Hindus believe in Brahman which is the belief that all things are connected and are one because god is in all things. Anything in the external universe is sacred to the people of Hinduism. Brahman is considered to be the source of all things in the universe. There is a part of god in everything of the outside world because god created it.
Atman
Atman is the belief that the spirit and the soul contains god. It means "eternal self", and believing that one is eternal, helps with the belief of reincarnation. They are eternally in a cycle serving god and connecting with god. Atman consists of the belief that one is scared as well because god and/or a divine spirit is within us all.
Maya
Maya is the belief that the everyday world is only an "illusion". The world around us is real, but it is not the way people assume it to be. People assume that the world consists of all individual things where everything is separated and not connected. Maya states that the world is actually one holy reality where everything is connected and not individual.
Karma
Karma is the belief that all actions have consequences. It is believed that when an individual does something good, then something good in return will happen to them. If an individual does something bad, then something bad will return to them. The statement "what goes around, comes around" means exactly just that. All actions have consequences and it's up to you as an individual to decided if it will be a good consequence or a bad consequence.
Samsara
Samsara is the constant cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The people of Hinduism believe that they are stuck in a continuous cycle of life where they are born over and over again. They will continue to reincarnate until they hit Moksha which will be explained next. The soul of an individual is born into a new body and a new life every time. Karma continues to also follow an individual throughout its multiple lives. It is consistent for the soul to be reborn and follow through the life cycle and samsara repeatedly.
Moksha
Moksha is the belief of finally breaking free of samsara and the life cycle. It is achieved by overcoming ignorance and desires. Overcoming the desire of moksha itself is a huge way of achieving it. Moksha can be done in this life or after death. The constant life cycle (Samsara) is stopped and an individual is released from it. Moksha is important and the ultimate goal of life for the people of Hinduism.
Practices:
The Stages of Life
1. Student- Ages 8 to 20 where they are growing and learning. They study religious works and roles. May also practice celibacy.
2.Householder- Get married around age 20 and begin to raise children to fulfill the demands of society. They also begin to work during this stage while caring for their families.
3. Retiree- This stage begins when grandchildren arrive and so the individuals retie and spend their time on religious works. They also focus on spiritual matters.
4. Renounce- After retirement, they leave home and are free to wander and pursue a more religious life. They have now renounced their ties with their families and property to focus on liberation.
The Caste System
The division of society where the people are placed into a social class that is created at birth for them and sometimes influenced by occupation.
1. Priests (Bhramin)- They preform rituals and they act as counselors to the people.
2. Warrior- They protect society from danger of the outside world.
3. Merchants- They are those who own land and are money lenders.
4. Peasants- They do the manual labor and are expected o serve the higher caste.
5. Untouchables- They do the work that o one else does. Those jobs include cleaning toilets, sweeping the streets, and collecting dead animal carcasses.