Human life - samsara, karma, moksha

• Key terms connected with the Hindu philosophy of life


  • samsara
  • karma
  • moksha
• samsara


  A continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth
• transmigration


  The movement of the atman (soul) from one body to another
• moksha


  The ultimate goal of human life; liberation from the cycle of rebirth; salvation
• salvation


  In Hinduism, saving the soul from rebirth; union with God
• karma


  Destiny; consequences of one's actions; fate; the total of good and bad actions and reactions
• dharma


  Duty or path in life
• meditate


  To pray by being still and focusing the mind on God
• selflessness


  To act for others without thinking about what you will get out of it
• Samsara


  Hindus believe that their current life is just one of many lives they have already led and will lead in the future
• Samsara


  1. Birth

  2. Death

  3. Rebirth
• Atman


  The soul that is reborn in a new body
• Transmigration


  The transferring of the atman into a new body
• Reincarnation


  The taking on of a new body
• Bhagavad Gita 2:22: ''Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so the soul casts off worn out bodies and enters others that are new''
• Karma


  The law of cause and effect, i.e. actions have consequences
• Hindus believe in freewill, therefore they decide their own path. They have a moral responsibility to make right decisions.
• Good actions


  Rebirth into a pleasant life
• Negative or immoral actions


  Rebirth into a life full of suffering
• Moksha


  The release from the constant cycle of rebirth
• Puruṣārtha - Four proper aims or goals in Hindu life


  • Moksha
• Moksha


  The reuniting of the atman with Brahman
• Moksha is difficult to comprehend as it is nothing like anything we have experienced before. There is no suffering of any kind. Many believe it will involve everlasting bliss and inner peace.
• Bhakti


  Devotion or worship, a way to achieve Moksha
• Moksha can take thousands or even millions of lifetimes to achieve
• Moksha (liberation while alive)


  An epistemological transformation that permits one to see the truth and reality behind the fog of ignorance
• Advaita Vedanta


  The true self, Atman, is the same as the highest metaphysical Reality (Brahman)
• Dvaita Vedanta


  God and the individual souls exist as independent realities, and these are distinct
• When the atman reaches liberation and returns to Brahman, it always remains separate. It can never be totally the same as Brahman because Brahman is supreme, beyond human understanding and complete.
• Atman


  Merges into Brahman but always remains separate, like a green bird merging into greenery
• Gajendra Moksha


  Example of a soul being saved by God's grace
• Human effort such as good conduct, knowledge, detachment and devotion to God are all ways to achieved Moksha as well as God's grace
• Main types of yoga


  • jnana yoga
  • bhakti yoga
  • raja yoga
  • karma yoga
• Hindus undertake forms of yoga or meditation to help them to connect with Brahman