Hinduism is predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Especially most notably in india and nepal. Hinduism is known to its followers as Sanātana Dharma--- some practitioners and scholars refer to the phase-- Sanātana Dharma as the eternal law\\it is formed of diverse traditions, and regarded as a synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions. with diverse root including a wide spectrum of laws and prescriptions of \morality\based on the notion of karma, dharma and societal norms. This \synthesis\started to develop between 500 BCE and 300 CE after the Vedic times. Among its direct roots is the historical Vedic religion of Iron Age India . Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings (ahimsa 不杀生), patience, forbearance（宽容）, self-restraint, compassion and so on. Examples of Hindu deities (from top): Brahma（represent creater梵天）, Saraswati瓦提, Lakshm—（the goodness represent wealth 是崇敬财富女神拉克希米）, the preserve god --Vishnu, destroy god--Shiva, goodness--Durga, Harihara and Ardhanarishvara. Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include (but are not restricted to), the four Puru ārthas, namely Dharma /Artha/Kama/ and Moksha ,among them, Dharma (ethics/duties), Artha (prosperity/work), Kama (emotions/sexuality) and Moksha (liberation/freedom),furthermore,
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Hindu practices include rituals such as puja (worship) and recitations, meditation, family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals, and occasional pilgrimages. Some Hindus leave their social world and material possessions, then engage in lifelong Sannyasa (ascetic practices) to achieve moksha. With approximately one billion followers, Hinduism is the world's third largest religion by population, and the majority religion in India, Nepal, Mauritius and Bali (Indonesia).
Next I want to talk about the etymology of hindu, hindu has historically been used as a geographical, cultural or religious identifier for people indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. In contemporary use, Hindu refers to anyone who regards himself or herself as culturally, ethnically or religiously adhering to aspects of Hinduism. Hindu is derived from the Indo-Aryan word Sindhu, the Indo-Aryan name for the Indus River in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent (modern day it indicate Pakistan and Northern India). in the 6th-century BCE, that is to say from 550BCE to 486 BCE, The term 'Hindu' in these ancient records is a geographical term and did not refer to a religion. Among the earliest known records of 'Hindu' with connotations of religion may be in the 7th-century CE, Chinese text Record of the Western Regions by Xuanzang.
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It was only towards the end of the 18th century that European merchants and colonists began to refer to the followers of Indian religions as Hindus. The term Hinduism, then spelled Hindooism, was introduced into the English language in the 18th-century to denote the religious, philosophical, and cultural traditions native to India.
Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophet(s) nor any binding holy book; Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or humanist.[38][39][40] Because of the wide range of traditions and ideas covered by the term Hinduism, arriving at a comprehensive definition is difficult.[24] The religion \our desire to define and categorize it\[41] Hinduism has been variously defined as a religion, a religious tradition, a set of religious beliefs, and \[42][note 1] From a Western lexical standpoint, Hinduism like other faiths is appropriately referred to as a religion. In India the term dharma is preferred, which is broader than the western term \Hindu traditionalists prefer to call it Sanatana Dharma (the eternal or ancient dharma).[43]
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The study of India and its cultures and religions, and the definition of \has been shaped by the interests of colonialism and by Western notions of religion.[44] Since the 1990s, those influences and its outcomes have been the topic of debate among scholars of Hinduism,[45][note 11] and have also been taken over by critics of the Western view on India
It is difficult to get a comprehensive definition because of the wide range of traditions and ideas covered by the term Hinduism. Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophet nor any binding holy book; Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or humanist. Hinduism has been variously defined as a religion, a religious tradition, a set of religious beliefs, and \Western lexical standpoint, Hinduism like other faiths is appropriately referred to as a religion. In India the term dharma is preferred, which is broader than the western term \traditionalists prefer to call it Sanatana Dharma (the eternal or ancient dharma).
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