Over two thousand years ago Saint Tiruvalluvar wrote that "Death is like falling asleep, and birth is like awakening from that sleep."
The early Hindu’s did not believe in Heaven, nor did they ascribe to such desire. Their early teachings were that they would be reunited with Mother Nature. There was no yearning to live eternally – their prayers were for a healthy life. The notion of reincarnation and Heaven evolved over time. In the Hindu religion, righteousness and to be without sin is of paramount importance. They are the determining factors whether one goes to Heaven or Hell. The Hindu’s teach, “As it does and as it acts, so it becomes: The doer of good becomes good, and the doer of evil becomes evil…"
Hindus moved onto believe in a cyclical time span. This means they believe people don not live and die just once but are reborn a number of times before reaching their final state.
Hindus believe that after death the soul is reborn in this world to live a new life. What the person and into which caste they are reborn into is decided by there karma. Karma will try to increase their goof karma by keeping dharma which is their duty to the Gods. The process of being born growing, dying and being reborn is called samsara. It is the goal of every Hindu to be freed from this cycle in order to be in the presence of God or become on with God. The idea of reincarnation derives from the Bhagavad-Gita. There are three four verses imparticular, the first one talk about the soul not ever being born or dying that it is always alive and it is therefore the body which dies. “It (the self) is not born, and It does not die; nor is it ever that this One having been nonexistent becomes existent again. This One is birthless, eternal, undecaying, ancient; It is not killed when the body is killed.” - Gita Ch. 2 Verse 20
The second verse related to reincarnation states “As after rejecting (discarding) worn-out clothes a man takes up other new ones (clothes), likewise after rejecting worn-out bodies the embodied one (soul) duly attains new ones.” -Gita Ch.2 Verse 22. As if when the body is worn and grow as much as it can, the soul moves on.
The third verse discusses that fact the reincarnation is a certainty.
Hinduism as a similar belief the only difference seems to be for you to reincarnate you have to go down a very long tunnel to do so. Like christianity islam also has a hell. Heaven has seven different levels the higher the level the better you were, hell also has seven levels the lower the level the worse you were in the afterlife. To be honest I really don’t believe in the afterlife I think once when you die nothing happens after that.My belief has both pros and cons the pros being to live life to the fullest because there I think there is no afterlife I am not going to have another chance. The main con of my belief is that I will never see anyone of my dead friends or family in another
Sophocles play titled Antigone, embellishes the opposing conflicts between Antigone who stands for the values of family, and Creon who stands for the values of state. Sophocles explores the depths of Antigone’s morality and the duty based on consequence throughout the play, as well as the practical consequences of Creon who is passionate and close-minded. Although Antigone’s moral decisions appear to be more logical and favorable than Creon’s, a personal argument would be that both characters’ decisions in society can be equally justified.
In Greek society following the king's rule and laws put forth was commenced and even expected however adhering to one's family and most importantly the gods is a compulsory act. By contrasting the notions of the two sisters- Antigone and Ismene- as both give importance to family- Antigone follows her dedication to her bloodline, while Ismene favors obeying authority. Antigone does not falter with her actions even when Ismene firmly argues against her stating: “Bury him! You have just said the new law forbids it.” Antigone: “He is my brother. And he is your brother, too.” (PAGE NUMBER) Antigone is determined to honor her family member although he was considered a traitor to Thebes- overlooking the King and the laws set forth. She outshines her sister, as she remains unyielding even
Although both sisters have lost their brothers, Antigone is the only one who will go against her king to do what she knows is right. When Antigone asks her sister if she will help her bury their brother Polyneices, Ismene responds with, “We are only women; we cannot fight with men, Antigone! The law is strong; we must give into the law…” (Ismene 774). Naturally, Ismene should be afraid for herself, as well for the safety of her sister because what Antigone is asking of her will mostly likely cause them both to be killed. However, she should be braver like Antigone, and realize that she must do what is morally right for their family, and give her brother the proper burial that he deserves. Afterward, when Antigone has already been captured, Ismene then comes forth to try and share the punishment that has been given to Antigone, but Antigone tells King Creon that she has done nothing. In addition, when Creon asks Ismene if she had anything to do with the crime, and Antigone denies it, Ismene then replies, “But now I know what you meant; and I am here to join you, to take my share of punishment” (Ismene 785). Although now Ismene feels like she needs to stand up to the King and do what is right for her
Hindus believe that when a soul expires, it acquires rebirth in a new body. This cycle is called samsara. To be set free from the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth one must discover their true nature in order to be with the Brahman in Nirvana. In figure G a picture of a Cambodian statue of the A.D. 900 of Brahma meditating is presented. Nirvana is a state where pain, worry and the outer world do not exist. When a person in Hindu religion has bad Karma, they must take rebirth multiple times. The sacred source of all existence is divided among three gods. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver, and Shiva is the destroyer. All three contribute to a person’s life and death and afterlife. In figure H a picture of a Vishnu sculpture is shown, and in figure I a picture of a sculpture of Shiva is
The concept of reincarnation is related to karma, karma deals with a system of rewards and punishment based on the actions of the individual (Oxtopy & Segal 266). Due to bad karma by the individual, it takes many lifetimes for the karma to be worked out; reincarnation also known as samsara in Hinduism is an ongoing cycle of death and rebirth. To be released from the cycle of samsara, to achieve moksha one must reach enlightenment (Oxtopy & Segal 266-267). In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna, an incarnation of the ultimate deity as a personal god in the Hindu religion, explains three ways to moksha: the way of action, the way of knowledge, and the way of devotion. The Gita also made it clear that one should strive for moksha in everyday of our life as long as we act without attachment (Oxtopy & Segal 274). Reincarnation a concept widely receive by Hindu’s around the world, there are evidence to support the truth of this concept.
In Antigone, by Sophocles, which centrals around themes such as bravery in the face of death, civil unrest, and unyielding dedication to divine justice, it is easy to understand why Ismene’s character is often called cowardly, docile, and indecisive. However, this view of her undercuts the most basic facet of her personality, the one which is absent in Antigone — a will to live. With this in mind, Ismene’s personality is far one-dimensional, as there are are certain traits she needed to embody in order to survive. She endured her tragic upbringing through rational thought and an optimism that others will do the same, all the while keeping her love for her unfortunate family intact. Though not fearless in the face of death, Ismene is a sympathetic character whose rationality, optimism, and loyalty are not to be underrated.
In Sophocles’ Antigone, the opposing sides of two moral rights are pitted against each other and are examined. King Creon holds the power of human law and reasoning supreme, while Antigone looks to the divine decrees of the gods to be of greatest truth. They both traverse the play remaining one-sided and blinded in their views and even become cold to the idea of the opposing view. Yet they each maintain certain moral virtues they are mounted in, which are true and righteous in their own respect. Although they are both justified, and there are instances and certain considerations to the facts in which one is more justified than the other, I argue that Antigone is more just in her beliefs simply from her actions and how she carries herself throughout
“Like bubbles that form on the bottom of the boiling teakettle, they make their way through the water (universe) until they break free into the limitless atmosphere of illumination (liberation).” (Huston Smith) Reincarnation is what allows Hindu’s the chance to experience life, over and over again. Until we finally get it right. “Karma decrees that every decision must have its its determinate consequences, but the decisions themselves are, in the last analysis, freely arrived at.” (Huston Smith) Who someone is and what they do in this life directly reflect what they will be in their next life. If they do something bad in this lifetime, they will be reincarnated as something at a lower level than they originated from. To live their life in a completed way, moving on to a better life in the next reincarnation, they need to perform their duty, or dharma, in the fullest way they possibly can. Reincarnation applies to everyone, not just Hindus. If someone was born a Hindu in one lifetime, there is no assurance that they will be born a Hindu the next. If they’re a Christian in one lifetime, they could be a Muslim the next. It doesn’t matter where they came from, where they 're going, or where they hope to be, they have absolutely no say in what life they’ll get next. They have no recollection of their past life, but their soul will know what it needs to do. People’s souls will learn from each reincarnation, that will allow them to make the best of the next one, until they finally complete their dharma. Hindu’s have a cast system that determines your dharma, and this allows people to have a better life the next time around. People cannot move up in the cast system without completing their dharma, and you cannot move on without reincarnating. The further up they are in the cast system, the closer they are to God, and the closer they are to finding their Atman. This is another way
Imagine people used to be animals. That person can be huge like an eagle, an elephant, or they can be tiny like a worm or a ladybug or something neat. When people die, their souls can be reincarnated so they can be anything that they have. The neat point about reincarnation is that person or a group of people can be anything. Cool right? Reincarnation is major to both Hinduism and Buddhism because it helps with Moksha for Hindus and Nirvana for buds.
Throughout the play we see Antigone’s devotion to tradition and family. In her conversation with her sister, Ismene, she says, “You may do as you like, / Since apparently the laws of the gods mean nothing to you” (Prologue. 60-61). She does not fear the consequences of her actions, even if her uncle’s law forbids her to. As we read the play, we learn what kind of character she is. She is a kind hearted, stubborn, and headstrong woman; “Like father, like daughter: both headstrong, deaf to / reason! / She has never learned to yield” (2. 75-76), and when Creon says, “The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron / Cracks first, and the wildest horses bend their necks / At the pull of the small...
Christians, for example, believe that souls that have lived by the words of their God will exist eternally in heaven as divine beings themselves. This conception of an afterlife is generally what we people who are residents of the Unitied States hold to be true. For American culture has its roots in Europe and European culture was and is still influenced by Christian faiths. Similar to Christianity, the Hinduism also eases the fear of death by presenting a life after death. Disimilarities present themselves in the two faiths concerning exactly what kind of afterlife is lived. Believers of the Hindu faith expect to be reincarnated after their demise, either as an animal or human being depending on the manner in which their lives were carried out.
Striving to please the gods and reach the state of Nirvana. By achieving this, Hindus are able to be reborn or reincarnated into a higher class. Being reincarnated into a higher class is something to strive for as you become a better version of yourself in a new life. In Hinduism, heaven and hell do not exist, instead people who practice this believe they are reborn based on what is accomplished in life.
Experts are people who have learned to reflect on their own thoughts while reading. They can read something and simultaneously think about aspects of their life than are relatable. Being able to do this makes life and thinking less cluttered and clearer. I struggle with this. Unless the reading is something I care deeply about. I find myself thinking solely about the content and what I’m expected to take from it. I don’t want to spend unnecessary time reflecting on what I read. I want to get the assignment done and move on.
The one aspect or belief in Hinduism that I have identified that clearly shows this is the idea of moksha. Moksha is the ultimate goal of Buddhism or is ultimate reality in a form beyond human. This ideology obviously fits well into their belief system including a path though belief systems and mindsets in life. Rebirth, hopefully in a greater for allows Hindus to get closer to this ultimate reality in which is is is. Though confusing, this statement is a mindset that only true Hindus who are close to moksha understand fully and implement fully into their lives. The path that moksha represents really allows Hindus to, in my opinion, live a life of meaning, purpose, and