| 4. That God is one,
though men give Him many names and forms according to their 'spiritual needs and different
degrees of understanding, and that therefore the widest possible toleration is imperative
in matters of religious belief and practice. 5.
That, as the life of the individual, of the growth of society, the trend of human history
and the evolution of life in this planet should, be re-ordered as only the different
aspects of the one spiritual purpose running through all creation, viz. the whole universe
returning to God who is its home, it is the duty of every man to utilize his natural
endowments and his position in society for the cultivation of spiritual values and thus
further the divine purpose.
Besides these general principles, which Hinduism at its best
has always affirmed, there are certain special traits, which Hinduism as a historical
religion has developed in the course of its evolution. Such, for instance, are its
emphasis on Ahimsa (non-violence), its veneration for Samnyasa (renunciation), and its
insistence on the control of the senses, its predilection for yogic exercises, its love of
ritualism and its passion for a stable social order which would serve as a school for the
spirit of man. |
