Is The Myth Of Liberation?

- Karma, samsara and nirvana fall under the religion of Hinduism. When all of our actions bring consequences, either in this life or the next is referred as karma. Samsara means the cycle of birth and death. Us humans are basically good, but are caught up in a cycle of pure desire and also of suffering that is a direct result of ignorance and of the go. Nirvana is another word to describe the permanent liberation from life. It is a liberation from the cycle of samsara, in which we cease to exist and become one with the universe.

Death, as some may say is a must. Every human being on this planet is going to experience death and afterlife once their soul leaves their body. But this concept of death differs from one religion to the next. Some believe it is the permanent ending of soul while others believe it gives us a new beginning. As per to our class discussion, many different cultures hold different beliefs regarding life after death, burial, rebirth and incarnation of soul. In this paper, I will first describe what Hinduism and Islamic rhetoric say about death and after life, and secondly, compare and contrast how their practices differ from one another.

The soul can never be destroyed or changed. Krishna mentions that the soul and body-mind are different. The body dies and is reborn. The soul remains. I also believe in the universal soul (purusha). My values, however, are slightly different. I realize that there are three types of suffering: dukkha–dukkha, viparinama-dukkha, and samkhara-dukkha. Dukkha-dukkhua means obvious physical or mental pain. Viparinama-dukkha means losing something that is valuable to you. Suffering can also be translated to satisfactoriness, instability, and uncertainty.

Hinduism is faced with a revolving wheel of life, death and rebirth called Samsara better known as reincarnation. They believe this life cycle is a direct relation to a person’s karma of deeds done. Karma “determines the kind of body, whether human, animal, or insect, into which he or she will be reincarnated in the next

Hinduism believes in the reincarnation or rebirth of souls. They believe that souls are eternal and divine and that death is only temporary.

While Phaedrus, the Bhagavad Gita, Epicurus’ Letters to Menoeceus, and the story of “The Priest Walchelin and the Hellequin’s Hunt” all offer slightly different theories on what happens after death, they all agree that the death of the body is inevitable. However, the texts fail to give explicit instruction on how mortals should best live their life so as to be best situated for existence after death. Identifying how the texts instruct people to live life in a way that’s meaningful despite its temporary nature will help identify methods for benefitting humanity and thus retroactively reveal our shortcomings. According to these texts, the only way to live a meaningful life is to focus on the betterment of the soul. Because the soul will

Two of the most central ideas in Hinduism that are very important to my cultural identity in terms of my outlook on life and other people are reincarnation and karma. I believe that there is a cycle of death and rebirth, and depending on your deeds in your current life, you will be rewarded or punished in your next life. Eventually, every Hindu’s goal is to attain “Moksha” and break the cycle of life and become one with God. My belief in karma and reincarnation affects my everyday life because when I think about my situation or other peoples’ situation, I trace everything back to actions in our previous lives. My religion is the most important part of my life, and the values that it has taught me have stuck with me through times of joy and times of distress. My relationship with God is the most important one in my life, and it is the biggest part of my cultural identity.

With a beginning of life there is an end, but the nature of death and how it is view can affect how we live. Death is understood to be that one’s biological function cease to function and the body no longer is capable of anything (Pence, 2011). The nature of death is viewed by each one of us differently and this paper is going to discuss the values and beliefs of different religions on death. This paper is going to look at Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto religion discussing what the nature of death virtues and values are. Finally discussing the overall understand of the nature of death within all these religions.

The concept of the 'self' is critical to a great many religious traditions. Understanding one's own individual position within the context of the universe helps to drive one's relationship to the divine, to the pedestrian and to one's fellow man. This is the orientation that helps define atman in the Hindu tradition. Here, this layered 'self' is a critical dimension of one's spiritual enlightenment. Finding and recognizing one's 'permanent self' from within is an essential part of this path. A concept tantamount to the soul, the atman is, in Hindu tradition, said to be the vestige of humanity that remains even when the body is expired. This makes it an essential premise also of transferring the self during the cycle of reincarnation.

Immortality has been a major subject of philosophical contemplation throughout the history of written language, but even with its popularity it has been held for the most part as impossible. Likewise, most cultures in the past and present acknowledge the fact that physical bodies have limits and will never be able to transcend to the level of immortality. In spite of these commonly held beliefs, many societies have some presence of belief that there is life beyond the physical realm that we are all accustomed to. In today’s society, a majority of people believe that there is life after death in the form of the soul living on, based on the dominant religions of the world (Lugo 9-13). Looking at Christian scripture, it can be seen that immortality of the soul is possible. 1 Corinthians 15:53 says, “ For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory.” This transfiguration from death to immortality has been present for

Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism are some of the most widespread faiths that follow this belief pattern, calling it samsara, which is the (karma-run helm of birth, death, and reawakening) (Fisher, 2014). They believe that the body is born repeatedly but that karma is carried onto the new form. Good karma forming is when the individual implements good deeds throughout their life and negative karma forming is when the individual does evil deeds during the course of one’s life, that not only distresses the person during their current life span but also all impending reincarnations. This idea of karma is used to explain many facets of a person’s life as their ambiance in their present life and all former lives will form what happens in their life. What is most fascinating is that the objective for the persons that shadow this route is not to have respectable lives born of virtuous karma but as a substitute halt this point though various lifespans of good

Buddhism and Hinduism share many similarities. One such similarity is Samsara, the perpetual cycle of rebirth, which is often characterized by suffering and sorrow. In both religions, this unending rotation is seen as dangerous, and, although many people attempt to gain good karma in order to achieve wealth or social prosperity in the next life, there are others who try to escape this cycle by reaching enlightenment. Although labelled differently, one of the main goals associated with both Buddhist nirvana and Hindu moksha involves freeing oneself from the cycle reincarnation and moving on to attain salvation. This paper will examine Hindu moksha and Buddhist nirvana by comparing the similarities and contrasting the differences of attaining

As I have a religious background, I believe everyone has a soul, and so do I. My soul is like a lake because the lake will not be static, completely calm and stable. It will always have constant waves and change its status. Nevertheless, because it is a lake, its volatility will not be intense enough to become a massive storm surges, or to have sufficient internal resources to go beyond the shore. Therefore, I cannot go to seek for a different environment, a different way of existence. On the other hand, I am obligated to provide my resources to the trees and the creatures that need me. They are my family member, my friends, and my social relationships. I am not afraid of untethering my soul, but my love stops me. However, I believe one day, my lake will creep to the river and then the sea. From the sea, I will be able to provide the rain for all species. In other words, I can spread my love and my peace by becoming helpful to society, I just need time to do that.

The idea of the soul varies widely in religious tradition. While these variations exist, its basic definition is unvarying. The soul can be described as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated. The soul is seen as the core principle of life or as the essence of a being 1. Views on the permanence of the soul vary throughout religious tradition as well. While some view it as a mortal entity in flux others believe the soul is an immortal and permanent unit. These interpretations vary from time period to time period and between religions. These characteristics of the soul are interpreted differently through an Eastern or

Hindus believe in an everlasting soul (atman) that is reincarnated almost intact from birth to birth, and through spiritual practice Hindus seek release (moksha, also known as liberation) so that the soul can join with the Divine God, known as Brahmin.