Personal virtue , free will and suffering

• Hindu beliefs on free will and moral responsibility

  • Hindus know they have free will to decide their path in life
  • Hindus have a moral responsibility to do good things rather than bad things 
  • Karma means that these actions are judged by an absolute and inescapable moral law
• Personal virtues included in a Hindu's dharma (duty)

  • Ahimsa (non violence) - Hindus need to respect all living things so that they do not inflict pain on others 
  • Mind / Sense control - Hindus need to focus on what is important and spiritual 
  • Humility - Hindus need to do things for the right reasons , not to look good or important 
  • Showing love to others - Hindus need to care for people with kindness and compassion
• The four aims of human life

  • Dharma - A Hindus path in life and the duties they should expect to do to live life according to the divine plan 
  • Artha - Earning a living lawfully (Hindus can enjoy wealth as long as its gained in a morally correct way) 
  • Kama - Enjoying the pleasures of life responsibly, creating a well balanced character 
  • Moksha - liberation from the repeated cycle of birth , death and rebirth
• Hindu beliefs on where suffering comes from

  • Hindus believe some suffering occurs as a result of all the bad karma from people’s previous lives 
  • They believe that other suffering occurs as a result of ‘moral evil’ - the bad things that people do
• Hindu beliefs on how to end suffering

  • Hindus try to break free from suffering in this world and reach moksha , where there is no suffering 
  • They believe it is part of their dharma to relieve the suffering of others
• Hindu beliefs on causing suffering

  • Hindus should never deliberately cause someone to suffer and most Hindus extend this idea to animals as well as Humans 
  • Hindus believe people cause more suffering when they are ignorant of their relationship with the the world and God 
  • Knowledge of these things , including their karma , can help reduce this