Brief Summary Of Hinduism

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Hinduism is a collection of the spiritual beliefs of the Indian people followed by nearly 85% of the country’s population. Unlike many other religions it does not have one person that can be called the founder. Instead, Hinduism slowly took shape first as a source of help and guidance to obtain practical, real world necessities and later as a spiritual religion like that of today. The evolution of Hinduism was initially influenced by two factors, geography and agriculturally fertile land. First, geographic isolation provided by the Himalayan Mountains to the north and the oceans to all other directions protected India from outside invaders and influences. This allowed the Indian society to remain unchanged for centuries. Consequently, when Indian people felt unhappiness with their lives they did not seek to change society instead they sought change from within themselves. Secondly, the strong agricultural tradition of the society provided a deep connection and understanding of nature and its cycles. As early agricultural people they sought a religion that would help them to survive their difficult living conditions. Much later they would seek to explain the spiritual world.
The religion began with the Indus people who inhabited India before 2700 B.C.E. Many of the basic characteristics of the religion came from this culture including a great respect for and fixation with water. The Indus people had amazingly well developed and carefully planned cities including intricate water and sewage systems. Buildings were constructed on a grid pattern with sewers built under the roads and each house had its own source of water and toilet that could be flushed out to the sewers. This preoccupation with water was surely born because of the importance of water to an agricultural society in an arid climate but it would later carry over to religious practices. Another aspect of Hinduism that originated from this culture is the pract...