History Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and
Nepal. It also exists among significant populations outside of the sub
continent and has over 900 million adherents worldwide. Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings. Hinduism has its origins in such remote past that it cannot be traced to any one individual. Some scholars believe that Hinduism must have existed even in circa 10000 B.C. and that the earliest of the Hindu scriptures The Rig Veda was composed well before 6500 B.C. The Two types of sacred writings comprise the Hindu scriptures: Shruti and Smriti. They were passed on from generation to generation orally for centuries before they were written down mostly in the Sanskrit language.
How to become Hindu
Rise up from bed before sunrise.
Complete morning ablutions and bath.
Pay homage to the family deity.
Spend 10-15 minutes praying, meditating and reciting from the scriptures.
Prepare breakfast and eat it only after offering the same to the family deity.
Then throughout the day execute the tasks pertaining to one's profession with complete devotion, sincerity and honesty for the maintenance of the family.
In the evening perform group prayers in the family shrine along with all the members of the family.
This is followed by supper and obeisance to the family deity before retiring to bed.
Besides this daily routine, an ideal Hindu is advised to visit the nearest Hindu temple once in a while.
You should observe several important Hindu festivals with due reverence, and go on pilgrimage to a few holy places.
A Hindu is expected to give charity, help the needy, respect the elders in society and scrupulously pursue the path of moral rectitude in both personal and social life.
Compassion, consideration for others, love, sympathy, non-violence should be the ruling words in the life of an ideal Hindu.
Top 3 Deities Ganesha is easily recognizable as the elephant-deity riding a mouse, Ganesha is arguably he most popular Hindu God, and one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha is depicted has having a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of knowledge, wisdom and wealth. Shiva is the most powerful and fascinating deity in Hinduism, who represents death and dissolution. One of the godheads in the Hindu Trinity, and known by many names - Mahadeva, Pashupati, Nataraja, Vishwanath, Bhole Nath Shiva is perhaps the most complex of Hindu deities. Hindus recognise this by putting his shrine in the temple separate from those of other deities and worshipping Shiva as a phallic symbol called the Shiva Limgam in most temples. Krishma, the great exponent of the Gita, Krishna is the ninth and the most complete avatar of Vishnu, the Godhead of the Hindu Trinity. Of all avatars he is the most popular and perhaps the one closest to the heart of the masses. This blue skinned deity has influenced the Indian thought, life and culture in myriad ways not only its religion and philosophy, but also into its mysticism and literature, painting and sculpture, dance and music, and all aspects of Indian folklore.
Beliefs Hinduism cannot be neatly slotted into any particular belief system. Unlike other religions, Hinduism is a way of life, a Dharma, that is, the law that governs all action. It has its own beliefs, traditions, advanced system of ethics, meaningful rituals, philosophy and theology. The religious tradition of Hinduism is solely responsible for the creation of such original concepts and practices as Yoga, Ayurveda, Vastu, Jyotish, Yajna, Puja, Tantra, Vedanta, Karma, etc.
Scipture The word Hinduism is not to be found anywhere in the scriptures, and the term Hindu was introduced by foreigners who referred to people living across the River Indus or Sindhu, in the north of India, around which the Vedic religion is believed to have originated. The major and most popular Hindu texts include the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.The basic scriptures of Hinduism, which is collectively referred to as Shastras, are essentially a collection of spiritual laws discovered by different saints and sages at different points in its long history.
Symbols
Om – the most important Hindu symbol, often used as the emblem of Hinduism (see above).
Hands in prayer – a sign of respect for the sacred, that which is dear to the heart (see above).
Lotus – symbol of purity/transcendence. Growing out of the mud, it is beautiful, and though resting on water, it does not touch it.
Conchshell – used during arati: one of the four symbols of Vishnu. The others are the lotus, club and disc.
Swastika – an ancient solar sign considered to invoke auspiciousnes.
Trident – the symbol of Shiva; often carried by Shaivite sannyasis (renunciates).
Kalasha – coconut circled by mango leaves on a pot. Often used in rituals such as the fire sacrifice.
Cow – symbol of purity, motherhood and ahimsa.
Lotus feet – touching the feet of superiors shows an attitude of submission and service.
Dipa/lamp – symbol of light.
Method of Salvation Salvation for a Hindu is called Moksha. Moksha is when an enlightened human being is freed from the cycle of life-and-death and comes into a state of completeness. He then becomes one with God.
There are four ways to Moksha:
1. The Way of Action: This involves carrying out certain religious ceremonies, duties and rites. The objective is to perform works without regard for personal gain.
2. The Way of Knowledge: This requires using your mind and philosophy to come to a complete comprehension of the universe.
3. The Way of Devotion: Salvation is reached through acts of worship, based upon the love for a God (there are thousands of gods in Hinduism).
4.The Royal Road: The use of meditation and yoga techniques. This method of reaching salvation is typically only used by wandering monks.
Buddhism
This history of Buddhism starts off in the 6th century with Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini, Nepal. At one point in time, it influenced most of the continent of Asia. Early Buddhism was centered within the Ganges river valley, and spread from there. After asceticism and meditation, Siddhartha discovered the Buddhist middle path way. A path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. He attained enlightenment by separating himself from society, and sitting under a peepal tree, now known as the Bodhi tree. After that, he was then known as "The Enlightened One". The number of followers of Buddhism ranges between 200-500 million, but the generally agreed number is 350 million, which is around 6% of the worlds population. The four noble truths, and the noble eight fold path are the core beliefs of buddhism. The noble truths are; The first noble truth: The truth of dukkha, which is suffering. The second noble truth: The arising or origin of dukkha, which is craving. The third noble truth: cessation of dukkha, which means to find the root of suffering. The fourth noble truth: To get rid of dukkha, and be done with suffering. Common practices of buddhism are meditating, mantras, which refer to sacred sounds, mudras are sacred hand gestures, and prayer wheels, which assist in reciting mantras with the turn of the wheel. There aren't really Buddhist laws, as the Buddha him self told his followers to meditate, interpret his teachings and act upon as they would knowing those teachings. The five sects of Buddhism are Theravada buddhism, Mahayana buddhism, Tantric buddhism, Zen buddhism, and Pure Land buddhism.