Latesha Udy

Wijitha Bandara
RELS 2300-400-Sp16
April 30, 2016
Contemplating Hinduism
Hinduism, from societys perspective, is given the identity of a religion. It is known to be
the worlds third largest religion with millions of followers found all across the globe. Some say,
however, that Hinduism is not a religion; instead it is identified as dharma, which is another
entity entirely. In order to identify the correct classification of Hinduism as either religion or
dharma, we must first compare and contrast the two.
What is religion? To put it into simple and universal terms we can say that a religion is
like an organization. It has a set standard for behavior, rituals, practices, world views, a text the
followers view as holy and truthful, sacred places of worship, and values that everyone who
identifies as a member of this religion use to relate themselves to each other and to the
supernatural realm. We can make a choice to join a religion and we can make a choice to leave
that religion based on what we believe as truth in our hearts and minds.
What is dharma? To put this most simply, dharma involves every aspect of life and goes
far beyond religion. It is not seen as an option or a choice to the extent that religion is. In this
ancient eastern concept you find a much more solid, deep and transcendental meaning. You live
your dharma always and it is the path you use to walk through life. It is full of traditions and

customs that span many lifetimes. Dharma is timeless, it is all encompassing, it is mystic and it is
too big to truly define.
There are many people who feel that dharma and religion are synonymous, that they
mean the same thing. I feel that they are very different. There are not words to describe all that
dharma is, I could try to fill ten pages with words about dharma and I would still not give the
definition justice. Religion may be complex and have a unique meaning to everyone with many
branches and varying beliefs, but there is a way to sum what religion is up. So, back to the
initial question, which word should we use to classify Hinduism? I say we should use both.
Religion and dharma are not the same thing; however they go hand in hand in Hinduism and I
feel they can and should both be used when explaining it.

Bibliography
Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc, 2008
Flood, Gavin D. Dharma. An Introduction to Hinduism. New York, NY: Cambridge UP, 1996
Coward, Harold G., E. K. Neumaier-Dargyay, and Ronald W. Neufeldt. Readings in Eastern
Religions. 2nd ed. Waterloo, Ont., Canada: Wilfrid Laurier UP, 1988