The Importance Of Karma In The Hindu Culture

Decent Essays
“Culture is a system of collectively held values, beliefs, and practices of a group which guide decisions and actions in patterned and recurrent ways” (Sockalingam 2004). In the Hindu culture, Puja (worship) consists of a variety of rituals, prayers, and songs before the image of a deity to express reverence. An essential part for the Hindu devotee is to spiritually connect with the deity. This connection is facilitated through depictions of deities in the form of icons, sculptures, paintings, print or a vessel. (“Four Facts of Hinduism”). This representation is believed to withhold the energy of the deity, which is used to establish the focus of praising and communicating to the deity. Hindus offer nourishment, anoint oil and perfume to aid …show more content…
In the Karma is a central component in the Hindu culture as it relates to the Hindu ethical perspective of the world. In Hindu culture, the individual believer is just as important as the society as a whole. Karma enforces social organization as stated in the Hindu scriptures. that not only does one need to perfromd good deeds to reincarnate to cretea apeace within themselves but to do to others a a aort of social organization (“Karma (Hinduism)”). The law of karma suggests that if one executes benevolent endeavors, benevolent acts will reciprocate to the individual. Nevertheless, if one renders malevolent deeds, deleterious consequences can occur. “According as one acts, so does he become. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action (Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.5). Karma is important to Hindus as Karma goes hand in hand with Reincarnation. From a theistic perspective, which most Hindus believe, a deity –such as Vishnu or Shiva- are responsible for administering the soul’s actions. A non-theistic perspective states karma is derived from cause and effect, without the deity present to hold those …show more content…
If one engages in benevolent acts, the individual will then be free, however if harmful actions are performed the individual will be reincarnated until they hall find their own peace. The fundamental indigenous Hindu scriptures and practices have been reiterated through generations, which continue to pass down the beliefs and customs. These beliefs and customs though, have been learned throughout the generations of adolescents unconsciously due to their implicit memory and mirror neurons, As a child develops, their brain is similar to a sponge, absorbing information from all aspects of one’s surroundings. The brain stores the information received from the senses. The values in which a child’s parents/guardians instill in their children, are the foundation for which the child develops the way he/she forms their judgments and decisions. Values such as pride, self-discipline, selflessness and , are instilled upon Hindu children unconsciously as they are not aware of the beliefs and customs, in which they are exposed to until they come to an age where one discovers other perceptions of

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