Religious Traditions

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that Hinduism grew up around a collection of different traditions and stories, and as such has many sacred elements. The writer discusses five elements that are the most fundamental and characterize the Hindu tradition, those of dharma, samsara, karma, moksha and yogas. The writer maintains that these five influence every aspect of Hindu life, as they represent the Hindu's understanding of the nature of the universe, the nature of life, the goals that a soul must have, and the pathways to achieve these goals. The writer concludes that the five sacred elements of dharma, samsara, karma, moksha and yogas combine to outline the Hindu understanding of the nature of the world, the goal of Hinduism and the path taken to reach that goal. Most of Hinduism's daily rituals, activities and traditions derive from these sacred beliefs.

From the Paper:

"This is a key difference between Hindu tradition and many other religions in that because of dharmic law, Hindus believe that the keys to eternal bliss are here on Earth. The concept of dharma has a counterpoint in adharma, which includes intoxication, pride and contact.
"Samsara is the cycle of life, death and rebirth. This cycle is at the foundation of Hindu belief about the nature of the universe, and much of the faith is derived from this sacred element. The cycle of life, death and rebirth is endless, and driven by karma. The ultimate objective for a Hindu is to exit this cycle. To be trapped in this cycle is therefore undesirable, as it means that one does not understand one's true self. That lack of understanding traps one in the phenomenal world, in the cycle of samsara."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Das, Subhamoy. (2008). What is Dharma? About.com. Retrieved June 27, 2008 from http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/a/dharma.htm
• No author. (2004). Reincarnation and Samsara. The Heart of Hinduism. Retrieved June 27, 2008 from http://hinduism.iskcon.com/concepts/102.htm
• No author. (2007). Karma. Hindu Dharma. Retrieved June 27, 2008 from http://hindudharma.wikidot.com/karma
• No author. (2004). Moksha: Liberation/Salvation. The Heart of Hinduism. Retrieved June 27, 2008 from http://hinduism.iskcon.com/concepts/106.htm
• No author. (2004). Introduction: Four Main Paths. The Heart of Hinduism. Retrieved June 27, 2008 from http://hinduism.iskcon.com/practice/index.htm

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