Death The Soul example essay topic

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 im particular, 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 birth less, 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. "Since death of anyone born is certain, and of the dead (re-) birth is a certainty, therefore you ought not to grieve over an inevitable fact". Gita Ch.

2 Verse 27 The three most important gods look after this cycle of reincarnation. They are: Brahma, the Creator God, who is shown with four heads, its related to looking after life. Vishnu, the Preserver or Sustainer, who keeps things alive, looks after rebirth and Shiva, the Destroyer, who overseas decay, looks after death. These gods, each in their way, take care of the cycle of life, death and rebirth. All are equally important. Many Hindus have embraced the Bah'a'i Faith, recognising it as the revelation from God for this day, and as such, the fulfilment of their own spiritual heritage.

It is a branch of the Hindu faith. They believe there soul is imperishable and persists after the death of the body. Bah'a'is, however, do not believe that the soul reincarnates in another physical form, but rather that it continues on its spiritual journey in a non-material form. Bah'a'is believe that the soul comes into existence at conception. There purpose in life is to develop spiritual attributes - love, compassion, justice and so forth - to the best of their abilities, so that they may know true joy in this life and after death. In conclusion all Hindu believe the Soul doesn't perish in general they tend to believe in reincarnation there are small groups who believe different.

Bibliography

Hinduism: Origins, Beliefs, Practices, Holy Texts, Sacred Places ISBN: 0195221443 Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introduction S.
Kim Knott ISBN: 0192853872.