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Key Concepts

Ancient spiritual teachings shaped the beliefs of our ancestors, that can be traced back into the mists of the past, from their very beginnings some 250,000 to 300,000 years ago, without any Founder. Our ancestors continually sought to improve their understanding of their place in the natural world, their relationship, with Nature and its manifestations, and even amongst themselves and of their relationships with others. Their Seekings resulted in continual ‘Realizations’ and at times ‘Epiphanies’, not any ‘Revelations’, that developed shared, Spiritual beliefs and Traditions and Rituals, that progressively evolved over time, from observations and continual efforts with an interrogative attitude, to seek and find even better explanations for the happenings in their local environment, arriving at principles and teachings and conclusions. Such rituals and customs and shared beliefs, show their understanding of spirituality and their vision of the divine as a collective journey.

It is only in the Indian sub-continent that ancient seekers and thinkers (who we recognize as Rishis) continued to evolve and refine and explain the spiritual dimensions of such an evidence-based system of beliefs about Nature, Life, Cosmos and Time, recognizing the principles of how we all should deal with each other, our Obligations and Duties to our fellow humans and also to all Life on Earth, and even to the spirits of our ancestors, seeing the world as ONE Family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam). Over millennia this spiritual belief system became what we today recognize as Sanātana Dharma, which literally means “Eternal Dharma”— the timeless principles that sustain life, society, and cosmic order. It is not a religion, but a civilizational framework that integrates philosophy, ethics, culture, duties and obligations and spiritual practices, that has no Founder.

Sanatana Dharma has evolved over many millennia of seeking and observation from the earliest of spiritual beliefs, perhaps beginning from Animism, then evolving into Shamanism and finally as we know it today. Many Societies that perhaps developed elsewhere than in the Indian sub-continent, or migrated away from the main body of humans there, did not evolve further from the Animistic beliefs that they believed in at that time, or only evolved into Shamanistic beliefs (Aboriginals, in Australia, the Americas and many Cultures in Africa and elsewhere across the world).

Animism arises from the views of the many indigenous people across the world, who venerated what or who they saw as the spirits in the Earth, mountains, rivers, trees and forests and even animals and birds and in the many natural forces they saw around them, wind, fire/lightning and rains/storms that effected their lives. These ancients sought to interact with such spirits, as they felt their need required, through prayers, ritual dances and sacrifices.

Some did evolve a little further from Animism into Shamanism. Shamanism is not a religion perse, but the more evolved and active development of Animism. The two concepts are virtually interwoven with each other. The recognition and acceptance of belief, in the till then animistic societies, of the existence of people who can enter the world of spirits, deal with them and to an extent even control them, evolves Animism into Shamanism. In almost all ancient tribal cultures, Shamanism strives to contact and deal with the local spirits and even the spirits of ancestors for help and advice in dealing with the difficulties and problems they encounter. However, the historical roots and traditions of Shamanism are also lost in the mists of time.

A Shaman is an important person in a tribe/society that believes in the existence of countless spirits, some helpful, but many of them ill-intentioned and even dangerous to the people/ tribe. The Shaman’s ability to seemingly interact with such spirits for the benefit of the tribe/society and even for specific individuals and also his seeming ability to connect individuals to their ancestors/ forbearers, and even undertake healing and exorcism, all add to his importance. The Shaman calls on the tribe/society to participate in the rituals as he directs and also to make the sacrifices as he deems fit. It is interesting to note that in the early days Shamans would be women, who also were the Medicine women. Today, Shamans are generally men, though medicine is mostly still dealt with by women. However, in Korea even today, Shamans are still women.

Gradually, once humans developed farming and agriculture and settled into villages, Shamanistic practices evolved into more intricate rituals, prayers, practices, beliefs and traditions. Being a Shaman is an individual occupation passed down by lineage or gifted seemingly directly by the spirit to an individual.

As in Japan, into Shintoism, which today still has some elements of Animism and also incorporates some elements of Sanatana Dharmic beliefs, perhaps from some migration from the regions where such beliefs had evolved further. Some, especially in South Africa, recognized the principle of Ubuntu (I am because we are – a way of life that emphasises essential human dignity, virtue, compassion, kindness and encourages the recognition that one’s own well-being and identity are inseparable from the well-being of those around one, and of the interconnectedness of all in the community, for the benefit of All).

The Japanese Shinto belief system is an evolved system that also pays more attention to the local spirits and ancestral spirits. However, its historical roots are also lost in the mists of time. Shintoism resembles Shamanism more than it does the best known, oldest and continuously evolved spiritual practice, the Sanatana Dharma.

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