ASIA 398 Term Paper

ASIA 398 Term Paper

From ancient Greece, India, Pre-modern China to feudal Japan, there is a treasure trove of literature and epics from the ancient times available to us. Each is valued for having contributed to the way society thinks today. These literary masterpieces have shaped our ideas about human life and spiritual growth and have sparked riveting debates about the existence of God and the importance of spirituality. Among these great works of art is the Ramayana, a tale where Dharma, or right-conduct, pervades throughout. Though the Ramayana is set in an era far different from our own, several of the values, events and teachings are still relevant today. Many of the situations that take place in the epic relate to the issues we face in today’s society. In this paper, I will use various mediums to prove the Ramayana’s relevance in our modern world. I will begin by discussing the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta and its relation to my thesis. Then, I will discuss the values of the Ramayana in comparison to the other literary works of India, namely the Mahabharata. I will continue by analyzing the effect and impact of the Ramayana on Asia and Asian religions. I will then briefly discuss the doctrine of Jivatma and Paramatma in relation to the Ramayana and present day society. Following this, I will discuss the value systems present in the Ramayana as well as how they support or oppose the value systems seen in Western and Eastern society today. Next, I will discuss the role of the Bhagavad Gita in explaining and supporting the Ramayana’s value systems, as well as the impact the work has had on society today. Finally, I will close by talking about the notion of Dharma vs. Adharma, and the idea of globalization in comparison to Valmiki’s great epic.
Vedanta is the basic philosophical system in India that literally translates to “conclusion”. The philosophy represents India’s most ancient scriptures, the Vedas.1 More specifically, it includes the Upanishads, the

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