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Hinduism_ A Christian Heresy

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<strong>Hinduism</strong>: What Really Happened in India – M. M. Ninan 3<br />

distinct reality - dualism), or being really who you really is (if you are<br />

really the only reality and God – monism) or never to fall into the<br />

trappings of life. For others it is a conscious inactivity.<br />

If you talk to a common Hindu, his visions are different. He is still<br />

thinking of life where there are no problems i.e. a continuation of life<br />

with joy and happiness. There are six Darsanas viz. Nyaya, Vaiseshika,<br />

Sankhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa and Vedanta. We do not hear much<br />

about any other today than Vedanta. This is because this is currently the<br />

hot export item. The Hindu Maharishies extensively export this with<br />

various flavors. If one reads their brands, we will never recognize any<br />

similarity. This is not accidental because that is the very essence of<br />

<strong>Hinduism</strong> - whether it is good or bad.<br />

What is <strong>Hinduism</strong> Really?<br />

<strong>Hinduism</strong> is often said to be one of the oldest religions of the world. It is<br />

definitely the oldest among the living religions. How old is it? How old<br />

is that religion which is any religion?<br />

Is <strong>Hinduism</strong> a Religion?<br />

Truly speaking, when we talk of <strong>Hinduism</strong>, we do not know whether we<br />

are talking about a religion, or a group of religions, or a group of beliefs<br />

and traditions (some of which are diametrically opposed to each other.)<br />

This some times give rise to the argument that <strong>Hinduism</strong> cannot be<br />

considered as a religion in the strictest sense of the word. It is only a<br />

corporation that incorporates into itself many religious thoughts and<br />

worldviews.<br />

What do we mean by the word "Hindu" and "<strong>Hinduism</strong>"?<br />

Various origins for the word "<strong>Hinduism</strong>" have been suggested:<br />

It may be derived from an ancient inscription translated as: "The country<br />

lying between the Himalayan mountain and Bindu Sarovara is known as<br />

Hindustan by combination of the first letter 'hi' of 'Himalaya' and the last

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