WHAT IS HINDUISM?
reality underlying All That Is – as a singularity or
One-ness as such – not a single or ‘One’ God.- The ultimate, absolute reality that is the Divine is
traditionally called ‘Brahman’. Brahman in turn may be
called by the same name as many specific Hindu
divinities such as Shiva, Vishnu, Kali etc. In this way,
Hinduism affirms the unity of the gods and God, of
diverse divinities and the singularity of the Divine. - The essential nature of the Divine as a singular reality is
understood through the Sanskrit term ‘Sat-Chit-Ananda’
(‘Being-Consciousness-Bliss’). All of the many schools
of Hindu religious philosophy ultimately address the
question of how the meaning and reality behind this
term can be understood and directly experienced. - Hindu thought does not separate ‘philosophy’,
‘theology’, ‘spirituality’ and ‘science’ but is essentially
‘theo-sophical’ and ‘spiritual-scientific’ in character.
‘Yoga’ is the practical science of Hindu ‘theo-sophy’,
aimed at cultivating and recovering knowledge and
direct experience of the Divine in oneself and all things. - So-called ‘idol worship’ is an important and powerful
aspect of Hindu religious practice, but is not unique to
it. The Abrahamic faiths idolise everything from sacred