Hinduism as a Way of Life

Hindus often insist that Hinduism is more a “way of life” than a system of beliefs. Indeed, Hinduism does place greater emphasis on what one does rather than on what one believes. The emphasis on doing rather than believing might explain the disconnection between textual injunction and actual practice that one often encounters in Hinduism. For example, the Laws of Mana, as we have seen, provide prescriptions for how to live based on the vamashrama dharma system, but these do not always translate into actual lived practice. In this section, we will explore Hinduism as a way of life.