Three of the greatest religions in Indian Culture, include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. These religions were founded from Aryan and Dravidian culture. Brahmanism gradually changed overtime to form the more commonly known religion of Hinduism. The followers believed in many god and goddesses, with Brahman being the most elite. They also believed in the practices of karma and reincarnation.…
Many philosophers and theologians have tried to defend, or substantiate, religious experiences as an argument from religious experience. Two examples are Swinburne’s Principle of Credulity, and Alston’s concept of doxastic practice. Richard Swinburne holds that if it seems to a subject something to be x on the basis of the subject’s experience it is probably the case that x is (Swinburne, 2004). According to Swinburne, it is reasonable to assume that the world is the way it is experienced and unless we have reason to doubt a religious experience then one should accept such an experience as truthful and prima facie proof for the existence of God. However, Brain Davies (1993) points out the most troublesome consequence of accepting Swinburne’s…
It is a beautiful idea of how there is a consequence or accomplishment after death that relies on the good deeds or poor actions that would determine the new life the person would receive. Hindus believe that the soul is everlasting, that it travels from body to body through many painful lifetimes in an attempt to clear and repay any lousy debts. As Hindu follower Benna Crawford notes in, “Describe the Hindu & Buddhist Belief of Reincarnation,” “the endless repetition of birth, death, and rebirth, called Samsara, is a painful process of inching toward perfect merit, working off bad deeds, and achieving moksha or liberation.” The…
As different religions throughout diverse cultures and various countries were explored, the majority if not all shared a common way of experiencing the divine. Religions are formed through sensual engagement or stimulation to the five senses and is evident throughout every religious group whether primitive or “modern”. The ability to see, feel, touch, taste, and smell allows for the participant to feel something whether it be stimulation to just one sense or a combination of senses. These experiences help cultivate the belief of a religion by providing something that although may be intangible the partaker can experience in the form of a vision, dream, or even feeling the presence of something supernatural. There is evidence of this in Christianity, Hinduism, Native American religion and the other religions.…
A concept I found very interesting in Hinduism is their belief in a Supreme Being. There is a large debate on whether Hinduism is a monotheistic and polytheistic religion. I found the god and goddesses concept of Hinduism to be very interesting. I enjoyed learning about the different deities within the religion. The textbook describes how each person has a “chosen deity” in which they honor, but will also honor other deities as well.…
Hinduism and Jainism are both ancient religions originating from South Asia, or more specifically India. They both have many similar characteristic features, such as the concepts of samsara, karma and moksha. But, they also differs in many things, even including the concepts of three aforementioned terms. This essay will compare the following five concepts: karma, samasara, ahimsa, moksha, and world renunciation, and explain their purposes in both Hinduism and Jainism. Notably these five concepts are surprisingly complex and carries great deals of importance to both religions.…
In understanding the dimensions of religion and how the rituals of each religion have been formed, it is important to recognize that each individual religion holds its own unique methods of practice and have many different levels of complex beliefs; including ways of following and practicing the cultural expectations as well as understanding the historical events that have formed each religion. Some beliefs are formed due to the exposure of the religion that has been practiced within one’s family. Others may be formed within adulthood based upon self-discovery and one’s wishes to pursue a certain lifestyle. Those who are fully knowledgeable on the many different forms of religion are more likely to be able to form more in-depth opinions that…
Buddhism is not a religion, it is a way of thinking that changes the way that an individual think. On the other hand, believing in souls is one of the main focuses of Hinduism. According to some scholars, the founder of Hinduism is unknown since it has started thousands years ago. In Hinduism, there are two types of souls, an individual 's soul, and the supreme soul which is known as the Brahman. Hinduism people should strive to achieve what are called four ends of human life during their stay in this mortal world.…
Although these religions work towards different accomplishment, they relatively have similarities and differences in conceptions of karma. All three of the religions believe people are reincarnated. Karma in Hinduism is judged based on their actions in the beginning of their life (Noss, 70). Death bring the process of samsara, and brings you to a new life, as human or any other life form, depending on the behavior of the previous life. The ultimate goal of Hindus is to attain liberation by escaping samsara, in a process called moksha (Noss, 94).…
Although Buddhism and hinduism are two different religions they still share quite a few similarities, following similarities is differences and those apply to. They both believe in Karma and Samsara. They view that “everyone is caught in a cycle of birth, death and rebirth, that the quality of our future lives is determined by the quality of our actions in this one, and that we can escape this cycle by achieving a state of enlightenment”. Hindus call this enlightenment Moksha on the other hand buddhist call it Nirvana. This leads to reincarnation and suffering another concept common in both religions.…
Hinduism Reincarnation plays a very important role in the Hindu religion. It is through this, so one can reborn after reborn until achieving Moksha or liberation. At the state of Moksha, one is with the universe. However, if one fails to achieve Moksha in one life, then one will continue onto the next life through reincarnation cycle. This cycle is also known as Samsara.…
Reincarnation plays a huge part in the belief systems of each religion. Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism all believe in rebirth after death, and place responsibility on the individual in order to achieve liberation from this endless cycle. However, Buddhism teaches that there is no permanent soul and doesn’t put emphasis on the “self.” Its primary focus is on attaining spiritual enlightenment (nirvana) and eliminating all mental suffering, thus dispelling the illusion of existence. Contrastively, the main objective of Hinduism is to suppress desire and therefore be liberated from reincarnation.…
The word ‘Moksha’ is derived from ‘moksh’ which can mean emancipation or liberation etc. Sometimes it might also refer to salvation but salvation may not do justice to the word since it has a kind of Christian connotation to it rather than a Hinduism one. But it is frequently used to translate the word moksh. So instead of it meaning only freedom from sin, it includes freedom from the human life itself. In soteriological terms, moksha means freedom from samsara, the cycle of birth and death.…
Indian Salvation Religion(s) And Mediterranean Metaphysical Philosophy During the classical Era, the belief system an individual belonged to determine the way they behaved, acted, and they hope they had. A comparison and contrast of some written documents provide an understanding of the similarities and differences between Indian salvation religions and Mediterranean metaphysical philosophy. The Bhagavad Gita, an analysis on how individuals can function in this world and become one with Brahman at the same time, and Narada, The Bhakti Sutra, a source on what devotion consist of are documents that reveal the important aspects of Hinduism as a popular religion. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, a written dialogue on the effects of education on…
I was born to a Hindu family – and therefore, I call myself a Hindu, based on the cultural exposures that I have had through my family and my religious community. And yet Hinduism for me is like a foundation, one on which I have built my own perceptions of God and religion, based on my own life experiences. My particular views may therefore seem unique at best, blasphemous at worst – but they will have a great impact on how I act as a patient, and as a physician. Like many Hindus, I believe in reincarnation. Traditionally, reincarnation means that after death, souls are reborn many times to repay their debts, to right their wrongs, and to rid themselves of their past karmas, or deeds, until they are ready to become one with God.…