...Danielle Copley Professor REL2300 4/7/13 What does it mean to be Human? There are many religions in the world each one is unique. I have often wondered what it means to be human in other religions other than Christianity. We will explore what it means in both the Hindu and Buddhist religions. We will start off with Hinduism. The Upanishads, perceived the individual self or atman as the immortal pure essence of each being. Hindus believe that everything has a soul. The atman is not the body; the body is not eternal. The body houses the atman until the body dies. Atman is immortal and eternal. All human beings are positioned in the all- embracing Brahman or the absolute. The Upanishads describe the Brahman as the eternal, conscious, irreducible, spiritual source of the universe of finiteness and change. Brahman is impersonal being in itself but it can be known through the many gods and goddesses that are manifestations of Brahman. We will look at atman first. . Moksha is the spiritual release from the cycle of life. In moksha the individual soul joins the atman. Atman is the eternal self, refers to the self beyond ego or false self. It is often referred to as spirit or soul and indicates the true self and underlies our existence. The individual soul becoming part of the larger soul of the universe. Achieving Moksha can span over many lifetimes. This process requires loss of attachment to life and the things in life. It also requires a balance of karma by a person’s duty...
Words: 1740 - Pages: 7
