Respond

Question 2: Write an essay which identifies and explains the common core concepts in which most every Hindu believes, and elaborate on the place of these concepts and their interrelationship in the Hindu religious perspective.

“A religion suitable for every lifestyle and personality”

Hinduism is a religion that was born in India. But, unlike many religions, Hinduism “has neither a single founder nor a single sacred book” (Brood, 2013). Instead, Hinduism has evolved and changed over the centuries and has a fluid character that has allowed it to “adapt to a variety of social and cultural contexts” (Brood, 2013). Because of this, there are many different ways to practice Hinduism and many different ideals within it. In this essay, I will talk about the common core concepts in which every Hindu believes, regardless of their more specific beliefs.

First of all, all Hindus believe in reincarnation. In Hinduism, the “soul or self” is called atman. Atmans are destined to reincarnate into different bodies after death. Each reincarnation is determined by karma. Karma is the “consequences of action” (Brood, 2013), so depending on your actions in one particular life, you will reincarnate in something as an effect of those actions after your death. This repeatedly cycle is called samsara and the final and ideal objective is to end in liberation – or moshka. “The quest for moshka, for liberating oneself from samsara, is extremely challenging” (Brood, 2013).

To achieve freedom of the atman, Hinduism proposes three different paths: Karma marga, Bhakti marga, and Jnana marga. These three paths are diverse to suite different personalities and life situations. The first, is for those engaged in family and career and it focuses on dharma – “the duty to live in a manner that upholds cosmic and social order” (Brood, 2013). The second one is often referred to as the “path of devotion” and it is the most widely practiced. This path is for those who worship a deity in temples or even their homes. The last one of the margas, focuses on spiritual insight. It requires discipline and contemplation of sacred texts. In this path, yoga plays an important role. None of these paths are mutually exclusive and they are for the most part, people mix them in their lives depending on their situations.

Another thing common to all Hindus is that belief that there is a greater being, or God. However, there are two different beliefs about divine reality. The first is Monism, which thinks that “all reality is ultimately one” (Brood, 2013). And the other one, is Dualism; where God is a separate entity from the individual and can therefore, devote to him. Monistic Hindus, believe in Braham as the “supreme, unitary reality… source of all being and all knowing” (Brood, 2013); whereas Dualistic Hindus believe in one God that can take the form of many deities. Nonetheless, there are not many gods in Hinduism, but rather many manifestations of only one God - Brahman.

Finally, I will talk about the four life stages and the four aims of life that most Hindus believe in. The four “stages of life” are 1. The student, 2. The householder, 3. The forest-dwelling hermit, and 4. The renouncer or sannyasi. Each of these four life stages have a particular duty and reason of being. For instance, the student’s duty is to acquire understanding of the Vedas, then after getting married, the householder has to support those in the other 3 life stages, and the last two stages focus on detachment to achieve moshka. All of this is in the hope to repay “the three debts of life”: to the ancient seers, to the gods and to the ancestors. The four aims of life are spiritual purposes and goals: dharma – duty or righteousness, kama – sensual enjoymens, artha – material wealth and social prestige; and moshka – liberation.

References

Brood, Jeffrey. Invitation to World Religions. 2013. Oxford University Press. Print.