View Chapters

Book: Hinduism in Five Minutes

Chapter: 5. What are the Primary Ideas in Hinduism?

DOI: 10.1558/equinox.41672

Blurb:

Although many scholars contend that belief is not as central to Hinduism as ritual practice, its central concepts orient Hindu understanding of humans and the world in which they construct lives and communities. This article introduces the ideas of dharma (duty), karma (moral causation), samsara (transmigration), and moksha (liberation) and briefly discusses belief in deities.

Chapter Contributors