Karma in Hinduism

Karma in hinduism:meaning, symbol, vs buddhism, vs jainism, rebirth, belief, death, importance,God, Moksha.

Index

Meaning

Karma means action and broadly it is classified as the principle of the Universe. This principle of the Universe is about cause and effect, action and reaction, and Hindus strongly believe in it. It is believed that karma cites the wholeness of actions and their connected reactions in this and previous birth, and this all decides our future.

Hindus accept the concept of appreciative belief in Karma. This process of rebirth is called samsara. In this cyclic process, there is no clear ending and beginning and encloses the life of serial and ever-lasting attachments.

Hinduism is the third most practiced religion in the world. It has followers all over the world. One thing that everyone catches in Hinduism is the concept of Karma. Karma is defined as the process of reincarnation in Hinduism. The people living in the west summarize karma according to the rule that what goes around comes around. It is not exactly incorrect as according to the third law of Newton, for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. That’s the real definition of Karma.

In Hinduism Karma is an active law existing from the beginning. The law of Karma defines that for everyone you will face an equal reaction. In Hinduism, the Law of Karma is also defined by the example of the garden. It symbolizes that if you plant wholesome seeds, you will be wholesome plants.

Symbol

Hinduism is filled with symbolism. Some say that no other religion knows to use the symbol as effectively as the Hindus. Most of these symbols represent teaching and philosophies. Some symbols that are frequently used in Hinduism are the lotus and conch. These symbols are similar to the symbols used in Buddhism.

In Hinduism, Karma is represented by Lotus. Lotus represents Asian traditions. A blooming lotus looks very beautiful. A blooming lotus is among the flowers that simultaneously carry inside it when it blooms. Seed is meant as cause and the flower effect. Karma Law is represented by a wheel. This wheel represents the ever-turning reincarnation and transmigration of the soul.

Vs Buddhism

Hinduism and Buddhism share a lot of terminologies with the same meaning but they differ in the interpretation of the same terms and concepts. The fundamental belief that connects Hinduism with Buddhism is continuity of life, sufferings, death, and re-birth. Both Hinduism and Buddhism believe that relief from karma can be secured but go after different paths to achieve success. In Hinduism, salvation from samsara is termed moksha whereas in Buddhism it is called nirvana.

Soul

One of the major differences between Hinduism and Buddhism is the belief or lack of belief in a soul. Hindus believe in the permanency of the soul and develop faith that the same soul is reincarnated again and again but differently in different humans. It is said that this cycle runs until Hindu yoga is practiced, and the reincarnated soul realizes that he is a Brahman.

In Buddhism, people don’t believe in the soul. Buddha rejects the concept of soul and rejects that soul is reincarnated in different living beings. But the energy of volatility and our responsiveness is reborn and dies in the cycle of karma. In Buddhism, accepting the Four Noble Truths and following the Eightfold Path is a way to attain liberation from karma.

It is an interesting thing that for the same concept different words are used in both religions. In Hinduism people speak of ‘reincarnation’ while in Buddhism the word ‘rebirth’ is used.

Rituals

Rituals have their prominent position in Hinduism. These rituals include singing devotional hymns and paying services to images. However, Buddhists are also engaged in practices like chanting but unlike Hinduism, these rituals are a reflection of their faith and devotion. Hindus follow these rituals to seek blessings and awareness whereas in Buddhism rituals are a way to ultimate enlightenment.

Vs jainism

The main difference between Hindus and Jain is their perspective of understanding the meaning of belief. Hindus believe in God and Jains believe that never needed to be created as it is eternal. The two ancient beliefs in the Hindu system are Hinduism and Jainism. At first look, you will both be similar to each other but they are different in reality.

Jainism is a religion with more than 200 million followers rooted in India. This religion was found in the 6th century B.C and its purpose was to protest against the practices of Hindus.

Similarities and Differences between Hinduism and Jainism are numerous results of thousands of years of contact with each other. One main belief that connects both religions is reincarnation. Both religions have strong faith in the cycle of rebirth, that a human being lives a new life after death in the previous life which is known as Karma. Both religions include a huge population of vegetarians and they both practice meditation.

Rebirth

Rebirth is a common belief in Hinduism. All the lives they believe in birth, life, death, and rebirth. Following this belief, it is described that the spirit remains alive and moves into the body of any living thing such as a human, plant, or animal. Once a human dies, his soul interacts with a different body and this interaction depends on its karma from previous birth. If a person did good deeds in his previous life, he will get something better than the previous in the new life. Good karma is destined for a person if he performs good deeds like helping others.

Belief

The key belief of Hindus in Karma is that it is a source of justice from supernatural powers through which actions conduct righteous corresponding outcomes within and across the lifetime. Karma is a basic principle of many religions and every religion describes it in a different social evaluation.

Death

Every religion has different rituals and beliefs regarding death and rituals followed by Hindus are of the oldest being practiced on Earth. A thread that differentiates Hindus from other religions is their death practices. Each person in Hinduism is predestined to samsara and karma that determines the period of each life and a particular form of rebirth. Hindus believe that although a man dies, his soul remains alive and wanders in different bodies until it reaches its true nature.

These souls survive in different bodies to get closer to Brahma. After death, Hindus cremate the dead body as they think it of a way to release their soul and help them in reincarnation so therefore they don’t preserve the body of their loved ones. The Hindu funeral services don’t continue more than 30 minutes, however; they can vary depending on the wishes of the deceased and family.

Importance

Karma serves great importance in two of the oldest religions Hinduism and Buddhism. Karma holds great importance in Hindu philosophy because of its two main functions. Firstly, karma motivates us to live a healthy, moral life. Secondly, it serves as the primary explanation of the existence of evil. The law of karma proves the justified nature of the Universe according to Hinduism. Souls are rewarded for their good and evil deeds.

God

Hindus are composed of five major gods. One of their gods is Brahman. They consider Brahman as the origin of existence, foundation, and cause of all existence. Hindus express their faith in Brahman in different ways. Brahman is one of the highest classes of Hindus.

They are believed to be born as kings, intellectuals, teachers (gurus or Acharya mainly), priests, protectors of sacred beliefs and values, and ayurvedic physicians. Hindus describe that a true Brahman has acquired it by birth but proved it through her noble action. He has gained extraordinary knowledge of worth. According to the Veda and Epics proclaim, there is no difference in the Brahminic state.

Moksha

The word Moksha has deep meaning in the Hindu religion. In Indian philosophy and religion moksha is defined as liberation and freedom from death and the cycle of rebirth. Moksha means privilege from freedom. This concept of liberation is widely shared in religions like Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism.

You might have heard people talking about karma, and their choices to come back in one way or another to affect their future. The concept of moksha can be seen in paintings of Hindus. In the painting, a scene describes that an elephant Gajendra experiences moksha. The elephant instead of focusing on the wounds given by the crocodile, paid attention to Vishnu who saved his life.

Different Hindi schools teach different perspectives of moksha. Some describe moksha as a release from the cycle of birth, death, and regular and rebirth while others view it as freedom from sufferings and pains from life on earth. It has been reported that you can get relief in this life without the need of leaving this group.

A simple step to follow is to free oneself from being negative about the world and focus on the knowledge of soul and universe. Moksha means connecting yourself with divine bliss. Achieving moksha, you can live a free life without worrying about birth and you find peace and unity with the Supreme. You feel relaxed and lose your ego.

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