Hindus see their religion as a continuous, seemingly eternal, existence — not just a religion but a way of life. Its collection of customs, moral obligations — known as dharma — traditions, and ideals far exceed the recent Christian and Western secularist tendency to think of religion primarily as a system of beliefs. Hinduism has come to cover an incredibly wide range of concepts and concerns, including karma, methods for attaining salvation, and spiritual release from earthly existence.

