Whoops! Turn the camels around!

Hello everyone! Last week we made an unexpected turn on our way to India and ended up in Thailand! Needless to say, we made out trip be worth the while by trying some of Thailand's famous cuisine! Like Pi Thai and Curry! We also discussed the Hinduism and its connection to Buddhism.

Map of Thailand

Map of India

Pi Thai Dish

Hinduism Religion

Hinduism can be viewed as a religion by many because of its expanding number of followers. However, Hinduism itself does not have a founder with a single set of ideas because it is a set of beliefs that developed slowly over time. Between 750 and 550 B.C., Hindu teachers shared their knowledge behind the Vedic Hymns and their interpretations were later written down and were known as Upanishads. Upanishads discussed how a person can achieve enlightenment  or Moksha and were written in a dialogue form between a teacher and student conversation. This is similar to the set of beliefs in Buddhism, where both religions believe that all of life is suffering and suffering is caused by desire; and in the end, by getting rid of desire, you reach a piece of mind within yourself and nature. Otherwise known as enlightenment or Moksha in Hinduism. 

Hinduism Symbol

Hinduism describes each person to have an individual soul of the living being also known  as Atman that is united with other souls through Brahman (world soul that unites Atmans). Understanding the relationship between Atman and Brahman is critical for each person in order to reach Moksha (or enlightenment). Because Moksha is often not achieved in one lifetime, Hindus believe in reincarnation (rebirth of your soul in another form or body). Hindus also believe in Karma, a cause and effect belief; for every good deed you perform, you will receive good fortune, and for every bad deed you perform, you will receive good fortune. Thus leading us the caste system; a class into which you are born into that reflects upon your Karma. If you were born into an upper-caste, you have had good karma and have performed good deeds throughout your previous life. If you were born into a lower-caste, you have had bad Karma and have performed bad deeds in your previous lifetime. These set of beliefs determined why and how the followers of Hinduism live today; affecting everything from daily life, to how one was allowed to socialize with others. Hinduism today has over 900 million followers; making it the third largest "religion" in the world. 

Hindu Caste system