Hinduism - Read and respond by Friday, 2/23 at 9 pm

Here are two links about the Hindu beliefs.

Read both.

http://www.mailerindia.com/hindu/veda/index.php?death

http://hinduism.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=hinduism&cdn=religion&tm=41&gps=79_6_991_587&f=10&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.kamat.com/indica/culture/death/heaven.htm

In your post, think about what you've read and respond to this quote:
"For sure is the death of him that is born, and sure the birth of him that is dead" - The Bhagavad Gita

Your response should reflect an understanding of the material you read in the above articles.

Hindus believe that dying isn’t the end it is the begging. Death is viewed as a natural aspect of life. The Hindu religion believes that people live on after they die Hindus believe that death isn’t the end of your spirit. They cremate the body and whith a bamboo stick crack the skull so that the spirit releases, then the ashes are thrown into a river, ideally the Ganges River. The spirit is then sent to the other world. The loved ones of the deceased then do an 11 day ritual to ensure the passage during its voyage to the Otherworld, an eleven-day ritual called Shraddha. I think this quote is just talking about how death isn’t the end it’s just the begging because your spirit lives on and goes through its voyage.

According to Hindu belief, death is viewed as an inevitable occurrence that happens to all living things. Through reincarnation souls continue to live on eternally. Depending on a person’s past actions, the soul is relocated to another life form. The ardent Hindu will more than likely reach Brahmaloka, the highest of all heavenly planes because he has successfully released himself from fulfilling earthly desires. On the other hand, the frivolous Hindu’s soul will be stuck in the reincarnation cycle until he has worked himself up to the Brahmin level. Examining the quote, Hindus believe that life on earth is merely a field of trials and tribulations. It is a Hindu’s duty to prove that he can overcome life’s obstacles, practice and preach Hinduism and disregard humanly impulses. To be born as a human is essentially dying because the soul is trapped in the cycle, but when one dies and this person's life has demonstrated excellence, his death is actually his birth into a heaven of eternal bliss.

Referring back to the quote, it explains the cycle in which Hinduism believes about life, death, and life after death. Like everyone, the one certain thing in someone’s lifetime is that they will die. And that connects to the second half of the quote covers, meaning when you are born there will be a day you die, for them it’s a natural aspect of life. The Hindu religion strongly believes in cremation when a person has passed. Its how the soul gets released once the skull is cracked to make its way through the path and up to the heavens. Going back to the beginning of the quote, it is saying that even though we die they believe we will become reborn in a future time and live again with our past thoughts and actions.

Hindus from the start accept death and know that eventually everyone must die-it's a "natural aspect of life" to them. In the Hindu religion they always cremate the body not just to dispose of it but to release the soul. The cremation ceremony is a very important part of death in the Hindu religion because they believe that if it isn't done the soul won't be released into the after life. They see death more as a celebration of a new life(afterlife) which explains the part of the quote that says "for sure is the death of him that is born...", and the end of the quote, "...and sure the birth of him that is dead." is just saying that it is only the end of this one life. I think it is basically just saying the end of ones life is just the start of another and their spirits will live on forever.

In the Hindu religion they believe that once you die you will be born again. I think that this quote is saying that there is a life after death. Hindu's believe in cremation for the reason for the soul to leave the body. They believe that if the body is not cremated then the soul will stay in the body for days and there will be no life after death. The cremation process seems very weird to me becasue of the two pots that they have to carry. I think the Hindu religion is good as well becasue they are supposed to love death as they love life. In the quote i believe that there is a deep meaning and i think that all Hindu's believe there is a life after death by the soul leaving the body. We are all going to die eventually, and Hindu's dont see an as big of a problem than a lot of others do.

After reading the Hindu beliefs and stories i see that the Hindus believe strongly in reincarnation of the soul. They perform these ceremonies after death to make sure that the soul goes on the right path into a new life. The cremation process and the cracking of the skull with the bamboo to me would represent the first part of the quote. They are taking the body that once was born and getting rid of it by burning it and throwing the ashes into the Ganges river. After this to ensure that the soul lives on they perform the eleven day ritual which to me represents the second part of the quote. This consists of daily offerings of “pindas” or rice balls and it creates a transitional or new body for the dead, showing a kind of birth to the soul of the dead. During the ceremony the person makes the journey to the heavens and on the twelfth day the soul reaches it’s ancestors. Death to the Hindus is something that they accept and it is not at all the end, but the beginning of a new life. This quote explains the Hindu beliefs perfectly from what i understood, that after the death of a person’s life they are reborn into another life.

People that follow Hinduism believe that when the body dies the soul lives on. This causes them to not fear death because they trust that once the body dies life has not ended completely. Hindus believe in Samsara which is the cycle of life and death. The quote given is referring to this belief. When birth occurs the next thing to expect is death and following life again. Because of their beliefs about the afterlife they follow rituals regarding the body they have died. The steps are always done respectfully to help the soul’s passage into heaven.

According to Hindu believes, they viewed death as begin and birth as dead. Death can occurs anytime soon and we just didn’t know when or how. There are so many ways Hindus treat dead people after they die. According to their saying, they believe that when you do good thing on earth, you will go the good place and if you do bad thing you are definitely go to bad place. Even though the soul leaves the body, they are still alive and we should treat them as human. They have long journey to travel and they might go either heaven or hell depends on how much they believe in god or how they treat to each other. They have different types of memorial days and they usually make 1 year anniversary of death. They believe that the rest of the family should do good thing or make rice ball and feed it to other people so that the dead person will get good notification on his or her journey. They don’t usually scare of death and they believe that death is not the scary situation if you are doing good thing while you are alive. So it doesn’t matter that death is the starting of life or birth is ending of life as long as you do good thing and faithful to god.

For sure is the death of him that is born, and sure the birth of him that is dead. This quoted directly reflects the hindu religion. the first part of the quote is saying that when a person is born it is certain that one day that person will die. the second part of the quote is saying that when a person dies it is certain that they will be born again. in the hindu religion they believe that the soul lives on after a person dies. when a person dies they cremate the body and with a long bamboo stick they crack the skull to release the soul. the soul then makes the journey to the heavens where it meets its ancestors. i think that the second part of the quotes relates to the hindu belief of reincarnation. they believe that through reincarnation souls live on eternally and that their actions in their past life will affect the outcome of their new life. from reading the articles it is clear to me that to hindus death is another part of life and that when one person dies it is really the beginning of a new life.

Death is only the beginning in the Hindu belief. It is a natural occurrence that both completes and continues the cycle of life. As the body dies, the soul is reincarnated and allowed to live on. In relation to karma, the soul of the deceased is relocated in response on the decease's past actions. In response to the quote, life before death is merely a Hindu's duty to prove that he or she can overcome life's obstacles. To practice and preach Hinduism and disregard humanly impulses also is the duty of a Hindu.

This particular quote is illustrating the Hindu belief of reincarnation. The Hindus believe that when you soul is released after the chief mourner has cracked the scull that you soul leaves the body you go on a journey to find “... Yama's paradise and the everlasting enjoyment of all the heavenly pleasures, include the restoration of a sick body, the maintaining of family relations and the highly desired apotheosis.” Once they reach their destination King Yama will then decide on were there soul will be reincarnated.

Hindus view death as a part of life that could become a new beginning. In their religion they believe that peoples souls live on after they are dead. They cremate the the body and crack the skull the release the soul, the ashes are then dumped in a river. The spirit may start a new life in a new world. If the soul is not released from the body it lingers around waiting. Once the body is cremated the family of the deceased does an eleven day ritual called Shraddha. There is also a bone or left over gathering ceremony after the cremation where family memebers come and pick through leftovers. There is a first memorial where the family eats the deceased's favorite food. There is also a 31st day ceremony and a one year ceremony. I believe this writing is talking about Hindu beleif in reincarnation and the journey to get to Yama, who leads the way for others after death.

WOW that is very kool keep it up. The Hindu belief of death is extremely ritual and in death one's body is cremated and place in the proper place based on passed actions and thoughts.

The Hindu religion is reviewed by many aspects of life. In the religion you can cremated and that you go to heaven. This religion is based on your view of the past of what you did and that it determines whether you go to heaven or hell. There is a fate with death named Yama and that he said that if you do good things in life then you will receive a good admission to go to heaven and that Yama will give those souls the direction to go to a good place.

The quote is talking about the Hindu's belief of reincarnation. That is what it means when saying that it does not end at death. They realize that death is a part of life but they believe that after death you are reborn into something or someone else. What you are reborn into all depends on your past thoughts and decisions in your previous life. This is why they choose cremation over a burial because they feel that when cremated you are spread over the Earth, making reincarnation easier. They also take steps such as bathing in a waterfall and worship facing the East to make sure that the soul continues on to heaven because before being born again they must first spend some time being dead, waiting for their rebirth. All in all this quote is a simple statement of their beliefs of what happens after death.

The quote relates to how Hindus accept death as part of their religion and also believe in the journey and reincarnation of the soul. Cremation is the first step in the journey of the soul, as it is released from the body. The people who have lived a good and virtuous life are able to reach the “highest among the heavenly planes”, called Brahmaloka. Those who did not will be incarnated as animals, then as humans, in order to try and live a more honorable life. Hinduism is similar to Islam, Judaism, and Ancient Greek philosophy in the sense that death is not the end and the soul takes a journey, so the body must be prepared in accordance with the traditions of that particular religion.

It is a fact that eventually we all must die, and in the Hindu religion, death is a “natural aspect of life.” When a person dies, Hindus use a bamboo stick to crack the person’s skull, and release their spirit. Hindus believe in cremation, a ritual intended to release the soul from earthly existence. After the cremation, the ashes are then thrown into a river and the spirit is sent to another world. Next, the person’s family does an 11 day ritual known as Shradda. Hindus believe that the soul of a person is reincarnated and reborn into a future based on the person’s past thoughts and actions on Earth. A true Hindu shall love death as he loves life. The quote means that when a person is born, it is inevitable that one day they will die. However, when the person does die, they are reborn into a new life, and their spirit lives on.

The hindu faith is based on the belief of reincarnation after death. Death to them is a natural event that they know will take place eventually. As with every religion, the hindu faith has certain rituals for the body after death. Cremation is a major part of that as they believe that through cremation the soul is able to leave the body and not linger on the earth. The quote I believe shows how the hindus are prepared for death and know that once you are born, you eventually will die.

If you believe in Hinduism you learn not to be afraid of death. Death is just a natural part of life. They believe that death is the entrance into their heaven, Yama. This quote to me is just reinforcing the fact that when you die you are not losing your life; you are almost being rewarded by going to Yama. The quote is saying that are definitely going to die, but you will live on after death. It is obvious that everyone’s life one day is going to come to an end, but your soul will live on. Death is just a part of life’s cycle.

Those who follow the hindu religion believe very much so in the concept of reincarnation. They do not fear death, but view it as purely inevitable. The new physical body that a soul receives is based on the actions is their most recent physical life and the concept of karma. Before the new body is received, a soul that has followed a moral path will remain in a heaven like place while a souls that has been immoral and made poor decisions is sent to a lowly body where they live their days in misery. The hindus that survive the deceased are to cremate the physical body and then crack open the skull to release the spirit. For many days afterword, the family then makes offereings of rice balls that symbolize a transitional body for the person who died. After those eleven days the spirit is believed to have moved on.

Hindu people dont believe that death is the end of someones life, its simply the beginning of something new. HEre in the united states death is looked down upon as something horrible and very depressing to everyone who experiences it. Hindu people look at death as just a normal part of life. They believe that the people that die aren't really dead because their spirts live on. They have a ritual where the burn the body and throw the ashes all over so the soul can go on, a sort of relise into their next life. The quote, I feel, is about the soul departing from the body and moving onto the next life after death on earth.

Hindus believe death to be a normal cycle of life and they do not fear it. They believe that it is a way of life. Hindus Believe in the process of cremation which is to transform your physical remains into ash after you are finished using it. Cremation is a ritual intended to do much more than get rid of the body; it is designed to release the soul from its earthly existence. Hindus believe that cremation is most spiritually beneficial to the departed soul. The standard process of cremation is to clean, dress and prepare the body for the ritual. The body is then taken to the cremation grounds where prayers are chanted. Cremation is the Hindu's ritual because they believe that is the way to release the soul so that it may be born into something else in the next life. This concept relates to Gita's quote because what he is trying to say is that every death brings new life and every life in turn will die. Even though our body that we have used on the earth is gone, that doesn't mean our soul is forgotten. This is the cycle that Hindus believe and the idea on which they base their lives on.

According to Hinduism death is not something to be feared, but a natural part of life. Hindus believe that after you die your soul moves on into a different body, or is reincarnated. The kind of body depends on the way you lived your life; if you were a sinful person you would be reincarnated into an animal, and if you were an extremely good person and lived a life of grace and merit, you would not be reincarnated but would get to live eternally in Brahmaloka. There they have freed themselves from all material desires and are immortal. Hindus have a specific series of rituals for the death of a family member. The body is always cremated and thrown into a river, if possible the river of Ganges. They have special rituals on specific days after the death, as well as the year anniversary. These rituals aren’t exactly necessary as long as whatever you do, you do with “shruddha,” or religious duty or devotion.

"For sure is the death of him that is born, and sure the birth of him that is dead" This quote has a meanful outlook according to the Hindu religion. The first part of the quote is saying that Death is expected from the day we are born and it is a natural resource to the lifes cycle. In the Hinduism belief they believe in such way of reincarnation in which the soul transforms into something else after death according how they treated and lived their life. Once a person has died only the men can arrive to the cremation which the burn the embers and lets the soul release itself from its earthly existense. Hindu funerals has ten steps which they feel are a yearly anniversary to offering pinda. The ending of the quote is simply trying to state that instead of freaing death its preparing for the inevitable.