| Dharmic Religion |
Website Links For Religions |
Information AboutDharmic Religion |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT DHARMIC RELIGIONS | |
| eastern culture | |
| hindu history | |
| indo-european mythology | |
| religious faiths, traditions, and movements | |
| religion in india | |
| vedic civilization | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
|
" (purple) religions in each country.]] Dharmic religions are a family of religions whose theology and philosophy center on the concept of ''', Buddhism , Sikhism , Ayyavazhi and Jainism . THE DHARMIC FAITHS Dharmic faiths have a close and irreversible influence with the history, society and cultures of India and every other Asia n nation it has proliferated into. It also has a very diverse and large body of mythology whose roots stretch to pre-Dharmic times. Hinduism See Also: Hinduism ''' represents a microcosm for the complex and diverse body of theology and philosophy indicated by the term 'Dharmic faiths'. More than a billion Hindu s live across the world, making the 3rd largest religion. More than 800 million Hindus live in the Republic Of India alone. Large Hindu communities can be found in other parts of the Indian Subcontinent , South East Asia , North America , the West Indies , Western Europe , the Middle East , East Africa and South Africa . In Indonesia, Balinese Hinduism and Agama Hindu Dharma are the two main schools of Hindu Philosophy . See Also: Shrauta Jainism Perhaps the smallest, Jainism is also the second-oldest Dharmic religion. It is a religious system that does not recognize a Godhead but a spiritual leader known as Mahavira . The followers of Jainism firmly reject the Vedas , but strongly adhere to Dharma , Moksha and Nirvana . Ayyavazhi See Also: Ayyavazhi ''' in the mid-nineteenth century. The religion and the philosophy of this religion is based on its scripture Akilattirattu Ammanai . Though it was not officially recognised it had came to be a recognisable phenomenon with Rich Mythology and a good number of followers around 1 million. It was one of the fast spreading religions of South India, especially in Tamil Nadu and in southern parts of Kerala . It has more than 7000 worship centers in South India. The followers of Ayyavazhi accept Moksha and Dharma concepts. Ayyavazhi is a monistic but it believes in final judgement and it advocates Kroni , a satan like figure. Due to this Ayyavazhi is viewed to some extent as a dualistic faith. It believes in Reincarnation and so it was considered as a dharmic religion. It advocates marital life and says it as the foremost Tavam (austrity). It says to live with dignity. Buddhism Buddhism is the second-largest Dharmic religion, with over 350 million adherents across South East Asia. It has deeply affected the synthesis of societies across Asia, and has been the most popular symbol of Eastern Philosophy to Western civilization. Sikhism ''' WHAT IS ''DHARMA''? See Also: Dharma The word ''Dharma'' ( Sanskrit ; "धर्म" in the Devanagari script) or ''''' Dhamma ''''' ( Pali ) is used in most or all philosophies and religions of India n origin, the Dharmic Faiths , namely Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism , Jainism and Sikhism . Dharma also is practiced in the Surat Shabda Yoga traditions. In its oldest form, ''dharman'', it first appears in the Vedas . It is difficult to provide a single concise definition for Dharma ('' Life '' fails to convey its connoted complexity). The word has a long and varied history and complex set of meanings and interpretations. Certain Westerners and Orientalist s have proposed a number of possible translations, from "justice" to "religion", however these definitions have evolved with their associated usage in Western culture. "Dharma" derives from the verbal root ''dhri'', which simply means "manner of being." The term must therefore be understood in its original (i.e. metaphysical) context, that of a conformity to a divine or creative principle at work in an individual and in nature. It represents the individual's internal law, to which obedience must be given if that individual life is to live in accordance with a Divine Will. This is what Hindus consider the sole or primary purpose of life. It explains how justice finds its place among the many modern definitions of the word dharma. Rene Guenon , father of the 20th century school of Perennial Philosophy , defines it as such:
This said, certain Western definitions of the word must be considered in the light of this original definition—that is, as branches from a single root. Monier Monier-Williams , for example (while covering the entire scope it would seem), gives its ''primary'' definition as:
of which the first, "that which is established or firm" seems to be the most ancient and Etymological . Dharma is Cognate with the Latin ''firmus'', the origin of the word firm. Meanings related to law, morality, scripture, and teachings were probably acquired through analogy, by being regarded as firm and called as such. For the phenomenological or psychological meaning, see Below . Dr. David Frawley, an expert on Hindu philosophy and religion, describes Dharma as:
According to the Natchintanai Scripture :
Yama , the lord of death, is also known as ''Dharma'', since he works within the laws of karma and morality, regulated by divine principles. More familiar is the embodiment of Dharma in Lord Rama , an avatar of Vishnu . The eldest Pandava, Yudhishthira was referred to as ''DharmaRaj'' owing to his steadfastness to Truth & Dharma. The teachings, doctrines, philosophies and practices associated with furthering ''Dharma'' are also referred to as such. Sometimes, specific qualifiers are used - viz. ''Bauddha-Dharma'' and ''Jain-Dharma'' to distinguish them from Sanatana Dharma . For many Buddhists, the Dharma most often means the body of teachings expounded by the Buddha . The word is also used in Buddhist Phenomenology as a term roughly equivalent to Phenomenon , a basic unit of existence and/or experience. In scripture translations ''dharma'' is often best left untranslated, as it has acquired a lively life of its own in English that is more expressive than any simplistic translation. Common translations and glosses include "right way of living," Divine Law, Path of Righteousness, order, faith, "natural harmony," rule, fundamental, and duty. ''Dharma'' may be used to refer to rules of the operation of the mind or universe in a metaphysical system, or to rules of comportment in an ethical system. BIRTH AND HISTORY See Also: History of Hinduism Vedic civilization The earliest ancestor of Dharmic religions was the Vedic Religion of the ancient Vedic Civilization in Ancient India . It is considered likely that aspects of these religious and spiritual influences arrived in India over 3,500 years ago, brought by Indo-Aryan migrants from Central Asia, while other aspects may have been native to India. COMMON MODERN PRACTICES See Also: Dharmic rituals after death Dharmic religions share a variety of theological, philosophical and ceremonial similarities. EXCHANGES WITH ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS Dharmic religions and Abrahamic religions were conceived over 7,000 years ago in two opposite parts of Asia , and share a complex and conflicting dynamic. Possible connections between Indo-Aryan traditions and Hebrew culuture may date back to Abraham himself, since the Mitanni influenced areas associated with him, notably Haran . More direct connections would have followed the absorption of Judea into the Persian Empire in which Zoroastrianism was the dominant faith. Some speculative writers have claimed that Jesus visited India and learned spiritual practices there from Buddhist and Hindu monks. The ancient Hindu texts, the Puranas , indicate exchanges with a man named Essa, from the Middle East, that have been used to this theory. In Indonesia , many Javanese Muslims practice a version of Islam deeply influenced by the Agama Hindu Dharma , known as Abangan . SEE ALSO |