The Bhagavad Gita

The actions and choices of living beings are transformed by thought which in turn changes physical ideology. Ethics is what makes humans do what they think is right in order to avoid what might cause harm. Being “selfish or self-centered is the basis for all stoic ethics.” Stoicism originated from a philosophy which evolved and became a part of religious teachings. Many early emperors used Stoicism as a guideline for how to live a good and ethically sound life.

In the Mahabharata Krishna lays out for the first time the differents paths to Moksha. Karma yoga is the discipline of action, Jnana yoga is the discipline of wisdom, and Bhakti is the discipline of

Lucidity’s Folly In the fourteenth teaching, Krishna goes on to explain to Arjuna about “a knowledge” that, “knowing it, all the sages have reached perfection.” This is the knowledge of the three qualities of nature- lucidity, passion, and dark inertia- which inherently form when the world is created by Krishna. These three qualities bind the self to the mortal body; the ultimate goal of man is to understand and ascend above them in order to share in the infinite spirit. While lucidity may seem like a positive quality to achieve, a close reading reveals that Krishna warns Arjuna of the danger in falling to lucidity.

Within The Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna instructs Arjuna about how he should act in battle after Arjuna convinces himself that fighting would be morally wrong. Krishna explains how one has a divine duty that is to be used as a guide for how one should act. In order to understand what one’s divine duty is, an individual must be disciplined and understand the motivations behind their actions, renouncing actions taken for the fruits that follow. At the same time, Krishna discusses discipline in understanding. At times within the text Krishna states that both of these aspects, discipline in action and discipline of understanding, are the most important virtues an individual can have.

Sanjaya outlays the roles designated for the human individual and the God incarnate, where one must act in selflessness in order to fulfill their dharmic resolution. With in mind his intent to deliver discipline and understanding of unjustly acts under divine sanctioning, Krishna organizes his vernacular to persuade readers the unconditional surrendering to god incarnates and passivity towards developing adoration towards concrete relationships or items, thus magnifying the message of discipline and morale. Similarly, Shahrazad communicate universal morals able to be digested by both her king and the general audience, specifically the detection of deception and protective cautions against these iniquities. One example in the series is seen through Shahrazad 's narration of “The Fisherman and the

Hinduism is an polytheistic Indian religion that is extensively practised in South Asia. It combines the philosophy, beliefs and cultural practices of India. Hinduism is the foundation of all believers view of the world which consequently shapes their lifestyle. Hindu’s achieve this by reading the Vedas, understanding the concept of rebirth in Hinduism’s context, committing to rituals such as the Garbhadhanab or Antyesti and use karma to judge their actions.

In the work of The Bhagavad-gītā and the work of Job both the main protagonists of each work, Arjuna and Job, seek guidance and wisdom from their respective gods. Arjuna seek for guidance from Krishna during the war and job from his god for why he has been suffering. Each god from the works responds to their person but each respond in a different way. In the work, Bhagavad-gītā Krishna gives Arjuna a straight forward answer. On the other hand, the god in the work Job does not.

Instead, Jainism is “considered a transtheistic religion.” Souls and matter are believed to be eternal. “Ultimate reality for Jainism might be best identified as kevala, the supreme state in which the eternal soul is perfectly pure” (Brodd, et al). Jainism teachings are based upon the belief of ahimsa (nonviolence) and asceticism. Mahavira demonstrated this teaching and all members of Jainism continue to follow them as examples for others.

According to ancient philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and many others, humans have absolute moral values; the determination of what is right and wrong is present in all of us. Although humans have an innate feeling of what is good and bad, learning, analyzing, and understanding absolute values from other people and the media is crucial to human growth and the strive towards being a virtuous person; relying just on ourselves is not enough to achieve a moral understanding of moral values. Since ancient times, the human race has been teaching the concept of goodness; oral traditions in order to pass down knowledge and written media such as religious bibles and textbooks are some of the many ways that humanity presents their philosophies.

To lead a pleasant and long-lasting life a person must find their source of a higher power, the higher power is used for guidance and to form morals along life’s course. As one is growing and their ethics are forming, reason finds its place along one’s life. As reason comes to the surface a person must learn how to grasp and understand both concepts to be able to use them in important decisions. In Life of Pi the protagonist, Pi Patel, endures a series of tragic events, but it does not dawn on him that he must be cautious with every decision he makes. Instead of realizing the extremity of his situation, Pi uses his mind and creates a story to mask the madness of what is really happening.

The Hindu Temple papers I read were deeply informative with regards to the Hindu faith. Hindus are primarily concerned with living a good life in order to get closer to Brahman, an all-inclusive, all-knowing being that pervades every aspect of the world. Their faith follows specifically four full tenets of ethical living. These tenets are austerity, purity, compassion, and truthfulness. For Hindus, successful application of these beliefs helps the soul receive positive karma which will in turn help the soul get further in their next life through the process of reincarnation.

Though this may be interpreted as morally incorrect, their dharma requires them to complete these atrocious acts, and therefore, this will lead to good dharma. In contrast, someone born into the merchant’s sect of the caste system, may have the dharma revolving around selling items, entirely unrelated to the dharma of one involved in warfare. Reincarnation is also another key factor in the Hindu faith. It is said that, “...each being is predestined to innumerable rebirths, and one’s aggregate moral balance sheet determines both the length of each life and the specific form of each rebirth. Moral attributes are minutely quantifiable causal agents: every grain sown in this existence is reaped in the next.

In ancient societies, literature often reflected the things that were most important to them. Somethings that no outside force can steal or take away. Ideas such as religion, history, and family. Literature also exhibited culture. What was written, such as trade, laws, and epics demonstrated order and harmony in ancient civilizations.