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When I was a baby, I was baptized into Christian world and as time passed, I grew to
love my own religion. I am a Catholic and I was taught by my parents and teachers to love God
and love others. As I was growing up, my teachers were always reminding us that if we were to
be faced with another person from another religion and if it happens that I might visit another
religion’s place of worship, I must always treat the people right and respect their beliefs. That
way, I won’t give other people from another religion to criticize my own beliefs. I have grown
up to love studying about history and other people’s culture. Hinduism has always fascinated me
because it is not the same as my own religion which is Christianity. Hinduism is such a colorful
topic for me because of its diversity and variety. There are so many beliefs, ideas and history that
it has never failed to capture my attention. One part of this paper will be devoted to how
Hinduism shows it love for others/neighbor. In the Christian faith, Jesus Christ summarized the
ten commandments of God in to two things: Love your God and Love your neighbor. Comparing
Christianity and Hinduism in this sense is intriguing because it will be like learning something
Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world and it is the dominant religion in India,
Nepal and Sri Lanka. Hinduism is not one of the monotheistic religions in the world. Most forms
of Hinduism are henotheistic, meaning it recognizes a single deity and the gods and goddesses
are manifestations of the One God. A unique characteristic of Hinduism is that there is freedom
of belief and practice because there are a variety of Hindu traditions. Hinduism is not a religion
in itself and it doesn’t have an exact belief system because of the variety of beliefs, traditions,
philosophical and cultural ideas of people therefore making it a Dharma, a way of life.
The word “Hinduism” was obtained from Sindhu which is a mighty river flowing in the
Indus Valley. It has been said that that the people who resided in the Sindhu valley were named
Hindus. Hinduism is known to have no beginning and no end and the exact date of when it was
founded is not specified. It has been said that it was found around 3200-2500 BC but according
to the Mahabharata, the date of foundation is approximated 3012 BC. A few other things that
make Hinduism unique are that it doesn’t have one founder or core doctrine that people will have
to believe in and turn to when controversies arise. Hinduism is so diverse that it’s hard to
actually place it in any category. When it comes to religions, categories such as monotheism,
polytheism, monism, theism, etc. are rather familiar terms especially monotheism because most
The ancient scriptures of Hinduism are the Vedas. The Vedas are scriptures or revelations
of the Hindu teachings. They are the manifestations of the Divine Word in speech. The Vedas
were composed in ancient Vedic Sanskrit. The Veda was divided into four books which are: Rig
Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda and Atharva-Veda. The Vedas were said to have been compiled
during the time of Krishna which was around 3500 BC and the person responsible for the
compilation is Vyasa Krishna Dwaipayana. The Vedas were similar to Egyptian teachings since it
was symbolic and it required a special vision in order for it to be understood and used properly.
When Jesus Christ came to the world and started teaching the people, He summarized the
Ten Commandments into two. In the book of Matthew 23:36-40, a Sadducee who was an expert
of the Law asked Jesus what was the Law’s greatest commandment. The first and great
commandment was “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your mind.” The second, which is similar to the first, is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
The whole of the Law and the Prophets depends on these two commandments." These are known as the
great commandments. In Hinduism, love has many various forms. It can be spiritual, erotic, familial,
brotherly, etc. Love in its various forms is explored in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata but it is also
found as stories and brief moral lessons. Love of the neighbor is integral to the core belief system in
Hinduism. For the Hindus, love of the neighbor does not love another person but it loves the “other soul”.
It is said that is a fundamental requirement for a Hindu who seeks final liberation from this world and an
injury or insult that is inflicted on the other soul results to injuring oneself or the higher being. Neighborly
love is also integral for a person’s social existence in this world. Another verse in Mahabharata
summarizes the essence of the individual's social obligation or dharma and theorizes that one should not
do unto others that which would cause pain if inflicted on oneself (Mahabharata 5:15; 17). The
Ordinances of Manu also instruct a Hindu never to wound or inflict on anyone any type of injury or pain
by thought, word, or deed. Hospitality to strangers is a highly celebrated virtue and is expected of all
The Christians are all familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus Christ told the parable
of the Good Samaritan to a lawyer who asked Him what he should do in order to attain eternal life. Jesus
Christ responded to the lawyer by asking him what is written in the law. The lawyer answered Jesus with
“love your God with all your heart, your entire mind, and all your soul and your neighbor as yourself. The
lawyer then asked Jesus who is his neighbor and Jesus told him the parable. In Hinduism, a story about a
man named Rantideva who is a devotee to the Lord Vishnu had gone to fast to empower himself
spiritually. The gods wanted to test him and his devotion when he was about to finish his fast. They
appeared to Rantideva in many forms of starving people and they begged him for food and drink. It has
been said that even before this man broke his fast, he had already distributed the food and drink that he
had at the moment and stated that since all belong to Vishnu, the food must nourish everyone. Generosity
and selfless love is important in Hinduism. Respecting another person, showing hospitality to a stranger
and having the need to extend fair treatment to all even to one’s enemy is something that simply shouts
that everyone has the right to exist in this world. Hinduism celebrates Ahisma or non-violence and it is
expected that every Hindu must treat all humans, plant and animal kingdoms with respect and
compassion. Hinduism’s demand to extend its concept of neighborly love is up to the next level because
even in the state of warfare, one must still be fair and considerate to the enemy. This is highlighted in the
Ramayana when Rama was up against his arch enemy, Ravana. Rama asked Ravana to come back the
next day when Ravana showed up to Rama disarmed. Another is when Rama declared he would extend
his protection to his arch enemy’s brother when Ravana’s brother declared Rama as his friend.
The main point of loving one’s neighbor in Hinduism is that “One should not behave towards
others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself”. The main point of loving one’s neighbor in Christianity
is “Love others as you love yourself”. Hinduism’s love of neighbor is focused on the “other soul” and in
unselfishness while Christianity’s love of neighbor is focused on loving other people. In comparing
Christian and Hindu beliefs in terms of loving one’s neighbor, both are somewhat similar and right but
there is still a difference. Hinduism states that if you don’t want others to behave in a manner that offends
you, do the same. In Christianity, Jesus tells the people to love others as they love themselves. Both
religions have a different stand when it comes to loving one’s neighbor but it is still relevant that these
religions are similar in a way that is not only beneficial to one person but also to others. Hinduism values
respect and fairness while Christianity values love for other people besides one’s self.
I believe that fairness and respect is needed in order to love not only one’s self but also the people
around you. One cannot truly love if one doesn’t know how to love one’s self first. Love is supposed to
be a mutual feeling. As what is stated in 1 Corinthians 13: 13 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps
no records of wrongs…” That kind of love should be present everywhere because the kind of love that
was stated in the Bible verse is not only talking about romantic love but love in general. We should not
forget that we are here in this world to influence and inspire others to live in the light and love of the
Lord.
Sources:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm
http://www.the-crankshaft.info/2010/09/love-of-neighbor-in-hinduism.html
http://www.indianexcursion.net/hinduism/origin-of-hinduism.html
• Origin and Development of Hinduism, Its Beliefs and Practices. Retrieved: December 2,
2010
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduintrod1.asp
• er 2, 2010.
http://www.yogaforums.com/forums/f33/a-comparison-of-hinduism-and-
christianity-by-peter-kreeft-6810.html
http://www.hinduism.co.za/vedas-.htm
http://www.hindunet.org/vedas/