Rituals and Practices
If you think about the word Hinduism the first thing you probably think of is when people meditate, like when they are sitting criss-cross-applesauce and have their hands making an "ok" sign, meditation is only one of their practices.
Hindu religious stages
- Brahmacharga, which takes place during the school years, is focused on acquiring knowledge and developing character
- Grastha, the middle years, is focused on worldly pursuits and pleasures such as marriage, family, and career
- Vanaprastha, when one's children reach adulthood, is a time of increased focus on spiritual things
- Sanngasu, in the last years of life, one may abandon the world entirely for a life of contemplation.
Namaste!
- Namaste is a greeting Hindu's use.
- Hindu's do a gesture called Anjali Mudra or Pranamasana, where they preform a slight bow with their hands pressed together, palms together, fingers pointing up, and right in front of the chest
- Namaste is derived from two words from the Sanskrit, "Nama" and "te". Nama means 'bow', 'obeisance', 'reverential salutation' or 'adoration', and "te" means 'to you'. So Namaste all together means "salutations to you".
- Hindu's do a gesture called Anjali Mudra or Pranamasana, where they preform a slight bow with their hands pressed together, palms together, fingers pointing up, and right in front of the chest
- Namaste is derived from two words from the Sanskrit, "Nama" and "te". Nama means 'bow', 'obeisance', 'reverential salutation' or 'adoration', and "te" means 'to you'. So Namaste all together means "salutations to you".
Puja (Pooja)
- Puja is a religious ritual Hindu's preform after bathing and changing but before consuming any food or drink
-The Hindu's see Puja as a way of relating humans to the domain and the actions of the divine
- Puja takes many forms, the simplest being darsan, gazing upon the image, the image is not to be divine itself, but it embodies the divine energy of the god or goddess and creates a connection
- Puja usually includes providing an offering to the object of Puja, like maybe offering food or lighting a candle or some incense.
-The Hindu's see Puja as a way of relating humans to the domain and the actions of the divine
- Puja takes many forms, the simplest being darsan, gazing upon the image, the image is not to be divine itself, but it embodies the divine energy of the god or goddess and creates a connection
- Puja usually includes providing an offering to the object of Puja, like maybe offering food or lighting a candle or some incense.