The view of mankind in Hinduism

Lina thinks that she has got the grasp of Hinduism: according to Hinduism the world is created, exists, and is destroyed time after time after time. And the same thing goes for us humans; we are born, exist, die, and are born again. But since everything really is a part of the world soul, everything is just an illusion. What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of life to a Hindu?

If everything is just an illusion, and it’s all about seeing through this to get out of rebirth, doesn’t that mean you are just turning away from the world? No… or yes, maybe if you are only sitting and meditating all the time, but that’s not really what it’s about. According to Hindu teachings the meaning of life is a combination of four things. To follow duties or laws that apply to one self - dharma. To live as wealthy as possible - artha.

It’s good to be rich. To enjoy pleasures - kama. Which includes, for instance sexual pleasure. And to see through the illusion, get out of rebirth by realising your own soul is part of the world soul, and in this way reach liberation: Moksha. It can be hard living up to all four of these goals simultaneously.

But if that is not possible, dharma and moksha are the most important of them. Humans, according to Hinduism, are neither good nor bad, but some actions are better than others. And the actions one performs in one life affect later lives. This is called Karma. Some even believe that whatever group in society - caste - you belong to is a result of how you behaved in previous lives.

This idea has been used throughout history as an excuse for seeing the people in some social groups as being less good, and thereby less valuable. So Karma is a kind of punishment? Some may believe that, but others believe that it’s about you having things to learn in life – such as that you are one with brahman - and that this is achieved for example, by following your dharma. If you don’t learn what you need to in one life, you must be re-born to try again. According to Hindus it is also possible to reincarnate as a plant or an animal.

The normal thing is to go from one lower consciousness in a plant to a higher one in an animal, and then to become a human. Whether or not the world is an illusion, it is very important to take care of it, so that it gets better. That’s great! But what about women? Is Hinduism completely equal?

In Hinduism, the goddesses are just as important as the gods. And there are famous Hindu women who have reached high political positions. But historically women in India have had a much lower position in society than men, and many still do today.