...When considering Hinduism, it might appear that Karma is the central concept, yet upon further exploration, it can be seen that truly Dharma is the hub of the Hindu’s life and purpose. Karma is the idea that if a person does good, good things will happen in return and they will have a better status and life in the next life, or vice versa. Dharma, on the other hand, is a persons’ duty and a way of living their life (Flood, 1996). Dharma is found in many texts and is determined by a Hindu’s caste and stage of life. If one is faced with a contradiction in life, they should uphold their dharma over karma. What might be considered bad karma, could be disregarded and be thought of as upholding one’s own dharma. Without dharma there could be a...
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...Buddhism has become a religion that millions across the globe have started to participate in. Many people believe in the idea of karma, that if one does good things, good things will happen to them. However, several people do not realize that many Buddhist practices such as karma and reincarnation are rooted in Hinduism. How do the different Hindu and Buddhist prayers compare and how are they used amongst the lay people? These two religions have stark differences with their methods of prayer, so how have lay Buddhists found a balance between Hindu traditions and Buddhist traditions? Buddhism is known as the middle path between the relaxed version of Hinduism and the strict rules of other religions such as Jainism. Buddhism attempts to break...
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...The Hindu religion is very different than what we have always considered a religion. In reality it is a group of several smaller religions, or beliefs, that are all comprised of the same basis. Most see that there is a uniformity of behavior and not belief. Hinduism, in a general speaking though, is the belief in either several Gods and Goddesses, or the belief in one god that has many different faces. The gods would choose whether you were a good soul or bad soul, and your fate depended upon their choice and your deeds. Those that lived there lives with good karma were able to be liberated from the circle of birth, and given redemption, or Moksha meaning freedom. Those who had bad karma though, were to be punished for their sins by being forced to live in this world and be born again and again (Pecorino & Romano 2001). As said, Hinduism is a religion with various Gods and Goddesses. The three main Gods that are considered to rule the world are, Brahma: the creator, Vishnu: the preserver, and Shiva: the destroyer. For some, they believe that one God controls all three characters. Some people outside the Hindu religion do not believe it is a true religion. Some say that since it does not have one single unified structure that it cannot be. One who felt very strongly about this was Chief justice P.B. Gajendragadkar. In 1995 he was quoted: "When we think of the Hindu religion, we find it difficult, if not impossible, to define Hindu religion or even adequately describe it...
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...I found karma to be a very intriguing topic within Buddhism and how they believe something such as intent of actions determine such a major part in the reincarnation of a soul and ultimately liberation from rebirth. Willful intentions, whether good or bad, create a cycle of the soul. While most people feel that karma is “what goes around comes around,” I do not feel like that saying is truly karma in the Buddhist sense. Rebirth seems to be an integral idea of karma and someone’s reality is a reflection of their thoughts and actions, not just doing one thing wrong and getting reprimanded or chastised for it. The substance of the unconscious mind and pressures of desires unfulfilled, dreams unrealized, and incompletion of the soul’s mission to the ultimate afterlife are the keys to karma. The human potential for spiritual and personal growth aids in making karma into wisdom, understanding and virtue. It seems that a Buddhist’s life and character were created by karma and that shaped by imagination and intelligence. I believe they think it is paramount for individuals to achieve a clearer understanding of their personal karma to find out what triggers it and what resolves it so they may actualize their potential and become finally free. In the good sense, karma can inspire change and it spreads good since the belief that everything a person does actively contributes to their past, present and future experiences. It isn’t necessarily about what is good or bad, but the cause...
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...In the Hindu religion, karma is “what determines the direction of one’s rebirth. The word karma comes from a root that means ‘to do’ and implies the notion of moral consequences carried along with every act. Karma is the moral law of cause and effect and belief in karma is a belief that every action has an automatic moral consequence.” In the Hindu belief system karma is tied into reincarnation with the thought that good karma leads to “higher” rebirth, while bad karma could result in the rebirth into “lower more painful forms.” A good pictorial representation of karma would be the typical ying and yang graphic. For those that are unfamiliar it is a circle with a s-shaped wave pattern down the middle, one half is black with a small white circle in it, the other half is just the opposite, white with a small black circle. I believe that this picture illustrates the ebb and flow of karma and shows “that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” clearly. In the Hindu belief “karma is neither good nor bad but only seems that way to the person that is experiencing it.” Likewise, in our ying and yang symbol there is not a good or bad side just a cohesive unit that ebbs and flows based on the current situation. The concept of karma gives us some solid insight into the culture of the Indian people. First it gives us a basis for the Indian acceptance of the caste system. “Good karma in one’s present caste will guarantee rebirth into a higher caste or...
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...The most taught philosophy in the Buddhism religion is that nothing is impermanent. Life never ends, the soul just simply moves on to a new place. Death is only a part of someone’s life, it is seen as just one of the states of transition. A Buddhist scholar Edward Croze said “Death is not to be regarded as a unique catastrophe which happens when one existence comes to an end, but it takes place all the time during the existence. The ideal attitude towards death is based on this awareness and involves acceptance of the process of change.” The Buddhist believe that time does not move in a straight line with a beginning and an end, but in a circle where there is no beginning or end, where things just simply exist. With this philosophy, they believe that the universe was not created out of nothing at a particular point in time, nor will it be destroyed completely. It has always existed and will always exist. Although they believe that the universe will never end, it will go through a continuos cycle of destruction and creation, over and over again. This means that when someone or something is born, it is not a new soul but one that was simply reborn. And when they die, their soul simply moves on to a new place and time. This belief is not exactly classed as reincarnation because it is not the same being that moves from body to body down through the ages. The connection between one life and another is not as simple and is subtler than that. Life is a spiralling chain that reaches...
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...Karma From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the Indian religious concept. For other uses, see Karma (disambiguation). "Karmic" redirects here. For Ubuntu v9.10 "Karmic Koala", see List of Ubuntu releases#Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala). For the EP by Nada Surf, see Karmic (EP). "Kharma" redirects here. For the professional wrestler, see Kia Stevens. Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म[1] IPA: [ˈkarmə] ( listen); Pali: kamma) in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect (i.e., the cycle called saṃsāra) originating in ancient India and treated in the Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Sikh religions.[2] Contents * 1 Origins * 2 Views * 3 In the Indian religions * 3.1 Hinduism * 3.2 Sikhism * 3.3 Buddhism * 3.4 Jainism * 4 In Falun Gong * 5 Western interpretation * 6 Spiritism * 7 New Age and Theosophy * 8 Karma and emotions * 9 See also * 10 References * 11 External links | Origins A concept of karma (along with samsara and moksha) may originate in the shramana tradition of which Buddhism and Jainism are continuations. This tradition influenced the Brahmanic religion in the early Vedantic (Upanishadic) movement of the 1st millennium BC. This worldview was adopted from this religious culture by Brahmin orthodoxy, and Brahmins wrote the earliest recorded scriptures containing these ideas in the early Upanishads. Until recently, the...
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...Karma is the belief that the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences; basically, it is an effect, the cause being the actions of a person. In Buddhism, karma is viewed as a moral principal. In Jainism, karma is viewed as a way of moving up or down in status. Being prevalent in both Jainism and Buddhism, karma’s role in Jainism is a way to make life better mentally and spiritually, therefore, is considered more important in Jainism. First, I’d like to discuss karma in Buddhism and why it has a significance. Buddhism, like Jainism, recognizes inequalities in mankind. Being a religion and a way of life, they feel there is a way to explain these inequalities and that it is not purely accidental; karma being one of those explanations. The other three reason Buddhism gives for these inequalities are heredity, environment, and “nature and nurture.” Karma in the Pali term means action or doing. Any kind of intentional act is regarded as karma as intentional means there has to be thought put into it. Karma can be either good or bad, depending on the action taken by the person. If the action is unintentional or involuntary, then there is no karma present. The whole idea of karma is that a choice, whether good or bad, is being made, causing a reaction. Being good and making good choices will lead you to be happy while being bad and making bad choices will lead you to be unhappy. ("Basic Buddhism: The Theory...
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...partnership in search of eternal oneness”. (Weider/Gutierrez p.67) The Hindu religion has four goals in the meaning/purpose of life. Pleasure, wealth, harmony and liberation. The first two consume the individual as it causes evil and suffering. The other two fulfill the individual. True salvation is to abandon the evil desires (pleasure and wealth) and become liberated (moksha). (Hindson/Caner p.263) Hindus believe that they should release all evil desires and egos and therefore they live through spiritual practices. Yoga, mental discipline and good deeds to all life forms. (Hindson/Carner p.264) Hindus believe in karma and by doing good deeds you receive good karma. Hindus believe in reincarnation, which is where you are born again in a new different body. (Merriam-Webster) Life is an illusion and to end the cycle of reincarnation one but eliminate all desires. You can do this by doing good deeds which leads to good karma and climbing the ladder of existence, ultimately wanting to reach Nirana. (Weider/Gutierrez p.69) (Hinderson/Caner p.263) Part Two: Hinduism much like Christianity both believe in God and that god created them. However, the...
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...Identity Buddhists believe that the universe and everything in it are equal and are in search of an “eternal oneness” (Weider, L. and Gutierrez, B. p. 58). They believe that upon death they will reincarnate into another life form. The life form they are reborn as will depend on whether they performed good or bad deeds during their lifetime. This is their concept of reaping what they sow, which Buddhist call Karma. The more acts of goodness they accomplish in their life, the closer they get to reaching the state of Nirvana. This level is the highest achievement possible for Buddhist and when it is accomplished it is said that their souls become eternal. The Question of Meaning/Purpose The Buddhists main objective is to perfect their life on earth in order to end the cycle of Samsara, which in it’s simplist form is their reincarnating until they reach the state of Nirvana. The Question of Morality Because “Buddhism is more about an ethic and philosophy than an actual religion” (Hindson, E., Caner, E., p. 155), it stands to reason that they would follow a concept, rather than a god, in terms of modeling their moral identities. As such, they follow the concept of Karma and look to themselves to figure out what is proper conduct in order to...
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...INTRODUCTION "Countless rebirths lie ahead, both good and bad. The effects of karma (actions) are inevitable, and in previous lifetimes we have accumulated negative karma which will inevitably have its fruition in this or future lives. Just as someone witnessed by police in a criminal act will eventually be caught and punished, so we too must face the consequences of faulty actions we have committed in the past, there is no way to be at ease; those actions are irreversible; we must eventually undergo their effects." His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from 'Kindness, Clarity and Insight' The Sanskrit word Karma (or kamma in Pali) literally means action. In Buddhism however, karma mainly refers to one'sintention or motivation while doing an action. The Buddha said: “It is volition that I call karma; for having willed, one acts by body, speech, and mind.” AN 3:415, from In the Buddha’s Words, p. 146. (In the west, the word karma is often used for the results of karma; the Sanskrit words for the effects or results of karma are 'vipaka' or 'phala'. ) The shortest explanation of karma that I know is: 'you get what you give'. In other words; whatever you do intentionally to others, a similar thing will happen to yourself in the future. Causing suffering to others will cause suffering to ourselves, causing happiness to others will result in happiness for oneself. Perhaps our biggest to understanding or even believing in karma may be time. The 're-actions' or results of our actions...
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...After reading chapter 7 “The Problem of Evil” I was quickly reminded of the term karma and the things people associate with karma. This chapter refers to karma as “the moral weight of one’s actions, good or proper actions results in good karma and in progress toward the goal of enlightenment” (The Sacred Quest 106). This chapter brought back memories of experiences I’ve had with good and bad karma in my life. For the most part I feel I have had more positive than negative karma occur throughout my life. One good experience I had with karma occurred last fall. I can vividly remember shopping in the mall with my mom when we noticed someone’s wallet on the ground. Instead of keeping it or taking something from it, we returned it to the service...
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...In the Buddhist faith there are two challenges that could be raised against the doctrines of karma and rebirth. Firstly, how can there be no-self, when rebirth and karma imply a self due to moral responsibility and consequences? Secondly, If the Buddhist faith upholds determinism, why does it punish people for actions and results that cannot be avoided? Buddhist people may respond to these challenges by declaring karma and rebirth as conventional truths, but this would change the way many Buddhist people see good deeds. The notion of the no-self seems to be negated by the karmic laws and rebirth because if a person commits wrongful acts, that person will be punished by the laws of karma for those wrongful actions. However, in order for this to happen there needs to be “identity and distinction” (Gowans, 76). These two things are denied by the doctrine of the no-self. This leads to the question posed by Gowans, “If there is no self, then what is reborn and what bears the future karmic consequences of a person’s actions?” (Gowans, 76). Unless karma and rebirth are conventional truths, this question will potentially be left unanswered. If it is made public that karma and rebirth...
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...Buddhism shares many common characteristics with all other religions, not just Eastern religions. All religions encourage human beings to perform good deeds, avoid evil deeds, cultivate a life of morality and compassion while developing human dignity for yourself and others as well as developing this for family and society. The common characteristics between Buddhism, Jainism & Hinduism are the following : Goal of Life is Liberation (Moksha) Eternal - The liberation of consciousness from bondage of every kind is Moksha, or ultimate freedom from the limitations of location, knowledge as well as power. Human Suffering – Soul’s Ignorance - enlightenment is a state of freedom from the ignorance that causes suffering Philosophy of Karma - Karma is a spiritual, philosophical and ethical fact. It helps explain inequalities among animals, encourages virtue and allows people to make sense of life's ups and downs. Continuity of Life (Reincarnation) – Reincarnation is a central belief, Since you know you will be coming back, the law of karma will automatically reward the good & punish the evil in the next life. Mystical (Human Experience) – a person has contact with a transcendent reality, an encounter or union with the divine. Self Realization (Direct contact with God/Self) - Self-realization is the maturing of our ego or personality to accept its own evanescence and thus allow space for the true Self to reveal itself. Scripture has no authority over realized person...
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... that the universe is one divine entity and that all of reality is a unity. There are three main deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva forming a visualized triad. “The central principle of Hindu morality is the idea of dharma, which teaches that each person has his own duties and responsibilities in life” (Stuart). Morality in Hinduism is realistic. Its purpose is to cleanse an individual’s spirit from unwanted requests to achieve numinous perception. Hindus believe in Karma when good is done positive Karma is gained and when bad is done negative Karma is gained. The negative and positive actions follow you not only in this lifetime but in all lifetimes in the belief of reincarnation. “Hindus believe that no particular religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine religious paths are facets of God's Pure Love and Light, deserving tolerance and understanding” (Beliefnet). The Hindu destiny is immortality through self-realization achieved by repeated birth and death and, by ones Karma; it leads to supreme fulfillment of life. Part II There are some differences between Christianity and Hinduism in that, the latter is pantheistic while Christianity is theistic. Hindus believe that...
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