Religion

=== Indian religions ===
[[Indian religions]] are practiced or were founded in the [[Indian subcontinent]]. They are sometimes classified as the ''dharmic religions'', as they all feature [[dharma]], the specific law of reality and duties expected according to the religion.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mittal |first=Sushil |title=Surprising Bedfellows: Hindus and Muslims in Medieval and Early Modern India |year=2003 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-0673-0 |page=103}}</ref>

==== Hinduism ====
[[File:Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple Thiruvananthapuram, kerala.jpg|thumb|The [[Padmanabhaswamy Temple]] is a significant temple of the Hindu god [[Vishnu]] in [[Thiruvananthapuram]], India.]][[Hinduism]] is also called ''Vaidika Dharma'', the ''[[dharma]]'' of the [[Vedas]],<ref name="Klostermaier2010">{{cite book|author=Klaus K. Klostermaier|title=Survey of Hinduism, A: Third Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8CVviRghVtIC|date=2010|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-8011-3|page=15|access-date=22 August 2018|archive-date=31 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331192043/https://books.google.com/books?id=8CVviRghVtIC|url-status=live}}</ref> although many practitioners refer to their religion as ''[[Sanātana Dharma]]'' ("the Eternal Dharma") which refers to the idea that its origins lie beyond [[human history]]. ''Vaidika Dharma'' is a [[synecdoche]] describing the similar philosophies of [[Vaishnavism]], [[Shaivism]], and [[Hindu denominations|related groups]] practiced or founded in the [[Indian subcontinent]]. Concepts most of them share in common include [[karma]], [[caste]], [[reincarnation]], [[mantra]]s, [[yantra]]s, and [[darśana]].<ref group="note">Hinduism is variously defined as a religion, set of religious beliefs and practices, religious tradition etc. For a discussion on the topic, see: "Establishing the boundaries" in Gavin Flood (2003), pp. 1–17. [[René Guénon]] in his'' [[Introduction to the Study of the Hindu doctrines]]'' (1921 ed.), Sophia Perennis, {{ISBN|0-900588-74-8}}, proposes a definition of the term religion and a discussion of its relevance (or lack of) to Hindu doctrines (part II, chapter 4, p. 58).</ref> Deities in Hinduism are referred to as [[Deva (Hinduism)|Deva]] (masculine) and [[Devi]] (feminine).<ref name="monierdevi">Monier Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary" Etymologically and Philologically Arranged to cognate Indo-European Languages, Motilal Banarsidass, p. 496</ref><ref>John Stratton Hawley and Donna Marie Wulff (1998), Devi: Goddesses of India, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120814912}}, p. 2</ref><ref>William K Mahony (1997), The Artful Universe: An Introduction to the Vedic Religious Imagination, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791435809}}, p. 18</ref> Major deities include [[Vishnu]], [[Lakshmi]], [[Shiva]], [[Parvati]], [[Brahma]] and [[Saraswati]]. These deities have distinct and complex personalities yet are often viewed as aspects of the same Ultimate Reality called [[Brahman]].<ref name=":2">[[:no:Knut A. Jacobsen|Knut Jacobsen]] (2008), Theory and Practice of Yoga : 'Essays in Honour of Gerald James Larson, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120832329}}, pp. 77-78</ref>{{refn|[a] {{cite book|title=Achieving Cultural Competency|first1=Lisa|last1=Hark|first2=Horace|last2=DeLisser|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2011|quote=Three gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, and other deities are considered manifestations of and are worshipped as incarnations of Brahman.}}
<br>[b] {{harvnb|Toropov|Buckles|2011}}: The members of various Hindu sects worship a dizzying number of specific deities and follow innumerable rites in honor of specific gods. Because this is Hinduism, however, its practitioners see the profusion of forms and practices as expressions of the same unchanging reality. The panoply of deities are understood by believers as symbols for a single transcendent reality.
<br>[d] {{cite book|year=2007|title=An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies|author=Orlando O. Espín, James B. Nickoloff|publisher=Liturgical Press|quote=While Hindus believe in many devas, many are monotheistic to the extent that they will recognise only one Supreme Being, a God or Goddess who is the source and ruler of the devas.}}|name=avatars|group=note}} Hinduism is one of the most ancient of still-active religious belief systems,<ref>p. 434 ''Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions'' By Wendy Doniger, M. Webster, Merriam-Webster, Inc</ref><ref>p. 219 ''Faith, Religion & Theology'' By Brennan Hill, Paul F. Knitter, William Madges</ref> with origins perhaps as far back as prehistoric times.<ref>p. 6 ''The World's Great Religions'' By Yoshiaki Gurney Omura, Selwyn Gurney Champion, Dorothy Short</ref> Therefore, Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world.

==== Jainism ====
[[File:Shravanabelagola Bahubali wideframe.jpg|thumb|The 10th century [[Gommateshwara statue]] in [[Karnataka]]]][[Jainism]], taught primarily by [[Rishabhanatha]] (the founder of [[ahimsa]]) is an ancient Indian religion that prescribes a path of [[non-violence]], [[truth]] and [[anekantavada]] for all forms of living beings in this universe; which helps them to eliminate all the [[Karma in Jainism|Karmas]], and hence to attain freedom from the cycle of birth and death ([[Saṃsāra (Jainism)|saṃsāra]]), that is, achieving [[Moksha (Jainism)|nirvana]]. Jains are found mostly in India. According to Dundas, outside of the Jain tradition, historians date the [[Mahavira]] as about contemporaneous with the [[Buddha]] in the 5th-century BCE, and accordingly the historical [[Parshvanatha]], based on the c. 250-year gap, is placed in 8th or 7th century BCE.{{sfn|Dundas|2002|pp=30–31}}
* [[Digambara]] Jainism (or sky-clad) is mainly practiced in South India. Their holy books are [[Pravachanasara]] and [[Samayasara]] written by their Prophets [[Kundakunda]] and [[Amritchandra]] as their [[Jain Agamas (Digambara)|original canon]] is lost.
* [[Shwetambara]] Jainism (or white-clad) is mainly practiced in Western India. Their holy books are [[Jain Agamas (Śvētāmbara)|Jain Agamas]], written by their Prophet [[Sthulibhadra]].

==== Buddhism ====
[[File:Open front door over Wat Mixay and praying bhikkhus, Vientiane, Laos.jpg|thumb|Wat Mixay Buddhist shrine in [[Vientiane]], Laos]][[Buddhism]] was founded by [[Gautama Buddha|Siddhartha Gautama]] in the 5th century BCE. Buddhists generally agree that Gotama aimed to help [[Sentient beings (Buddhism)|sentient beings]] end their [[dukkha|suffering (dukkha)]] by understanding the [[dharma|true nature of phenomena]], thereby escaping the cycle of suffering and rebirth ([[Saṃsāra (Buddhism)|saṃsāra]]), that is, achieving [[Nirvana (Buddhism)|nirvana]].
* [[Theravada]] Buddhism, which is practiced mainly in [[Sri Lanka]] and Southeast Asia alongside folk religion, shares some characteristics of Indian religions. It is based in a large collection of texts called the [[Pali Canon]].
* [[Mahayana]] Buddhism (or the Great Vehicle) under which are a multitude of doctrines that became prominent [[Buddhism in China|in China]] and are still relevant [[Buddhism in Vietnam|in Vietnam]], [[Buddhism in Korea|Korea]], [[Buddhism in Japan|Japan]] and to a lesser extent [[Buddhism in the West|in Europe and the United States]]. Mahayana Buddhism includes such disparate teachings as [[Zen]], [[Pure Land Buddhism|Pure Land]], and [[Soka Gakkai]].
[[File:Buda_souvenir_over_a_shelf.jpg|thumb|Buddha in a wood shelf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]]
* [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism first appeared in India in the 3rd century CE.<ref>Williams, Paul; Tribe, Anthony (2000), ''Buddhist Thought: A complete introduction to the Indian tradition'', Routledge, {{ISBN|0-203-18593-5}} p. 194</ref> It is currently most prominent in the Himalaya regions<ref>Smith, E. Gene (2001). Among Tibetan Texts: History and Literature of the Himalayan Plateau. Boston: Wisdom Publications. {{ISBN|0-86171-179-3}}</ref> and extends across all of Asia<ref>''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', {{ISBN|4-7674-2015-6}}</ref> (cf. [[Mikkyō]]).
* Two notable new Buddhist sects are [[Hòa Hảo]] and the [[Navayana]] ([[Dalit Buddhist movement]]), which were developed separately in the 20th century.

==== Sikhism ====
[[File:Miniature of Guru Nanak from Astronomical treatise.jpg|thumb|An 1840 miniature of [[Guru Nanak]]]][[Sikhism]] is a [[panentheistic]] religion founded on the teachings of [[Guru Nanak]] and ten successive [[Sikh gurus]] in 15th-century [[Punjab region|Punjab]]. It is the [[Major religious groups|fifth-largest]] [[organized religion]] in the world, with approximately 30 million Sikhs.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sikhism: What do you know about it?|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/sikhism-what-do-you-know-about-it/2012/08/06/19131ef6-dff1-11e1-8fc5-a7dcf1fc161d_gallery.html|access-date=13 December 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|archive-date=11 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811193301/http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/sikhism-what-do-you-know-about-it/2012/08/06/19131ef6-dff1-11e1-8fc5-a7dcf1fc161d_gallery.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Zepps |first=Josh |title=Sikhs in America: What You Need To Know About The World's Fifth-Largest Religion |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/06/sikhs-in-america_n_1748125.html |access-date=13 December 2012 |newspaper=Huffington Post |date=6 August 2012 |archive-date=10 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120810040309/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/06/sikhs-in-america_n_1748125.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Sikh]]s are expected to embody the qualities of a ''Sant-Sipāhī''—a saint-soldier, have control over one's internal [[Five Thieves|vices]] and be able to be constantly immersed in virtues clarified in the [[Guru Granth Sahib]]. The principal beliefs of Sikhi are faith in ''[[Waheguru]]''—represented by the phrase ''[[ik Onkar|ik ōaṅkār]]'', meaning one God, who prevails in everything, along with a [[praxis (process)|praxis]] in which the Sikh is enjoined to engage in social reform through the pursuit of justice for all human beings.