Page 123 - Hinduism

to understand Hinduism on its own terms, not in terms of the internal and external features borrowed from other creeds.
I try to approach this task objectively and not as a "true believer." Though born in a traditional Hindu family, I am not by any means a dogmatic Hindu. I am only an example of the freedom of choice that Hinduism grants me in matters of ritual and practice. My interest in Hinduism stems from my work in Psychology and Philosophy. I discovered that the concept of mathematical proof can be traced to yogic principles described in the famous Yoga sutra written by the legendary Sage Patanjali. This greatly intrigued me. The most rational of the rational sciences has religious and mystical roots! It will no doubt come as a surprise to many to learn that "rational thinking", something we all praise so highly, has mystical roots. Both Patanjali and the Greek Pythagoras were mystics, and yet they laid the foundation for the rational processes on which our own civilization depends. This is what made me look deeper into the religious thought of the Hindus. Briefly, here are the five basic features of Hinduism I found in my study.
1) It has no historical beginning. The Rig Veda, the oldest of the Hindu scriptures, is stated to be eternal and to have always existed. Speaking as a rational person, I find this claim hard to accept. But there is no period in time which we can definitely point to and say, "This is when the Rig Veda began to be 123