Hinduism

Hinduism is centered upon the belief that all things in the universe are connected and are a part of the one single existing thing, called Brahman. Unlike in the western religions, this central being is not a personal god in which humans pray to and have a relationship with. Instead, humans are an expression of Brahman as are all other creatures and objects in the universe. This is illustrated by the Bhagavad-Gita, a Hindu text, when Arjuna asks Lord Krishna to show him his true form and Krishna responds, “Arjuna, see all the universe, animate and inanimate, and whatever else you wish to see; all stands here as one in my body” (Gita, page 98) When Arjuna witnesses Krishna’s true form as Brahman he says, “I see your boundless form everywhere, the countless arms, bellies, mouths, and eyes; Lord of All, I see no end, or middle or beginning to your totality.” When Arjuna sees Lord Krishna he sees the entire universe because everything in the universe is part of Brahman therefore Lord Krishna is everything. During one’s lifetime it is believed that they are just one piece of Brahman called the Atmanwhich is immortal and experiences many lifetimes. Lord Krishna describes the Atman in The Bhagavad-Gita, “Our bodies are known to end, but the embodied self is enduring, indestructible, andimmeasurable…it will never not be;unborn, enduring, constant, and primordial, it is not killed when thebody is killed” (Gita, page 32). The Atman obtains a human body at birth and uses it through its lifetime to serve a purpose within the Dharma and to try to free itself from Samsara.
The caste system plays an immense role in the religion and vice versa. While the caste system did not exist in the Aryan culture it was first mentioned in a hymn from the Rigveda telling the story of a man who was sacrificed and from his body parts were formed the rest of the world. “The Brahman was his mouth; his two arms became the rajanya; his thighs are what the vaisya is; from his feet the sudra was produced” (Rigveda 10.90). This tells the hierarchy of the classes according to the position and perception of the corresponding body part. The top class is the religious leaders giving them great power and influence in society. The religious beliefs of karma and anti-materialis m make it easier for the lower classes to endure their lives and accept the caste system.
There are many different methods used to achieve Moksha some of which are raja yoga, bhakti, and tantra. The first method is a type ofmeditation which is a technique to gain awareness and consciousness.There are four types of consciousness, including normal waking consciousness, inner dialogue or daydream consciousness, and deep sleep without dreams consciousness, each deeper than the last ending with Brahman consciousness. Raja yoga was created by a man named Patanjali. In his classic writings called yoga sutras he said that there are eight stages to realizing one’s union with Brahman. These stages are restraint, observance, posture, breath control, abstraction, concentration, meditation, and finally Samadhi. Inpracticing these steps one must disregard senses from the outside world and concentrate totally on one thing. When one is finally able to push that one last thing out of the way and see all things as one Samadhi or Brahman consciousness is reached. Krishna expresses this idea in the Bhagavad-Gita, “When, like a tortoise retracting its limbs, he withdraws his senses completely from sensuous objects, his insight is sure” (Gita, page 37).
The caste system also dictates when people should seek enlightenment. The Law of Manu says that there are four stages of life called Kama, Artha, Dharma, and Moksha. Kama, the first, is the period of youth which is filled withno responsibilitie s and focuses on experiencing pleasure.