Karma is a Sanskrit word whose literal meaning is 'action '. It refers to the law that every action has an equal reaction either immediately or at some point in the future. Good or virtuous actions in harmony with dharma, will have good reactions, actions against dharma, will have the opposite effect. In Hinduism karma operates not only in this lifetime but across lifetimes: the results of an action might only be experienced after the present life in a new life.
Moksha is “the liberation or freedom from the limits of space, time and matter through realization of the immortal absolute” (Axia College, 2005). This will take several incarnations, or lifetimes, to achieve. Hence Hindus believe in Reincarnation and Karma. Reincarnation is the soul leaving a dead body and being reborn in a new body again and again to continue working towards the ultimate goal of Moksha. Karma is action and the consequences for these actions in an incarnation. What one does in one’s lifetime will have consequences in this lifetime and for all the lifetimes to come afterward.
Due to differing origins and original teachings, Christian belief will vary differently to the beliefs on heaven portrayed by Islamic and Hinduism religions. Islam’s religion is mainly different due to the varying landscapes and different history behind the religion as well as Hinduism differing due to the different beliefs and teachings held by the religion and its origins. Furthermore, there are subtle comparisons that can be made of the three religions although their teachings and beliefs are heavily varied, these being shown through each religion believing in heaven as a place, as well as all three religions portraying heaven as a peaceful place where one will be forever happy. Heaven is a teaching thoroughly believed by people and followers
The Hindu Faith is an indigenous theology and philosophy of India spanning thousands of years. Reincarnation is the center of the Faith, the teaching that all things become unified through living many lives. After each cycle of life, karma decides which caste or level of life a person will next experience. Lying, cheating scumbags, who were greedy and did not assist the poor could be reincarnated upon death into a life of poverty and illness. With a little hope, such a soul would learn a valuable lesson and the next time around would be a bit more comfortable. Some Hindus also believe that a human can be reincarnated as an animal. Whether that is karma from a good or bad previous life, one can only guess.
Arguably one of the most pondered questions in philosophical thought has been, “What is the meaning of life?” Humans have been put on this earth with the knowledge of self awareness and the ability to manipulate the environments that they inhabit to a greater extent than any other species on the planet. Ultimately one must wonder what purpose there is to one’s own existence and define what it means for them to be. Presupposing the existence of different human beings in the external world, there would undoubtedly be varying opinions regarding the ultimate purpose of existence. Several key thinkers in modern existentialism provide the necessary framework for establishing a so-called “meaning of life”. Marcel, Sartre, Heidegger and Camus, refer to the theoretical frameworks of subjectivity, freedom, responsibility and purpose, in modern existentialism. With reference to the theoretical frameworks, established by these reputable thinkers, one could propose an answer to the age old question, “What is the meaning of life?”. That being, the meaning of life is “to live a good a good life”.
In India, there were many religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and more. In Hinduism, they believed in karma and dharma. Dharma is your duty in life, and you must follow your dharma, to have good karma. Karma is the belief that if you do something good, good will come back to you, and if you do something bad, something bad will happen to you.
“A soul-centered theory is the view that meaning in life comes from relating in a certain way to an immortal, spiritual substance that supervenes on one 's body when it is alive and that will forever outlive its death” (Metz). Tolstoy believed that in order for life to be meaningful a person must do something worth doing. He also believed that for something to be worth doing it must make a lasting difference on the world. Therefore, in order for life to be meaningful a person must have a lasting, immortal soul. Furthermore, “a soul is necessary for perfect justice, which, in turn, is necessary for a meaningful life”(Metz). When righteous people suffer while wicked people flourish in the world, life seems meaningless. In order for there to be meaning in life, there must be a place where ultimate justice is met. “If there is no good God who sees and knows all and judges justly in the end, then there is truly no hope for justice in this life” (Driscoll). It is worth noting that God goes by many different names, and a meaningful relationship with Him can look different to different people. To find meaning in life, one can assure oneself that after death his or her immortal soul will be rewarded for his or her righteousness in
Islam is currently the worlds 2nd largest and fastest growing religion with nearly one-fifth (approximately 1.2 billion) of the world’s population believed to be Muslim (About.Com, 2008, Online http://islam.about.com/od/muslimcountries/a/population.htm). Islam is a monotheistic religion which means it believes in the one God. It is Abrahamic or one of the ‘Religions of the Book’, this means that, similar to in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible and the Jewish Torah, stories such as that of the Creation story in Genesis and the stories of Abraham (abc.net 2009, Online http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s790151.htm ). This essay includes a brief summary of the general beliefs of Islam, the Islamic take on social justice, a summary of Islam in Australia, the similarities and differences to Christianity and the efforts for interfaith dialogue between Christianity and Islam.
This passage comes from the Hindu sacred text the Yajur Veda. It describes the purposes of life as believed by Hindus and explains that when one is righteous and loving to all human beings and finds fulfilment he ‘becomes a …part and parcel of the Universal Joy’ which means ultimately liberation from reincarnation. This is elaborated on in the 4 identified purposes of life.
Judaism (from Hebrew יהודה, Yehudah) – the worldview, that has determined the religious faith and the lifestyle of Jews for centuries; the most ancient monotheistic religion.