Hindu Religious Traditions

Hinduism , a religious tradition of Indian origin , is considered to be the world 's oldest religion and followers number nearly 900 million today , including about 20 million who live outside India , making them the third largest religious community in the world , after Christians and Muslims (MSN Encarta . Hinduism , however , is not a structured religion but is characterized by a mixture of diverse belief systems , practices symbols and scriptures . There is no single scripture , deity , or religious teacher common to all that can be designated as its core (Shattuck , 1994 . Its universal world-view and

its receptiveness to accept and celebrate these diversities make the understanding of the religion complex hence , difficult . Nevertheless , this very quality is considered its defining feature (MSN Encarta

ies and obligations , Sams ?ra (reincarnation /rebirth , Karma "actions leading to a cause-and-effect relationship ) and Moksha (salvation for every soul through a variety of paths . The paths to salvation may be through Bhakti (devotional service , Karma (selfless action , Jn ?na (enlightenment , knowledge , Raja (meditation ) and ?shvara (belief in God . Reincarnation , or the soul 's transmigration through a cycle of birth and death until it attains Mok ?ha , is governed by Karma (Wikipedia

Among the many important themes and symbolisms in the Hindu tradition the most revered symbols are the Aum (Om , Swastika and Sri Chakra Yantra . These have become deeply ingrained parts of its culture and most represent Hinduism 's general philosophy (Wikipedia

of Aum (Om ) consists of three curves , one semicircle and a dot . The curves represent the three states of an individual 's consciousness - waking state or state of consciousness (jagrat , state of deep sleep or the unconscious state (sushupti ) and dream state (swapna ) which lies between deep sleep and the waking state . The dot signifies the fourth state of consciousness , turiya , where the consciousness looks neither outwards nor inwards , nor the two together . This peaceful and blissful state is the ultimate aim of all spiritual activity . Finally , the semi circle symbolizes maya and separates the dot from the other three curves giving the illusion that maya prevents an individual from the realization of this highest state of bliss

The swastika (Sanskrit svastika ) is an ancient symbol of a cross with four arms of equal length , with the ends of each arm bent at a right angle , sometimes dots are added between each arm . Its Indian name comes from the Sanskrit word svasti , meaning good fortune , luck and well-being . This also symbolizes peace and harmony . In Hinduism , the right-hand (clockwise ) swastika is a solar symbol and the left-hand (counterclockwise ) swastika represents Kali and magic

Sri Chakra Yantra or Yantra of Tripura Sundari (commonly referred to as Sri Yantra ) is a mandala (Sanskrit ma ?ala "circle "completion primarily formed by nine interlocking triangles . Four of these triangles are orientated upright representing Shiva - the masculine . Five of these triangles are inverted triangles represent Shakti - the feminine Together the nine triangles form a web symbolic of the entire cosmos , a womb symbolic of creation and together express non-duality . All other...