ncarnations include the human forms of Rama and Krishna and his tenth incarnation is expected in roughly 450,000 years (Whalen 25). In the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism's sacred texts, Vishnu appears as Krishna.
             Hinduism has several texts that are considered to be sacred, rather t hen just one, such as the Bible. The Vedas, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata are all considered sacred books by Hindus (Anonymous 11). Hinduism encompasses such a diverse assortment of belief systems that defies the Western definition of religion, suggesting, rather, that it pertains to a commitment or respect for an ideal ways of life referred to as "dharma" (Anonymous 40).
             Beliefs and Fundamental Philosophy of Hinduism
             A widespread features of classical Hinduism is the belief in reincarnation, which is the concept that after death the soul will pass from one body to another, and that this passage is determined by one's actions in the present life, which is referred to as "karma" (Whalen 26). According to karma, one's birth, length of life, and the nature of other experiences are determined by one's previous acts (Whalen 26). In other words, reincarnation dictates that a person's conduct in this life determines what position that individual will be born into in his or next life (Whalen 26).
             For instance, a person who has led a good life might be born into a social position where they become a priest or a scholar. Christianity and Islam both hold that the soul survives death and then attains either a state of eternal bliss or one of deprivation (Whalen 26). Hinduism teaches that the sort of union with the Divine pictured for good Christians and Muslims may take many lifetimes to obtain. Hinduism teaches that the individual will be reborn until such a state of spiritual perfection is achieved (Whalen 26).
             Through this concept of reincarnation, Hinduism has a ready-made answer to the difficult theological question of why the good appear to ...