Religious Studies in Hinduism

Religious Studies in Hinduism

How the world should be treated and why

from a Hindu perspective

One of the most fundamental beliefs of Hinduism is that everything is

a part of the Universal Spirit called Brahman, including humans.

Therefore, humans, animals, plants and any other life form should be

treated equally with the same amount of sacredness.

The Rig Veda says:

Purusha (Brahman) is the whole universe, that which was and which

shall be. Such is his greatness...One quarter of all beings is one

quarter of him. The other three quarters are immortal in heaven thence

in all directions he spreads into living beings and inanimate matter.

There are a few basic messages this particular passage is saying:

Every single bit of the all living things are a part of Brahman

All things of the past, present and future are Brahman's

Three quarters of everything are immortal in heaven

Brahman is in all beings, even inanimate matter

We know that all things of the past, present and future are Brahman's

and that we are a part of it, therefore we should preserve the Earth

for it to preserve us. We need it as much as it needs us to take care

of it this is why we need to take care of it so that it will be there

in the future. The Assisi declaration on behalf of Hindus states that

humans are not different from nature, as we all have the same

spiritual power i.e. we are all a part of Brahman. It then goes on to

say that even though humans are at the top of the evolutionary pyramid

we were not put on the Earth to be dominant over lesser beings, but

instead to be a part of nature and use our gift of the power to reason

to take care of the Earth.

The law of Ahimsa, which says that we should not be violent, is also

mentioned; this law is frequently disobeyed, as harming the

environment by things such as cutting down trees is violent.