Statistically, there are now over 700 million Hindus located mainly in Bharat (India) and Nepal. Hinduism is referred to as Sanatana Dharma or the "eternal faith" which means that Hinduism is not strictly a religion. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life which is sometimes referred to as "what it right." Since Hinduism has no founder, anyone who practices Dharma can call himself a Hindu.

Hindus are often associated with a plethora of Gods, but there is only one Absolute. The Absolute is found in everything in life, living or not and is referred to as Brahman. It is not a he or a she. It is not even called a God because to do so would give It a gender. All things have Brahman as its source. Because of this, Hindus regard all things as sacred

The ultimate aim for every Hindu is to achieve Moksa, or liberation from samsara (reincarnation process). This happens when there is no karma to cause an individual to be reincarnated. This means there is no egotistical self, no "I" remaining. To achieve this state may take millions of reincarnations. When this happens, the jivatman goes away forever and the atman merges with Brahman. The result is pure consciousness and bliss.

Most Hindus: Death to a Hindu is a polluting time. So much so that the deities in one's house may be removed entirely and no one will eat in the house of the deceased. The sons of a deceased person become very important in performing the rites of passage concerning death. Their role is to send the spirit of the deceased to the realm of ancestors through performance of a correct ritual. Immediately after death, the deceased becomes a ghost and, if not sent on his/her way properly, will disturb the living by remaining with them. They may even cause harm to the living. Death rites are designed to covert the ghost into an ancestral spirit. The process takes twelve days. When complete, the spirit leaves the family for the home of his or her ancestors. On the twelfth day, four rice balls are prepared to symbolize the union of the deceased with his or her forbears. One ball is for the newly deceased. The remaining rice balls represent three preceding generations. Once the ceremonies !

are over the elder son shaves off all hair, the house is thoroughly cleaned and all linens are washed to remove the pollution of death. The house is now ready for normal living again.

Fowler, Jeaneane. Hinduism, Beliefs & Practices. Portland, OR:Sussex Academic Press, 1997.

Hell is a particular locality that is walled off from the surrounding regions of space by the messengers of Yama. Sinners get a thick body called 'Yatana-Deha' when they are punished. The punishment in hell is not remembered by the soul when it is reborn. The punishment in hell is reformatory and educative. The permanent educative effect remains in conscience. The innate fear, which some souls feel at the sight of temptation of sin, is due to the finer development of conscience in the furnace of hell-fire. This is the permanent gain acquired by the soul. The soul is reborn with keener conscience after being purified by hell-fire. Because of this, one can make better use of his faculties in the next birth.

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