Hindu Philosophy Chapters Content

To understand Hinduism one must start with its philosophy. Hindu philosophy is the source of all its practices. Even basic knowledge of Hindu philosophy will shed a deeper light in the understanding Hindu practices such as meditation, hatha yoga, puja and Hindu culture.

For instance, hatha yoga, the Hindu system of exercise is very mainstream. People all over the world are learning it mainly for its benefits of reducing stress and other health benefits that have been researched and promoted by the medical profession. However these benefits are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. When you learn Hindu philosophy you will find out that Hatha Yoga was devised essentially as a preparation for deep and profound meditation. It is an important practice in the path of God-Realization and enlightenment. The health benefits are by-products of the practice and not the ultimate goal.Armed with this knowledge, if you are interested in pursuing deeper aspects of meditative practices such as achieving God-Realization, you might look for a yoga master who is also a spiritual guru. Then you will be able to learn a richer, deeper and more subtle level of the pracitce that you would otherwise have missed if you learned Yoga from a master thought to think of it only as physical exercise. This applies to all aspects of Hindu culture. The study of its philosophy makes the practice of Hinduism to a deeper and more profound level of experience.

This presentation of Hindu philosophy is divided into 12 chapters listed below. These chapters will provide a general overview of Hinduism. Keeping in mind that Hinduism is actually a collection of sectarian cultures, these chapters draw on the common beliefs and practices of the 4 main Hindu Sects. The subtle differences in Hindu philosophy among the main Hindu sects are addressed in the final chapter.

In this three part series we will explore God's nature from the Hindu perspective. Drawing from the experiences and teachings of enlightened gurus and Hindu Scriptures we will piece together a complete understanding of God using our best effort, taking into consideration that we are trying to fathom God's infinite nature with our limited finite minds.

Chapter 3

Atma–Our Soul

All religions teach about places we go to after death. Scriptures describe the two main places we may enter as heaven and hell. Heaven is a beautiful and divine place and a place where only righteous people live together with angelic beings and God. All things good and enjoyable are experienced in Heaven. It is a blissful place free from suffering. Hell on the other hand is a dark place. A place of torment, pain and suffering. The company in hell consists of those who lived sinful lives on Earth. It is obviously a place to avoid. According to Hinduism sum of the quality of our actions on Earth determine whether we go to heaven or hell.

God created all the worlds and endowed them with laws to govern them. These laws govern everything from nature to the consequences of our actions and our perspective. Among the spiritual laws that govern life, three play the most prominent part in our life. They are maya, karma and anava. 

The ultimate goal of the soul is to reunite with God. To get to its goal the soul has to go through a process of spiritual evolution that takes it through cycles of reincarnation on Earth and eventually liberation from this cycle. Understanding how spiritual evolution works can provide us with a road map for us to chart a spiritual heading based on where we are in our own evolution.

The process of spiritual evolution is enhanced by striving to live according to dharma. Dharma has a broad meaning that encompasses duty, laws and truths. Dharma is based on the cardinal virtue of Hinduism, ahimsa or non-violence. Learn about the Hinduism's guidelines of conduct and how it adapts to all our lives from childhood to elderly life.

The Hindu temple is a building where Hindu science and art comes together. More than just magnificient architectural edifices they are also earthly portals to the heavens. The design and ceremonies within a Hindu temple all have important spiritual and practical significance. Learn about them and how to take advantange of sublime atmosphere within a temple.

Sadhana is consistent spiritual practice. It is an important part of a Hindus life along with sacramental rites, samskara and observing festivals, utsava. What constitutes sadhana, what are the important samskaras and which festivals or utsava to celebrate? These will be reavealed in this chapters.

The Hindu Guru is more than a teacher of religion, he is a spiritual guide and advisor. What makes a guru a unique person in Hindu culture and how do you identify them are important questions to answer when a Hindu is looking for his or her guru.

Chapter 11

Hindu Theories of Creation

Hindu theories of Creation have to do with vast time cycles called theyugas and the creation of spiritual and physical elements called thetattvas. Hindu theories that have to do with the creation of humans hassimilarities with the scientific theory of evolution, but with an extraterrestrial twist.

Hindu Scriptures are among the oldest written texts in the world. Hindus probably also have the biggest number of Scriptures, when all the Scriptures of all Hindu sects are combined. There are also six philosophical perspectives in Hinduism if you are interested in the intricacies of Hindu Philosophy.