Hinduism Vs Jainism Essay

Hinduism and Jainism are two common religions that originated in India. Hinduism’s core beliefs are that time has no beginning or ending, the actions of this life affect us in the next, and that life should be lived in alignment with the gods. The ultimate goal being the achievement of freedom from the cycles of life (samsara), or moksha. Jainism carries many similarities to Hinduism. However, much less importance is placed upon deity worship. The Jains focus on the idea that material life is but an illusion, and only serves to blind us from nirvana. Though similarities exist, Hinduism and Jainism differ greatly on the ideas of how faith determines your path in life, and how to ultimately obtain moksha. Individuals that practice Hinduism believe that rebirth and reincarnation of souls is how one cycles through existence. This cycle is known as samsara, and it is believed that death is simply a “resting phase” for the soul before it ultimately readies itself and returns to Earth. The Atman, or individual soul, is subject to outside forces that affect the soul’s journey throughout the reincarnation cycle. To liberate oneself from the constant cycle of death and rebirth the individual must detach themselves from illusions of this world. This
Simply meaning action, karma is the good and bad “spiritual baggage” one accumulates throughout their physical life. The texts of the Vedas lay out many examples karma. Bad karma would be somewhat similar to the Christian notion of sin. Most generally, bad karma would be hurting yourself or others in unwarranted situations. Like the idea of sin, to be able to move forward spiritually, one must atone for their transgressions. To achieve moksha, a soul must be free of negative karma and walk the “path of light” or alignment with Brahma. Practices like yoga can help align parts of the physical body to alleviate negative