Oxymoron: Christianity Vs. Hinduism In The Ramayana

Living in the world but not being of the world, on the surface this seems like an oxymoron, but this is a critical part of two of the major world religions. Many Christians live with the attitude of being in the world but not of the world, but this is not the only religion that follows this idea. People who follow the religion of Hinduism also have a version of this idea, to live in the world but not be of it. However, these two religious translation of the same idea is not the same at face value; there are core differences with this principle, and this would cause the people who practice these religions to respond differently to events that occur during a lifetime. The Hindus seem to embrace a different point of view when it comes to this principle than Christians do, they take up the idea that they need to have a detachment from action. On the other hand, Christians use this principle to show that they are to remember that this world is not there home, but the world after is. These two religions may use the same phrase
In the Ramayana we see the Hindu hero, Rama, who acts as the ideal Hindu throughout the story; for instance, he acts with a detachment to what happens to him. “Rama heard all of this praise and the people’s worshipful homage to him, with utter indifference as he drove along the royal road.” (2.17-18). During this quote Rama is on the way to be crowned the king and the crow is chanting his name; the author notes that he acts with detachment even in this exciting time. Then the crown is taken away from him and he is banished to the woods; even with his life in a tailspin he still acts with the same detachment that he acted with when the crowd what cheering his name. He acts with an extreme detachment to action throughout the work, which is one of the focal points of Hinduism as pointed out by the