The Big Picture: Major Influences - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 8

Hinduism, c. 6000 B.C.
Buddhism, c. 563 B.C.

Christianity , c. 1 A.D.
Islam, c. 571 A.D.

C

Significant number of Christians (colonialism and missionizing)

C

C

Medina

Mecca

Pacific Ocean

C

Arabian Sea

C

Indian Ocean

0 500 1000 mi

C

0 500 1000 km

C

Figure 1-6
Origin and diffusion of major religions. Religions spread from hearth areas by word of mouth,
migration, and proselytization.

HINDUISM
Hinduism is the oldest of the world' is major religions. Its
origins reach beyond the limits of documented history .
Without an apparent founder, but with a substratum of
belief from Indus V alley civilization, it emerged in north-
western India at least 6,000 years ago. From there, it dif-
fused southward across the Indian peninsula. Much later,
it spread eastward with the diffusion of Indian influences
as early as the third century ADand with subsequent
Indian migrations through the colonial era. Hindu com-
munities still thrive in Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, and
on the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia.
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, hosting more
than 333,000 (meaning countless) gods. The most im-
portant of these, in terms of daily worship and rituals, are
Shiva and Vishnu (Figure 1-7). However, all deities are
manifestations of one ultimate reality known as Brahman.
There are, in essence, as many ways to practice Hinduism

as there are gods. Although there is no set creed, adher-
ents may draw upon an enormous body of literature. Ear-
liest are the V edas, from the Sanskrit word veda , meaning
“knowledge.” Another critical work is the Upanishads.
This means “sitting down near” one' s spiritual advisor
or guru.
Hindus believe in the transmigration of souls based on
accumulated karma .All beings possess a soul and are posi-
tioned within a hierarchy . Where one is, on what might be
called a status ladder, is conditioned by the state of one' is
karma. Karma is the sum of an individual' is deeds. Good
deeds can move one up the ladder and bad deeds result in
demotion. In fact, it may take numerous lifetimes to achieve
the common goal of escaping the hierarchy and having one' s
soul unite with the One Ultimate Reality of Brahman.
Critical to the Hindu faith is the concept of reincar-
nation: the notion that a person is reborn into another cy-
cle of existence depending on the karma of the previous