Soteriological Convergences in the Hindu-Christian Dialogue

2019

ABSTRACT The scientific study of religion has thus far overlooked the study of beliefs and practices that are centered on the notion of karma and its impact on Hinduism especially Jainism and Buddhism and its ethical causation across one or different lifetimes. Here, we outline a set of pertinent questions about karmic beliefs and practices ripe for research, namely (1) their cultural distribution around the world, (2) their structure and content, and (3) their psychological and cultural antecedents and consequence. The meaning of the term karma has undergone a curious evolution. The word is Sanskrit and means act, action, and deed. The theory or idea, which the term was originally used to refer to, is that conscious beings typically humans determine their own destinies through the quality of their acts: man is master of his fate. In popular use, however, the term has acquired a fatalistic ring, so that if one sighs, it’s my karma, the implication is that one is the helpless victim of destiny. Logically, these two ways of seeing karma are not really far apart, for the theory of karma holds that it operates over long periods, up to many lifetimes. If I look at myself now, I may feel free to choose my actions, my karma, and so influence my future. But when misfortune befalls me for no obvious or immediate reason, I may consider karma retrospectively and decide that the reason for present suffering must lie in a misdeed which I cannot possibly remember because I did it in a former life. Keywords -karma1, Religion 2, Hindusm3, Bhudhism4

2021

Is Karma a Vedic concept or not? Is it the case that pre-Buddhist Vedic literature contains no trace of rebirth and karmic retribution? This paper explores answers to the above questions in the context of and in response to positions taken by Johannes Bronkhorst in his essays 'Karma in and after Greater Magadha' and 'Karma in Brahmanism'.

Journal of Hindu Studies, 2019

This article is a reflection on a conception of death, that of karma and rebirth, and its value in interpreting one's life. I have thought about this conception in two ways. The first is that I can see the circumstances of my life as the result of causes of which I was the agent, and the second is that I can see my life and the relationships in my life as part of a much larger narrative that began before this life. Through an examination of Vaishnava and Advaita theology, Ny¯ aya philosophy, and some Puranic and Epic texts, I argue for an interpretation of karma and rebirth as a rational system that allows one to see relationships as involving many layers of complexity.

Practical Buddhist Studies Reviewed Journal, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka,Vol, 01,2018,pp 220-228, 2018

The moral teaching of Indian society at the time when Buddha was born, were developed under the both Brahmana and Sramana traditions. While Brahmanism explained the moral teaching in relation to the omniscience, omnipotent God, asceticism represented the necessity of practicing ascetic practices for the purpose of achieving moral life. It is true to say that the moral conducts of Brahmanism based on the self-indulgence (Kāmasukallikanuyoga) 1 and opposite, self-mortification 2 was the optimum path of moral conduct of asceticism. The germs of the moral teachings are included in the Vedic literature. The moral conducts of the Vedic period squarely connected with concept God, heaven and concepts Ṛta (constant and circular nature of the universe) and Iṭapūrta (sacrifice) were two prominent aspects of moral basis of the Vedic period. The process of the Ṛta equally effect for everyone and it was controlled by the god Varuna. Generally God Varuna represents the controller of the good and bad. Therefore, behaving according to the process of Ṛta considered as obedience for the wish of Varuna. The man who has conformity with wish of Varuna should complete sacrifices (Iṭapūrta). The sacrifices represent the concept of good and bad and disobedience for Varuna or does not complete the sacrifices represent the concept of bad. The heavenly rebirth was ultimate good but only few people would be born in the heaven and majority of the people would be born in patriarch world. 3 Two places that the human beings would be born after the death, generally known as Arvīr Mārga (illuminated world) and Dūma Mārga (gloomy world). 4 A.B. Keith emphasized that Vedic Aryans believed that the faith on the God is the path of heavenly rebirth than the actions of them. 5 But they believed practicing of austerity, giving alms to Brahmanic priests etc. cause to heavenly rebirth. 6 Later, in the Brahman period priority has given to the sacrifices than the God who accepts the sacrifices. Aśvamēnda, Puruśamēda, Vājapēya, Niraggala, etc. were such important sacrifices that should be offered by the man. The concept of the good and bad depended on the sacrifices; the man who does the sacrifices, consequently receives the good result while the man who does not do sacrifices receives the bad result. To represent the concept of good and bad, they used the terms like, sukṛuta, duskṛuta, sādhu, asādu, puñña, pāpa etc. During the Araṇyaka and Upanishad periods concepts of Ṛta and sacrifices were not completely disappeared but instead of those concepts they explained the teaching of Ātman and Brahman concepts. The person who understand respectively the reality of Atman and Brahman has

Religious Studies Review, 2009