Disclaimer
It is very much worth mentioning that you should take my descriptions/perspective of these ancient concepts with a massive grain of salt. I am not a yogi, and I will surely have misunderstood, in some fashion. But, as I put the pieces of the puzzle together, I find that it is okay to temporarily deviate from institutional knowledge. So—I use these concepts to shape the story I’m trying to tell—and am all ears if I’ve gotten anything wrong.
What even is Hinduism?
Written on I have been feeling sexy as of late There are so many cool concepts in Hinduism. Of all the established religions—if you’re trying to understand what is going on in this thing we call existence, this seems to be the place to truly dive deep.
The thing about Hinduism is that it’s not just one thing. It’s not like Christianity, where there is one source of truth (the bible) and interpretations that follow suit. Hinduism is a vast collection of beliefs, philosophies, and practices. It is more like a way of life. And I think the way to approach is to understand the concepts involved.
The first thing to understand is that Hindu beliefs are rooted in the idea that the universe is inherently cyclical. You have likely heard of ideas like Reincarnation and Karma—the idea being, your soul is on a journey of many lifetimes, taking root in one body, and then the next.1
Footnotes
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The caste system in modern India presents (what I believe to be) a faulty interpretation of reincarnation and karma. In ancient times, you entered the world in one caste, and moved between castes depending on your lived karma. However, in modern times, social mobility has grinded to a halt due to the (politically induced) idea that you are locked into your caste from birth to death. ↩