Hinduism
Go to products
Maha Shivaraatri – De bijzondere nacht van Shiva
"In de schitterende kosmos van het hindoeïsme wordt elke viering doordrenkt met diepte, symboliek en…
Nieuw boek! De 365 Ramayana Quotes
"Stap in de betoverende wereld van de Ramayana, een eeuwenoud epos doordrenkt met tijdloze wijsheid,…
“Zuiver je huis en geest: een eeuwenoude salie ritueel voor spirituele reiniging!”
**Titel: De Spirituele Verrijking van Je Thuis: Een Gids voor Het Uitroken met Spirituele Kruiden**…
Origins and Core Ideas of Hinduism
Hinduism is a diverse family of philosophies and practices with roots in the Vedic traditions of ancient India (c. 1500–500 BCE). Early Vedic ritual centered on sacrifice and hymns (the Vedas), later complemented by the Upanishads, which probe ultimate reality (Brahman) and the innermost self (ātman). A key insight is that ātman and Brahman are intimately related—understood non-dually in Advaita Vedānta and variously in qualified or dualist schools. Human life unfolds within samsāra, the cycle of birth and death shaped by karma (intentional action). The highest aim is moksha—liberation from ignorance and bondage—pursued through multiple yogic paths: jñāna (knowledge and contemplative inquiry), bhakti (devotion and love of God), karma (selfless action), and rāja (meditative discipline). Ethics revolves around dharma, a rich term spanning moral duty, social harmony, and cosmic order, alongside the four aims of life (puruṣārthas): dharma, artha (prosperity), kāma (pleasure), and moksha (liberation). Hindu theologies are plural: some worship a personal supreme—Viṣṇu, Śiva, or Devī—as the source of all forms, while others favor an impersonal absolute. The epics—the Mahābhārata (including the Bhagavad Gītā) and the Rāmāyaṇa—translate philosophical ideas into lived narratives of duty, devotion, and discernment. Rather than a single founder or creed, Hinduism is a living ecosystem of lineages (sampradāyas), scriptures (śruti and smṛti), and regional cultures. Its flexibility allows people to engage the divine through image and mantra, reason and meditation, household rites and temple worship—each a doorway to the same ultimate reality.
Practice, Traditions, and Contemporary Relevance
Hindu practice ranges from intimate daily pūjā at a home shrine to elaborate temple festivals and pilgrimages to places like Varanasi, Rameswaram, and the Kumbh Melā. Life-cycle sacraments (saṃskāras) mark birth, initiation, marriage, and death. The ritual calendar is vibrant: Dīpāvali (Diwali) celebrates light’s victory over darkness; Holī embodies playful renewal; Navarātri honors the Goddess; Janmāṣṭamī celebrates Krishna’s birth. Chanting (japa), recitation of scripture, vegetarian disciplines, service (sevā), and satsang (company of seekers) nurture character and community. The guru–disciple relationship transmits practice within lineages, while ashrams and modern movements adapt teachings for global audiences. Historically, bhakti movements democratized devotion across regions and languages; reform figures like Rām Mohan Roy, Śrī Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, and Mahatma Gandhi reframed Hindu values for modernity, linking spirituality to social ethics and nonviolence. Contemporary Hinduism engages questions of caste discrimination, gender equity, and economic change, with many communities advancing education, interfaith dialogue, and environmental stewardship inspired by dharma’s ethic of non-harm (ahiṃsā). Yoga—rooted in Hindu and broader Indic traditions—has become a global practice; responsible teachers contextualize postural work within ethics, meditation, and philosophy. In diaspora settings, temples and cultural centers sustain identity while fostering pluralism. Intellectually, Hindu philosophies contribute to debates on consciousness, selfhood, and ecology; aesthetically, music, dance, and iconography carry theology into embodied art. Amid diversity, a unifying thread remains: aligning thought, feeling, and action with the real—through devotion, discernment, service, and meditation—so that everyday life becomes a path toward freedom and compassionate participation in the world.