HINDU ETHICS

Introduction

 Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world and it also one of the most rich and diverse.
 There is no unified or common definition of Hinduism. It does not have a single founder and a
common doctrine. It as “a complex set of interrelationships among many sorts of people,
belief systems, and practices rather than a single uniformly structured, bureaucratically
organized, and centrally codified religion.

Hinduism -the merging of two ancient cultures, the Aryan and the Indus Valley which resulted in the
formation of the Indian civilization in the second millennium before the common era. It evolved from
ancient teachings and doctrines. Thus, no single founder of Hinduism. It now comprises several and
varied systems of philosophy, belief, rituals and practices.

 The ultimate goal of life is to attain Nirvana.

 This is attained when one is released or liberated from the earthly life or moksha.
 Samsara is the cycle of death and rebirth and one can attain a release from the samsara through
enlightenment.
 Enlightenment starts with the understanding that this world is an illusion or maya. Man should
not cling to this world as everything in this world is temporary.
 Human action is governed by a law which is Karma which states that good action results to
positive outcome, bad action result to bad outcome.

Nirvana and Moksha

 The basic Hindu teaching s that all living things are Brahman in their core. Enlightenment is
attained by becoming tuned in to the Brahman within. Only then can one reach Nirvana which
is the ultimate goal of life.
 Nirvana is the state of bliss when the soul is released from the seemingly endless cycle of
rebirths. The release from the wheel of life that allows access to Nirvana is known as “moksha.”
 The ultimate goal of life referred to as moksha, nirvana or samadhi, is understood in several
different ways.
o the realization of one's union with the divine the realization of one's eternal
relationship with the divine reality
o the realization of the unity of all existence
o the perfect unselfishness and knowledge of the Self
o the attainment of perfect mental peace the detachment from worldly desires.
 But in any case such a realization liberates one from samsara and ends the cycle of rebirth.

The Notion of Maya

 The Brahman as the cause of all things has a unique power (shakti) called “maya” The
Brahman manifests itself in the world with the help of Maya. The term “maya” means illusion.
  The world and the things in it come into existence due to the power of maya; but the world as a
creation of Maya is only an illusion.
 Only the Brahman is real and the world and the things we found here are just illusion.
 What does illusion mean? Illusion must not be interpreted as unreal or nonexistence; the
world as an illusion does not mean that it is unreal.
 The world is real because we can experience it but it is an illusion because Maya has created the
world as an appearance.
 In this sense the world is only an illusion. In Advaita Vedanta, this is illustrated with the help of
the famous “rope–snake” illustration.
 The world and the objects in the world is not the way they appear to us. The world appears as
an illusion.
 So the things in this world are neither ultimately real, nor wholly unreal; they are illusory.
 One should not cling to the objects in the world because they are only illusory or impermanent.
 The cause of clinging to the world of illusion is ignorance (Avidya)
 Avidya means not only absence of knowledge, but also erroneous knowledge.
 A man trapped in Avidyadoes not know what is real and thinks that the appearances are real.
An individual identifies himself with empirical self and equates his existence with the physical
body. Under the influence of Maya and Avidya, he dissociates himself from the Ultimate
Reality or Brahman and clings to the illusion.
 The freedom from bondage of ignorance is Moksha.
 When we realize the true nature of the world as Maya and reality of Atman and Brahman we
become free from the shackles of desires, aspirations, passions, karma and avidya.
 Moksha is to be attained here and now during this lifespan only. The goal of our life is moksha.

Karma and Samsara

 Samsara is the whole process of rebirth.

 Life is cyclic, with no clear beginning or end, and encompasses lives of perpetual, serial
attachments.
 Karma is the law that states that good begets good, and bad begets bad. Every action, thought,
or decision one makes has consequences –good or bad –that will return to each person in the
present life, or in one yet to come.
 In the “circle of life” each person experiences as series of physical births, deaths, and rebirths.
With good karma, a person can be reborn into a higher caste, or even to godhood.
 The life of an individual is shaped by a process of moral cause and effect which extends over
many lives. The results of past deeds, including those done in past lives, shape the present
lifetime.
 The actions generated by desire and appetite bind one’s spirit (jiva) to an endless series of births
and deaths.

The Paths to Liberation or Moksha

 Hinduism recognizes three possible paths to moksha, or salvation; they are methods (yogasor
margas) that sages have taught for reaching that goal.
  The first is the path of knowledge (jnanamargaor jnana yoga), study of the sacred texts and
contemplation of the soul’s oneness with Brahman.
 Salvation is achieved through attaining a state of consciousness in which we realize our identity
with Brahman. This is achieved through deep meditation, often as a part of the discipline of
yoga.
 The second is the path of devotion (bhaktimargaor bhakti yoga), loving surrender of the self to
God, often in the form of worshipful service of an individual deity.
 Devotion is an act of self-surrender to one of the many personal gods and goddesses of
Hinduism. Such devotion is expressed through acts of worship, temple rituals, and pilgrimages.
 The third is path of action (karmamargaor karma yoga) the way of good deeds, as well as
properly following religious ceremonies, traditions and ethical duties.
 Liberation may be obtained by fulfilling one’s familial and social duties thereby overcoming the
weight of bad karma one has accrued.

The Dharma

 Each human person has his dharma or duty.

 Dharma is understood a religious and moral law that governs one’s conduct and relates to the
ultimate end or purpose of life.
 There are two basic kinds of dharma: the dharma that applies to everyone (sadharanadharma)
and specific dharma (svadharma).
 The universal dharma emphasizes the goal of maintaining personal and universal equilibrium;
this is done by forming certain virtues like truthfulness, non-injury, and generosity.
 Specific dharma is doing the duties according to one’s class, status, and station in life.
 In traditional Hindu society there are four varnasor classes of people according to their status
and each class has its specific dharma or duty.
 Brahmins –these are the priests, teachers and preachers; their duty is to teach and lead.
 Kshatriyas - kings, governors, warriors and soldiers; their duty is to lead or govern and protect
the society.
 Vaishyas-cattle herders, agriculturists, businessmen, artisans and merchants; their duty is to
produce.
 Shudras -labourersand service providers; their duty is to serve and labor.
 In principle the behavior or action of the individual person is dictated by his respective
dharmasas member of a particular varna, particular caste, particular gender and stage in life.