Tradition
Hinduism
Era · ~1500 BCE — presentRegion · Indian subcontinent → global diaspora
The vast living tradition of Sanatana Dharma — the 'eternal way' — that holds Vedanta, Tantra, Yoga, Bhakti, and countless local lineages under one roof. Not a single creed but a family of paths agreeing on a few profound things: that reality is One (Brahman), that the Self (Atman) is its mirror, and that there are many true ways home.
Core beliefs
- 01Brahman: an unconditioned ultimate reality that takes form (saguna) and is also beyond all form (nirguna).
- 02Atman is Brahman — the deepest self of any being is, in its essence, the One.
- 03Samsara (the cycle of birth-death-rebirth), karma (cause and effect across lifetimes), and moksha (release into the One).
- 04The four aims of a human life — dharma (duty/right-living), artha (livelihood), kama (love/desire), moksha (liberation).
- 05Many paths to the same end: jnana (knowledge), bhakti (devotion), karma (right action), raja (meditation).
- 06The divine is one face seen in many: Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Ganesha, and a thousand more.
Practices
- Puja (devotional offering)
- Mantra and japa (Om / sacred name repetition)
- Yoga (the eightfold path of Patanjali, plus bhakti, karma, jnana yogas)
- Festival cycle (Diwali, Holi, Navaratri, Maha Shivaratri)
- Pilgrimage (Varanasi, Rishikesh, Kumbh Mela)
- Study of the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata
Key figures
- · Vyasa
- · Patanjali
- · Adi Shankaracharya
- · Ramanuja
- · Sri Ramakrishna
- · Swami Vivekananda
- · Sri Aurobindo
- · Ramana Maharshi
Bridges to other traditions
- Brahman ↔ Tao ↔ Ein Sof ↔ Hermetic 'The All'
- Atman ↔ Imago Dei ↔ Buddha-nature ↔ the divine spark
- Dharma ↔ Logos as cosmic order ↔ Tao as the Way
- Karma ↔ the principle of cause and effect across traditions
- Trimurti (creation–preservation–dissolution) ↔ Trinitarian patterns ↔ alchemical phases
- Bhakti ↔ Sufism's ishq ↔ Christian agape
Go deeper into Hinduism
Have the Oracle walk through Hinduism in depth — its core insight, its practices, and the places it converges with other paths.