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Religious World

In: Religion Topics

Submitted By PravinPillai
Words 1002
Pages 5
Introduction

The meaning of life is in the philosophical and religious conceptions of existence, social ties, consciousness, and happiness, and borders on many other issues, such as symbolic meaning, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, existence of one or multiple Gods, conceptions of God, the soul, and the afterlife. Relating to religion, life means to know and understand the mystery of God; to love and glorify God by enjoying Him forever, be at the heart of the Divine; to have a pure soul and know oneself, others and the will of heaven.

Hinduism

In hinduism, life's meanings are defined four goals (aims) of human life which are called the four purusharthas. The four purusharthas are: Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Moksha.

In Sanskrit, ‘Dharma’ means one's destiny or purpose. In general, it refers to one's vocation or career. Dharma also means righteousness, duty-conscious, being virtual, living morally and ethically at all times.

Artha is prosperity, wealth, money or success in worldly pursuits. In addition to leading a virtuous life that meets specific social and personal obligations, a Hindu should strive for success, in any given activity through lawful means within the bounds of dharma.

Kama means the physical, emotional, and intellectual desires of a person. As stated in bhagavad gita, “he who performs his prescribed duties out of desire in the right manner will obtain the fulfilment of all the desires and reach the deathless state”.

Moksha, the ultimate end of every Hindu's life, can be understood in a variety of ways: liberation from rebirth, enlightenment, Self-realization, or union with God. This is considered to be the highest purpose of life. A person who overcomes desires and therefore gains enlightenment can achieve moksha.

Daoism (Taoism)

For Taoism, the meaning in life for the adherents is to realize the temporal nature of the existence. The best way to live is in harmony with the natural course of things (the Tao), a Taoist does not struggle, oppose, or strive. The focus of most religious Taoism is attaining immortality. This can have various meanings: eternal life, longevity of life, or attainment of superhuman physical abilities. Taoists have sought longevity by a variety of methods, such as:

- Exploring alchemy with the goal of finding the elixir of immortality - Focusing attention on the body through diet, exercises, and mindfulness - Regulating the breath (ch'i), circulating its power deliberately to all parts of the body - Behaving in a moral way that is in harmony with the Tao

Buddhism

In Buddhism, the primary purpose of life is to end suffering. Buddha's teachings describe a way to end suffering, attain enlightment and eventually end the cycle of rebirth. These teachings are expressed most concisely in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The "Four Noble Truths" are:

1. All of life is marked by suffering. 2. Suffering is caused by desire and attachment. 3. Suffering can be stopped. 4. The way to end suffering is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path.

According to the fourth Noble Truth, one can permanently escape suffering by following the Noble Eightfold Path. The word "right" in these eight items designates "true" or "correct," to distinguish the Buddhist way from others. The Noble Eightfold Path are:

1. Right knowledge 2. Right intention 3. Right speech 4. Right action 5. Right livelihood 6. Right effort 7. Right mindfulness 8. Right concentration

The Buddha's life and His Teachings inspire individuals who practice Buddhism to develop self-reliance, moral responsibility, tolerance, compassion, wisdom and many other qualities that can enrich happiness and make life more meaningful in today's world.

Islam

In Islam, man's ultimate life objective is to worship the creator Allah(God) by abiding by the Divine guidelines revealed in the Qur'an and the Tradition of the Prophet. Islam, in arab, means total surrender, submission, obedience, purity of heart and peace. Those trying to perform these actions are called “Muslims”. For Allah's satisfaction, via the Qur'an, all Muslims must believe in God, his revelations, his angels, his messengers, and in the "Day of Judgment". There certain duties to be fulfilled by every Muslim, also known as the “Five Pillars of Islam”. They are : Shahadah (profession of faith); Salah (ritual prayer); Zakah (charity); Sawm (fasting during Ramadan), and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Christianity

According to Christianity, God created us to have a relationship with him. This is why God created a universe fit for human life, and why he laid down guidelines for how to live our lives. According to Christianity, each one of us is created for communion with God; God wants to know us, to love us, and to rejoice with us. Christianity continues to tell us that the barrier to this relationship is sin, but that in Jesus God heals that relationship, removes that barrier no matter how great it has become, and restores. Faith in God and in Jesus is therefore right at the heart of the Christian conception of the meaning of life as the means of achieving fulfilment.

Conclusion

From the 5 religions above, one common factor that outstands is having good relationship with others. In Hinduism, according to Dharma, one should be righteous, live morally and ethically at all times. For Taoism, behaving in a moral way in harmony can sought longevity. By practicing Buddhism, individuals develop compassion, tolerance to make life more meaningful. For Islam and Christianity, a good relationship with Allah and Jesus respectively is necessary. Taking all these into consideration, multi-religious society in Singapore is able to have a more harmonious living condition in Singapore.

Reference: 1. John Bowker, ed., Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Religions (2000). 2. Linda Johnsen, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism (2002), pp. 213-16. 3. "Taoism." Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service, 2004. 4. Xian (Daoist Immortal) - Wikipedia (Janurary 2007) 5. Quoted in F.L. Woodward, Some Sayings of the Buddha, 283. 6. Purpose of Life. Retrieved from: http://www.islamtomorrow.com/purpose.asp 7. The Meaning of Life. Retrieved from: http://www.existence-of-god.com/meaning-of-life.html

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