The Upanishads And Other Religions Can Help The World Move Toward A Better Future

In India, during the late Vedic Period which lasted from 1000 to 500 B.C, an ancient form of Hinduism flourished. As it possessed no official superior work of literature, such as the Bible or the Koran, Hinduism became one of the most tolerant religions due to its lack of binding documentation. A life committed to Hinduism was spent constantly maintaining the socio-economic order in an attempt to achieve universal stability, which was something highly valued in this tolerant religion. “Thus Indian society has always been concerned with stability rather than with progress...” (Early India).Hinduism’s central requirement was to fulfill the duties of a person’s caste, or class, which largely affected the daily life of anyone living in ancient India. At the top of the social pyramid

Hinduism, Confucianism and Buddhism are three of the world’s most distinguished belief systems of the past and for some, still in the present. The guidelines they provided influenced the social, political and religious lives of people within the societies that followed them. Hinduism emerged when the Aryans arrived in ancient India and began to combine their ideas with those of the Dravidians, the native population. One major Hindu idea was the caste system, which influenced the social lives of its followers and provided the state with political stability. Confucianism first saw an emergence of numerous followers during the Warring States period, when many philosophers were developing ideas for how to return order to China in this era of chaos. It provided political stability to the state by promoting an ethical system with several virtues and the idea that education could allow for social mobility. Buddhism originated from classical India when many people started looking for a new belief system, as they began to reject the caste system imposed by Hinduism. Buddhism had a minimal political or social impact on its followers, but instead influenced their religious lives. There is no doubt that these three belief systems significantly impacted the lives of their followers, but the manner in which they did this varied for each. Socially, Hinduism had the greatest impact with their caste system. Politically, Confucianism had the greatest impact by promoting virtues and

Hinduism reinforces the caste system, which is a "division of society into social classes that are created by birth or occupation" and it is a "prevalent social system of Hinduism" (Molloy 90). Thus, class and race are both elements affected by the caste system. There are different castes, or social classes, and there are also subcastes. Despite the caste being permanent for one's life, it's not to say that those in lower castes cannot move up to a higher caste. This is where the concept of rebirth comes into Hinduism, which is the idea that an individual can make certain choices in their lives, good or bad, and this can affect what caste they will be reborn into.

Hinduism has a social justice component and moral codes that rely on The Bhagavad Gita, The Caste System, The Stages of Life, and The Goals of Life. The Bhagavad Gita explains how one must not follow their own desires nor their fear or hope for rewards but rather to simply do what just and right. The Caste System refers to different types of people that differ on how they will reach perfection, depending on their personality

There are countless religions around the world with various opinions on moral teachings. Moral teachings are vital in a religious group because they guide our actions and teach us how to behave in our everyday lives. Judaism and Buddhism express their values of abortion, homosexuality as well as euthanasia in exceptionally similar fashions. Similarities and differences between the two religions will further be explored.

1.Compare and contrast Hinduism and Buddhism on the question of atman. What does each tradition have to say about whether a human being has an individual soul? What is the significance of this soul (or lack thereof) in each tradition?

Karma is a simple, but quite complex concept. Simply put, once you die, your Atman, or eternal self, goes into a new form. Depending on how virtuous or corrupt you were in your past life, you could be reborn as anything, from a king to an ant. Hindus believe that as such, any suffering you go through in this life, is punishment for something you did in your past lives, for example: If you murder someone in your past life, you’ll get cancer or be born into a poor family. As such, all suffering is deserved and nothing is truly unfair. Karma isn’t all bad, however, as if you live a virtuous life, you may be born into a wealthy family, or you may live a long, happy life in your next life. If you live a particularly pure and virtuous life, you may reach the state of enlightenment called moksha, where you become one with Brahman and are freed from the cycle of reincarnation. In short, Hinduism believes that there is no true evil, only people’s bad actions and suffering is the punishment for these bad actions. Now, all of these responses to evil are well and good in theory, but what about in

In the Hindu religion, the caste system plays a major role in the lives of millions of people. But after a Buddhist reform movement, the caste was adopted by the Buddhists. So it plays a major role in both religions. The caste system is a social hierarchy system that the Hindu’s and Buddhists adopted together. This social order or arrangement of social classes according to the idea of“varna”,which is the idea of classes and different

Hinduism, Confucianism and Buddhism are three of the world’s most distinguished belief systems of the past and for some, still in the present. The guidelines they provided influenced the social, political and religious lives of people within the societies that followed them. Hinduism emerged when the Aryans arrived in ancient India and began to combine their ideas with those of the Dravidians, the native population. One major Hindu idea was the caste system, which influenced the social lives of its followers and provided the state with political stability. Confucianism first saw an emergence of numerous followers during the Warring States period, when many philosophers were developing ideas for how to return order to China in this era of chaos.

In my opinion, the idea of reincarnation, in addition to the concept of karma, disparages our current life. Hinduism is a monistic doctrine which teaches every being is God, otherwise known as Brahman. Brahman “breathes out” existence, and eventually “breathes it all back in”. As such, it is the goal of the Hindu for one to look past their finite being, known as their atman, and find their inner divine self, their Atman. Our soul both originates from, and in fact is, Brahman itself. In order to be “re-absorbed” into Brahman, one must endure numerous reincarnations and travel through the stages and stations of life. The objective for one practicing Hinduism is moksha, liberation from the cycle of reincarnation and to merge back into Brahman. The primary reason I find the doctrine of Hinduism inadequate is because the concept of reincarnation lessens the significance of our current existence. One must “play the game” of life until they have accumulated enough good karma to finally achieve liberation and merge back into Brahman. As such, the penalty for one living immorally, such as Adolf Hitler, would be to diminish to a lesser reincarnated form like an insect or plant. Though a form of punishment, reincarnation does not establish justice, a virtue believed to originate and be wholly possessed by

The caste system is a system that puts people into place on what their role is in life. This is a set system at birth and cannot be changed meaning if a person is born to a low caste, they are that for life. Reincarnation, karma, and dharma all play key roles in the caste system as Hindus believe that it is due to those reasons and how one was in their past lives that put them into that specific caste. For example, a Brahmin is the highest caste and to be that is to be the middleman between humans and gods. To be in this caste by Hindu terms is to become the best of the best. It is to have good dharma in your past lives. Now, this is the best but the worst is the Chandalas which are the untouchables. They do the dirtiest works and in ancient times were not even allowed to have their shadow touch someone of a higher caste. Hindus believe that the reason they are this caste is because they have done wrong in their past lives and have bad dharma. The caste system although illegal in India is still a major part of Indian culture and life. Therefore the caste system is greatly influenced by the Hindu’s belief in reincarnation, karma, and

India has been the root of many civilizations, groups, and philosophies ever since humans arrived there. The ancient civilizations of India were diverse and evolved quickly, and they still have a major impact on our world today. One such impact is the creation of Hinduism and, later, of Buddhism. These two religions and philosophies are similar in many ways, but also have significant differences. An important element of ancient and modern Indian society, as well as of Hinduism, is the idea of a caste system, separating the social classes with very little possibility for change. The caste system has an important role in Hinduism, and Buddhism came about as a reaction to the inequality present in Hinduism. Hinduism and Buddhism, while similar,

India gave birth to Hinduism which expanded quickly. This spiritual tradition focused on finding peace and eternal tranquility rather than temporary satisfaction from the worldly pleasures. In order to transmit the idea to other people and guide them through it, they came up with different writings to illustrate this. The Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads are popular writings that exemplify the beliefs and thoughts of Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita addresses the question about how a person can be one with Brahman, the universal soul or god, while living in this world. This document is set as a dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and his guide and charioteer Krishna. Arjuna is being encouraged by Krishna to fulfill his duty as a warrior and part of the Kshatriyas, one of the higher divisions in the caste system. Arjuna has to enter this battle and fight in order to live up to his duty and consequently live free from attachments and walk in the path of finding himself as one with Brahman. On the other hand, the Upanishads guided all kinds of people regardless of

The Upanishads, dating from around 800 B.C., take us further in the advancement of Indo-Aryan thought, and it is a major step. The Aryans have long been settled down and a firm, prosperous human advancement has grown up, a blend of the old and the new, commanded by Aryan thought and goals, however with a foundation of more primitive types of worship. The Vedas are alluded to with respect, additionally in a soul of delicate irony. The Vedic gods no more fulfil and the custom of the priests is ridiculed. There is no endeavour to cut from the past; the past is taken as a beginning stage for further advancement.

The Tripitaka provides direction for people on topics that are morally grey. Through the Buddhist history, the link between politics and religion has been great as many of the political rulers have also been the religious leaders. For instance, Dalai Lamas of Tibet connects religion and politics by ruling the political entity through his religious Buddhist beliefs. In each of these religions there is insight for understanding the society in which it exists, as well as in the comparison of these religions and their relationships with morality in society. By examining these three examples, Islamic culture, Christian economics and Buddhist politics, it is apparent how each of the religions are intricately connected with society. Secondly, many religious institutions consider themselves to be privileged arbiters of morals and to have expertise in matters of religion and morality. Many people today believe this to be true, and many are still in denial. The teachings about moral values in religious institutions are continually present in society, which then influences the beliefs of people, parents, on morality. For example, “many parents who are not themselves religious nevertheless consider that the education of their children should include some moral instruction based on religious traditions encouraged by religious institutions of the society in which they live ” (Rand,