What is Hinduism?
People know Hinduism by its name and practices, and call it a religion. Hinduism is known to be the largest religion in India. But what is Hinduism?
Hinduism, the name, is said to have been given by the British. As per the paper, "Who invented Hinduism" by David N Lorenzen (1999), the name Hinduism was first used in 1816 and again in 1817 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the social reformer who founded the Brahmo Samaj movement. While the origins of the name are still debated, Hinduism as a name certainly dates back to the very recent past of the 19th century.
Is Sanatana Dharma the oldest religion of the world?
What is referred to as Hinduism, is actually Sanatana Dharma (சனாதன தர்மம்). In fact, according to Deivathin Kural (தெய்வத்தின் குரல்) the collection of teachings by Maha Periyava, the Sage of Kanchi, Sanatana Dharma did not have a name when it was practised as the way of life, before the onset of organised religions!
Sanatana Dharma is not a religion. It was the original state of human self-inquiry, before the organised religions were created. And India is the land of seekers.
As every new religion was born, people were getting converted to them. So, religious conversion dates back to the creation of the first organised religion!
The original state of human inquiry is being practised as Hinduism today. The original state of Sanatana Dharma is being followed even today by many people in India, Russia, Southeast Asia, Africa and across the world. If Muhammad created Islam, what was there before Islam? If Christianity dates back to Jesus, what was there before Christianity? If Buddha founded Buddhism, what was the religious state of the human being before Buddhism?
This process of dating back to the origin of every religion would lead to the true, neutral, natural state of human inquiry about his very existence. This is the state where the human mind was tuned to look deep inside, with a quest to relate the creation to the Creator, to realise oneself, to achieve a state of renunciation and bliss. This spiritual seeking dates back to the time when there was no organised religion - just the natural state of Sanatana Dharma!
Every religion has a date it started, but not Sanatana Dharma. It existed originally, as early as the human mind started its spiritual journey through self-inquiry.
With time, and as new religions formed, many people converted to the newly formed religions. However, they did not just convert to Christianity or Islam or Judaism or Buddhism etc; rather, they converted to religion itself!
Sanatana Dharma, or Hinduism, as it is called now, is not a religion. It is the state of being, a spiritual journey, an eternal inquiry!
People know Hinduism by its name and practices, and call it a religion. Hinduism is known to be the largest religion in India. But what is Hinduism?
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Hinduism, the name, is said to have been given by the British. As per the paper, "Who invented Hinduism" by David N Lorenzen (1999), the name Hinduism was first used in 1816 and again in 1817 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the social reformer who founded the Brahmo Samaj movement. While the origins of the name are still debated, Hinduism as a name certainly dates back to the very recent past of the 19th century.
Is Sanatana Dharma the oldest religion of the world?
What is referred to as Hinduism, is actually Sanatana Dharma (சனாதன தர்மம்). In fact, according to Deivathin Kural (தெய்வத்தின் குரல்) the collection of teachings by Maha Periyava, the Sage of Kanchi, Sanatana Dharma did not have a name when it was practised as the way of life, before the onset of organised religions!
Sanatana Dharma is not a religion. It was the original state of human self-inquiry, before the organised religions were created. And India is the land of seekers.
As every new religion was born, people were getting converted to them. So, religious conversion dates back to the creation of the first organised religion!
The original state of human inquiry is being practised as Hinduism today. The original state of Sanatana Dharma is being followed even today by many people in India, Russia, Southeast Asia, Africa and across the world. If Muhammad created Islam, what was there before Islam? If Christianity dates back to Jesus, what was there before Christianity? If Buddha founded Buddhism, what was the religious state of the human being before Buddhism?
This process of dating back to the origin of every religion would lead to the true, neutral, natural state of human inquiry about his very existence. This is the state where the human mind was tuned to look deep inside, with a quest to relate the creation to the Creator, to realise oneself, to achieve a state of renunciation and bliss. This spiritual seeking dates back to the time when there was no organised religion - just the natural state of Sanatana Dharma!
Every religion has a date it started, but not Sanatana Dharma. It existed originally, as early as the human mind started its spiritual journey through self-inquiry.
With time, and as new religions formed, many people converted to the newly formed religions. However, they did not just convert to Christianity or Islam or Judaism or Buddhism etc; rather, they converted to religion itself!
Sanatana Dharma, or Hinduism, as it is called now, is not a religion. It is the state of being, a spiritual journey, an eternal inquiry!
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