Hindu Religious Traditions
Hinduism, a religious tradition of Indian origin, comprises the beliefs and practices of Hindus. The word Hindu is derived from the river Sindhu, or Indus. Hindu was primarily a geographical term that referred to India or to a region of India as long ago as the sixth century BC (Sharma, 2005). In most religions, beliefs and practices come first, and those who subscribe to them are considered followers. In Hindu tradition, however, the acknowledgement of Hindus came first, and their beliefs and practices constitute the contents of the religion.
Hindus use the Sanskrit term Sanatana Dharma, which is often translated into English as eternal tradition or eternal religion (Fisher, 2002). The word Dharma also has many other meanings in Sanskrit, the sacred language of Hindu scripture, including moral order, duty, and right action. Dharma is a very important concept for Hindus. In addition to tradition and moral order, it also signifies the path of knowledge and correct action. Because of Hinduism's emphasis on living in accordance with Dharma, anyone who is striving for spiritual knowledge and seeking the right course of ethical action is, in the broadest sense, a follower of Sanatana Dharma. The Hindu tradition encourages Hindus to seek spiritual and moral truth wherever it might be found, while acknowledging that no creed can contain such truth in its fullness and that each individual must realize this truth through his or her own systematic effort. Our experience, our reason, and our dialogue with others, especially enlightened individuals, provide various means of testing our understanding of spiritual and moral truth (Sharma, 2005).
In many religions truth is ...