RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTAL PAPER

Religious Fundamental Paper

Religious Fundamental Paper

Anthropology

Hindus, much like Buddhists, believe that souls are reincarnated into new bodies and that the ultimate goal of existence is exit from the cycle of birth and death. This is not surprising; the Buddha himself was born Hindu. In Hinduism, exit from the cycle is seen as oneness with the universal soul, called atman.

The death of the Hindu is not supposed to be a solitary affair. As in other religions, the family of a seriously ill Hindu will gather around that person for support. The gathering also serves a religious purpose; the family and friends will sing chants and perform rituals for the dying. After death, the body is quickly groomed and anointed for the funeral. Cremation is often used; it is believed that it is the quickest way to send the soul on its way to the next life.

Purpose

Hinduism is in many ways a profoundly structured religion that presents what sometimes appears to be a highly rigid understanding of human existence. Within that structure, however, human beings are always free.

Hinduism articulates several different, overlapping paths, or margas for humans to follow. Although these paths may seem to be inconsistent, and even contradictory, fully developed Hinduism holds that they are in fact three different, and sometimes overlapping, means to fulfill the same religious goal.

In the earliest layer of Hinduism, the purpose of life is quite straightforward: humans are to perform the proper sacrifices to the gods. The Vedas emphasize that the life of the householder is the most exemplary model for humans. One should do one's societal duty (which later becomes worked out as the caste system), bear children (especially sons), and, essentially, live a proper life. This is known as the karma marga, the path of action, particularly ritual action.

The Upanishads significantly challenge this worldview. The sages responsible for these texts reject the Veda emphasis on the life of the householder and the primacy of sacrifice to the gods. They argue, instead, that there is a higher reality beyond the human realm, Brahman. Human beings can ultimately become one with this higher reality, but only if they change how they see and behave in the world. Specifically, the Upanishads hold that people must renounce the trappings of the world and embark on a life of asceticism.

Sin/Immoral Actions

In Hinduism, the term sin or papa is often used to describe actions that create negative karma.

Sin, in Hinduism, besides creating negative karma, is violating moral and ethical codes as in the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In fact, it is much described in the scriptures that chanting the name of Hari or Narayana or Shiva is the only way to atone for sins, prevent rebirth and attain moksha.

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami explains in the lexicon section of his book, Dancing with Siva, that "sin is an intentional transgression of divine law and is not viewed in Hinduism as a crime against God as in Judaeo-Christian religions, but rather as 1) an act against dharma, or ...