Hinduism for beginners

Today is Deepvali, the beginning of Diwali.

And if you have no clue what that means, this article's for you.

Deepvali is a Hindu holiday. It's a lot like Halloween — only better. It is a day of "sweetness and light" when Hindus celebrate the presence of God in the world by eating treats and setting off fireworks. Hindu children love the day. Lanterns are often hung around homes. Candy is plentiful.

Deepvali showcases the deepest sentiments of Hinduism.

Of the five major world religions — Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Islam and Hindu — Hinduism is likely the least understood by Westerners. People see aspects of it — the bathing in the Ganges River, Yogis in meditation, the Hare Krishnas — but they seem like so many random puzzle pieces.

That's because Hinduism exists as a series of unlinked pieces.

There is no doctrine to follow in Hinduism. No central authority. To be a Hindu you only have to declare yourself one. And unlike the other four major religions, Hinduism has no founder, no beginning, which leads many Hindus to claim the religion has existed as long as the universe.

Scholars have so far traced the religion back at least 3,500 years, to the Indus Valley in what is now Pakistan. There, an ancient civilization blossomed and became surprisingly sophisticated until an invading "Aryan" culture from the north conquered it. The striking together of those two cultures produced our earliest traces of modern Hinduism, though scientists have few answers for how it all came to be.

Over the centuries, Hinduism has thrived by being open and inclusive. Even straight-forward questions have few straight-forward answers.

Do Hindus believe in 300 gods or one god?

Well, both actually.

If you ask a Hindu how many gods there are he may respond, "You decide." Hindus believe there is a great "over-soul" (the Absolute) behind everything. The individual gods that appear as icons, in temples and in literature are simply its manifestations.

Do Hindus worship animals?

Well, yes and no.

They worship animals as manifestations of the great Absolute, or Brahman — an eternal reality behind the multiplicity of forms.

When told worshipping animals is idolatry, they may reply, "Why do you limit the forms the Absolute can assume?"

Do Hindus believe in "holy cows?"

Yes, they do. But they also believe in "holy peacocks."

Do Hindus have a Sabbath Day, or is every day as holy?

Well, both — and neither.

Hindus do not thrive on group devotions, so each individual must make his own arrangements for showing a "reverence for all life."