Hindu mysticism and religion

[paul linus]

Mysticism is a strong trait in Hinduism, which emphasizes the importance of spiritual practices such as meditation, yoga asanas, prayers and mantra recitations. These are often practiced in front of a small altar at home rather than at a temple. While Hindus have to follow many regulations in their social lives such as the caste system, separation of the sexes or arranged marriage in India, there has traditionally been a lot of free choice in religious life. Interestingly, it used to be exactly the other way around in many Western societies, with dogmatic Christian churches setting clear rules for their adherents as to what to believe and practice.