Himalayan Hinduism

Hinduism distinguished itself from Vedic rites and rituals around the 6^th Century BCE. It was then that followers want to know more themselves and began to question the meanings behind priestly ceremonies. The theme shifted away from formalities, sacrificial offerings and incantations towards inquiry, ethics and personal experiences.

Hindus generally believe in the existence of atma or soul with an aim to manifest or realize the divine nature of the soul. This realization occurs through moksha, or liberation, from Samsara, striven for in many ways.

Samsara is the relentless flow of change exemplified by birth, death and rebirth in repetitive cycle. An integral component of this continual rotation is karma (action); simply put, current life circumstances are conditioned or brought about by previous actions. Rather than a higher being meting out punishment and reward, karma might be considered as a universal principle likened to Newton’s 3^rd Law of Motion, “To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction”...in other words, you reap what you yourself sow.

The perpetuation of the karmic cycle is caused by ignorance. Ignorance imbues Maya, the World of Illusion, with unending variation and leads to delusion, the veiling of reality. Liberation is founded on the realization that the soul’s core (atma) and Ultimate Truth (Brahma) are not different from each other, and additionally, their essence is absolute or immutable. The wisdom that leads to this understanding is gained through various disciplines and devotions to personal gods who are representatives of the divine.

The fundamental texts of Hinduism include the ancient Vedas and the Upanishads as well two beloved sagas,the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Ramayana features Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, as the protagonist. The Mahabharata which includes the widely popular Bhagavad Gita (“Song of God”) where Krishna, another avatar of Vishnu, is the hero.
The myriad Hindu divinities (Shiva alone has 1,008 manifestations) are said to be archetypal mirrors of the intricacies of the human mind and human behavior.

Hinduism in Nepal

Temples and shrines are routinely found throughout the lands of Nepal. They are found in the most remote, rural villages and at nearly every turn in urban areas. Most dwellings across the country have household shrines dedicated to a personal divinity. In-house shrines receive daily attention from members of the household. Nonetheless, the majority of Nepal’s Hindus do not adhere to formal dogma or a systematic set of beliefs.

Although practices are diverse in Nepal, devotion to deities usually plays a large role for most practitioners. Most Hindus in general believe that a person’s current circumstances are preconditioned and determined by former lifetimes. People who perform well the prescribed duties of this life pave the way for favorable circumstances of a next embodiment.