once again belief is one thing, research and study is another thing. a believer could simply a believer as well as a researcher, a scholar could be believer or a non believer..faith is not a necessity in studying religion, in fact faith sometimes takes a scholar away from facts or logical conclusion.
Dharmic religions are not so much about belief's but more about understanding the nature of self, nature of the world and nature of the cosmos. All three is God and is part of god.
Various schools of thoughts have different paths to realizing this truth.
Hinduism is a scholarly attempt to realize the truth. Various techniques are used along with various methods. All of them can be used and even one of them can be used.
1. Tantric practices.
2. Yogic practices
- Karma yoga
- Raja Yoga
- Bakti Yoga
- Jnana Yoga
3. Vendanta i.e. Vedic practices
4. Vaisheshika i.e. study of science and soul
5. Mimasa i.e. realiszatoin through action (This is what the Jain's also practice)
6. Nyaya (Awareness through debate and discussions)
- pramāṇa (valid means of knowledge)
- prameya (objects of valid knowledge),
- saṁśaya (doubt),
- prayojana (aim),
- dṛṣṭānta (example),
- siddhānta (conclusion),
- avayava (members of syllogism),
- tarka (hypothetical reasoning),
- nirṇaya (settlement),
- vāda (discussion),
- jalpa (wrangling),
- vitaṇḍā (cavilling),
- hetvābhāsa (fallacy),
- chala (quibbling),
- jāti (sophisticated refutation)
- nigrahasthāna (point of defeat).
7. Sankhya i.e a combination of mediation and teachings (This is what the Buddhists practice)