Hinduism
The Hindu faith is rooted in ancient Vedic philosophy with its inherent ideas of karmic law or the law of retribution — what you sow, you reap; also, what you send out comes back. These ideas dovetail into the Law of Attraction because what you think about most is what you draw into your life experience. Throughout an average day in your life, are you thinking lovingly of the welfare of others or falling into a pattern of criticizing others for everything that makes you unhappy and stressed out? According to the tenets of Hinduism, your thoughts are as powerful as a spoken word. Words, like your actions, are creating your karma, and when the elements are ripe for those words and actions to bear fruit (whether good or bad), they will.
Although Hinduism is considered a polytheistic religion with as many as 33 million gods and goddesses, it teaches that at the core of all living things is Brahman, the one god who is really three gods in one — Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the sustainer), and Shiva (the destroyer or one who brings about dissolution). Other gods and goddesses are simply manifestations of the One; this concept is summed up as unity of the Godhead.
Hindus achieve enlightenment through attunement to and alignment with the indwelling God. By becoming enlightened, individuals can attain release from the endless cycle of reincarnation, which takes place because of the karma they have created. In their spiritual work and practices, Hindus endeavor to transcend thinking in terms of duality or opposites.
The Law of Attraction principle that good thoughts and actions return good things to the doer while bad thoughts and bad actions bring more negativity and misery is an example of duality thinking. The idea that from one Source all things come and at their core those things are God is another example of the transcendence of duality of thought. One sees unity in the many. The following is a list of beliefs that are common to many Hindu sects.
There is one Supreme Reality (Brahman) and ultimately all souls will realize it as Truth.
The reality of human existence is that it is nothing more than a dream in the Divine Mind.
There are many different paths to the realization of Brahman.
Karma is created by a person's thoughts, words, and deeds (for good or bad) that cause the soul to reincarnate; reincarnation will continue until a soul's karma is exhausted.
Ignorance of the innate divine nature of humans and the unity of all things creates dualistic thinking.
Salvation (moksha) comes about in three ways: works, knowledge, and devotion.
Nirvana is the complete liberation from karma, endless cycles of birth and death, and dualistic thinking.
Liberation takes place when an individual loses her sense of self that is separate from God and instead becomes completely absorbed into the reality of the Supreme Godhead.
Spiritual well-being for most Hindus comes as a result of living a clean and decent life, observing ahimsa or nonviolence, serving their families, performing dharma (their worldly duties) and sadhana (spiritual practices) in the right way, and showing respect for all life forms as sacred things. Most Hindus are vegetarians. Also, they often place high value on selfless service to others. Respect for elders is culturally ingrained in most Hindus. Mohandas Gandhi, a famous Hindu, once said that we must be the change that we seek in the world. Many Hindus seek to create a better world by first turning to the divine within to change themselves before trying to effect change in the world.
Exercising Power over Nature
Certain Hindu yogis, sages, siddhis, and holy persons through the ages who have committed their lives to the pursuit of truth have purportedly been able to travel through time and space at will, shrink or expand in size, abstain from food and water without damage to their physical bodies, control their heartbeat and breath, effect miracle healings, and instantly produce tangible objects through the power of thought. Some sources say the Law of Attraction finds resonance or has roots in tenets of Hinduism and shares the belief that an underlying unifying force of energy in the cosmos governs all that exists.
Chanting, Prayer, and Devotional Practice
Hindu spiritual practice consists often of daily puja or worship at the shrine of the ishtadeva (one's chosen deity or form of God). To focus the mind on the spiritual realms and God, the devotee might chant a mantra or the word Om, considered to be the cosmic sound of vibration in creation. Similarly, the core of the Law of Attraction might be summed up as thoughts having vibrations and those vibrations attract similar vibrations. To Hindus, even the name by which you are called sets up a vibration for your life.
Scholars have dated the origins of the Hindu religion to roughly 4000 B.C. to 2200 B.C., whereas circa 2500 B.C. has been suggested as the date for the Old Testament story about the flood and Noah's ark.
Doing an Anusthan
To attain a specific spiritual result, a devotee, often with the guidance of a teacher or guru, will undertake a penance or fasting or an anusthan (specific practice often coupled with chanting, visualization, fasting, pilgrimage, or other action). This is not too different from working with the Law of Attraction with clear intent and conviction to manifest a specific result.
