Hindu Concepts

H.C. & A.H.

 ATMAN
Atman means eternal self. Your spirit and soul define you
and are your entire presence. In Hinduism your spirit and
self is referred to as Atman. Your underlying existence and
aura are indicated by your atman or soul. The illuminated
ideas of Atman is that your true self is spiritual.
Hinduism and Atman emphasizes on the detachment of self
and asceticism-- severe self-discipline and avoidance of
all forms of indulgence-typically for religious reasons.
But, when thought through, living with asceticism could be
just a step on the path to peace, but first one must realize
atman and how that pertains to their eternal being.
 DHARMA
Dharma means duty, virtue, morality, and
religion. It refers to a grand power that
holds up the universe and can refer to a
single person's role in society, and to a
society's role in the universe. Similar to how
different people have different jobs and
situations in their life based on who they are,
dharma is particular and controls specifics
while also having broad and universal power.
So depending on someones situation in life,
the way one person acts virtuously could be
different from what another person does to
act virtuous.
VARNA
The first form of Varna is combined
with Ashrama and Dharma. Dharma
being a specific role or duty in
something larger. And ashrama
basically consists of four life stages:
Brahmacharya(student),
Grihastha(householder),
Vanaprastha(retired), and
Sannyasa(renunciation.) Varna is the
social class that is involved with
Hinduism.
KARMA AND SAMSARA
Karma: Every action has an equal reaction. You eat
your brothers cookie, then your brother drinks your
glass of orange juice the next morning. You give
flowers to your best friend for their birthday, your
best friend will give you fifty dollars for your
birthday the next year. Thus, good and harmonious
actions will come with good and harmonious
reactions. Therefore, bad actions that go against
Dharma will have a negative effect on your life. In
Hinduism, Karma occurs in every human and spiritual
life time. It occurs in your physical life and it occurs
within atman as well which as your spiritual being.
Karma is a sanskrit word literally translating to
action.
PURUSHARTHA
Purushartha is the idea that a person
always has certain goals to reach for
that depend on their current situation in
life. The main three goals are virtuous
living (dharma), profit or worldly
success, pleasure, and liberation
(moksha). It is also believed that each
person has different desires but each
are legitimate in their own way for
where the person is at in life.
BRAHMAN AND GOD
Brahman is similar to the idea of God. It
refers to a power beyond the universe
that supports everything and holds
everything together. Hindus do not
worship Brahman but they believe it is an
important part of the universe. Some
Hindus believe this great power is
associated with the self (atman). Others
believe it is a distinct power from the self.
GURU
It is very common for someone to here
themselves called a guru. Then they
wonder why they are being called that
and what it even means. Well if you put
two and two together then guru is a
term for master or teacher of tradition.
Most times when a tribe or town has
named a specific guru, that person is
usually very wise, and traditionally the
most learned and knowledgeable. A guru
is someone who has naturally mastered
the teachings of a certain religion.