Ann Morrison, age 15, of Danville, I11., for her question:
WHO STARTED HINDUISM?
Hinduism is the major religion of India and also the oldest living religion in the world. Unlike such religions as Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, Hinduism was not founded on the teachings of one man but instead developed gradually over thousands of years.
Hinduism had the help of many cultures, races and religions as it was shaped. Many groups or sects arose within Hinduism and each developed its own philosphy and form of worship.
There is no single book, such as the Bible, that serves as the source of Hinduism's doctrines. Instead, many sacred writings have contributed to its fundamental beliefs.
The roots of Hinduism date back to prehistoric times in India. Although most Hindus now live in India, the literature and philosophy of the religion have influenced people throughout the world.
Hinduism is polytheistic. This means that Hindus worship many gods.
During the period of early Hinduism, believers worshiped gods that represented powers in nature, such as rain and the sun. Gradually, some Hindus came to believe that, though divinities appear in separate forms, these forms are part of one universal spirit called Brahman.
Hindus believe that many divinities make up Brahman. The three most important divinities are Brahma, the creator of the universe; Vishnu, its preserver, and Shiva, its destroyer.
According to Hindu doctrine, animals as well as human beings have souls. Hindus worship many animals as gods. Cows are the most sacred, but Hindus also worship monkeys, snakes and other animals.
Many schools of Hinduism have developed through the centuries. Especially prominent, in their traditional orders, are nyaya, vaisheska, sankhya, yoga, purva mimamsa and vedanta. Nyaya deals with logic. Vaisheska concerns the nature of the world while Sankhya examines the universe. Yoga is designed to free the soul while purva mimamsa and vedanta are based on sacred writings.
Hinduism teaches that the soul never dies. When the body dies, the soul is reborn. This continuous process of rebirth is called reincarnation, The soul may be reborn in either an animal or a human being, but Hindu doctrine is not clear on this point.
The Hindu law of karma is closely related to reincarnation. It states that every action of a person, no matter how small it may be, influences how his soul will be born in his next reincarnation.
Karma says that if a person performs honorable deeds and lives a good life, his soul will be born into a higher state, perhaps into the body of a brahman. If a person performs evil deeds and leads a bad life, his soul will be born into a lower state, perhaps into the body of a worm.
Hindus believe that a person's reincarnation continues until he achieves spiritual perfection. The soul then enters a new level of existence, called moksha, from which it never returns.