Three Lifetimes Of Hinduism

Hinduism, which is both a way of life and a religion, focuses on what it’s like to be human and what people really want out of life. Hinduism revolves around a cycle of lifetimes: the one you are in now, the one before you, and the one after you. One has as many lifetimes as needed to reach the next caste system through dharma, the right way to act morally and through social duty (caste) and karma, the moral law of cause and effect. In order for a person to liberate themselves from ego (which is an obstruction to enlightenment), they must follow the four paths of yoga including 1. The way to God through knowledge. 2. The way to God through love. 2. The way to God through work and 4. The way to God through physical exercise. (Houston Smith 26-34) In the religious sense of Hinduism, God is manifested in three forms: The Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu), and the Destroyer (Shiva). Once a person overcomes karmic barriers, they reach nirvana, or enlightenment, and merge with the Mind of Brahma. This causes the individual self to become extinct and the cycle of rebirth is over. (Murphy)
Buddhism‘s primary goal is enlightenment and to end suffering. Unlike Hinduism’s numerous lifetimes, Buddhism says that anybody can reach enlightenment in one. During one’s lifetime, there is inevitable physical
Both stress that people are fundamentally connected and that duty towards all others is the most important matter. This is in stark contrast to western ethics which stresses the individualistic nature of human beings as independent parts of the universe and society. Virtue ethics, which focuses on being a good person instead of doing the right thing, stresses the cultivation of good character through individual life experience. The end purpose of an individual is to fulfill their human nature as opposed to religious enlightenment. (Brannigan