Is Hinduism a religion?

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
Post Reply
SarathW
Posts: 21227
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2012 2:49 am

Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by SarathW »

Is Hinduism a religion?

I was listening to one indian Guru and he mentioned that there is no religion named Hinduism.
It appears this name Hinduism is coined by either Muslims, English or the Indian itself to put them in to a unified category.
What make Buddha's teaching differentiate form Hinduism?
The question is why Buddhism is not regarded as Hinduism while all the other sects of Hinduism is coined as one?
I know this is a very complex question, but my learned friends may be able to shed bit more light into this question.
Please do not discuss what is a religion or not and what religion means.
:anjali:

World religions tree:

https://pierwiastekzla.wordpress.com/wo ... gionstree/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
User avatar
DNS
Site Admin
Posts: 17186
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:15 am
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, Estados Unidos de América
Contact:

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by DNS »

Buddhism A to Z by Ven. Dhammika wrote:Hinduism is not a religion in the usual sense of the word, but is rather a collection of sometimes widely divergent religious concepts and practices that evolved out of Brahmanism in India. It is sometimes said that Buddhism is a branch of Hinduism or that it started as a reform movement within Hinduism. Neither of these claims is correct. Hinduism did not exist at the time of the Buddha and only began to evolve after the 3rd or 4th centuries CE. But even if Hinduism is confused with Brahmanism it is still clear from the Buddhist scriptures that the Buddha saw his Dhamma as contrasting with and being an alternative to the religion of his time, not a reform or a reinterpretation of it.

During the centuries in which they existed together, Buddhist and Hindu scholars and philosophers were sometimes highly critical of each others' ideas and practices. This would not have happened if the two were the same or similar. The Maitri Upaniùad says: `There are those who love to distract believers in the Vedas by the jugglery of false arguments, comparisons and parallelisms. The world is bewildered by a doctrine that denies the self (nairàtmyavàda), by false comparisons and proofs, it does not discern the difference between the wisdom of the Vedas and other knowledge ... Some say that there should be attention to Dhamma instead of the Vedas ... But what is said in the Vedas is true. The wise should base their lives on the Vedas. A brahmin should only study what is in the Vedas.' This is obviously a criticism of the Buddhist doctrine of anattà, of Buddhism's rejection of the Vedas and of the logical arguments Buddhists used to support their views. The Prameyamālā says: `The truth contained in the three Vedas is destroyed by the followers of Kaõāda, by the Buddhists and by other heratics. Previously it was protected by Viùõu with his trident.' These and the many other criticism of Buddhism in ancient Hindu literature would have been unnecessary and meaningless if one was simply a reform of the other or the two were the same.

However, despite disagreements on the philosophical level, the relations between Buddhists and Hindus in ancient India were generally harmonious as both tend to be tolerant religions. Today Hinduism is mainly practised in India and Nepal and amongst Indian expatriate communities from Fiji to the UK.
User avatar
Way~Farer
Posts: 130
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2012 11:38 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by Way~Farer »

Dharma and religion is not exactly the same thing. Have a look at http://veda.wikidot.com/dharma-and-religion" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Don't know who wrote it but there's a lot of truth in it.
Pinetree
Posts: 460
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2015 4:25 am

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by Pinetree »

Some people will say that Hinduism is just a geographical delimitation. It doesn't describe a religion, a group of people, a language or anything else. Just a designation for whatever is happening around India.

Probably a short answer to your question is that Hinduism is more religions.

Maybe this will be helpful:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
gateisred
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 04, 2016 3:43 am

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by gateisred »

Hinduism, a lot like Buddhism is more of a Dharma, or a way of life. However, it is more similar to a religion in that there is a much more prominent focus on Gods, praying to those gods, etc.
Hostilities aren't stilled through hostility, regardless.
Hostilities are stilled through non-hostility:
this, an unending truth.
:buddha1:
User avatar
cappuccino
Posts: 12879
Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2016 1:45 am
Contact:

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by cappuccino »

Advaita says, I am That.

Buddha's Dhamma says, I am is conceit, a fetter.
dhammarelax
Posts: 1087
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2014 7:59 pm

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by dhammarelax »

SarathW wrote: What make Buddha's teaching differentiate form Hinduism?
:anjali:

World religions tree:

https://pierwiastekzla.wordpress.com/wo ... gionstree/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The four noble truths.
Even if the flesh & blood in my body dry up, leaving just the skin, tendons, & bones, I will use all my human firmness, human persistence and human striving. There will be no relaxing my persistence until I am the first of my generation to attain full awakening in this lifetime. ed. AN 2.5
Saoshun
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2014 3:59 pm

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by Saoshun »

I know with Guru you mean, but hinduism is rather academical term as hinduism have not straight and constant school of taught.
Remember… the Buddha had said that everyone living in this world is crazy, by the phrase, “Sabbē prutajjana ummattakā”; excluding the Arahants, everyone else is crazy. Would you get angry if a mad person scolds? Do we get angry for a crazy thing done by a crazy person? Just think about it! :candle:
User avatar
Dhammabodhi
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 12:25 pm
Location: New Delhi, India

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by Dhammabodhi »

gateisred wrote:Hinduism, a lot like Buddhism is more of a Dharma, or a way of life. However, it is more similar to a religion in that there is a much more prominent focus on Gods, praying to those gods, etc.
This is a partial view at best. Classically, even the likes of atheism and materialism (e.g. Charvaka) could be brought under the umbrella of Hinduism. The term 'Hinduism' consists of six schools of 'Astika' thought (those that accept the existence of the self-atman) which were clearly more influential than the Charvakians or Ajivikans:
Wikipedia wrote:
The āstika schools are:

1. Samkhya, an atheistic and strongly dualist theoretical exposition of consciousness and matter.
2. Yoga, a school emphasising meditation, contemplation and liberation.
3. Nyāya or logic, explores sources of knowledge. Nyāya Sūtras.
4. Vaiśeṣika, an empiricist school of atomism
5. Mīmāṃsā, an anti-ascetic and anti-mysticist school of orthopraxy
6. Vedānta, the last segment of knowledge in the Vedas, or jñānakāṇḍa. Vedānta came to be the dominant current of Hinduism in the post-medieval period.
Others have pointed out the differences between Hindu-dharma and Buddha-dhamma, if you are interested here is a more nuanced comparative study on the practice of jhana in Buddhist and Upanishad-based Hinduism:

The Origin of Buddhist Meditation

:anjali:
"Take rest, take rest."-S.N.Goenka
User avatar
No_Mind
Posts: 2211
Joined: Fri May 23, 2014 4:12 pm
Location: India

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by No_Mind »

SarathW wrote:Is Hinduism a religion?

I was listening to one indian Guru and he mentioned that there is no religion named Hinduism.
It appears this name Hinduism is coined by either Muslims, English or the Indian itself to put them in to a unified category.
What make Buddha's teaching differentiate form Hinduism?
The question is why Buddhism is not regarded as Hinduism while all the other sects of Hinduism is coined as one?
I know this is a very complex question, but my learned friends may be able to shed bit more light into this question.
Please do not discuss what is a religion or not and what religion means.
:anjali:

World religions tree:

https://pierwiastekzla.wordpress.com/wo ... gionstree/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Hinduism consists of six Astika schools (mentioned above by Dhammabodhi) and three Nastika schools (Buddhism, Jainism and Lokayata or Carvaka). Astika means those schools that are derived from Vedas. Nastika means those which were non-Vedic.

If Buddhism is a part of Nastika school or only Carvaka is Nastika school can be contested -- my definition is based on writings of Swami Pranavananda a revered monk in 19th century.

Of the six Astika schools only Mimansa or the Vedic school is the one that can be observed being practiced. It is divided into Shaiva (worshipers of Shiva), Shakta (worshipers of sacred feminine in form of Durga or Kali) and Vaishnava (worshipers of Krishna). These three main divisions have several subdivisions based usually on geography -- a Kashmiri Shaiva has not much in common with a Tamil Shaiva etc.

In brief, Hindusim is a mosaic of several sub-religions which all trace their root to Vedas. To some extent saying "I am a Hindu" is misleading (just like a member of Nichiren has little in common with practitioners of Kagyu Tibetan Buddhism) but there is an amity that binds all types of Hindus together (unlike Shia-Sunni Muslims who are happiest when tearing out each others throat) and thus Hinduism is a religion.

Hindus consider Buddhists to be a subset of Hinduism and some consider Buddha as the ninth avatar of Vishnu. Of course it goes without saying the sentiment is not reciprocated by Buddhists.
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
User avatar
Lucas Oliveira
Posts: 1890
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2015 10:07 pm

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by Lucas Oliveira »

Here is some of the Hindu deities. To know more just search their names on the Net.




:namaste:
I participate in this forum using Google Translator. http://translate.google.com.br

http://www.acessoaoinsight.net/
User avatar
The Thinker
Posts: 806
Joined: Sun Nov 08, 2015 6:12 pm
Location: UK

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by The Thinker »

Is not religion a dirty word in the sense that it exaggerates the importance of teachings, giving the impression that this is the only true religion, and many like to claim the word (religion )to give their teachings importance?
"Watch your heart, observe. Be the observer, be the knower, not the condition" Ajahn Sumedho volume5 - The Wheel Of Truth
SarathW
Posts: 21227
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2012 2:49 am

Re: Is Hinduism a religion?

Post by SarathW »

Unfortunately it is another word which we have to have.
I am not sure how teachings are differentiate in Buddha's time.
May be the word Buddha Dhamma, Hindu Dhamma etc. used.
Perhaps we can say Abrahamic Dhamma?
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
Post Reply