One hundred thoughts on Hinduism

1. Universal Prayer

   Introduction and Basics

2. What and Why of Religion
3. My religion and God
4. who is a hindu?
5. Hindu/Indian History - Indianness

   About GOD

6. Why God (any Purpose?)
7. God is love
8. Cosmic Dance
9. is God a concept?
10. Communicating with Almighty

    Why and What of living

11. Purpose of Living
12. Life and Death
13. Why our lives are different? Fate Luck
14. Karma and Rebirth
15. Swarga: Blissful Living

    How to live? Code of living

16. Life a journey or drama
17. Four stages of life
18. Dharma Common To All
19. Ahimsa - Peace
20. Wealth for our Needs
21. Kama or Desires
22. Fear (Ratnakaram)
23. Wisdom: accepting contradictions reality
24. Living in present

    Many Paths for Living (Moksha?)

25. Many paths
26. Yoga, Meditation
27. Tantra
28. Bakthi or Surrender to Almighty
29. Contradictions

    Indian scriptures

30. Bhagavad Gita Essence or Summary of Indian scriptures
31. Purananuru, Tamil words of wisdom (Tamil Gita)
32. Tirukkural and Avvaiyar works
33. Vedas and Vedic terms

    God and Self

34. Who am I?
35. Reasoning and Logic
36. God and Me (Metaphors)
37. Metaphysics
38. Sunyavada Advaitha Dvaitha

    Formeless to Form

39. Nature Worship
40. Beauty
41. Symbolism
42. Why idols and Images
43. ONE GOD - many names and forms
44. Vedic and earlier Gods
45. Trinity and Many Deities
46. Avataras - Divinities in Life forms

    Deities - Shanmadha: Different Sects

47. Smartha Shanmadha
48. Shiva - saivam
49. Vaishnavam
50. Shakthi or Devi worship
51. Temples
52. Places and Pilgrimage

    Ancient Gurus and Reformers

53. Selfguru ex. Dattatreya
54. Vyasa a title and ancient rishis
55. Ajivika Sramana Jains etc
56. Buddha and Buddhists
57. Siddhars
58. Pattinathaar
59. Auvaiyar & her Writings

    Rejunevation and revival

60. Shankara: An Institution
61. Tamil Saiva saints
62. Ramanuja Madhva Vallabha ...
63. Alwars: Vaishnava saints
64. North Indian Bakthi Movement
65. Recenta times and Modern Saints

    Spirituality Saints Godmen

66. Spirituality
67. God and Godmen
68. Sanyasa - Detachment

    Great Kings and empires

69. Ancient Empires
70. Northern Kings: Kanishka Maurya guptas Harsha
71. Bhartrihari Vikrama Bhoja
72. Salivahana: New era
73. Southern empires: Pallava Chola Pandya
74. Vijayanagar Maratha

    Hindu Science

75. Time or kala
76. Ancient Astronomy
77. Calendars - panchang
78. Zodiac - Nakshatra
79. Geography
80. Numbers and Mathematics
81. Ancient Science and Technology

    Language and arts

82. Languages
83. Ancient Northern Literature
84. Thamizh or Tamil Literature
85. Scriptures in other languages

    Puranas - Epics

86. Puranas
87. About stories of Murugan
88. Ramayana
89. Mahabharat
90. Kannan - Krishna Literature
91. Local Folk Tales
92. Myths

    Society

93. ancestor worship
94. culture
95. Festivals and other social events
96. Puja and Rituals
97. social class system
98. hinduwomen.htm

    Faith Sciences

99. Faith is powerful social force
100. Miracles: Unexplained or to be explained phenomena
101. astrology (based on astronomy)

     Other faiths

102. Christians Jesus
103. Islam in India
104. Sikhs, Parsi, Jews etc.
105. Tribals Faiths

     Conclusion

106. Achieving Nippana (ultimate truth/knowledge)
107. bliss joy
108. Shanthi (Peace) – final goal

Hinduism is a way of life, with a set of beliefs, rites, ceremonies, customs, traditions and cultures. Hinduism is based on eternal principles/philosophies. Hinduism would call any scientist seeking truth or a person of wisdom a great Rishi. Such seers of truth are not confined to any one age or place. "Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions"- Rig Veda.

(1) We believe in so many unknown things. Let us include God too in the list. If there is a God, we will benefit. We do not loose much if there is no God. (2) How agnostic win! When an agnostic/atheist meets people of many faiths, to say, God does not exist, every one joined and he was forced to run away to save his life. After becoming wiser, same agnostic met people of many faiths, and asked them to say, which God is to be believed. All believers fought among themselves and destroyed each other. Finally agnostic won (3) Agnostic's Prayer: "God if there is one, save my soul if there is a soul!" There are many persons, who are indifferent or do not give much importance for GOD concept and associated theories. They show others by their own example, how to be honest, helpfull, respectful and good persons. They do no harm, to any one or anything. They just do their duty/work very well. For them work/karma is ultimate. They understood Universal Eternal Law (Sanathana Dharma). They prove one's belief is more a personal matter (or individual choice). If people, try to open up their mind a little….life would be much better then.

HINDU WAY
Shastras or rules are made for us; We are not made for the shastras. That is why some parts should be updated with time. Only the fundamentals and basics, will be unchanging and eternal. These scriptures and rituals should be understood, and viewed from a broader perspective. They should be in harmony with the way we we live. That is how shastras will be relevant to differing times, places and circumstances. This flexibility to encompass a wide variety of practices, beliefs and traditions while still retaining a universal principles and values, is the HINDU WAY.

One can be proud to be Hindu: (1) Dharma (cosmic order or duty) is the main theme. In simple terms, "doing right things" (2) Hinuism has a rich heritage evolved over time, enriched with new concepts/literature/stories over time. It has maintained its identity, though it has absorbed best ideas from native tribes, immigrants and other faiths (3) Stresses on all powerful, limitless, all-inclusive and eternal Almighty or Ultimate Reality or God or Brahman. Free to define one's own Almighty. Need not be a thing, but can be a concept like Nature, Universal laws, Compassion etc. Supports all forms and methods of worship (formless, symbols, idols..) (4) Excellent ideas like freedom, unity in diversity, tolerance, compassion. But includes some traditions/rituals/practices, which needs to be changed/modified/updated (5) No central authority or aggressive conversion to any sect/group. But welcomes every one to benefit from rich heritage, knowledge, history and content. Hinduism is good for Hindus. But, there is no need to claim it as the best one and unnecessarily compare with other faiths. "Live and Let Live"

Core Beliefs of Hindus

All believe that there is a great power (God or Brahman), who is ultimate of every thing (logical as some thing should be there responsible for starting everything or for things happening around). Individual is left to define or develop further details.

All believe in the authority of the sacred scriptures (Vedas and many variants). Here are some of the key beliefs shared among Hindus:

1. Truth is eternal.Truth is One, but the wise express it in a variety of ways.
2. God is Universal, beyond religion/race/language. God/Brahman/The Great force is is formless, limitless, all-inclusive, and eternal. It is the Truth and Reality. It encompasses everything (seen and unseen, known and unknown) in the universe.
3. Despite having the abstract concept of Brahman, one can worship the God in personal forms (deities) every day. Each deity is a manifestation of Brahman and symbolizes one particular aspect of Brahman. Plurality is encouraged. One can have kuladeivam (family deity), local deity, state deity, and Ishta devada (personal deity).
4. One understands and feels the Supreme Being through Devas (natural forces and objects like mountains and rivers and super beings); Rishis (teachers, heroes, great personalities and prophets); and pithrus (ancestors).
5. Respecting and Understanding Scriptures or Vedas or Marai, which embody the regulations, the laws of the universe as perceived by gifted prophets, or seers, the rishis.
6. Scriptures contain: Morality/Ethics; Right means for obtaining basic needs, wealth and power; Healthy Enjoyment/pleasures/joy; and Salvation/liberation. (அறம் பொருள் இன்பம் வீடு or தர்மம் அர்த்தம் காமம் மோக்ஷம்). These 4 terms are difficult to describe in few words.
7. Aram or dharma is doing right things and avoiding wrong things. Not doing rightOne should make dharma central to one’s life strives to do the right thing, according to one’s duty and abilities, at all times.
8. "Karma" means work or action. When you perform a work or action, it is bound to produce an effect, a reaction or a result. Good karma will get you good effects and bad karma will get you bad consequences.
9. Real You/soul/atman can neither be created nor destroyed. The process of movement of the atman from one body to another is known as transmigration. The kind of body the soul inhabits next is determined by karma (actions accumulated in previous lives).
10. The goal of the individual soul is moksha or liberation. Moksha refers to atman or soul uniting or staying close with Universal/Brahman or realizing its true divine nature. Several paths can lead to this realization and unity: the path of duty, the path of knowledge, and the path of devotion (unconditional surrender to God).