The individual
A Hindu鈥檚 beliefs can be directly linked to his or her actions. A Hindu鈥檚 life is influenced by the following beliefs.
Atman
The essence of a being. Can refer to body, mind or soul, depending on context, but usually indicates the soul that is reborn. means 鈥榚ternal self鈥 and is a very important concept in Hinduism. When a Hindu refers to the atman, they are referring to the immortal part of their self. This part of an individual is the part of them that will exist for eternity. This relates to the idea of The religious belief that existence is a cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth, and that the soul survives physical death and is reborn in a new body., which is also a key belief in Hinduism.
Samsara
Hindus believe in reincarnation, and they call this process In Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, this is the cycle of life, death and rebirth.. This is the belief that there is a cycle of rebirth of the soul. This occurs repeatedly. However, the actions of a person in their mortal life determine their incarnation (ie how they will be reborn) in the next.
Moksha
A Hindu鈥檚 ultimate goal in life is to reach Escape from the cycle of reincarnation. Term used in the Hindu religion. . Moksha means freedom from the cycle of samsara. Hinduism teaches that a Hindu's actions in this life has a direct impact on what happens when they die. If they manage to overcome ignorance and desire, they may achieve moksha when they die and therefore reach the end of the cycle of samsara.
It is important to note that Hindus must not desire moksha itself. In order to overcome desire and achieve moksha, Hindus must also overcome the desire for moksha.
Karma
Actions, and the consequences of actions. An important concept in Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. is the belief that all actions have a reaction. This is directly linked to the belief in samsara. Good actions have positive karma and negative actions have negative karma. Hindus鈥 belief in karma means they believe that their good actions will allow them to have a good mortal life. Leading a good mortal life is another way Hindus can increase their chance of achieving moksha.
Brahman
When a Hindu is attempting to achieve moksha, they are attempting to achieve becoming one with In Hindu belief, the absolute reality that is the true essence of all existence, God.. Hinduism teaches that Brahman is part of all living things. Brahman is all creation and an unchanging ultimate reality:
Thus does the man who desires [stays in the cycle of samsara]. But as to the man who does not desire 鈥 who is without desire, who is freed from desire, whose desire is satisfied, whose only object of desire is the Self 鈥 his organs do not depart. Being Brahman, he merges in Brahman.
Hindus understand the Birhadaranayaka Upanishad as the source of wisdom concerned with the nature of God and the self. Once a person has achieved moksha, the cycle of samsara ends and many Hindus believe that they become Brahman. It is believed that, at this point, the person 鈥榤erges in Brahman鈥.
Question
What is reincarnation?
Reincarnation is the belief that the soul of a person is reborn into another body after they die.