RELI 216 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Hinduism Today, Dharma, Shudra
7 Apr 2017
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Hinduism is a religion practiced by almost 900 million people, mostly in india, but with some of its adherents in other locations. About 20 million hindus live around the world, with significant numbers in north. Hinduism is probably the oldest living religious tradition; it can be traced back to the 6th century bce. Its major ideas came into being from the years 2500-1500bce as the aryans, an. The mixing of their ideas with the local traditions of a very sophisticated society shaped what we call hinduism today. The(cid:396)e(cid:859)s (cid:374)o o(cid:374)e fou(cid:374)de(cid:396), (cid:271)ut the(cid:396)e a(cid:396)e (cid:373)a(cid:374)(cid:455) g(cid:396)eat philosophe(cid:396)s, tea(cid:272)he(cid:396)s a(cid:374)d saints. The term hinduism is a relatively recent name for a complex set of phenomena. It was introduced by westerners to try to neatly package the varieties of indian civilization into one entity. Indians now use the term after much reluctance. The ancient indian name for their religious life sanatana dharma, o(cid:396) (cid:862)ete(cid:396)(cid:374)al (cid:396)eligio(cid:374)(cid:863)
