Introduction
As one of the oldest religions in the world, Hinduism encompasses diverse and unique spiritual expressions within Indian traditions. It is pervasive in the regions of the Indus Valley Civilization and shares standard features with distinct religions such as Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. The world order in Hinduism addresses duty, ethics, and desires, prioritizing self-realization and its ultimate purpose: liberating individuals and enabling them to reach moksha.
Hinduism Concepts
Atman and Brahman are two distinct concepts: the former refers to the self or soul, and the latter to the ultimate reality. Their relationship is eternal, as the world was created from the Brahman, existing beyond space and time and willing to project the universe out of himself, described as That Art Thou (Fisher 77). This infinite relation of atman to Brahman justifies the necessity to merge the two states into their transcendent form to reach satisfaction (Fisher 77). This association among critical Hindu terms underscores the importance of understanding atman and Brahman for the ultimate goal of religion.
The central underpinning of Hinduism relates to its attitude toward life forms. The followers believe that all life forms have a soul and that each self reincarnates or reborns several times due to samsara, appearing in different forms, such as animals or insects (Fisher 77). The better the soul’s karma or the good deeds they have, the more chances they receive to be reborn as a human. However, if the soul exhausts negative karma while being human, it reincarnates into an animal’s body the next time.
Although it is desirable to achieve higher life forms, the ultimate goal for Hinduism is to escape this endless cycle of reincarnations and reach moksha – the liberation from cycles, space, time, and matter by merging with the Universe (Fisher 101). To achieve this, Hindus practice karma, bhakti, jnana, or raja yoga, each having distinct principles of meditation, duties, and mental discipline to purify the mind (Fisher 79). The more they concentrate on freeing themselves from material matters, the better they control their minds and achieve higher states of consciousness.
Conclusion
To conclude, Hinduism incorporates several critical terms, such as atman and Brahman, that are inextricably linked. The philosophy behind these concepts is to identify their sameness and practice meditations to realize both while achieving purity, wisdom, and balance. Although followers pursue reincarnation in higher life forms, their ultimate goal is distinct. Eventually, Hindus liberate themselves from samsara and reach moksha after being reincarnated in different life forms.
Work Cited
Fisher, Mary Pat. “Hinduism.” Living Religions, Pearson, 2014, pp. 71-120.