Thanks for the responses to my thread. I have picked up some very useful insights that I did not have before on the Hindu religion.

Hi

I am not a member of ATS but I just came across this thread after performing random searches in google.

I'm a Hindu so I might be able to tell you a little bit about the religion.
The ancient word for Hinduism is 'Sanatana Dharma' which literally means eternal religion in Sanskrit or as some people like to think 'no religion'.
Hinduism has evolved as a collection of philosophies over thousands of years. It wasn't a religion that was founded by one person. Different people or sages in the past have contributed to the varying philosophies and this is what makes up the 'religion' today. My dad used to say that Hinduism is like a buffet spread, you choose the things that you like and you think sounds right and leave the other parts that don't appeal to you.

There are also many levels in Hinduism. At some levels, those who don't really understand the higher philosophies and esoteric doctrines and are more practical in nature are more comfortable with adhering to rituals and believing in a large number of Gods and Goddesses and that each deity is worshipped for different things.

Others are more philosophically oriented and believe that all these Gods and Goddesses are different forms of essentially one God. This one God has no gender and is called Brahman. Brahman is not even regarded as being in human form. Brahman is regarded as an ocean of consciousness, the Creator of the universe.

For day to day living, people have simplified some of these philosophies and adopted the rituals and practices and in this way Hinduism has been incorporated into the traditions and culture and can be seen more as a way of life.

Anyway, I hope I didn't confuse matters more
I'm in no way an expert in Hinduism but I do have a genuine interest in certain philosophies and maybe a feel for the religion as I was born a Hindu.

glad to be of assistance Wally, but credit should be given to all participating in this thread thus far. As each person gives you their insight you'll be able to see that while we may all practice very differently, we all hold the basic fundamentals close. Sanatan Dharma as another poster mention the basic fundamental that all Hindus relate to. Learn and Understand the meaning of Sanatan Dharma and you learn all you need to know about Hinduism (imo of course)