What is Hindu Dharma? One of the major living religious traditions of the world, Hinduism is also recognized as the most ancient. It is different from most others because it was not started by any single individual, seer or prophet, and its origins cannot be traced to a particular period of human history. It is not based on one single book or a set of dogmas; on the contrary, it allows a great deal of freedom of thought, faith and worship. Hinduism is not a single religious faith system because it does not insist on any fixed set of doctrines.
We use this is help us choose the right moral action is situations. Aristotle and Aquinas both conclude that humans aim for some goal or purpose in life-but does not see this as eudemonia. Aquinas believes that humans are the ‘image of god’ therefore the supreme good must be the development of this image which is perfection. They did not believe that you could reach this perfection in this life but the afterlife. There are the three laws in Aquinas’ book which are eternal, natural and divine.
Additionally, both believe in the spiritual practices such as meditation, yoga, concentration, and cultivation of states of mind, called mindfulness. While Hinduism and Buddhism share similarities, they also celebrate differences; Hinduism is not founded by any particular prophet and Buddhism was founded by Buddha and Buddhists do not believe in the existence of souls like Hindus, neither do they believe in the sacred texts of the Vedas or any other Hindu scripture. Refuge in the Buddha, the Sangha and Dhamma are the three fundamental requirements of the eight fold path while Hinduism offers many choices to its followers for
Moksha is a union with Brahman. Brahman is a single spiritual power, this means that they believe there is soul in all things or Atman. The Atman is your or the soul joined with Brahman. To reach Moksha you must free yourself from selfish thoughts or desires. Karma and Dharma determine this.
But although Buddhism and Hinduism seem to share a lot in common, there are many differences that divide these two parties. For starters, Hinduism is a religion while Buddhism is a philosophy. Hinduism is not founded by any particular prophet while Buddhism was founded by the Buddha. Hinduism believes in the efficacy and supremacy of the Vedas while Buddhists do not believe in the Vedas or for that matter any Hindu scripture. Buddhism does not believe in the existence of souls or God while Hinduism believes in the existence of Atman, that is the individual soul and Braham, the Supreme Creator.
Daoist stressed what their leader Laozi named, 'the way' and thought that with a restrained and balanced life one could ultimately reach a full understanding of and unity with the universe. Buddhists did not, they believed that throughout the meditation and improvement of one's inner balance a person could achieve a higher state of being for each lifetime reincarnated. For Daoists, balance and harmony with nature was simply a way of finding the path to ascension into a more ultimate ending of being with the world. Buddhists progressed constantly thought many lives improving, until 'Buddha' or meaning “awakened/enlightened one.” Daoism focused on a stipulation of “doing nothing,” which did not refer to inaction but instead to the natural flow which is continuous and perfectly synchronized and in balance. Buddhists achieved their end path after all suffering was endured and one has come in control of every action and thought, only then could the ultimate happiness and paradise in nirvana be reached.
In an excerpt from the writings of ancient Guru Paramahansa Yogananda, he explains how only those who truly know God can teach others about him: “The blind cannot lead the blind, only a master, one who knows God, may rightly teach other about him. To regain one’s divinity one much have such a
Buddha’s most unique teaching was that the soul did not exist and that people live in a state of anatman. Anatman is the absence of enduring souls. He did not see gods or the necessity of worship to be relevant. Buddha’s teachings consisted of Four Noble Truths. These were his basic teachings.
The existence of God, in most human lives, serves as a path or map guiding us toward moral perfection, a way of living, thinking or striving in order to earn wonderful gifts. The gifts that have been set aside for us if we reach or surpass predefined goals that have been set for lives. However, do we in fact have a moral set of directions for us to follow? Who developed these rules and are we able to change them? According to St. Anselm in his ontological argument, he describes God as an idea or concept of which nothing greater can be conceived (Living Issues in Philosophy, page 388).
Most of the time its either god-realization or self-realization. The ultimate goal of yoga is the attainment of liberation(Moksha) from worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death(Samsara). Yoga entails mastery of the body, mind, emotional self, and transcendence of desire. It is said to lead gradually to knowledge of the true nature of reality. The word “Yoga” is most of the time translated to “ union of the individual atma(soul) with paramatma, the universal soul”.