Tag: Beliefs

The Doctrine Of Karma

The origin of the word ‘karma’ maybe traced back to the Sanskrit root ‘kru’ meaning activity. The ‘karma’ is essential for the attainment of moksha. The basic philosophy of karma relates to the performer of karma, the circumstances under which action is done, the results or reaction of karma and inspirations lasing to karma. The references about karma theory are found in our Upanishads.

The doctrine of Karma is so deeply rooted in Hindu social setup that it is considered the ethical background of Hindu social organization. Every action of human beings enetes some results which affects and influences the course of his future life. This is known as karmaphal. The philosophy of karma establishes a close relationship between karma and soul on one hand and soul and re- birth on the other. As long as the accumulated effect, the good deeds and the bad deeds of a person, does not lead to purification and the karmas of a person are not up to the expectation of Dharma, the soul will continue to take pain and rebirth. The good deeds of the man will get him moksha or nirvana whereas his bad deeds will not enable him to attain moksha.

The doctrine of Karma is based on the following beliefs and assumptions:

  1. Definite Result: Every action has some reactions in one way or the other. Every good action will be rewarded and the bad action will never go unpunished.
  2. Indestructibility: The results of karma can never be destructed. The present life is the result of punishments and rewards of the past life. No one can destroy the effects of action because these are immortal.
  3. Necessity of Rebirth: Man cannot free himself from the consequences of his actions. Such consequences of his karma do not leave him even after his death. It is his past deeds that necessitates him to take birth again and again.
  4. Belief in immortality of self: The doctrine believes that the soul is immortal. The body may decay and turn the soul into ashes, but the soul survives. As destined to face the consequences of his deeds, the self or jiva enters a new body, after the death of the previous one.
  5. Determination of general condition of life: The difference with respect to prosperity and poverty, success and failure, happiness and grief and various amenities of people in the present life are believed to be the results of their good or bad performances in the past.
  6. Supremacy of Karma: The doctrine considers man as the maker of is own destiny. Theory of Karmaphal believes that every karma (action) has its own results (phal). Thus, there is no action which goes without its results.
  7. Karma Vipak: Karma is unlimited. It always moves in circular path. Therefore, it is continuous and never ending. It survives not only after death but even after the death of this universe.

The doctrine is karma is viewed as an important part of Hindu social setup. The doctrine inspires the good actions of the people in form of rewards in this as well as the afterlife. It also gives inspiration to man to attain a moral life and preaches self control.

Major World Religions

Religions exist in all parts of the world, in different forms. Religion is prominent worldwide because it gives answers to the age-old questions of where humans came from, what is our place in this world, and where do we go after we die. Religions are systems of belief that have developed in response to these and other eternal mysteries. Hence, they were formed as a way to explain humanity’s unanswerable questions and comfort us with the fact that there is some higher power(s) acting as the controlling force in the universe. With time, many new religions have developed in the world, each giving their own explanations and defining their own gods/principles. Obviously, it is impossible to know which religion is accurate, or whether any religion is accurate at all. However, it is important to understand the various religions we have in the world, as they provide meaning and purpose to many individuals. Here is a brief look at some of the major world religions.

Hinduism

It is the major religion of India, but is also present in other parts of the world. There are a variety of beliefs and spiritual practices in Hinduism, which is why it is sometimes referred to as a ‘way of life’ as opposed to a single organized religion. There is a pantheon of gods in Hinduism, and different people may worship different deities. Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara (the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation) and karma (the universal law of cause and effect). One of the key thoughts of Hinduism is atman, or the belief in a soul. This philosophy holds that living creatures have a soul, and they are all part of the supreme soul (paramatman). The goal is to achieve moksha, or salvation, which ends the cycle of rebirths to become part of the absolute soul. Furthermore, Hindus strive to follow dharma, which is a code of living that emphasizes good conduct and morality.

Judaism

Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years. It is most commonly practiced in the USA and Israel. Unlike Hinduism, followers of Judaism believe in only one God who communicates to believers through prophets. The Jewish sacred text is called the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible, and Talmud is a collection of teachings and commentaries on Jewish law and principles. Jewish people worship in holy places known as synagogues, and their spiritual leaders are called rabbis. The six-pointed Star of David is the symbol of Judaism.

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) more than 2,500 years ago in India. Its practice has historically been most prominent in East and Southeast Asia, but its influence is growing in the West. Followers of Buddhism do not acknowledge a supreme god or deity. Instead, they focus on achieving enlightenment, which is a state of inner peace and wisdom. When followers reach this spiritual echelon, they are deemed to have experienced nirvana. The path to enlightenment is attained by following morality, meditation and wisdom. Buddha’s most important teachings, known as The Four Noble Truths, are essential to understanding this religion.

Christianity

Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world. The Christian faith centers on beliefs regarding the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is also a monotheistic religion. Christians believe there is only one God, and he created the heavens and the earth. This divine Godhead consists of three parts: the father (God himself), the son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible includes Jesus’s and his disciples’ most important teachings, and offer instructions for how Christians should live. The cross is the main symbol of Christianity, representing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and how he died as a sacrifice for everyone’s sins.

Islam

Islam is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity, with about 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide. Muslims are also monotheistic and worship only one, all-knowing god known as Allah. Islam teaches that Allah’s words first reached the people in Mecca, through the divine messenger known as prophet Muhammad. Muslims live a life of complete submission to Allah, and believe that all that happens in life is god’s will. The Quran is the major holy text of Islam, and Mosques are the places of worship for Muslims. Followers worship Allah by praying and reciting the Quran. They believe there will be a day of judgment, and life after death.

Conclusion

The religions mentioned here are only some of the most popular ones in the world. In fact, there are hundreds of religions with different beliefs and practices. Religion has been an aspect of culture for as long as it has existed, and its main purpose is to provide a person with insight into life and give them some meaning. A person can choose to follow whichever religion fulfils his spiritual needs and gives him something meaningful to believe in.