7 Pillars of Hinduism
Hinduism, the world’s oldest religion, has no beginning-it precedes recorded history. It has no human founder. It is a mystical religion, leading the devotee to personally experience the Truth within, finally reaching the pinnacle of consciousness where man and God are one.
Our beliefs determine our thoughts and attitudes about life, which in turn direct our actions. By our actions, we create our destiny. Beliefs about sacred matters-God, soul and cosmos-are essential to one’s approach to life.
Humans live their life based on the deep seated beliefs they hold.
There are religious beliefs, financial beliefs, health beliefs, beliefs for every part of life. These beliefs are formed due to a variety of factors. Your parents’ behavior with you and with the society at large, your education, your social milieu, your own experiences with life and so on. Almost all of these factors are out of our hands. We can hardly do anything about them.
It’s difficult to do anything in life contrary to the belief we hold in that field. So if you have a belief that “Money is the root of all evil”, you will probably never be rich because you will never undertake any action that makes you rich.
If your parents had ridiculed you often when you were a kid, you will have a damaged self esteem. You will never believe in yourself, feel unworthy of anything and consequently will find success eluding you.
If you had a school teacher who had praised you, especially in front of your class, about some activity, say your elocution, and in subsequent years others reinforced that belief in you that you speak well then, as a grown up you will undoubtedly become an excellent public speaker and success will follow you. Thus, the beliefs we hold in our mind about ourselves dictate our life.
Hindus believe many diverse things, but there are a few bedrock concepts on which most Hindus concur.
The 7 Pillars
1. Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Destroyer of reality
2. Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world’s most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God’s word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion
3. Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution. Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny
4. Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds
5. Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods
6. Hinduism recommends timeless obligations, like trustworthiness, ceasing from harming living creatures (Ahiṃsā), persistence, avoidance, patience, temperance, and sympathy, among others. Hindu practices incorporate ceremonies, for example, puja (love) and recitations, Japa, reflection (dhyāna), family-situated transitional experiences, yearly celebrations, and periodic journeys.
7. Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or Satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God
Most importantly Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God’s Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.
कर्मण्ये वाधिका रस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्म फल हेतु र्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्व कर्मणि॥
You have a right to do “Karma” (actions) but never to any of the Fruits thereof. You should never be motivated by the results of your actions, nor should there be any attachment in not doing your prescribed activities.
This is Hinduism at its core.
