6 Concepts About Hindu Philosophy You Must Know
This article explores some fundamental concepts of Hinduism and makes them easier to understand.
Hinduism is as much a religion as a way of life.
Considered to be the oldest religion in the world, it includes a range of different philosophies, concepts, beliefs, and rituals.
While Hinduism is an umbrella for a variety of ideas and there is no one governing body or binding text or unquestionable rules, there are some concepts that can be considered central to its philosophy.
This article explores those fundamental concepts of Hinduism and makes them easier to understand.
In what follows, we shall look at concepts like Brahman, dharma, karma, moksha, samsara, and atman.
So, let’s begin.
What is Brahman in Hinduism?
The word Brahman in Sanskrit translates to “the Great, the Supreme” and comes from the root word ‘brh’, which means to grow or to expand. Brahman is integral to the understanding of existence in Hinduism and it is believed that everything that exists has in it, the essence of Brahman. It is the source of everything there is in the universe and it is also what sustains creation.
The creation of the universe, its sustenance, and its ultimate destruction are all attributed to Brahman.
However, Brahman is not worshipped as a god or goddess.
Instead, it becomes something that a spiritual seeker, looking for answers to questions like the nature of reality, meditates on.
In defining Brahman, if one attributes to it the quality of “being”, it means giving it some definition, which is not possible as Brahman is a whole. If one defines it as “not being”, it means that there is a denial, which again is not true.
Hence, in the Brhadaranyakopanisad, it is said that there is only one way to describe Brahman, which is by describing it negatively as “neti, neti” – not this, not that.
What is Dharma in Hinduism?
A fundamental concept in Hinduism is Dharma.
Hinduism lays down four goals of life that are worthy of pursuit, dharma being the first of them.
Dharma refers to the recognition, adherence, and reverence towards the orders of life. Though there is no exact translation of the word, it can be understood as a code of conduct, duty, or virtue.
In that sense, it is the goal of righteousness or following the religious life.
In Hinduism, there are two paths in life to choose from, the first one being that of dharma and the other, its opposite, which is that of adharma.
The dharmic path is one that is congruent and conforms with that which is “the truth”, and the adharmic path is one that is in contradiction or disharmony with “the truth”.
The ultimate aim for a Hindu is spiritual liberation, which can only be attained if one stays on the path of dharma.
What is karma in Hinduism?
Karma comes from a Sanskrit word that can be translated as ‘to work’ or ‘to act’. Karma, therefore, is all action in terms of thoughts, words, and deeds. The law of karma developed during the period of the Upanishads states that one’s actions have consequences that get manifested in this life, or the next, in one’s subsequent rebirths.
Hinduism believes that the whole world is subject to the law of karma, broadly meaning that there is a system of justice, through which every action will have its corresponding outcome, either good or bad.
Some ways to earn good karma, as laid down in Hinduism, is through selfless action, doing good to others, and performing one’s duties.
The concept of karma is also a pointer, something that shows the way to how a person ought to navigate through life, the ultimate goal being that of liberation and enlightenment.
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What is moksha in Hinduism
Moksha is the ultimate goal in Hinduism, that of liberation or complete freedom from suffering and the cycle of birth and death.
On achieving moksha, one gets free from the repetitive process of being born, doing karma, and dying. In other words, the cycle of karma comes to an end.
The Bhagavad Gita talks about three paths to attain moksha:
- Jnana yoga or the yoga of knowledge
- Karma yoga or the yoga of selfless action
- And Bhakti yoga or the yoga of devotion
One needs to make conscious and dedicated efforts to attain moksha.
It does not come by itself…
Hinduism lays down many paths to achieve the goal of moksha, other than the three kinds of yoga mentioned above.
Some of these paths are self-surrender and the study of grammar.
The attainment of Moksha implies a set of specific desires:
- The desire to find the true self
- The desire to end ignorance and suffering
- And the desire to connect the individual self with the higher self.
What is samsara in Hinduism?
Samsara in Hinduism refers to the continuous cycle of birth and death. It is a Sanskrit word that can be translated as “to wander” or “to flow”.
Our karmic actions in this life and from our previous lifetimes result in samsara.
Being tied to this worldly existence and ignoring the presence of the true self and the higher self are also reasons that lead to samsara.
Karma and moksha are closely related concepts to samsara.
If karma is the cause, then samsara is the effect.
One of the causes of suffering in human existence is that of attachment.
Attachment to the world and the things that it offers can keep one in the constant cycle of birth and rebirth.
When karma or actions are aligned with dharma or one’s duties, those actions lead to moksha or liberation and enlightenment, and subsequently to the end of samsara.
What is atman in Hinduism?
Atman refers to the belief that there is an eternal soul that never dies and lives even after death. The nature of atman is that it is immortal, incorruptible, and eternal. Atman is the essence of life. It is omnipresent, independent of one’s actions, and always working.
With the feeling of loving devotion, it is possible to acknowledge and recognize that there is a God in the innermost core of oneself, thus, helping us break out from the cycle of joy and sorrow.
It also leads to the belief that there are no differences between any two beings and everything is a part of atman.
Atman can be understood as the soul or the spirit.
While Hinduism celebrates the idea of atman, saying that atman exists as self-evident truth, Buddhism denies the existence of a soul or a separate self and says that atman does not exist as self-evident.
Closing thoughts
There is much that we can learn from Hinduism.
Amongst other things, Hinduism can teach us flexibility as it holds space for a whole range of beliefs, feeling unity amidst diversity as it is really spread out but still being bound to developing good and healthy habits.
Want to know more about Hinduism? Watch this video here.