Life after Death PART XX (Hinduism View)

Hinduism is the oldest religion. Truly, though, it can not be referred to as a religion but rather a set of beliefs and practices that differ from person to person. There are no universally accepted beliefs or practices. Each person has the freedom to explore and accept new ideas and concepts. This is the crux of this “religion.” The search for good karma dictates that Hindus let each live his or her own existence.
Statistically, there are now over 700 million Hindus located mainly in Bharat (India) and Nepal. Hinduism is referred to as Sanatana Dharma or the “eternal faith” which means that Hinduism is not strictly a religion. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life which is sometimes referred to as “what it right.” Since Hinduism has no founder, anyone who practices Dharma can call himself a Hindu.
Hindus are often associated with a plethora of Gods, but there is only one Absolute. The Absolute is found in everything in life, living or not and is referred to as Brahman. It is not a he or a she. It is not even called a God because to do so would give It a gender. All things have Brahman as its source. Because of this, Hindus regard all things as sacred This happens when there is no karma to cause an individual to be reincarnated.
It is interesting to note that actions taken by the mind may not produce results until several lifetimes later. Bad action is worked out in that state and then the evildoers come back to earth-plane. They may even cause harm to the living. When all recordings are complete, the books will be weighed in a balance. Each person will be given a book in which all his actions are recorded. They remain there for some time till the fruits of their virtuous actions are exhausted. On the twelfth day, four rice balls are prepared to symbolize the union of the deceased with his or her forbears. Although there are literally thousands of gods in the Hindu religion, they all represent the many aspects of Brahman. Because of this, one can make better use of his faculties in the next birth. Once the ceremonies !
are over the elder son shaves off all hair, the house is thoroughly cleaned and all linens are washed to remove the pollution of death. The Hindu Life Cycle applied to a Friend
I choose the four stages of the Hindu life cycle, Caturashrama, to apply to my paper because it closely relates to the life story of my interviewee. Mr. Daniel Garcia came to the United States from Cuba in 1965 at age 26. His migration to the United States cut his educational goal short when he was trying to complete the 1st stage of the life cycle, the student stage. “The most difficult period of my life was when I had to leave everything I knew and loved (Parents) to come to a foreign land to start all over again,” explained Garcia. “I felt cheated and helpless. I thought that I would only be in the United States for a short time until things went back to normal in Cuba but I was wrong”.
I asked Mr. Garcia to tell me what values have changed over the decades. He told me that basically his values have remained the same; “ I am a staunch anti-communist and an advocate of human rights. I have never deviated from those values since I left my homeland”. When he gave me this answer I thought to myself that he is not living for the future but remains dwelling on the past. I asked him if he had different phases in his life that caused him to feel. knew at this point that he was talking about the 3rd stage of the Hindu life cycle. A lonely pair of souls if you ask me.
After we had concluded the interview, I reflected back on everything that Mr. He replied that in recent years he had become more of a devout Roman Catholic than he use to be. By doing this he succeeded in his career as a carpenter by doubling his efforts to order to achieve a good standard of living for his family. He told me that he has two grandchildren that remind him of his son when he was a small boy. He explained that he attends mass each Sunday and regularly helps out in food drives and fund raising events at the local church. Therefore, the question of how the mysterious issue that has affected his entire life will be resolved is a problem that only Mr. He implied that his life was meaningful because he had raised two children that have succeeded in their careers as well as in their own unique lives. He feels that moving out to an area that life is slower paced does good for him and his wife’s health. Specifically, his life when he was a young adult in Cuba.