Astika or Orthodox systems literally mean “right belief” this is a state where a person lives strictly by the teaching or his or her religion and does not follow anything else. The orthodox darsanas are revelations of the Vedas. There are six different orthodox darsanas, all of which I will be discussing in the paragraphs of this essay. In the first paragraph I am going to discuss the Nyaya and Samkhya which are the first two astika systems, next I will be discussing yoga and vaisheshika, while my third paragraph will focus on the last two astika system which are Purva Mimamsa and Vedanta respectively.
Nyaya is a school of logic that is also concerned with rhetoric and debate. It explores the notion of pramana, which is the means through which one obtains valid knowledge. In the west, two premises lead to a conclusion. With pramana, there are six categories: perception, inference, comparison, testimony, postulation and negation. There is primacy not only with empirical observations using the five senses, but also with liberative intuitive insights that are gained through yoga. On the other hand, Samkhya is one of the oldest darsanas, and its purpose is to understand the cause of and solution to suffering. Reality is seen as two entities, which are Purusa and Prakrti. Purusa is supreme consciousness, or the true Self. Prakrti is nature or materiality. It is composed of three components, or gunas: sattva guna of luminosity, clarity, or purity; rajas guna of passion and activity; and the tamas guna of inertia, dullness, or opacity. Purusa is the impassive observer of all phenomena. The tamas guna is at its highest within the gross elements, or mahabhutas. The five gross elements are earth, water, air, fire, and ether/space. For Samkh...
... middle of paper ...
...ta are concerned with studying the meaning of the Vedic scriptures. The Purva-mimamsa (investigation of the primary) is the first part of the study and refers to mimamsa. The Uttara Mimamsa (investigation of the latter) is the second part and refers to Vedanta. Memamsa addresses the subject of action, specifically ritual action, and Vedanta addresses the subject of knowledge. The main focus of Mimamsa is the Vedic apologetics, and it argues for the valid sources of knowledge being sufficient conditions. The purpose is to remove any doubts while reading that may arise from a misunderstanding of the text. The value of ritual and dharma is a focus, and it helps to explain that the rituals outlined in the Vedas with no rationale should still be done because it is one’s dharma to perform all rites. The potential benefit of every dharmic action is happiness to all beings.
Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy can have a substantial amount of unfamiliar terminology and specific meanings for words we think we know the definition to. In order to ensure comprehension and clarity a few terms need to be defined. Buddhism as a spiritual movement is the following of the teachings of a fifth century B.C. E. Indian spiritual leader named known as Siddhartha Gautama, Shakyamuni, or --in the case of this essay-- the Buddha. Tibetan Buddhism will be defined in a similar manner. Tibetan Buddhism is in the course of this essay will focus on one of the six schools of thought in the Tibetan Buddhist cannon. The “Oral Tradition” or the Kagyu School is the monastic linage that arrives in Kauai in the twentieth century.
This brings me to the first topic that I am going to evaluate and that is the gunas. The gunas may be interpreted generally as the qualities, tendencies, or states of active consciousness (Widget, 232). In other words, the gunas are concerned with the inner and psychological measures of conduct. There are three different gunas and these are: tamasik-tendency to cause disorganization and confusion; rajasik- egotism or anything that is individualizing; and sattwik- tendencies to order and harmony (Widgery, 233-234). These three conditions are rarely all one or the other, but instead can be seen as a combination of the three. Conduct that is tamasik or tamsik-rajasik is seen as bad, while conduct that is seen as sattwik or sattwik-rajasik is seen as good (Widgery, 234). This leaves a goal of striving for sattwik conduct, demonstrating how a religion can influence the morals of its
Orthodox Judaism centers on the belief in one, all knowing God, and adherence to a strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah. The belief system in Eastern Europe, before the Holocaust, intertwined religious laws with traditions, mysticism and superstitions. These beliefs carried over into patterns of daily life and influenced such things as the foods eaten, the patterns for birth and marriage and death, the clothing worn, and the role of males and females.
Asoka’s conversion to Buddhism, affected with the help of his own teacher, Upragupta, was gradual. Even though he did little to change the system of government he inherited, he introduced a novel and powerful moral idealism, which was a moral rule or way of life in the Buddhist sense, as he understood it. He called this the “Law of Piety.” This law, though following the tenets of the Buddha, was distinct from them and peculiar to Asoka. It was to become one of the great turning points of the civilization of the East, having profound effects throughout the neighboring kingdoms, not least in
Asoka was the third ruler of the Mauryan Empire and is considered the greatest ruler of ancient India. Asoka not only unified India under one government, he also introduced the concept of conquest by moral force over violence. Furthermore, he is arguably one of the most important figures in the early development of Buddhism. It is because of Asoka’s royal patronage that Buddhism spread beyond India and became the world religion that it is today.
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion with countless Gods and Deities, that is now the third most followed religion in the world, after Christianity and Islam. The word “hindu” originated from the Sanskrit word “Sindhu” which is a historical name of the longest river in Asia, northwest of India. Hinduism is unique, the only religion without a founder, no one scripture, and it is without a specific set of rules and expectations. It is often described as being a way of life, unlike other religions, and is said to be an assortment of different religious, philosophical ideas, and cultural practices that began in India. While it doesn’t have specific teachings, it does have sacred texts, the Sanatana Dharma, otherwise known as “The Eternal Teaching”.
Buddhism’s approach to ethics and practices are centred upon the principal beliefs of; the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts. By adhering to these guidelines, Buddhists are ensured that they are taking a step closer to escaping Samsara, and attaining the revered state of Nirvana,
There are many sacred elements that characterize the Hindu religion. The Vedas are considered to be the religious texts of Sanatana Dharma. However, "their origins and antiquity are still unknown; the Vedas themselves can be examined. They are a revered collection of ancient sacred hymns comprising four parts, which appear to have developed over time. The earliest are the Samhitas, hymns of praise in worship of deities." (Pg 82) Following this, the Brahmanas appeared explaining the "symbolic correspondences between the microcosm of the ritual process and the "real world" in which rituals are performed." (pg 82) The third part of the Vedas is known as Aranyakas; these recluse people went to the forest to mediate. The last of the Vedas consisted of teachings "from highly realized spiritual masters: known as Upanishads. The Vedic devotion centers around fire sacrifice rituals that were created and controlled by the Brahmins.
Asceticism is derived from the Greek word “askesis”, meaning practice, bodily exercise, and athletic training (Cambell). Early Christians adopted this concept to foretell of the spiritual things in order to acquire habits of virtue. Virtue is the behavior showing high moral standards. There also is natural asceticism in meaning it is for self-improvement and aims directly to natural virtues such as temperance, patience, and chastity. The following will explain what asceticism is, why asceticism is practiced, and the nature of asceticism practices in Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
Hinduism is a religion with no known founder, with its understandings and actions developing over thousands of years. This religion has roots from the Aryan people’s religion, when they invaded India at 1500 BCE. The Aryans created a caste system when they invaded India so their kin would remain in power. Hinduism has absorbed and accepted this caste system as a large part of their religion. They believe in reincarnation, which is being reborn after you die, and Samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. If the person completes their dharma, the rules of their caste, and live a good moral life then they advance to the next caste, but if they do bad in their life then they remain at their caste level or they are downgraded. The most respected caste group is the Brahmins, they are high priests, making them very religious, and they are the closest in the caste system to reaching moksha, release from samsara or entering paradise. Another way of viewing moksha is that their Atman, the soul, gets reunited with the Brahman, the universal spirit. They then infer that everything that does not exist forever, unlike their Atman, are not real, which they call a veil, also known as Maya, because it is not permanent. Along with reincarnation there exists karma, similar to the idea what comes around goes around, so if you live an immoral life, your future lives will be a punishment. Guidance for priests and rituals are written in the most ancient Hindu scriptures called Vedas. The Rig Veda is the most important scripture out of the Vedas. The Upanishads, however, explain the Vedas through a teacher student dialogue, this helps anyone learn the Vedas much easier. Finally, the rituals described in these scriptures incl...
The Bhagavad-Gita, a portion of the great epic the Mahabharata, is the “most typical expression of Hinduism.” It is eighteen chapters long and was composed around the first century BCE. The sage Samjaya recites the story to the blind king Dhrtarastra, the father of the Kaurava princes. While presenting ideas of wisdom, duty, and liberation in the midst of the rivalry between the Kauravas, the Bhagavad-Gita epitomizes the teachings of Krishna. Focusing specifically on the moral struggle of the Pandava prince Arjuna, the Bhagavad-Gita’s major themes include yoga, karma, dharma, and moksa. Yoga, being discipline or the strict and “attentive cultivation of mental character and meaningful action” , is crucial to the text because it is dharma yoga, acting properly according to one’s dharma, and bhakti yoga, a disciplined life of devotion that allows one to achieve moksa, or liberation, one of the four aims of li...
Liberation is a prominent ideology well stressed throughout the formation and development of history Hinduism. In general, the religious school of Indian philosophy is multiform with different tendencies, but mostly focused on explaining critical issues such as the phenomenon of nature, the meaning of life, the source of human suffering, and the path, which is the way to help people liberation from the suffering of the life. Like any other ancient Indian religions’ thoughts, Hinduism also aims at the ultimate liberation. This is well expounded within its philosophies and practices.
All the six orthodox schools of Indian philosophy admit in thinking of the soul as not only immortal but also as endless. The reasoning of the materialists like Charvakas amount to this that, however consciousness is unseen in external objects, it develops i...
The Bhagavad Gita is a timeless example of how Hinduism can be applied and seen in Indian life. It also enforces the example of how Hinduism is the heart of India by demonstrating the qualities of ancient Indian culture. These beliefs although outdated, are also seen manifesting in many important values, such as Buddhism, which will be discussed later. It is in this document that both sets of beliefs which provide the foundation of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs are combined.
Most people in the world derive their religious beliefs and traditions from their parents and peer influences. From a religious point of view, “There are many definitions for the term ‘religion’ in common usage. [Broadly defined], in order to include the greatest number of belief systems: ‘Religion is any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life’” (Robinson, 1996). However, in examining Hinduism, it is difficult to label the practices as a religion. This paper will expound upon the Hindu traditions, taking into account the characteristics of sacred elements, their meaning, and significance.