Hinduism Flashcards
Hindu Goals for Living
• moksha (liberation)
• dharma (righteousness)
• kama (pleasure/desire)
• artha (wealth)
Moksha - goal for living
• liberation - freeing the soul
• no more return to the cycle of rebirth, bliss
• highest objective of human-life/ highest aim, but comes from following the others
dharma - goals for living
• doing your duties as a son, daughter, parent, employee
• choosing right and good things
• upholds society
• most important in life
• universal balance
• regulates artha and kama (so they are not misused)
Kama (desire/pleasure)
• pleasure of life
• food
• sexuality
• sport
• bodily enjoyment
Artha (wealth)
• successes of life
• working efficiently, achieving, promotion, making money morally
• using wealth to help others
• moral and social success
Dharma definition
Translated to duty or righteousness, the meaning of the term is to ‘behave appropriately for your essential nature’
Dharma facts
• living and non-living should fulfil their dharma
• always results in victories
• ‘to hold or support’ scripture
• ecological balance, food chain, planet alignment
• important we fulfil our dharma
• humans have special traits
Adharma
• opposite of dharma (not doing your dharma)
• force of evil - causes imbalance
Sanatana dharma meaning
Universal order
Four goals of life in Hinduism (translated)
• purushartha
Vanashramadharma broken down
Varna = the Hindu community or group that someone is born into.
Ashrama - the stage of life that the Hindu is in, e.g. student or retirement
• dharma - your duties
What are the four ashramas?
• student
• householder
• retirement
• renunciation
Student ashrama
• a time of education in preparation for family life, a profession, for religious duties or other responsibilities
• they can get good karma by:
• celibacy
• studying
• respect
• develop skills to earn a living
• leaving family home - traditionally only boys, live with a guru
• yoga
• study scriptures
• science
• art
Householder ashrama
• marked by wedding ceremony
• Hindu will marry and raise a family, earn a living and contribute to the community
• acquire wealth
• fulfill desires
• under guidance of dharma
• start family
• provide financial support
Retirement ashrama
• Hindu will begin to withdraw from buisness and household responsibilities to spend more time in meditation and prayer
• detachment from traditional life
• focus on making spiritual progress
• give up job
• give up household responsibilities
• advisory role with family
• mediation, contemplation, pilgrimage
Renunciation ashrama
• Hindu turns away from the world completely to become as close as possible to God.
• break all ties with family and friends and renounce all property/wealth
• how to get good karma:
• giving up all worldly ties and possessions
• giving up money
• pilgrimage in prayer
• meditation
• studying holy texts
• commit themselves to being at service to mankind
• teach other about sacred texts, teach life lessons
What does the Rig Veda say about society?
• described as if a human body
• teachers and priests are like the head
• warriors and leaders are like the upper body
• merchants, traders and farmers are like the legs
• manual workers and labourers are like the feet
Could be interpreted as showing that all humans depend on each other in one body. However, it has sometimes been used to justify unequal treatment or deny the rights of the ‘lower castes’
Brahmins
• thinkers - the head
• priests, teachers, doctors
• must understand the scriptures
• set a moral example to others
• considered the purest