The View of Hinduism on Human Nature

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Hinduism’s view on human nature is complex and involves the concept of the self or soul. According to the Hindu concept of self, it is recorded that “the atman is beyond sound and form…it is eternal, unchangeable, and without beginning or end: indeed above reasoning” (Wall, 30). What this refers to, is that Hindus believe there to be a deeper self that lies within us. This self hides behind our experienced self and is referred to as atman. Atman is what survives our deaths and continues to be reborn again. This type of self is continually reborn into different bodies until it escapes the wheel of rebirth. Through prayer, meditation, and ascetic practices, this self can become known, especially because it is essentially the same in all human beings. The idea behind atman tends to be more complex because of its dealings with the levels of consciousness, samsara, etc.
The concept, previously referred to as atman, is understood not as a familiar, day-to-day self, but rather something less physical. This self does not deal with our social selves or psychological selves and is not viewed as a collection of thoughts and feelings that we experience. However, this self is deeper within ourselves that can be thought of as spiritual, permanent and infinite. To fully know this self one must experience a process of deep meditation and withdrawal from society. This process is recognized as a process of ascetic discipline; and through this process one can discover atmans similarity to brahman. According to Hindu thought, Brahman is a hindu concept of absolute reality and is referred to as a transcendent being that all concrete things are dependent upon for existence. According to the Hindu concept of self, Brahman is “spirit of light..who in t...

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...s if the soul.
To gain a full understanding of Plato’s view of human nature and its innate tendencies, one must refer to the three aspects of the soul. These aspects are explained through a model known as the chariot model. This model involves three elements: a chariot, two horses, and a driver. The two horses of the soul are explained as the irrational elements and the drive represents the rational part. One horse is easy to maintain and remains calm while the other horse is difficult to control and runs off. It is the drivers duty to control both horses and make sure they work together. The chariot driver must also whip both horses into shape, mainly the difficult one, in order to make progress. This model refers to the soul and its three parts. One part of the soul is irrational and difficult to control, another part of the soul is relatively calm and obedient.

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