Hinduism Vs Jainism And Ethics Essay

Ethics and morality are often two intertwined teachings of many religions. Hinduism and Jainism, originating from India, are two religions with an emphasis on paying attention to one’s karma. Viewing morality, ethics, and religious beliefs through Hinduism and Jainism, is there anything ethically or religiously wrong with a religions instructor traveling 65 mph in a 55 mph zone killing an opossum? To determine this answer, one must first determine what makes an act religiously, morally, or ethically wrong, and know the difference between societal ethics and religious ethics. For an act to be religiously wrong, it must go against the teachings of a religious doctrine. To be immoral and unethical, the acts can either be wrong according to society

One’s Dharma are the duties, obligations, and responsibilities one must follow in everyday life. The three types of Dharma: Vedic, Domestic, and Devotional Dharma all help to align one with the “Natural Way.” While Vedic Dharma focuses on one’s right performance of ritual and Devotional Dharma focuses on one’s effort to please the gods, Domestic Dharma is the only relevant Dharma to this scenario. One’s Domestic Dharma is the fulfillment of one’s role in family and society, the religions teacher has failed to follow their Domestic Dharma. The religions teacher, by speeding, has ignored his or her Domestic Dharma to follow their role as a teacher, citizen, and possibly family member. As a teacher, disregarding being a religious teacher, they have a responsibility to lead by example and not speed for his or her students. The religious teacher has a further responsibility as a citizen to not speed and break the laws of the country they are in. Lastly, the religious teacher could possibly be a part of a family. One’s Domestic Dharma, in terms of family, is to protect one’s family, be a good role model if he or she has children, and practice good values. Hinduism emphasizes one must live life by following the duties of their role. An example of following one’s Domestic Dharma would

By speeding and killing an opossum, the teacher has negatively affected his or her karma. If the religious teacher were to keep committing bad deeds, it would negatively affect his or her reincarnation. Hindus believe in a reincarnation process called samsara, birth, life, death, rebirth. Therefore, the religious teacher has possibly killed a family member or being striving for good karma for a better reincarnation. In samsara, all beings strive to achieve Moksha, a state where karma is perfect, but to achieve this one must first practice perfect Dharma and do only good deeds in life. Once Moksha has been achieved the individual soul, Atman, is liberated from samsara and is united with the universal soul, Brahman. Through the practice of good Dharma and gaining good karma, one can be reincarnated as a human; however, in the religious teacher’s scenario, he or she has killed another being on its own path to Moksha. Killing the opossum is then religiously wrong as it stops another being from achieving Moksha to be liberated from samsara. An illustration to why the religious teacher killing an opossum is religious wrong, it to follow the religious teacher’s Atman after their death. If the religious teacher were to continue not following his or her Dharma and committing bad deeds, thus producing negative karma, the teacher would then be reincarnated as something