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Hinduism Essay-help

I have to write an essay on Hinduism for my college class (Religions of the world.
One question I'm having a difficult time answering is..
Explain the desire for liberation from earthly existence.

Any ideas on what this means? My understanding is liberation is "set free" or leave the earthly existence to something more spiritual. This I believe all ties into the cosmos (natural way of things).

The teacher has a 0 percent tolerance for plaigarism. Please cite if quoting original works.

This is what I came up with so far..

Hinduism is one of the oldest and organized religions in the history of mankind. This essay will explain what makes up the Hindu religion. What cultural and societal influences that have made Hinduism so vital to the region in which it were originated. This essay will also explain the desire for liberation from earthly existence.
Many Indian religious ways are combined to make up the Hindu religion. Hinduism is not like a unifying belief system, it lacks a uniting belief system. Hinduism allows for multiple religious faiths, customs, diverse forms of rituals and worship to develop a harmonious relationship with one another. Hinduism is also known by Sanatana Dharma, which is more commonly used today. Sanatana means ageless and believes in the ways that have always existed. Dharma is known to be the good of all and corresponds to the order in the cosmos. What is different about Hinduism is there is no one founder of this religion. Hinduism does not have a bible and does not require practicing adherents to follow one main idea. Hinduism is considered more of a culture than a religion. According to Hinduism Today (2009), “Hinduism is the planets oldest living religion and has over one billion adherents” (¶ 1).
Hinduism is more of a process that is to be studied. Hinduism must be studied not as a fixed body of doctrine, but as a developing tradition that has changed considerably throughout the centuries and which is still changing in a creative direction. Hinduism is still a living changing process. God is worshiped in some form in Hinduism and can be identified with many flourishing religions today. Hinduism has a broad range of practices and beliefs but all blends together into a common concept. Hinduism today states, “Hinduism's three pillars are temple worship, scripture and the guru-disciple tradition” (Hinduism Today, 2009, ¶ 3). The Hindu path is defined by the law of dharma, good conduct, non-violence, and love.

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Jen

  1. As I understand Hinduism from my college class world religions class many eons ago, is that the religion was strongly influenced by the lives of the Indian people. These lives were very hard with poverty, hard work, sickness, and early deaths. It made sense to get rid of this pain and hope to eventually be at one with the Atman in another sphere entirely.

    About your essay -- your introduction is weak. Check this site for advice on how to improve it.

    http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html

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    Ms. Sue

  2. Mrs. Sue,
    I have to write the essay to answer three things..

    Submit a 700-1000 word paper on Sunday. The paper should be formatted following APA guidelines, and answer these questions:

    1. Considering that Hinduism lacks a uniting belief system, what makes up the Hindu religion?
    2. What are the cultural and societal influences that have made Hinduism vital to the region in which it originated?
    3. Explain the desire for liberation from earthly existence.

    I am having a really hard time with this paper. Your link said to make the introduction in the form of persuasion.
    The writing requirements state..
    This assignment should be done in the form of a long essay, with an introduction explaining what you are going to talk about, a body that answers the three questions above, and a conclusion that wraps it all up.

    Any ideas on how I can explain what I am writing about in the introduction when the assignment is specific on what needs to be included..?
    I appreciate all your help :o)

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    Jen

  4. You still must take a position and stick with it or you'll end up putting the reader to sleep and lose focus of your paper.

    I would begin with the idea of how Hinduism is different than Western religious traditions because it allows for such a wide range of beliefs. In your support, you have:
    1) What DOES makes up the Hindu religion (which can include the desire for liberation from earthly existence).
    2) What cultural and societal influences have made the Hindu faith vital to the region in which it originated.

    So, in that, you have answered all 3 qualifications, but still put it in context of a main point about Hinduism. The other option would be to pretty much write 3 different essays and put them together as one, like chapters in a book ~ with 3 different topic statements and supporting arguments. I think that way would be harder, but it's up to you.

    I would really begin with the cultural and societal influences and go from there, since that brings a good background to the reasons for the belief system.

    Matt

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    MattsRiceBowl

  5. Thanks for your insight Matt :o)
    Great ideas! I am progressing with my paper, but need to develop it more clearly so it fits together with good transitions.

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    Jen

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