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Role of spiritual discipline and implications for spiritual formation essay
Humanistic self fulfillment and self realisation essay
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In the “Bhagavad-Gita” there are many lessons to be learned from a Hindu perspective, much of it dealing with fulfilling your destiny and living the life you were meant to, and being the best Hindu possible within your designed parameters. There are many lessons that relate to Christianity and ideas of how one should act. I agreed with many of the teachings and can see benefits to them, one of them being self-discipline. In my life I do try to discipline myself in different ways so I can become closer to God and live a better life. One idea I did not like is that Hindu’s have one purpose in life and are supposed to fulfill their destiny to have good karma so that they will be reborn in a higher position in life. Discipline yourself so that
According to document A, “Hinduism was (and is) polytheistic - Hindus believe in many gods…..In this kind of Hinduism, people believed in reincarnation - that people could be reborn into other bodies after they died.” The excerpt shows that the daily life would be affected since Hindus will worship more gods and believe in reincarnation. Moreover, Hindus believed in Karma as well as Dharma. Karma was the good or bad actions that had an effect on the soul in later reincarnations. Dharma was the spiritual duties that one must follow. Now it is evident that beliefs were influenced by religion.
Some of the most prominent aspects of Hinduism are the atman and samsara which is one the clearest distinctions between Hinduism and other religions. When Krishna states, “I have never not existed; nor have you, nor have these lords of men. Nor will we cease to exist, all of us, from now onwards” (Bhagavad Gita, 185), he is referring to the atman or the human soul which is believed to have always existed and will continue to exist. And when he says, “Just as one throws out old clothes and then takes on other, new ones; so the embodied self casts out old bodies as it gets other, new ones” (Bhagavad Gita, 187), he is talking about samsara and reincarnation. It is from this text, where Hinduism gets its defining characteristics. As long as the Gita continues to be relevant in India so will these philosophies. It reinforces the idea of reincarnation, the soul, and duty which shapes the way the Hindus live their lives. The goal for a Hindu is to break out of samsara and achieve Brahman, and according to the Gita, fulfilling one’s dharma is the way to accomplish this. The Bhagavad Gita is significant to Hinduism, because it has helped Hindus identify an ultimate goal and teaches them how to achieve
The teachings of Hinduism derive directly from the Vedic religion of India, which explains why Hinduism focuses so much on sacrifice and pleasing the many gods (Bulliet 186-187). Hinduism gives four different goals a person should accomplish to achieve spiritual fulfillment and Moksha. These paths, known as the four yogas, include Karma-yoga, Jhana-yoga, Raja-yoga, and Bhakti-yoga (Smith). Karma-yoga is the way of action that a person can attain by following the discipline of action that comes from the Brahman (Bhagavad- Gita 1292-1293). The second path known as Jnana-yoga is the way of knowledge, which a person attains through the discipline of knowledge (Bhagavad-Gita 1292). The third path of Raja-yoga is the way of asceticism, which a person attains when they do not have desires or possessions (Bhagavad-Gita 1295-1296). The final path of Bhakti-yoga is the way of devotion that a person can achieve by having undisturbed devotion to Krishna (Bhagavad-Gita 1300-1301). Overall, Hinduism teaches people to rely heavily on each other, the scriptures, and on the
...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.
Hindus have no intellection of rebellion against a holy God. They believe that there is no clear plan of salvation in Hinduism. Their purpose for living is moksha. One exercise Hindus perform to cleanse their souls is Yoga and meditation. Yoga and Meditation was taught by gurus to gain moksha. The majority of Hindus live in India. That is over nine hundred and fifty million in India and another twenty million in Nepal. Indonesia and Bangladesh have an estimate of fourteen million. Hinduism is also known to be different from other religions because of it being multifarious in its traditions. They practice a variety of amalgamation rituals. This amalgamation was traditionally called Santana Dharma. Santana Dharma is a universal law which is the kind of life the ten commandments is for Christians. It is a way of living for them and is a form of freedom to follow ones own path to becoming the conclusive being. Unlike Christians, Hindus have more then one God. Brahma is the creator god and is the most important of the gods. He has four heads and four arms. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and the wife of Brahma. Shiva is the
A large amount of ancient texts contain themes relating to violence, power, and war, while others, such as The Bhagavad Gita and Confucius’ Analects, focus on individual and collective development through a series of selfless acts. The two texts provide an in-depth system of duties and learning created to provide direction for the betterment of the self, as well as society as a whole. The Bhagavad Gita places a greater focus on the duties of individuals that must be fulfilled to achieve an enlightened state with the divine forces. Contradictory consequences are presented for those who choose to act in an egotistical manner and deny their duties. Confucius’ Analects, on the other hand, places its main focus on collective development and responsibility
“Religion as defined by the great sages of India…it did not require belief in a set of doctrines, but rather hard, disciplined work, without which, any religious teaching remained opaque and incredible” (Armstrong 51). The profound history of Hinduism contains important fundamental elements that play a major role in the daily life of its followers. Hinduism is famously known as one of the oldest religions in the world, which is widely embraced and composed of three prominent attributes: spiritual, tradition, and the caste system. The combinations of these three attributes in the Hindu belief system add rich tradition and deepen cultural meaningfulness and experience that uniquely defines the Hindu system of beliefs
The Hindu religion holds on to the idea that beliefs are what determines ones thought and attitude about life, which also directs a person’s actions. It’s the actions of a person that creates their destiny. Christianity follows in a similar pattern as a person’s actions and attitude towards life will have an effect as a Christian. While the Hindu’s believe in one Supreme Being they also believe in the laws of karma and reincarnation. There is one very important similarity between Christianity and Hinduism. The Hindus as well as the Christians share the belief that no religion teaches the only way to God’s salvation and that all religious paths are facets of God’s light, equally deserving of understanding and tolerance.
...ely resembles the dharmic action of the Bhagavad-Gita. The fundamental concept of dharma, or proper conduct, is paralleled in the Analects when Confucius provides many examples of how one can remain morally sound. The reason for moral or proper conduct differs in the two texts; while the Bhagavad-Gita presents proper conduct as a step towards liberation from samsara, serving the individual’s needs, the Analects present moral conduct in order to maintain a properly functioning society, serving the society’s needs as a whole. In Western society the goal of Eastern religions are often compared to Heaven; however, Heaven in Hinduism and Confucianism is not a place one goes to at the end of his or her life. Instead, Heaven in Hinduism is a heavenly realm in which the gods reside, and Heaven in Confucianism is a ruling force that instills and enforces values and morals.
Arjuna gives up now, he will be full of shame, and a man who has given up
Hinduism is one of the world’s major religions that evolved from the Vedic religion of ancient India. Hinduism has branches that contain several sects. The major branches are Vaishnavism and Shaivism. These sects rely on their own set of scriptures but their focal point is the ancient Vedas. The philosophical Vedic texts, from the Aryans, involved the Upanishads in searching for knowledge on how the human beings would escape reincarnation. Hinduism has a cosmic principle Brahman, whereby they believe in rebirth after death. Hinduism emerged around the beginning of Common Era then coexisted within Buddhism for several centuries (Clearly, 2013). It spread to Southern India and parts of Southeast Asia from the Northern India. The basic teaching of Vedanta is the belief that the human being is neither confined in the body nor mind but the spark of God within the soul. Most Hindu’s practice bhakti as a way to worship and follow their deity. Rather than live of fear of their deity, bhakti focuses on being connected with the...
Unlike Hindus, Buddhist follow Buddha’s four noble truths. The four noble truths provide a pathway to enlightenment; they teach what causes suffering in life and how to stop it. The noble truths are very simple and easy to understand. The first truth is that all existence will suffer no matter what, the second truth is the understanding of craving, the third truth is the cessation of suffering, and the final truth is following the noble eightfold path. Practicing Buddhism isn’t complex or difficult, unlike Hinduism. As long as one gives love and acceptance to everyone and everything, is mindful, practices Ahimsa, and detaches themselves from materialistic items one can be a successful Buddhist. Unlike the simplicity of Buddhism, Hinduism is very strict and complex. It is male oriented and difficult to follow through. To practice Hinduism one must follow the four stages of life. The first stage is being a student and study the Vedas. The second stage is being a house holder; support a student and have a family. The third stage is being a Hermit; withdraw from family for many months and prepare to become an ascetic. Finally, the last stage of life is becoming an ascetic. These stages are only allowed to be done by men and an extremely small percent of
The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most famous, and definitely the most widely-read, ethical text of ancient India. As an episode in India's great epic, the Mahabharata, The Bhagavad Gita now ranks as one of the three principal texts that define and capture the essence of Hinduism; the other two being the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras. Though this work contains much theology, its kernel is ethical and its teaching is set in the context of an ethical problem. The teaching of The Bhagavad Gita is summed up in the maxim "your business is with the deed and not with the result." When Arjuna, the third son of king Pandu (dynasty name: Pandavas) is about to begin a war that became inevitable once his one hundred cousins belonging to the Kaurava dynasty refused to return even a few villages to the five Pandava brothers after their return from enforced exile, he looks at his cousins, uncles and friends standing on the other side of the battlefield and wonders whether he is morally prepared and justified in killing his blood relations even though it was he, along with his brother Bhima, who had courageously prepared for this war. Arjuna is certain that he would be victorious in this war since he has Lord Krishna (one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu) on his side. He is able to visualize the scene at the end of the battle; the dead bodies of his cousins lying on the battlefield, motionless and incapable of vengeance. It is then that he looses his nerve to fight.
When Christians first encounter the idea of creating a spiritual discipline, some almost instantly become overwhelmed with anxiety because they must perform well for God to please Him and get to heaven. I was once one of them and to a point, I still think that way. However, the more focus on the relationship with Jesus and nothing else brings about the desires to want more in terms of spiritual growth. Desires however, do not last if disciplines are not met with a genuine commitment to maintain a fervent relationship with Jesus. For my rule of life, I will pencil in daily life disciplines that fit in the season of life that I am in currently so that God can work in me and I can become Christ like. First, I will commit fifteen minutes to daily prayer with God. Second, I will commit fifteen minutes to daily scripture reading. Third, I will commit to lead, encourage and support my wife by living out the vows that we both agreed to with God. Fourth, I will commit myself to my family in raising my two
Hinduism is regarded as the world’s oldest organized religion, but it’s also a way of life for much of India and Nepal. Unlike other religions, Hinduism allows and encourages multiple paths to the divine. There is no single founder and no single scripture, but is rather a conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions. They are often understood to be different means to reach a common end. But this acceptance of variety makes it difficult to identify religious tenets that are specifically Hindu. Still, there are some basic principles common to Hinduism that are essential to one's approach to life.