McKall Emery

RELS-2300
Feb 14, 2016
E-portfolio
As I have studied in depth and learned more about Dharma, I
realize many of the commonalities that it has with religion. From my
experience, most people who are religious believe in Karma. Karma
meaning you get what you deserve; if you treat people well, they are
going to treat you the same back. Essentially Dharma is a lot like
Karma. If you are charitable and giving, people will return the favor for
you. Bad Karma would be living in fear that if you did not do these
good deeds, you will eventually be punished through the actions of
other people. These two things correlate in regards to religion. In
essence, many people believe that if they are devout to their religion,
they will receive blessings from their higher power.

Anything complex is difficult to define. Religion is grounded in feeling, emotion,

and human experience. As such, the definition of it can vary greatly from person to
person or culture to culture. Religion is constrained by one's understanding of the world.
As time passes and we grow and learn as a people on earth we begin to understand things
more completely or in a new light. Personally I feel that religion is believing in
something beyond one's self, whether that is being atheistic1, monotheistic2, or

1 Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.

Older dictionaries define atheism as "a belief that there is no God."
2 Monotheism - the doctrine or belief that there is only one God.

polytheistic3. How one experiences or defines religion comes in many forms. Materialist
views deal with all aspects of religion outside of the spiritual, whereas functional views
on religion deal with the roles religion plays in our society. In contrast the faith point of
view deals with how it can be beneficial in our daily lives.
Many people may believe that Hindus have never had any form
of ethics or values, or that they don't know right from wrong. However,
they do, they just have a specific word for it called Dharma. (Pg. 81).
Dharma is basically the law in which many religions go off of and the
basis for specific rules and guidelines. Dharma often deals with
behaviors, repentance, atonement, and rights. (Pg. 82). Although
Dharma is apart of many religions, it is said to be very foreign and
does not fit closely with western ethics. (Pg. 83). These rules were
written by Barahmen Men for other Barahmen Men. These men were
people who were considered to be knowledgeable, influential and elite
men in society. (Pg. 84).
Materialistic views on religion dont really make much sense with my own
understanding. The fact that they dont agree with the laws of physics has nothing to do
with believing in or practicing a given religion. Religion, faith, and the desire to
understand how and why the world works has been present long before the laws of
physics were even defined. Functional views on religion make a lot of sense to me. I
think religion plays a massive role in our society and shapes almost every aspect of our
daily lives. It governs the grounds in which rules and laws are created and enforced and
3 Polytheism is the worship of or belief in multiple deities usually assembled into a
pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals.

had a massive role throughout history. The faith perspective of religion makes a lot of
sense to me as well. Religion has the possibility to help us navigate the trials and
tribulations of everyday life. Its helps us cope with death, gives us hope for the
unknown, and can be a constant reminder that good things will come.
It is interesting all the different things that people have done throughout history to
try and figure out religion as a whole without saying that anyone is true. I personally
found that the Historical method of studying religion was cool. By going all the way back
in history to examine and discover the meaning of what religion meant and was used for
back then. Phenomenology is an interesting way to view religion and think it's essential
that if you are going to practice any religion that you focus on the experience and feelings
it gives you rather than just the knowledge, because why do something and practice
something that doesnt make you feel good and happy? I also thought it was neat that the
Author Gerardus Van Der Leeuw seeked many phenomena essences like compassion,
love, obedience, sacred time, and etc, without putting them into natural categories.

Dharma is not always specific to just one person. It can be

directed to people with different habits and who may be in different
stages of life. Here are some examples of the morals and virtues in
which they believe all humans should acquire: remembering a good
deed and returning the deed back to the person, and having
compassion and charity to all. (Pg. 85). If a human has the traits of
being compassionate, giving, kind, selfless, and most other good
qualities, you are said to be reaching the supreme goal of being. The

supreme goal of being is in turn called Bharmen. (Pg. 85). Although

these traits are positive and a moral way of living, there are some very
strict rules and regulations that the Dharma follows in which can be
very challenging at times. The food regulations would have a huge
impact on your life because you would need to be very aware of the
meal and even how it is prepared. You are not allowed to eat a meal
that was cooked the day before and you are only allowed to eat twice a
day. The male is preferred to cook the meal and the lady is only
preferred when she is not menstruating. You were preferred to dine
alone and most people ate meat. (Pg. 86).
The code of Manu is essentially a law that the Hindus were
supposed to follow. One of the laws and codes is to marry someone in
your own caste; however, they know that often times this does not
happen. There are specific codes in the sub group of regulations that
help with these guidelines. For example, you are allowed to marry if
the male is from the higher caste, but not the female. (Pg. 88).
The final stage is called sannyasa. Few acquire this but it's
meaning is when a man is to completely disregard his current life and
start a new. He is to leave all of the material things and the people
whom he knows in his life. He is to start completely new and fresh and
is allowed to forget about his past life. He is now a religiously new
person without any connections. (Pg. 89).

The last thing I am going to talk about is the way of devotion

amongst Hinduism. If a person has and kind of sin or a "karma
overload", the way to be forgiven is by devotion. It is implied that by
divine grace a sinful person becomes virtuous again. Essentially, if one
surrenders to the lord, he is to be forgiven of all sins. (Pg. 94).
Hinduism is a very unique way to live. Its a very virtuous life and a
happy way of life. It is a good lifestyle with good ethics and morals. I
find it very interesting how true these people are to their religion and
the things they find right and wrong. I believe in Karma and think it is a
good belief to have and inquire in your life.
It is good for everyone to at least get a basic background of all different religions,
it is important to understand and respect all religious views. It doesnt mean you have to
follow them. But it is essential that we tolerate one another and their traditions. You can
never fully know what you believe yourself without an open mind and willful heart.
Complexity in understanding is at the core understanding religion. The impact it
can have on our lives as individuals and people here on earth as a whole is so far
reaching. There is no issue or event that is not touched religion.
In conclusion, religion impacts all of our lives whether we like it or not. It is all
around us and it can be very hard to avoid it. I see the many benefits into believing in a
higher power whatever it may be. I have enjoyed learning more about Hinduism,
especially the things I witnessed during my site visit. Dharma can provide many great life
values and ethics especially if you believe in Karma. We should take the time to learn

about different religions and open our minds to taking on new things in our lives. The
benefits only seem positive.

Bibliography:
Coward, Harold G., E. K. Neumaier-Dargyay, and Ronald W. Neufeldt.
Readings in Eastern Religions. Waterloo, Ont., Canada: Wilfrid Laurier
UP, 1988. Web.
Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions, New Jersey: Upper Saddle River 1991