India, its people, its infrastructure, and indeed its very soil, encourage and breed Spiritualism, allowing religions to thrive, flourish and prosper. To understand Indian spirituality, it is essential to understand the basic tenets of Hinduism. A rich, complex and deeply symbolic religion, Hinduism is, actually, called Sanatana Dharma or the eternal truth/tradition/religion. The Vedas are conside
red the Divine Revelations, revealed to sages and seers in higher states of communion with the One. They are believed to be the world’s most ancient scriptures. Hinduism is sometimes called polytheistic religion, but, actually, it would be more appropriate to call it henotheistic. The Hindu scriptures depict God both as a personal being (as in the Judeo-Christian religions) and also as a principle. The same Absolute is understood in three ways: as Brahman (the nonpersonal, all-pervading aspect of the Supreme), as Paramatma (the Oversoul or Supersoul, the aspect of God within the heart of all beings), and, as Bhagwan, the Absolute in the transcendent personal feature. All the world is an illusion, a mere shadow of the Reality, so believes the Hindu. It is only through turning inward, whether as an ascetic, a householder, a King, a beggar, that the Truth can be seen. The Hindu recognizes the difference between belief and faith. Faith is assurance or a guarantee. Although, faith is very often used to mean acceptance, this distinction is important to understand. For example, for a long time it was believed that the earth was the centre of the universe and the sun went round it. Now, we have the assurance that the earth goes around the sun. According to the Hindu, the key to faith is experience. This is central to Hinduism. It is good to have beliefs as long as one is "working" on them and testing their truth or untruth. Each individual is encouraged to develop a solid faith grounded in experience.It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely.With nearly 1 billion citizens, India is the second most populous nation in the world. It is impossible to speak of any one Indian culture, although there are deep cultural continuities that tie its people together. English is the major language of trade and politics, but there are fourteen official languages in all. There are twenty-four languages that are spoken by a million people or more, and countless other dialects. India has seven major religions and many minor ones, six main ethnic groups, and countless holidays. Religion is central to Indian culture, and its practice can be seen in virtually every aspect of life in the country. Hinduism is the dominant faith of India, serving about 80 percent of the population. Ten percent worship Islam, and 5 perscent are Sikhs and Christians; the rest (a good 45 million) are Buddhists, Jains, Bahai, and more.
