Talk:Hinduism/Definitions

Definitions

While Hinduism is a clear concept to majority of adherents, it is sometimes expressed, that there is a problem arriving at a definition of the term 'Hinduism' itself because of the wide range of traditions and ideas incorporated or covered by it. While sometimes referred to it as a religion, it is more often defined as a religious tradition, it is therefore described as both the oldest and most diverse of the world's religions or religious traditions. Most Hindu traditions revere a body of religious or sacred literature, the Vedas, though there are exceptions to it; some religious traditions regard certain particular rituals as essential for salvation, while others do not and there is a vast variety of views on it; some Hindu philosophies postulate a theistic reality on the persons who create, maintain, and destroys the universe or creation, yet others within Hinduism reject these claims. Hinduism is sometimes characterized with the belief in reincarnation (samsara) determined by the law of karma, and that salvation is freedom from this cycle or repeated birth and death. However other religions of the region, such as Buddhism and Jainism, also believe in this and are normally not defined within the scope of Hinduism. It is perhaps the most complex of all the living, historical world religions. Hinduisms comprehensive tolerance of difference in belief and its dogmatic openness makes it difficult to define it as a religion according to "Western conceptions" According to Max Weber, doctrine of karma constitutes, perhaps the only dogma of Hinduism. Dispite these difficulties Hinduism is not only one of the numerically largest but also the oldest living major tradition on earth, with roots reaching back into the prehistory.

A definition given by the first Vice President of India and prominent theologian, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan who said that Hinduism is not "just a faith" but is related to the union of reason and intuition, explicitly stating that it can not be defined, but is only to be experienced. Similar problem of vagueness is acknowledged by academics, suggesting that Hinduism can be seen as a category with "fuzzy edges", rather then a well defined and rigid entity. Some forms of religious expression or belief are central to Hinduism, while others are not as central but still within the category and one scholar Ferro-Luzzi has developed a 'Prototype Theory approach' to the definition of Hinduism.

Hinduism as one of the world religions we know today had only occurred or perceived since the 19th century, when the term 'Hindu-ism' started being used by leaders of Hindu reform movements or revivalists, and, often considered to be biased, Western orientalists or "first Indologists". However it is clearly accepted that its origins and the "streams" which feed in to it are very ancient, extending back to the Indus Valley civilization and earliest expressions of historical Vedic religion. It is not an accepted view that Hinduism is the construction of Western orientalists to make sense of the plurality of religious phenomena originating and based on the Vedic traditions, however some many have suggested it is.

It is sometimes viewed that the problem with definition or of what is actually meant by the term is due to the fact that Hinduism does not have a single or common historical founder. Hinduism, or as some say 'Hinduisms', does not have a single system of salvation and has different goals according to each sect. The forms of Vedic religion are seen, not as an alternative to Hinduism but as its earliest form, and there is little justification for the divisions found in much western scholarly writing between Vedism, Brahmanism, and Hinduism. Some suggest that Hinduism does not have a "unified system of belief encoded in declaration of faith or a creed". It is therefore a very different kind of religion in these respects to the monolithic tradition of Islam, while some suggest there are stronger affinities with Judaism.

From the western point of view, the understanding of Hinduism was mediated by Western notions of what religion is and how its relates to more ancient forms of belief. It is further complicated by the frequent use of the term "faith" as a synonym for "religion". Some academics and many practitioners refer to Hinduism as 'Sanātana Dharma' a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law" or "eternal way".

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