the major reasons why outsiders find it hard to understand Hinduism can be attributed to the religion lacking a specific founder, use of numerous sources, it being an artificial construct, its tradition of secrecy, limitations on propagation and cultural bias. Early work on Hinduism was conducted primarily by foreign scholars with a limited understanding of indigenous traditions (Viswanathan, 2022, p. 5). It led to numerous misrepresentations and distortions in the construction of Hinduism, history, and theology. People take advantage of the freedom Hinduism provides to interpret its tenets in accordance with their agendas, limited knowledge, and cultural biases, thereby perpetuating the influence of these distortions on academic studies, especially outside India.
In Hinduism, knowledge is only revealed to those who join the religion and earn the teachers’ or their inner circle’s trust. Many Hindu secrets are revealed to practitioners only when they have made sufficient progress along the path and have earned the right to know them. This knowledge is only disclosed to those who join them and earn the teachers’ or their inner circle’s trust. Many Hindu secrets are revealed to practitioners only when they have made sufficient progress along the path and have earned the right to know them (Michaels, 2021). Information dissemination was solely at the discretion of a few individuals. Even now, Hinduism’s wisdom is not thoroughly documented. Numerous ancient books have not yet been completely translated, nor has their veracity been confirmed. Thus, Hinduism’s information is dispersed, with no central authority guiding its flow.
Hinduism is very complex because it is derived from numerous sources. Historically, its practitioners came from diverse social, cultural, and ethnic origins. They honoured local deities and observed local customs. Some of them eventually converted to Hinduism. Some deities they worshipped became identified as emanations and manifestations of Hinduism’s most important gods and goddesses. In addition, each Hinduism sect has a lengthy history. Some are significantly older than any current world faiths. Their underlying philosophy, beliefs, and practices, which require considerable time to develop, are typically at odds with those of others. Consequently, irreconcilable conflicts exist between them and cannot be resolved. While they contribute to the complexity and diversity of Hinduism, they make the task of Hinduism students considerably more challenging. Scholars broadly agree that Hinduism is an artificial creation formed out of the need to codify its knowledge and determine its position relative to other religions. It includes numerous traditions, rituals, beliefs, and customs. In Hinduism, spreading the faith is not one of the required duties. Since humans are subject to Karma and bound to the cycle of births and deaths, they must earn the right to acquire the correct knowledge through self-effort alone and arrive at it by accumulating merit through good deeds. The Bible indicates that God loves those who share his teachings with those who are prepared to receive them. In addition, they state that one’s knowledge should not be used to confuse others. Since people are deluded and ignorant, they should be permitted to practice whatever inferior Dharma they choose.
Significance of outsiders gaining a better understanding of Hinduism
Some of the main reasons it would be important for outsiders to gain a better understanding of Hinduism include helping them do away with the various myths about Hinduism and helping them learn about the main beliefs of Hinduism. Adequate knowledge of Hinduism by outsiders will help them address multiple myths such as Hindus worshipping idols, cows, are all vegetarians, and the religion supports a discriminatory caste system. Other myths about Hinduism include Karma is fatalistic, Hindu women putting on “red dots” on their foreheads are married, and women are subservient in Hinduism. Generally, no Hindu will ever claim to worship an idol because they believe that a physical representation of God in the form of an idol assists them in concentrating on a particular feature of prayer. This would make it clear to outsiders that Hindus do not worship cows but rather believe that all living things have souls. However, cows have a special position in Hindu culture hence they do not consume beef. Cows are viewed as compassionate, maternal creatures that give milk and additional food sources. Due to that, they are respected for their worth. Better understanding will also help outsiders learn that Hinduism does not support a discriminatory caste system but, instead, caste discrimination is caused by various aspects of culture. Hindu literature outlined an old system of an occupational class known as caste, which evolved into a rigid social order over time (Quigley, 2022, p. 553). The untouchables or lowest castes were ostracized and persecuted. Several Hindus have claimed that caste-based discrimination is not essential to Hinduism and should never be considered religiously initiated.
Outsiders will also be able to understand and define the major beliefs of Hinduism, such as Dharma, Atman, Varna, Karma, Samsara, Purushartha, Moksha, Brahman, and Bhagavan and Ishvara. Atman generally means ‘everlasting self’. In Hinduism, there are numerous intriguing perceptions of the self, starting with the self as God’s eternal servant to the self as God. Understanding the self to be immortal lends credence to the concept of reincarnation, as the same infinite being can dwell in temporary bodies. The concept of atman implies the notion of the self as a spiritual instead of material existence; hence, Hinduism lays emphasis on disinterest in the material world and encourages behaviours like asceticism. Therefore, it may be claimed that the atman has a human experience on Earth, as opposed to human beings having a spiritual experience. Dharma is a crucial concept in Hinduism which signifies ‘obligation,’ ‘virtue, ‘morality,’ and ‘religion,’ besides alluding to the force that sustains the universe and civilization (Lipner, 2019). Hindus have a belief that Dharma was disclosed in the Vedas, while Rita is the more common term for “universal rule” or “righteousness” in the Vedas. Dharma is the power that sustains a community since it results in grass growth, the sun shining, and making human beings act ethically.
How outsiders can better understand Hinduism
Some ways outsiders can learn and effectively understand Hinduism include watching films and documentaries about Hinduism, watching and listening to Hindu songs, taking online courses, finding a mentor, taking a college course on ancient Hinduism, and reading the Vedas. Vedas are the oldest Hindu religious books and provide various information concerning the ancient practice of Hinduism. They offer samples of hymns of devotion, rituals, and sacrifice rites, as well as crucial information about daily living for the ancient Hindu people. Those interested in learning more about Hinduism can access various inexpensive or free online learning materials and interactive classes. Most of these courses can be completed at an individual’s leisure, so there is no requirement to finish assignments by a specific date. It is a terrific method to include education in a hectic schedule.
Mentors have been a vital component of Hinduism from its inception and are believed to be human manifestations of god. They are educators who serve as role models for their students. Learning from someone with knowledge and awareness of both the lower and higher understanding of Hinduism can be highly beneficial, especially if you’re interested in converting to Hinduism. These mentors can be a professor, a member of the Hindu temple, or anyone with more information than you do about ancient Hinduism. Outsiders can also enrol in local community colleges and universities to study Hinduism and its related courses. To learn more about ancient Hinduism, they might need to enrol in courses in the departments of history, archaeology, philosophy, and religious studies.
In conclusion, Hinduism is one of the complex and oldest religions that people should take much time to study and learn about its essential aspects. The lack of a specific founder and use of numerous sources, including texts, has been attributed to many outsiders finding it hard to understand Hinduism. There are different texts about Hinduism, the majority of them interpreting the religion differently; hence people cannot gain relevant knowledge about the origin and practice of Hinduism. However, outsiders should be helped to learn about this Eastern religion so that some of the myths attributed to it can be dispelled. People can better understand Hinduism by reading the Vedas, seeking knowledge from mentors, watching films and documentaries and enrolling in various courses linked to Hinduism.
References
Quigley, D. (2022). On the Relationship between Caste and Hinduism. Wiley Blackwell Companion to Hinduism, 551–564. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119144892.ch30
Lipner, J. (2019). The Truth of Dharma and the Dharma of Truth: Reflections on Hinduism as a Dharmic Faith. International Journal of Hindu Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11407-019-09262-3
Michaels, A. (2021). Hinduism. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691234014
Viswanathan, G. (2022). Colonialism and the Construction of Hinduism. Wiley Blackwell Companion to Hinduism, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119144892.ch1
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