Purpose of Life: Hinduism and Buddhism Perspective

The Eastern religions of Hinduism and Buddhism are quite different from the Biblical religions, but they too have conceptions of what it is to be human and the purpose of life. Both of these religions have different texts and doctrines that explain the true nature of human beings. In Hinduism, many of these ideas are found in the Upanishads, a collection of spiritual texts. In Buddhism, the Three Marks of Existence and the Four Noble Truths provide insight into the concept of a human being. These two religions have points of agreement concerning the human being, but there are also aspects of their philosophies that are irreconcilable.

In order to understand the Hindu view of the human being, the most basic concept that must be grasped is that life is cyclical. As explained in the reading on Hinduism by Fisher, the goal of all human beings is to attain moksha. Moksha is the liberation from the cycle of rebirth. During the cycle of rebirths known as samsara, what is being reincarnated is the atman. The atman is the soul, the true self, the inner self. When death occurs, the atman leaves the body and enters a new one. Which new body the atman enters is determined by karma.

Karma is the sum of the actions and the consequences of those actions during a life. The Upanishads teach that karma is what allows human beings to be architects of their own fate. The atman of a person who lives a life in which good deeds outnumber bad deeds will enter into a purer body in the next life. The opposite is true if bad outnumbers good. Non-human animals are unable to attain ultimate knowledge and so to be reborn as a human being is a valuable opportunity since a human being is endowed with the faculties of intelligence, wisdom, and creativity. The Upanishads teach that achievement of moksha and release from samsara is what allows atman to become one with Brahman. Brahman is an eternal, universal, infinite essence that is the source of atman. It is through good karma, intense introspection, and true discovery of the inner self that atman is able to unite with the transcendental force that is Brahman.

The Buddhist concept of a human being is slightly more difficult to grasp. In the reading on Buddhism by Hawkins, it states that the Buddha labeled a part of his observations about human beings as the Three Marks of Existence. The first mark of existence is impermanence (anitya). This states that everything is constantly in flux and that all permanence is simply an illusion. The second mark of existence is unsatisfactoriness (dukkha). Since nothing is permanent, nothing can lead to lasting satisfaction. The third mark of existence is non-self (anatman). This refers to the fact that there is no fixed essence or soul, and that human beings are a collection of changing physical and metal components. Given these observations about human beings, the Buddha elucidated the Four Noble Truths. The first of these truths is that