Research Proposal on "Human Nature: Comparison of Hindu and Buddhist"

Research Proposal 7 pages (1899 words) Sources: 1+ Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Human Nature: Comparison of Hindu and Buddhist Theories

The objective of this work is to discuss and evaluate both the Hindu and the Buddhist theories of human nature and their implications such as 'Are human beings innately good or evil, competitive or cooperative, peaceful or violent; gender nature and sexism; racial nature and racism. In what ways do these theories differ from each other? In what ways do they differ from western theories of human nature?

The work of Howard G. Coward (2008) entitled: "The Perfectibility of Human Nature in Eastern and Western Thought? states that Hindu is of the idea that creation is "beginningless, that our personalities are structured by the karma or memory traces of previous actions and thoughts, that we are reborn from our past lives and that this process of birth-death-rebirth will continue until release from rebirth is realized." (p.125) This release from rebirth is termed as "moska' by the Hindu religion and is understood "as the perfection of human nature and the end-goal of the various spiritual disciplines or yogas provided by the tradition." (Coward, 2008, p.125)

The offering of these yogas is stated to be methods for "…overcoming or purging the karmas that are obscuring the divine atman, which is the true self within. Once the last obscuring karma is removed then one realizes that one's true self is not one's body or mind but rather the divine atman (pure being, consciousness, and bliss) within." (Coward, 2008, p.125) There are differing views as to whether the moment of release or the moska takes place at the time of death or within the individual's life however "the idea that perfection or moska is realized while one is alive became popular in Hindu thought and was given the name jivanmukti, which means 'embodied liberation'." (Coward, 2008, p.125)

The work of Wallace (2003) entitled: "Buddhism & Science: Breaking New Ground" states that it is held by both evolutionary biology and Buddhist through that "our animate world is largely created by the constructive energies of past activities and we inherit powerful dispositions at birth that predispose us to act in certain, often harmful ways. These afflicting dispositions however, although, 'innate' in the literal sense that we are 'born with them' are neither 'essential' nor 'inherent' to us as a species or as individuals. They are interdependently produce phenomena that result from the aggregated effects of past actions…" and are of the nature that are "…activated under specific conditions, and can be controlled or eradicated, to varying degrees and with varying difficulty, through concerted efforts thereto." (p.159)

I. BUDDHISM AND HUMAN NATURE

The work of Hadley (2001) entitled: "The Spiritual Roots of Restorative Justice" in chapter 3: Healing Justice: A Buddhist Perspective" states that the Buddhist approach to punishment "cannot really be separated from its understanding of human psychology and this vision of human possibility." (p.83) Hadley relates that the 'Vinaya Pitaka' is 'in effect a canonical compendium of the rules that 'bhikkhus' (monks) and 'bhikkunis' (nuns) are expected to follow. The vinaya is based on 'sila' (morality')…" (2001, p.86)

There are two other parts to the sila which are those of:

(1) Samadhi (concentration);

(2) prajna (wisdom). (Hadley, 2001, p.86)

These three or the Sila, Samadhi, and Prajna are that which forms the "…ethical foundation essential for all Buddhists." (Hadley, 2001, p. 86) It is believed that these three work in eradicating the three roots of evil which include those of:

(1) lust;

(2) malice; and (3) delusion. (Hadley, 2001, p.86)

Lust, malice and delusion are that which forms the "…basis of all undesirable volitional activity done by means of thoughts, word and body…" (Hadley, 2001, p.86)

The vinaya are "rigidly codified" and described as a practical approach. (Hadley, 2001, p.86) Another practical aspect of the vinaya is its "realistic attitude toward human weakness" which holds that it is "the nature of unenlightened human beings to be afflicted by greed, ill-will and delusion; that is, all of us are somewhat made." (Hadley, 2001, p.87) From this view, as long as unenlightened human beings exist then thereto will be existence of elements of crime. The belief of the Buddhist concerning human nature is that human nature will experience improvement only very gradually implying that "offenses should be evaluated with tolerance and compassion." (Hadley, 2001, p.87)

It is held by the vinaya that the idea of the individual's "preoccupation with guilt is based on an erroneous understanding of human nature and how it changes." (Hadley, 2001, p. 88) There is an emphasis by the Buddhist of the "transience of everything" which in essence means that "there is nothing indelible about our unwholesome mental tendencies; deep-rooted ones may be difficult to eradiate, but that is because they are an engrained result of past habits, not an 'essential' part of us." (Hadley, 2001, p.88)

II. HINDUISM AND HUMAN NATURE

Coward (2008) writes of Hinduism and human nature that ideas of human nature in the early Vedic hymns "are embedded in mythic and ritualistic contexts. In the early Vedas humans are treated as more earthly and temporal beings than in the later Upanishads and subsequent Hindu thought." (p.126)

Humans are referred to in the Vedi hymns by the terms 'purusa' (person), 'atman' (breath), and 'jiva' (life)." However in the Rig Veda 'jiva' is used in designating a 'breathing being' and the term 'atman' "is used in a cremation prayer to Agni in which the self (atman) is seen to be different from the body." (Coward, 2008, p.126)

The Hindu belief holds human beings as being supreme over other animals and it is held that the intelligence of the human as well as the ability of the human to "know the future" which leads to "a desire for moksa or freedom from worldly limitations." (Coward, 2008, p.126) Humans are superior to animals because of their capacity to "understand and act according to the requirements of dharma" and that it is this as well that enables the human being to achieve perfection.

An optimistic view is offered by the Upanishads in regards to the perfection capacity of human nature. The moksa has as its goal to "become the perfect person that underneath the obscuring karma one already is. The goal of one's spiritual quest, which may extend over several lifetimes, is to find the atman, the true Self within." (Coward, 2008, p. 126)

The next category of Hindu scripture is stated by Coward to be the epic poems "which offer different descriptions of human nature, and more variety in the paths one may follow to achieve perfection." (Coward, 2008, p.131) From this view the true Self "is eternal and does not die but is reborn in a series of new bodies. In each birth it is as if the true Self puts in a new set of clothes." (Coward, 2008, p.131)

It is stated in Gita 2.20 and 2.22 that the true Self "does not kill, nor can it be killed: "[U]nborn, eternal, everlasting is this [Self] primeval. It is not slain when the body is slain…As a man cast off his worn-out clothes and takes on other new ones, so does the embodied [Self] cast off its worn-out bodies and enters new ones." (Coward, 2008, p.131) In other word the 'self is timeless and eternal' however "its transmigration from body to body is connected with a given personality created by the person's freely chosen karmic actions in previous births." (Coward, 2008, p.131)

Upon the self's release from endless rebirth the eternal true self is finally free from the karmic personality that it is bound to. This requires the purging of the separate ego and of having material possessions and only then can the self be recognized "for what it is -- namely a "minute part" of Brahman, the Divine." (Coward, 2008, p.131)

Coward states that in order to realize oneness with Brahman "does not mean going into some different state of being from what we are now; it means to enter into fully perfected human life of eternal freedom." (2008, p.132) This is referred to by the Bhagavad Gita as "brahaman-nirvana -- a state of freedom to be experienced here and now, not some time after death." (Coward, 2008, p.132) The Upanishads are stated to focus on the "path (marga) or thought or knowledge for realizing release" while the Gita "takes a more inclusive approach and identifies the additional paths of:

(1) action;

(2) devotion; and (3) discipline. (Coward, 2008, p.132)

Each of these also leads one to 'moksa'. (Coward, 2008, p.132) The work of Swami Brahmeshananada states that in the view of the West that man is biologically "an animal with the species name homosapiens, whose fore-brain or neo-cerebrum is more developed than that of other animals." (p.1) The consequence is that man is not near as governed by instincts as are other animals however man is just a driven by instincts.

The Hindu concept of man is stated by Brahmeshananada to be somewhat the same: "Eating, sleeping, fear and sex are common… READ MORE

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