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Hinduism - What Are the Core Tenets?

Valjean

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Hinduism isn't a unified religion like the Abrahmic religions. It's all the beliefs and practices of the various cultures the British found on the far side of the Indus river, all lumped together. It's a crazy-quilt.
Granted, there are some regional concepts widespread amongst these, but there is no "official" doctrine or canon.
 
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Mlecch

Member
According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, the Vaishnavism tradition is the largest group with about 641 million or 67.6% of Hindus, followed by Shaivism with 252 million or 26.6%, Shaktism with 30 million or 3.2% and other traditions including Neo-Hinduism and Reform Hinduism with 25 million or 2.6%.[25] In contrast, according to Jones and Ryan, Shaivism is the largest tradition of Hinduism.[26]

Thus, the mainstream of Hinduism is only two religious — Vaishnava and Shaivite.
 

SalixIncendium

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि
Staff member
Premium Member
Hinduism isn't a unified religion like the Abrahmic religions. It's all the beliefs and practices of the various cultures the British found on the far side of the Indus river, all lumped together. It's a crazy-quilt.
Granted, there are some regional concepts widespread amongst these, but there is no "official" doctrine or canon.
Understood that there are varying beliefs and practices and that Hinduism is quite diverse. To your knowledge, are there any common threads that all that identify as Hindu share? There is a list or two earlier in the thread. Do you agree or disagree with these?
 

Valjean

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Understood that there are varying beliefs and practices and that Hinduism is quite diverse. To your knowledge, are there any common threads that all that identify as Hindu share? There is a list or two earlier in the thread. Do you agree or disagree with these?
Usually Vedas, dharma, Brahman or reïncarnation are cited as common threads, but different variants emphasize these to different extents. Some seem to pay no attention at all to one or more.
Perhaps a Hindu is anyone who doesn't object to being called a Hindu.;)
 

Mlecch

Member
Me, I identify as a Vedantist, though partial to the Shiva concept.
The present-day Shaivites do not follow Vedanta. Only five schools of Shaivism have survived and none of them follow Vedanta.
And if you mean Smartism, then it is only 10% of Hinduism.
 

Valjean

Veteran Member
Premium Member
The present-day Shaivites do not follow Vedanta. Only five schools of Shaivism have survived and none of them follow Vedanta.
And if you mean Smartism, then it is only 10% of Hinduism.
Understood. That's why I threw in "concept," ie: Shiva as the destroyer of Maya; the revealer of Reality.
 
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