You’ve probably heard of yoga as a way to exercise and relax. But did you know it was originally connected with a religion? It evolved from philosophies of early Hinduism.
About 1.2 billion people—15% of the world—practice Hinduism. It’s often called a religion, but Hinduism doesn’t have a formal set of scriptures or organized leaders. In India, where it is common, many consider it a way of life that is broader than religion.
One important teaching of Hinduism is the idea of reincarnation. Hindus believe that after we die, our soul is reborn into another body to continue learning new things.
Because they believe someone might be born into an animal body as part of their cycle of reincarnation, Hindus respect animals and are often vegetarian. The cow is especially respected by some Hindu groups.
According to Hinduism, the cycle of death and rebirth ends only when a person reaches moksha, when their soul is liberated. A person grows closer to moksha by detaching from the material world, gaining divine awareness, and having good karma.
Have you heard the word karma before? It’s the idea that what goes around comes around. According to Hinduism, the good deeds you do (either in this life or previous lives) lead to good things happening, and bad deeds eventually lead to bad things.
Some Hindus believe in several deities, such as gods named Vishnu and Shiva, while other Hindus consider these to be different manifestations a single ultimate God.
Buddhism is similar to Hinduism in many ways, sharing some of the same beliefs and deities, with about 500 million followers.
If you have a friend who is Hindu, you could ask them about what their temples are like. Here’s a story about members of the Church who toured a Hindu temple to strengthen interfaith relationships. Our prophet today, President Russell M. Nelson, has taught that respecting other religions and being “tolerant of neighbors with differences they hold sacred” is important.1
Tomorrow we’ll be learning about Protestantism, so stay tuned!
To Think About
Notes
1. From “Teach Us Tolerance and Love,” Apr. 1994 general conference.
Learn more about Hinduism here.