In order to reach moksha, a state of perfect understanding of all things, I have suffered from being an untouchable to becoming a Brahmana. In my first life I was an untouchable, below the Caste System, and I worked as a trash collector named Sanchita. I learned to climb up the Caste System by following my job and doing more good deeds than bad, so eventually I was reincarnated into a Vaisya. When I was a Vaisya, I worked as a farmer named Aamani. After being a farmer, I was reincarnated into a Sudra, and moved down in the Caste system because I did more bad deeds than good. When I moved down in the Caste System to be reincarnated into a Sudra, I worked as an artisan named Sanemi. In my present life I was reincarnated into a Ksatyla, and I work as a warrior named Agrima. In my next life, I will be reincarnated into a Brahmana, and work as a scholar named Sadhika. In my first life I was an untouchable, below the Caste System, and my name was Sanchita that means ‘collector’. This name suited me because I started off life as a trash collector. I collected trash off the streets, and di...
...ual life where he enriches its soul constantly he will be reborn in a higher caste with a better life situation; which means he will be closer to the liberation of his soul.
The Hindu Caste system characterized individuals by their born occupation and skin color (Varna). The caste system was also focused on Hinduism and the belief of reincarnation. Hindus believe they are born again into a different person after death. This reincarnation depends on the good and bad deeds that the individual performed during their current life. Reincarnation ends when the person reached perfection and paradise, known as Nirvana. The caste system directly reflected the Hindu religion. If a person born into high class was to perform negative actions, then their next life would mirror those actions. The highest class in the caste system was the Brahmins, or priests. These priests and religious teachers were the most powerful citizens because they ruled over religion. The next class system is the rulers and soldiers called Kshatriyas. After the Kshatriyas, were the Vaishays (merchants and traders). Finally, the caste system contained the Shudras (laborers and workers). Outside of the caste systems was a group called the Untouchables (Achuta). The untouchables were outcasts in society and were n...
Hinduism is a religion in which the caste system exits to this day and this is an important factor because the different levels of the caste system represents each member’s ability to reaching the ultimate reality, Brahman. There are four castes of Hinduism: Brahmins/Seers, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and the Shudra. “The first group India called Brahmins or seers (Smith, 43).” The Brahmins are traditionally priests and scholars who should receive respect. The second level of caste system are the Kshatriya, who are traditionally warriors and rulers; they should receive power. Next are the Vaishya’s, merchants and small class landowners who should receive wealth. Last are the Shudra’s, traditionally the landless and field workers who should receive freedom. The caste system has its limitations and because of that, only the Brahmin (being on the top of the caste system) can become one with the ultimate reality, Brahman. In order to fulfill the core doctrine of Hinduism, it is important to be aware that only certain members “qualify” to unite with Brahman. In order for one to become a Brahman, they must go start from the bottom of the caste level and through the different levels until finally they are born as a Brahmin through good
“Choosing My Name” by Puanani Burgress is a poem that reflects Burgess idea of her identity and how it is related with her different names. Despite having three different names Chirstabella , Yoshie and Puanani, she particularly likes identifying herself as Puanani although it is not her “official name”. Strange as it sounds, I aslo have three different names: Basanta, Kancho, Xxxxxx. My third name Xxxxxx is my cultural name that I cannot disclose thus I have decided to write it Xxxxxx as it is made up of six letters. Xxxxxx is my favorite and preferred name because it connects me to my family, my culture and my land.
The process of reincarnation is called Samsara , a continuous cycle in which the soul is reborn over and over again according to a person’s actions in one lifetime. At death many Hindus believe the soul is carried by a subtle body into a new physical body which can be a human or non-human form. You can be turned into an animal or a divine being. This is why they are vegetarians, animals may be your ancestors or family and friends. The goal of liberation, which is Moksha, is to make us free from this cycle of action and reaction, and from
In south Asia, it is well accepted that a person’s action determines his or her own personal destiny. This idea that actions have repercussions in life is known as karma. Karma is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as, “the total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny.” Karma is called las rgyu-bras in Tibetan, where las can be translated to “work” or “actions” and rgyu-bras translates to “fruits.” Combined, las rgyu-bras can be translated as the fruits of one’s actions (Keyes 232). If a person performs a good action in life, Tibetan Buddhists believe that good things will occur later on in life as a result, and they expect the reverse for bad actions. By understanding this concept and trying to live a l...
I was born in Russian Far East, at a controversial Sakhalin island. The island belong to the chain of islands of the east cost of Russia that is contested by Japan as their own. Around 1950, USSR was colonizing second half of Sakhalin island, as a result, a lot of young people was sent over or came over to build out the island’s economy. My parents were among those settlers. With musical and railroad engineering background, they end up serving in police force and military intelligence division - KGB. Their carrier defined my early childhood. Soviet military took our family across continental USSR and stationed us in many parts of the country such as Ural mountains and finally in central Russia - City of Ivanovo. All of that taught me to travel and to adapt to new surrounding from early days of my life.
In life there are constant struggles that define a person and make them who we are. However, it takes years for a house to become a home and that is how life is. It has taken me years to find the truth in my life and it will take me a lifetime to find the truth that lies within me. However, certain moments in my life will always have a lasting impression on me and will shape me into the person that I will become.
Everyone hates me for what I am. They all think I am strange. They stare as if i were the main attraction at a freak show. I hate myself for what i am not: social, outgoing and happy. No one would miss me if I died. I cannot take the torment of living in this world anymore. I would be better off dead!
I was very different than my brother. My mother thought that all the babies are like my brother: who is very kind, genius. When my mom taught my brother one thing then all the sudden he would understand nine other things based on that one thing. He was patient with all the situation that child cannot handle, he was kind to others. One day he got hit by his friend but refused to hit him back because if my brother hit his friend back then it would make him as same person who hit him. So mom’s life with my brother was no trouble, easy going until I showed up. I wasn’t patient: if I wanted something then I am having it, I was not kind: if you hit me, I would hit you twice as much harder, I was not genius: mom would teach me ‘A’, I would say ‘B’
The feeling of being understood by another person at a time in life where everything seems to be falling apart or going wrong, can go a long way towards making sure they overcome it and can get back on their feet. Many people never create a connection with a teacher or someone who is much older than them, but I was lucky enough to do so with my study hall monitor Mr. Cyrprinski. Early on in high school, I had a ton of different worries about my future, and it constantly ate away at me. I was frustrated on a regular basis while trying to figure out how to create a career path, balance a social life, and still succeed in school. From the start of the school year, there never seemed to be a dull moment until that final bell rang in June. School was a personal hell for me. It stayed that way for a long time, until Mr. Cyrprinski began breaking down not only certain perspective flaws I had, but while also relating to me. Mr. Cyrprinski understood the importance of not only explaining the different facets of life to people who were still young, but carried a respectful tone that made you feel as if he truly cared about what someone may have been speaking about.
As portrayed above, poverty is the misery of life. “No gravestone, no name, no identifying mark of any kind. The burying-ground is merely a huge waste of hummocky earth, like a derelict building-lo...
The story “The Road to Salvation” by Premchand revolves around Jhingur, the farmer and Buddhu, the shepherd who were very full of pride and such pride ruined themselves. Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava who wrote under the pen name “Premchand” was born into the Hindu Kayastha caste. The caste system in India is a system of social classification. In history, it divided communities into hundreds of traditional groups. The Kayastha class is right below the highest class, Brahmana. In the Indian caste system, you are born into your caste and there is no way you can change your caste in your life time. It is believed that if you live a good life, you can be reincarnated into a higher caste. The major religion in India is Hinduism. Hinduism promotes harmony and love for everyone but Jhingur and Buddhu are trapped in the law of Karma. Although the story revolves around Jhingur and Buddhu and the pride they have for themselves, it causes them to manipulate each other constantly causing them to be entrapped in envy.
I left the conversation Saturday night really disturbed, feeling like this was some sort of burning bush encounter and that I was having a confrontation with God Himself in which He was trying to speak to me. I drove straight to Mecartney and then broke down and just started weeping uncontrollably. The feeling that I had just entered right there into the presence of God was overwhelming and I think for the first time in my life I got that feeling that people describe of being exposed before God and recognizing with horror their own uncleanliness, “Woe is me, I am ruined!” Part of it came from the dawning realization that my heart is a helpless mess that I can’t even begin to understand, and the only thing I could do was to plead with God to help me make sense of it all. I turned again to Psalm 139 again and prayed “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” At this point I think I truly gave up all claim to know myself and turned fully to God, whom is described in the passage as the God who knew me completely before I was even created.
I'm a child that has room for improvement. A child that will look to the farthest of his limits to succeed in what he wants. Sometimes it doesn't work out the way you want it, but you still need to keep on going, you can't put yourself down. I feel sad in the inside but you keep on going. To tell you the truth I'm not perfect either; I have my mistakes. But I'm not the type of person that never fixes it. You at some point realize that you want to take responsibility for your actions and act upon it and not just leave it how it is. I was taught to act upon your actions. This was taught by my dad.