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Key facts |
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| Foundation |
| Date Founded |
1,500 BCE |
Place Founded |
India |
| Founder |
None |
Adherents |
900 million |
| Major Sects |
Saivism, Vaisnavism, Saktism |
| Main Locations |
India, also United Kingdom and United States
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| Sacred Objects, Rituals and Locations |
| Sacred texts |
Vedas, Upanishads, Sutras, Bhagavad Gita |
| Original language |
Sanskrit |
| Spiritual leaders |
guru or sage |
| Place of worship |
temple or home shrine |
| Major holidays |
• Mahashivarati (mid-February)
• Holi (Spring)
• Ramnavami (late March)
• Dusserah (early November)
• Diwali (mid-November) |
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| Fundamental philosophy |
| Theism ("god") |
Pantheism with polytheistic elements |
| Ultimate reality |
Brahman |
| Human nature |
in bondage to ignorance and illusion, but able to escape |
| Purpose of life |
to attain liberation (moksa) from the cycle of reincarnation |
| How to live |
order life according to the dharma |
| Afterlife |
if karma unresolved, soul is born into a new body; if karma resolved, attain moksa (liberation) |
| Cosmology |
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| Laws and commandments |
| Three Paths |
• karmamarga - path of works and action
• jnanamarga - path of knowledge or philosophy
• bhaktimarga - path of devotion to God |
| Three Debts |
• debt to God
• debt to sages and saints
• debt to ancestors |
| Four stages of life: |
• brahmacharga - school years - grow and learn
• grhastha - marriage, family and career
• vanaprastha - turn attention to spiritual things
• sanrgasu - abandon world to seek spiritual things |
| Four purposes of life: |
• dharma - fulfill moral, social and religious duties
• artha - attain financial and worldy success
• kama - satisfy desires and drives in moderation
• moksha - attain freedom from reincarnation |
| Seven sacred cities: |
• Ayodhya
• Mathura
• Gaya (Bodhgaya)
• Kasi (Varanasi, Benares)
• Kanci
• Avantika (Ujjain)
• Dvaraka |
| Ten commitments: |
• Ahimsa - do no harm
• Satya - do not lie
• Asteya - do not steal
• Brahmacharya - do not overindulge
• Aparigraha - do not be greedy
• Saucha - be clean
• Santosha - be content
• Tapas - be self-disciplined
• Svadhyaya - study
• Ishvara Pranidhana - surrender to God |
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Copyright © One-Spirit-Tribe.org 2006. All Rights Reserved
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