Hinduism
Human Rights
Sacred texts
Beliefs/Teachings
Ethics
Rituals
Funeral (Death ritual)
Nature
Purpose: Assist in religious beliefs, to honour the deceased, support the family and assist with grieving
Of God: Brahma - universe; Vishnu preserves the universe; Shiva destroys the universe
Transcendence: God is beyond the earth
Immanence: God is within creation - care for all
Focus on Sacred Texts
Examples
Moksha
Karma
Samsara
reincarnation
Vedas: Wisdom
Upanishads: Spiritual master/the real self
Bhagavad Gita: poem explores good and evil; theory and practice
Aim of Hindu ethics: maintain order, balance, tolerance, purity and restraint.
Dharma: One's ethical duties (+cosmic duties)
Daily actions - ritual focus
Occasional actions - ritual actions
Optional actions
Prohibited actions eg. abortions
Humans are understood in a complex social matrix: involving class, caste, and gender. All of which will dictate how one is to behave.
Karmic consequences: personal behaviour and destiny; striving for harmony
Eco dharma - natural disasters result in bad karma
Social responsibility - the actions and intentions behind the actions have determinative consequences over one's future, in their lifetime and future rebirths.
The idea that people are reborn as either a human or another animal depending on one's Karma in the previous life.
Continuous cycle where the soul is reborn repeatedly according to the law of Karma
The atman is carried into a new physical body, which can be human or non-human
Refers to intentional (usually moral) actions that affect one's fortunes in this life and the next.
Moral energy of a particular moral act bears fruit automatically in next life, manifested in one's class, disposition, and character
Bad karma is accumulated by wrong actions and bind's a person's soul (atman) to the cycle of rebirth (samsara), leading misfortune in this life and poor conditions in the next.
Means salvation or liberation, to be released from Samsara and unite with Brahman.
Ultimate goal or purpose of life for Hindu's
Three ways to achieve Moksha
- Jnana Yoga
- Bhakti Toga
- Karma Yoga
Knowing Brahman: Knowing one's inner self at the deepest level and the atman (brahman). Requires self-abandonment of the individual self through yoga practice
The way of devotion: personal devotion to one God or Goddess to become spiritually close through divine grace
The way of action: renouncement of intentions and actions. Ideally not wish for reward for one's behaviour, not be shapes by fear of personal or social consequences. Overcoming attachment to ourselfves and own desires.
Step 1: The body is bathed and re-clothed in new garments by a relative. The corpse is placed on a Pyre made of sandalwood, saffron, musk, and camphor beside a river.
Step 2: The body is cremated, the flames purify the atman before it moves to next life. Reduction of the body to ash is symbolic of the transience of life. Ashes are collected and scatter into a river.
Antyesti: Funeral rites for the dead, meaning 'last sacrifice'
Core beliefs: The body is cremated, linking to reincarnation as the atman is passed form one body to the next
Cyclical Worldview: Samsara relates to the Hindu funeral as afterlife, the person experiences death and the Atman is re-entered into the Samsara cycle.
All actions have consequences and determine the quality of life
Achieve Moksha, the ultimate goal by following their dharma (duty)
Two Types of Dharma
- Sanatana - Sharma: Atman's never-ending propensity to serve God
- Vamashrama-dharma: duties of the individual, classified according to four divisions of labour (The Caste system and Dalit) and stage of life (Ashrama).
Dharma (duty) informed the Indian constitution and understanding of human rights
Dharma texts prescribe a person's duty and responsibilities in terms of gender, caste, and stage of life. Rather than seeing one set of human rights as the form for all, Dharma texts specify a person's responsibility and rights in a social context.
Svadharma: meaning collective identity
Daan and Punya: Compassion and help for others is highly cherished in Hinduism. This emulates from the Vedic phase Daan (charity) and is recognised as the most obvious way to earn Punya (merit). Karma underpins this; one accumulates good Karma by gaining merit.
Collective identity means that one is interacting with an extended family, caste, or even non-humans (focus on collective rights instead of individual rights).
Ultimate moral test in Hinduism: The promotion of welfare for all people (aligns with the ethical framework of teleology - consequences of actions instead of duty).
Dharma represents the closest parallel to UDHR rights