Hinduism

To the Hindu people, and unlike more traditional religions of the West such as Christianity, there is no line separating a Hindu's normal social daily life activities and their religion. Life and religion are one as they co-exist, are inseparable, and represent a complete approach in the ultimate attainment of liberation or moksha. Therefore, "although there is no single founder, devotional tradition, or philosophy which can be said to define Sanatana Dharma, everyday life is so imbued with spiritually meaningful aspects that spirituality is never far from one's mind" (Fisher, 2005, p. 94).

Hinduism, or its beliefs and practices, have been defined by seven factors that makes up the Hindu religion. First, which is the foundation of Hindu, is an acceptance of the Vedas or spiritual texts consisting of four parts: hymns of praise; directions for ritual sacrifices; writings; and the teachings from spiritual masters or gurus. A second factor is tolerance recognizing that truth has many sides. Third is to believe in many cosmic cycle changes between birth, life, death and rebirth. A fourth factor is a belief in reincarnation when in death the soul departs the dying body and enters into a new body. A process said to occur many times in the ultimate attainment of liberation. Fifth is that there are various paths of salvation and truth, and sixth is that there are many gods and goddesses to worship. And the seventh factor is an absence in specific philosophical concepts. (Fisher, 2005)

Many cultural and societal influences have made Hinduism vital to the region in which it originated. Although considerable controversy exists on its origin, Hinduism is thought to date back to between 6000 to 8000 BCE when the Vedas where first heard and then carried orally, or between 900 and 2000 BCE with the arrival of the Aryan people who were Indo-European tribes that invaded Northern India from Russia and Central Asia. (Hinduism, 2005) In the later, it is thought that the Aryans who settled along the River Indus (River Hindu) brought the basic principles of Hinduism to India.

Traditional Hinduism recognizes a multi-cultural multi-religious structure known as secularism, which has emerged as the Hindu cultural way of life. This spiritual way of life or meaning is practiced through rituals, castes or occupational social groups, the stages of life, worship, spiritual teachers or gurus, fasting and prayers, pilgrimages to holy places,