Death in Hinduism
While examining different religious paths within Hinduism from the perspective of four patterns of transcendence (ancestral, cultural, mythical and experiential) it is interesting to see how each pattern found its dominance over four segments of Hinduism: Vedic sacrifice, the way of action, the way of devotion and the way of knowledge. When Hinduism originated as a religion it was mainly concerned with sacrifices for ancestors. The sacred texts - called the Vedas - on which Hinduism was based were the main root of the many different branches of Hindu philosophy. The Vedas originated around 1400-1200 BC. They consisted of several different documents, the oldest of them called the Rigveda. The Rigveda is considered to be the foundation of Brahmanic Hinduism. The main body of Rigveda's text contains mostly hymns dedicated to the ancient Hindu gods. The second text of Vedas is called the Yajurveda. It was written in 1200 BC. The main themes of Yajurveda are the sacred formulas recited by Brahmin priests during the performance of sacrifices. The third book of Vedas, Samveda (1100 BC), was also known as the Veda of chants. In its essence Samveda was an anthology of Rigveda writings. The last Veda is the Arthaveda (1200 BC).It co
Philosophy portrayed in Upanishads' implies that one can gain liberation by discovering the true Self. To do so is to follow the way of knowledge. Ignorance of Brahman was understood to be the cause for the endless cycle of birth, life and death. Chidester, David. Patterns Of Transcendence. 5 identify Brahman in very act of consciousness. By denying Brahman, one would be denying his/hers own existence. Hindu philosopher Sankara commented: "The existence of Brahman is known from the fact that it is the Self of everyone. Everyone is aware of the existence of his own Self. No one thinks 'I am not'"(Commentary on The Vedanta Sutras, I,1/1),(Berry 1967,p26)). With time "the way of action" philosophy became less satisfactory for its followers, since it seemed to lack the total liberation from the infinite cycle of death and rebirth. Robert, Lingat. The Classic Low Of India.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Self Atman, Yama Indian, Self- Atman, Veda Arthaveda, India Space, Vishnu Krishna, Ignorance Brahman, Uddalaka Svetaketu, Brahmanic Hinduism, Brahman Upanishads, death rebirth, ultimate reality, kingdom yama, hindu religion, realm maya, liberation realm maya, total liberation, philosophies india, consciousness awakened, dreamless sleep, gross body, cycle death rebirth, salt water taste, manifestation ultimate reality,
Approximate Word count = 2083
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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