From the Persian hindu

(Sanskrit sindhu), literally "river."

Means "of the Indus Valley" or simply "Indian." Hindus call their religion sanatama

dharma, eternal religion" or "eternal

truth."
http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/fastfacts.htm

Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It also exists among significant populations outside of the sub continent and has over 900 million adherents worldwide.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/

Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/

 Founder: none Date founded: Earliest forms date to 1500 BC or earlier Place founded: India Place of worship: Temple or home shrine

Who is God for the believers of this religion?

As surprising as it may seem, Hinduism has no one word God as English does. Instead, it has many words that each describe a certain understanding of God. This is something like in many Eskimo (Inuit) languages there is no one word for snow, instead there are many words, each describing snow in its various varieties, wet, dry, iced, melting, slushy, and so many other forms that people who do not live with snow cannot even begin to imagine. In a similar way, Sanskrit is the language of theology and so there are many words for God.

Who is God for the believers of this religion?

In Hindu God is general understood as beyond human understanding, no words or human conceptions can even begin to touch God, none the less, humans have three basic and limited ways in which they try to conceive of God. These three ways are as:

Brahman- God of force, personal understanding of Divinity. Impersonal Force. Paramatmais- God as indwelling spirit, a kind of generic presence that exist within all things. Bhagavan- God in personal terms, as Krishna, Rama, Shiva, Lakshmi, Durga and the myriad of other Gods and Goddess. Transcendent personality.

Who is God for the believers of this religion?

In these three ways, human beings conceive of the divine. It is stated in Bhagavat Purana, a popular devotional text, that such understandings are universal categories of divine seeing and is suggested that it should be expressed in one form.

Who is God for the believers of this religion?

Few basic God terms commonly used in Hinduism: Om- Divine Sound Isha- Supreme Lord Purusha- Supreme Man Satya- Supreme Truth Mahesha- the Great Lord
*Indeed Sanskrit has hundreds of such words to describe God. These are at least some of the more common ones that the average person may hear!

Shiva "The Auspicious One"

Hinduism basic tenets, principles, beliefs

Hinduism lacks any unified system of beliefs and ideas. It is a phenomenon and represents a broad spectrum of beliefs and practices which on one hand are akin to paganism, pantheism and the like, and on the other very profound, abstract, metaphysical ideas. Since religion and culture are nearly interchangeable terms in Hinduism, emotive expressions like 'bhakti' (devotion) or 'dharma' (what is right) and 'yoga' (discipline) are used to depict essential aspects of the religion.

Hinduism basic tenets, principles, beliefs

Hinduism believes in idol worship, reincarnation, karma, dharma and moksha. Some moral ideals in Hinduism include non-violence, truthfulness, friendship, compassion, fortitude, self-control, purity and generosity. Human life is divided into four stages, and there are defined rites and rituals for each stage from birth till death. Traditional Hinduism has two life-long dharmas that one can follow: Grihastha Dharma (Domestic Religion) and Sannyasin Dharma (Ascetic Religion). The Grihastha Dharma has four goals: kma (sensual pleasure), artha (wealth and prosperity), dharma (the laws of life), and moksha (liberation from the cycle of births). The Sannyasin Dharma recognizes moksha as its ultimate goal.

http://hinduism.about.com/od/hinduism101/a/tenets.htm

Hinduism basic tenets, principles, beliefs

What are the main principles of the Hindu way of life? And what are the 10 commandments of Sanatana Dharma? Read these 15 easy-to-remember basic tenets of Hinduism as summarized by Dr. Gangadhar Choudhury: 5 PRINCIPLES 1. God Exists: One Absolute OM. One Trinity: Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara (Shiva) Several divine forms 2. All human beings are divine 3. Unity of existence through love 4. Religious harmony 5. Knowledge of 3 Gs: Ganga (sacred river), Gita (sacred script), Gayatri (sacred mantra)

Hinduism basic tenets, principles, beliefs

10 DISCIPLINES 1. Satya (Truth) 2. Ahimsa (Non-violence) 3. Brahmacharya (Celibacy, non-adultery) 4. Asteya (No desire to possess or steal) 5. Aparighara (Non-corrupt) 6. Shaucha (Cleanliness) 7. Santosh (Contentment) 8. Swadhyaya (Reading of scriptures) 9. Tapas (Austerity, perseverance, penance) 10. Ishwarpranidhan (Regular prayers)
http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/a/principles.htm

Practices of Hinduism
Ayurveda Hatha Yoga Kundalini Yoga Namaste Greeting Puja (Pooja)

Practices
Ayurveda- is an ancient Hindu system of
medicine and healing that has found new popularity in the west today.
An Ayurveda drugstore in Kerala, India. kasuga sho Dhanwantri, physician to the gods and god of Ayurveda. under GFDL.

Practices
Hatha Yoga -Meditative movement, or Hatha -It is one of the paths leading to the ultimate goal of Raja Yoga, or contemplation of the One Reality.
Practising Hatha Yoga in the Alps.
Kathy Jones

Practices
Kundalini Yoga - is a tantric form of yoga focused on awakening the kundalini.
Kundalini rising

Practices
Namaste Greeting - The gesture (or mudra) of namaste is a simple act - Made by bringing together both palms of the hands before the heart, and lightly bowing the head. - In the simplest of terms it is accepted as a humble greeting straight from the heart.
A Namaste greeting in South India.
Photo: Steve Evans.

Practices
Puja (Pooja) - Religious ritual which some Hindus perform every morning after bathing and dressing but prior to taking any food or drink. - Puja is seen as a way of relating humans to the domain and actions of the divine, and can be performed for anything considered divine, from Vishnu to a holy tree.

http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/practices.htm

Person that embodies the best qualities of Hinduism

Mahatma Gandhi
Born on October 2, 1869 Probandar, North West India Father: chief minister of Probandar Mother: very religious Hinduism Searching for truth through non-violent ways Developed Satyagraha
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/people/gandhi_1.shtml http://www.gitananda.org/hinduism/mahatma-gandhi-on-hinduism.html