Sin &Forgiveness In Hinduism Essays - Spirituality, Forgiveness

Sin &Forgiveness In Hinduism Sin begins in the realm of consciousness. When we are young we are taught by our guardians that which is ?right? from that which is ?wrong?. We grow up with the understanding that stealing our playmate's toys or hitting our grandparents is wrong and therefore, a sin. As we mature the concept of sin begins to change; it is no longer quite so easy to define or to explain and its repercussions become much more severe than a grounding. Sin is a malicious act, intent-full, deliberate and harmful. An act is considered sinful when, though the perpetrator may gain some form of momentary satisfaction, the action inflicts harm to someone or something else. In reference to Hinduism, a sin is an immoral act; It is ungodly or unethical. The concept of ahimsa (to do or cause no harm) to a Hindu is very sacred and from childhood he is taught to respect and abide by this ideal. Therefore, any step towards dishonoring this paragon is a sin. The story of Svetaketu Aruneya offers a subtle definition of sin. The boy was so proud of himself for having learned the Vedas that his high opinion's of himself stood in the way of his most important lesson and understanding; that of faith. Here, Svetaketu's ego served as a maya and kept him from realizing moksha. Since it is the Hindu's ultimate goal to achieve moksha, all which stands as a barrier is a sin. In a Hindu's life there are different stages which he must pass through before he reaches the end of his life. Each stage is representative of different levels of learning, understanding and growth. Though sin (or rather its potential) is prevalent throughout the four stages, forgiveness becomes an extremely important factor towards reaching moksha. Forgiveness, for the Hindus, begins with self realization that one has sinned. Without this realization, forgiveness cannot begin. The moment this realization is reached the sinner begins his process of forgiveness through growing from his mistakes. Much like the Western traditional views of sin and forgiveness, a Hindu is bound to the same principles; he must consciously realize his sin and with a sincere heart, ask for forgiveness, both to the person he has sinned against and then to God. Shiva, the God of rebirth and destruction is revered by devout Hindu's as a God with a very hot and unpredictable temper, but also as a very forgiving and just God. The Gods of Hinduism hold no grudges against repenting sinners and thus, good Hindu's must not either. At the source of Hinduism lies transcendence. Not to forgive is a sin in itself for it furthers one from complete liberation. It is understood that in order to achieve peace within oneself, forgiveness is inevitable. Karma, often misunderstood or improperly used in the Western culture, can best be described as the proverbial ?to each his own?. Therefore, it is not for the independent individual to judge whether forgiveness is merited or not. Forgiveness offers relief: relief from pending tensions, ill-feeling and mounting egoism. Forgiveness saves one form becoming selfish and egotistical. Physical exercise, meditation through different forms of yoga, devotion, spiritual cleansing through prayer and ?public chanting?(Sharma, 40), all of these exercises are performed in order to achieve a heightened sense of consciousness. It is through consciousness that one may avoid that which is bad, harmful and evil, both to oneself and to others. This is the achievement of egolessness (24). The more one learns to forgive the happier and more peaceful they will feel. The obtainment of moksha, cannot be realized through the containment of negative energy which is associated with animosity, ill thoughts or malevolence. Rather, Hinduism teaches that it is better to forgive, to receive freedom and gain liberation for oneself, this is fulfillment, this is moksha. Religion Essays

Sikh

Sikh Amongst the first remarks made by Guru Nanak upon his enlightenment as a Sikh, is that ‘there is no Hindu, there is no Musalman’ (Singh 134). Guru Nanak, the religious founder of Hindu Sikhism, used this remark to address the long standing relationship between Sikh and the Muslim. Nanak implied that all human beings are equal and that any profiling of people on the basis of their religion, skin colour, gender or any other form of stereotypical description is founded on ignorance.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Sikh-Muslim conflict specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nanak also added that racial profiling of people does not have any sense of truth since all people are created equally by one creator. As such people from all backgrounds ought to live in peace and harmony, love and kindness towards each other as brothers and sisters from the same creator. Despite Guru Nanak’s philosophy of peac e and love towards each other, the conflict between Hindu Sikhs, of which Nanak was one and the Muslim has had along history. The Sikh-Muslim conflict has evolved over long period of time but many philosophers, analysts and scholars tend to focus on the negative nature of this special relationship forgetting the more positive aspects. Suffice to say that, other than the strong personal relationship between Guru Nanak and other Muslim leaders of the time, it has also been recorded that some Muslim solders served in Guru Nanak’s Hindu army. Despite the positive relationship the Sikh-Muslim conflict has at times been so strained to the extent that it has turned violent. Moreover, many philosophers and scholar argue that this conflict is religio-political. Therefore, despite friendly relationship between the Sikh and the Muslim, violent confrontations have characterised this conflict that has also assumed the religio-political perspective. Despite the fact that Many Muslims and S ikhs view each other as inveterate enemies, these two communities have a long and complex relationship characterised, at times by very friendly relationships. Many scholars tend to focus their attention on studying the more confrontational aspects of this special relationship. However, the Sikh-Muslim relationship is historically founded on cooperation rather than conflict. Many Sikhs and Muslim are oblivious of the fact that Guru Nanak sole aim was to promote friendly relationships between the Hindu and the Muslim people. Guru Nanak sought to attain this by bridging the existing gap between the two communities through his teaching of love, peace and harmony. Furthermore one of Guru Nanak’s closet ally and disciple, Mardana, was a Muslim. Other than this, Guru Nanak made several symbolic journeys to Mecca and Baghdad in search of peace between Sikhs and Muslim. There are other symbolic occurrences that sought to cement friendly relationship between the two communities.Adverti sing Looking for research paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Harminder Sahib, the Golden Temple of the Hindu Sikh, had its foundation stone laid by a muslin cleric Hazrat Mian Mir Sahib upon the requests of Guru Arjan (Sikand, â€Å"Interview† paras 7 – 10). Singh also reports that some of the soldiers who served in Guru Nanak’s army professed the Muslim faith, while still maintaining their loyalty to Guru Nanak (134). As such to claim that the Sikh-Muslim relations have been usually negative is to miss the point. Despite the long history of friendly relationship, the Sikhs and the Muslim have also have bitter differences that have at times turned violent. The confrontation have at times been too much violent that the two communities have been accused of ‘washing their dirty linen in public’ (Kundnani para 1). There are various instances of violent conf rontations between the Muslim and the Hindu Sikhs in recent times. Some of these violent confrontations have been motivated by such issues as war on terror. In 2001, Sikhs and Muslims engaged on running battler in Bradford, India, over the differences of the definition of terrorism. In the same year, a 15 year old Hindu girl was reportedly severely injured after an argument over the event of the September 2001 bombing of the world trade centre in New York. Some of the violent confrontations between these two communities have turned tragic, such as the killing of three British Muslims on holiday in India. It has been reported that the killings were inspired by the state sponsored war against terrorism and as such any Muslim especially foreigners in the Gujarat state was seen as a representation of terrorism. The state government was accused of distributing weapon such as machetes that were used in such murders (Kundnani para 2 – 4). While the confrontation seems like isolated occurrences, the violence is a manifestation of long running hatred inspired by religious and political propaganda. This type of propaganda is spread through journals, newspaper and newsletter articles, with very strong views against the other community dominating such publications. Readers of these articles are influenced to stand up and defended their sovereignty. This type of attitude has slowly led to the build up of these violent confrontations (Brass 436, 438). The conflict between the Sikhs and Muslims is a result of the long standing religious and political differences. Suffice to say that that other than being racial groups, the Sikhs and the Muslim are distinctive religious groups.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Sikh-Muslim conflict specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The confrontations are drawn out of the fact that the Sikhs and the Muslims religious foundations have assumed a political dimension such that the two see each other as opposing political ideologies. The hostilities emerge as a result of the intention of the Sikhs and the Muslims to maintain a religious identity through a political agenda (Johnstone 132). This type of religious and political identification is totally against the philosophy of Guru Nanak (Singh 134). Due to the concerted effort of Guru Nanak and other Muslim clerics made to maintain friendliness in the 15th and 16the centuries, the religious and political hostilities are only sees as the characteristic of post-Nanak era. Furthermore, the post Nanak Sikh identity has fundamentally changed from the open an accommodating to a more radical religio-political identity. The Sikh sees the Islam as the enemy religion. These strong religion-political conflicts are felt in Punjab where the two communities kill each other in what is seen as religious massacre (Sikand, â€Å" Life of Baba Nanak† para 4). The strong religion and political differences sti ll drive the conflict not only in Punjab but in other areas such Kashmir today. The Sikh and the Muslim have a complex historical relationship. Despite the fact that many see this relationship and only based on violent confrontation, the Sikhs and the Muslim have existed peacefully. There have been several instances of cooperation between Sikhs and Muslims scuh as the laying of the foundation stone of the Sikhs golden temple in Amritsar by a Muslim cleric, a symbolic event that is emblematic of the historical cooperation between the two communities. The violent nature of Sikh-Muslim relationship is a manifestation of religious and political differences that exist between the two communities. Due to the complexities involved, there is no end in sight to this historical affair. Brass ,Paul. The production of Hindu-Muslim violence in contemporary India.  Washington: University of Washington Press, 2003. Print Johnstone, Ronald. Religion in society: A sociology of religion. Michigan: Prentice Hall, 2006. PrintAdvertising Looking for research paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Kanwarjit, Singh. Political philosophy of the Sikh gurus. New Delhi: Atlantic publisher and distributors, 1989. Print Kundnani, Arun. An unholy alliance? Racism, religion and communalism. 2002. July 14, 2011 irr.org.uk/news/an-unholy-alliance-racism-religion-and-communalism/ Sikand, Yoginder. Interview : Makhdoom Syed Chan Pir Qadri on Sikh Muslim relations. 2002. Web. Sikand, Yoginder. Re-Imagining Sikh-Muslim Relations in the light of the Life of Baba Nanak. 2005. July 14, 2011 theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/re_imagining_sikh_muslimrelations_in_the_light_of_the_life_of_baba_nanak/