The Four Paths Of Hinduism And Reincarnation

Hinduism has a broad spectrum of beliefs and rituals; a few are sticking points to me even through I am not a follower of that faith. Among many, The four goals of life, three paths of Hinduism, and Reincarnation amaze me and how they are all to reach the final release and the highest good called moksha. Hinduism often seems fit in one phrase being “you can have what you want”, all of the stepping stones are there for Hindus to reach moksha. The four goals of life, I believe, even if one is not a follower of the Hinduism faith, should take these goals into consideration. The first two goals are known as the path of desire. The first goal of life, being pleasure, also known as kama. In Hinduism, you are free to seek all the pleasure you want.
But, Hindus believe not to suppress desire, rather to seek pleasure loyal to godly beings. The second goal, being success and also known as artha, considers wealth, fame, and power a good aspect in Hinduism. Others argue that with this goal forms problems of exclusiveness, and not lasting. The last two goals are known as the paths of renunciation. The third goal is the Joy of Dharma. The fourth being Bliss of Moksha. Hindus often say, as long as pleasure and success is what we think we want we should seek them remembering only the privisos of prudence and fair play. In other words, Don’t hurt yourself or others while reaching these goals. These goals contribute a valuable, worthwhile aim. It is good to do one’s duty, to live in material abundance, and to enjoy many pleasures life has to offer. I think the idea of having a worthwhile aim in life is a motivation to live a life of righteousness. The three paths of Hinduism are the ways Hindus live by, rather their duties of being a Hindu.
The three paths are the karma-marga, the way of action, the jnana-marga, way of knowledge, and the bhakti-marga, the way of devotion. Those who are more focused on the voliation will find the way of action most appealing. Those who focus toward a life of the mind follow the way of knowledge. Those whose lives are surrounded by strong emotion and passions may be attached to the way of devotion. The way of action, the first path, is most appealing to me because I believe actions are the most important way of showing dedication. People focus on rituals which are used to obtain the goods that made this life more prosperous and enjoyable. Also in this path, people focus on worship, known as puja. Others in this path focus on rites of passage which allow the community to recognize significant life changes being marriage, funerals, and birth. Another way of action is festivals which are celebrated daily in India and integrate the local community and establish a bond between villagers and their gods and goddesses which in the Hindu religion there are 330 million deities that Hindus can choose which to worship and celebrate. I think getting to choose which god appeals to you can make you closer with your religion and worship. Another way of action known as pilgrimage Is when Hindus go to their holy land, India. Hindus pilgrimage to sacred places in India and this brings one closer to the divine and purifies the
soul. As many like me, who are in a sense scared of death, the Hindus idea of reincarnation makes death not as big as a deal because to Hindus, reincarnation is positive because they think rebirth constitutes a form of immortality. Ones karma meaning actions determines the nature of reincarnation also known as samsara the wheel of rebirth. Ones atman will continue to be reincarnated until moksha is achieved. Then, when moksha is released, one is united with the divine forever. To me, karma, or your actions, is an independent way to reach your final goals and makes you live a life of good actions. Hindus wants to live a good life of good deeds for a good rebirth. Also, the idea that in Hinduism, destruction is just important as creation is a sticking point to me because mostly in my faith I just hear of the creation of the world, rather than destruction. Finally, karma answers the question frequently asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”, Hindus say they have committed evil deeds in their past life and deserve to be punished. While preachers or ministers often say differently or don’t have a specific answer to this question. Hinduism differs greatly from my faith, Christianity, but I think one religion isn’t necessarily right so to speak. I have learned to accept other faiths and after learning about all the amazing aspects of Hinduism, I hope to incorporate some of them into my daily life, especially to do more good deeds and actions.