Metaphysical ideas shape the sociological and physical behaviors of societies. Within the religion of Hinduism, there is an overall purpose in life which can be affected by participation in the religion’s code of ethics. Ahimsa is a metaphysical ethic that affects the practicing individual’s connection to the overall purpose in life, as well as his or her connection to the society. The social aspects of this ethic shaped its origin’s society, and eventually spread to affect and shape ideas in other societies around the world as it was passed from generation to generation.
An ethic is a set of honorable standards, or a moral code, which governs a particular group’s behaviors based on opinions about what is morally acceptable within that society. Ahimsa is an ethic which existed initially within Hinduism, or the Sanatana Dharma. Himsa is a Sanskrit word meaning to do harm or to inflict injury. An “a” is added at the beginning of the word to counteract the meaning, creating the word ahimsa, meaning to do no harm. Ahimsa refers to doing no harm physically, mentally, as well as emotionally to any living being (“Ahimsa: To Do No Harm,” 359). This idea suggests that by doing harm to another living creature, you are actually doing harm to yourself. This idea is formed as a result of the belief of karma. Karma, if accumulated, is the force that fuels the continuance of life’s cycle of birth, old age, disease, and death, or samsara. The more karma one accumulates, the less successful one’s samsara will be; that one consciousness may not be given an opportunity for a human birth again. Instead, the consciousness may be given the life of a rock, a tree, an ant, or even water. Not practicing ahimsa is a way to accumulate karma, and therefore,...
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...quiring independence for India. Ghandi’s actions and teachings influenced American, Martin Luther King Jr. in his efforts to alleviate the African-Americans of harm in their quest to achieve civil rights in the United States in the twentieth-century. Vegetarianism around the world is influenced by the ethic of ahimsa, in disapproval of animal cruelty. The victories achieved in these movements have greatly affected the world in the twenty-first century. African- Americans obtained civil rights, India has become a power nation free from English control, and vegetarianism has promoted the formation of animal rights groups, in large part because of the ideology behind the ethic of ahimsa.
Works Cited
Ahimsa: To Do No Harm,” Chapter 45 in What is Hinduism: Modern Adventures Into A Profound Global Faith. New Delhi: Himalayan Academy Publications, 2007. 358-363. Print.
Mohandas Gandhi was born into a Hindu family of the Vaisya caste. This was the third ranking caste in the class structure of Hinduism. This class was for farmers and merchants. The whole system was so complex that in Gandhi’s lifetime it had begun to disintegrate. Gandhi’s father and grandfather were not farmers or merchants. They were prime ministers of the tiny principality of Porbandar in Gujarat. Mohandas was extremely shy. He rushed to and from school, too nervous to talk to any of his classmates. Then a pretty and strong-willed girl was married to him by an arranged marriage at the age of 13. Her name was Kasturbai. A marriage at this age was typical in Hindu custom. He was a strict husband and kept control over actions. Kasturbai disliked this. They didn’t spend more than the first five years of their marriage together, since it was typical for the girl to visit her family. At this point in his life, he was very depressed. He was little and suffered fears that didn’t bother his wife. An athletic and older boy who was Muslim fascinated him. He told Mohandas to eat meat if he wanted to become bigger and stronger. He said the Indians were weak and small people, because they didn’t eat meat, and this is why the British, who did, had the strength to rule over them. This was against his religion, but he tried anyway. He ate the meat in secrecy, but after a few meals he stopped. He didn’t like the taste of meat and fe...
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,
Hinduism is a broad and encompassing religion. Due to such, the study and answer of any specific question in this religion is difficult. In order to adjust for this, I am going to look at the gunas, the various life goals, life stages, and social castes and see the specific impact that each of these have on morality and ethics in Hinduism.
1.) Intro: I decided to focus my Religious Ethnography on a friend whom I recently have become close with. Adhita Sahai is my friend’s name, which she later told me her first name meant “scholar.” I choose to observe and interview Adhita, after she invited me to her home after hearing about my assignment. I was very humbled that she was open to this, because not only was it a great opportunity for this paper, but it also helped me get to know Adhita better. I took a rather general approach to the religious questions that I proposed to the Sahai family because I didn’t want to push to deep, I could tell Hinduism is extremely important to this family. Because this family does not attend a religious site where they worship, I instead listened to how they do this at home as a family instead.
South and East Asian religions, as discussed in Documents 1, 3, 4 and 7, are primarily focused on an individuals choices and experiences in life. In these religions a key concept is that behaving
Religions across the globe have conceptualized a belief, generally surrounding the implementations and implications of th...
...onsibility in life which is decided by the caste they are born into. However, living amongst other people, one’s soul might become “forgetful of the Lord” which leads to “[attaching] itself to pleasure” which would make it “bound” to the wheel of the universe. For a soul to escape this cycle birth, death, and rebirth, it is necessary to connect with this god. The Hindu people believed that “by uniting oneself with him…one ceases to be ignorant” and this means “Birth, death, and rebirth will be no more.” This credence of rebirth and karma highly influenced the way the Hindu society developed.
I will now examine what it means to be religious with a critical enquiry into Buddhism, Hinduism and
Eliot, Sir Charles. HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM. 1921. Vol. 1. London: ROUTLEDGE & KEGAN PAUL LTD, 1954. 3 vols. wisdom library. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. .
Hinduism is often viewed as a particularly tolerant religion. The lack of a single omniscient God, absence of a prophet, and the open worship of what may look like many Gods may tell a tale of open worship, individuality within religion, and a peaceful, tolerant way of life. Without further examining what Hinduism entails, this may seem like the perfect religion. When the impression of superiority is looked at with a little skepticism, the pretty picture is marred by the deep scratches of discrimination, sexism, and elitism.
Hindus believe in spiritual equality of males and females on an existential level as a representation of enlightenment. This theme of spiritual equality within Hinduism is best
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.
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.
India sits in the middle of the scale and can be considered both individualistic and collective. There is great need for belonging to a bigger social framework. In Indian culture family is highly stressed. They strive to increase and preserve their family’s riches, by working hard in order to maintain the family’s dignity and insure the longevity of their offspring.. On the other hand the individualistic aspects of Indian culture are influenced by the major religion in India, which is Hinduism. Hindus believe in reincarnation where past lives are seen as affecting and determining the present life, as a result of this individuals are responsible for how they live their lives and how that will impact their next lives. Since aspects of both individualism and collectivism are present, India scores intermediately in this dimension. (Cultural tools, n.d.)
Fort, Andrew O, and Patricia Y Mumme. Living Liberation in Hindu Thought. Albany, NY: State Univerasity of New York Press, 1996.