History
Scholars are of the belief that Hinduism began before 2000 B.C.E during the rising of civilization in the Indus Valley although adherents have always argued that the faith has always been in existence. Hindus believe firmly that there is a cycle of creation and destruction in all things and further that God is the creator and destroyer in many kinds (Hinduism, 2016). The Hindu gods entail manifestations of this main God because he bears all existence. The faith believes in Karma as a force in spirit binding his soul through the actions of a person continuous in regards to the life of one through the next via reincarnation.
Mythology and Functions of one Hindu god or goddess
Hinduism has three main gods namely Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma is the creator and Vishnu is the preserver while Shiva is the god that destroyer thus the destroyer. The primary responsibility of Vishnu is to maintain the world lest Shiva destroys it. Brahma has four heads although it initially had five (Hinduism, 2016). Children in Hinduism are often named after emotions of Brahma such as anger and green. Vishnu, on the other hand, appears as a black and blue portrait with four arms and is used for worship.
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Role of Sacred Texts in Hinduism
The sacred texts of Hinduism are found in one of the two primary categories of the faith that include sruti that means heard and smruti that means remembered (Molloy, 2013). The scriptures of sruti have divine inspiration and are fully and totally authoritative (Hinduism, 2016). Smruti, on the other hand, entail the products of the minds of great sages. The Sruti scriptures are the primary doctrines by which the Hindus live by because they dictate the manner in which the people should live in accordance to the ways of the gods. Smruti gives guidance where people fail to find way and serves the purpose of shoving them in the right direction every time they go wrong. Smruti ensures they remember all that is demanded of them and that they act accordingly to rectify their mistakes. It is the fibre or rather the backbone upon which the entire religion rests because it provides the followers with the moral confines within which to live.
Concepts in Hinduism
Hinduism as a faith consists of key concepts that serve to enhance and further the belief among its members. The concepts include Dharma, Karma, Samsara, and Moksha. Dharma implies ethics and duties while Karma refers to the right course of action that entails destiny or fate that comes as a result of a cause (Hinduism, 2016). Samsara, on the other hand, refers to rebirth and Moksha is the liberation from the Samsara cycle. Moksha entails the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Samsara by verbiage means passing through or flowing on.
Hindu Moral Life
The Hindu philosophy insists that dharma provides the orderly laws that govern creation. It entails more than a set of physics laws but rather consists of religious and moral laws that harmoniously bind people (Hinduism, 2016). The key moral life of the Hindus is the act of living as an obligatory duty and chance for one to fulfil the requirements of creations and participate in the eternal dharma of God (Hinduism, 2016). Hindu tradition firmly insists that dharma that is the religious duty is the key aim of human life because it is the foundation upon which people gain wisdom and the discretion to pursue wealth and joy without compromising the opportunity of moksha.
Jainism
|
Core Beliefs |
Hinduism |
Jainism |
| 1. The Hindus believe much in deities or gods like Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva. Hindus believe that the above gods created, preserve and punish the universe and all the wrong doers in it. | 1. The Jains do not believe in a god that is almighty and that the universe in itself has more power that its laws | |
| 2. The Hindus allow the concept of violence because it has the potential of making one reach their enlighten | 2. The Jains do not offer animal sacrifices because they believe that there is value in all life | |
| 3. Hindus are of the belief that moksha or liberation rather occurs when a soul unites with the universal soul hence resulting in the eternal stay in the paradise of Vishnu or in Vaikunthdham. | 3. The Jains believe that moksha is nothing more than a universe with no activity and tranquil that is said to take place in Siddhabhumi. | |
| 4. Brahma is the creator of the universe and hence more powerful than anything else | 4. The universe is more powerful than any creator | |
| 5.Man has various duties in life that include Brahmana that associates with the study of Veda, Kshatriya that protects people and Vaisya that takes care of all business concerns | 5. Man is to conduct spiritual and righteous practice via virtue of non-possession and forming of a society that is free of exploitation |
Most important similarity and Difference
Similarity
The most important and evident similarity between Jainism and Hinduism is the adoption of beliefs in reincarnation and Karma. The beliefs are similar because they entail doing good to others and acting in a selfless way. The primary goal of these two religions is obtaining the highest level of existence. Both religions despite of their differences, stress the importance of a person to struggle in purifying their selves, act morally and do good to others (Molloy, 2013).
Difference
Perhaps the most important difference is that Jains do not believe in a creator of the universe while Hindus believe there is one creator of the universe. The Jains argue that natural forces created the universe as they acted in motion and that these forces continue to change. According to the Jains, these natural forces continuously change and as such, the universe is always changing hence its creation cannot be attributed to a constant god. Unlike the Hindus, the Jains are casted on the doctrines of science more than the spiritual belief in the creation of the universe.
Arguing against the statement
Ahimsa by definition is the doctrine of the Buddhist and Hindu that touches on refraining from harming a living being (Marriam-Webster, 2016). One that practices Ahimsa is gentle and harmless because it entails the act of restraining from any violent acts. Jains believe in being harmless to other human beings, and that includes oneself. Jains are firmly engulfed in the spiritual sense of having mercy and retribution in all one’s undertakings so as to avoid causing harm to any person.
The most critical concept of the Jains is achieving freedom of the spirit because they do not accept the ending of a life but rather understand the form of practice from the point of view of the Jains and within their context. Jains acknowledge life as a preparation for the liberation of the spirit from one’s body where the person chooses not to make more karma after their spirit has fully evolved (Molloy, 2013). The Jains do not value possessions and hence refrain from any attachments to them insisting that taking the life of one is effective and most esteemed via starvation of self.
References
Hinduism. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism
Merriam-Webster. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.merriam--webster.com/dictionary/religion
Molloy, M. (2013). Experiencing the world's religions: Tradition, challenge, and change. McGraw-Hill.
