Hinduism/Emma Egli

What is the human condition?

Followers of Hinduism are encouraged to seek pleasures and worldly success, but to do so intelligently. Suppressing these urges would stray away from our human nature. But the fact remains that none of these can truly fulfill our insatiable appetites - thus lending to our forever-looming human condition. No matter how much wealth, fame and power we obtain, none of these things can bring us true happiness. If we are to spend the rest our lives seeking these banal desires, we will never become aware of our spiritual reality. We will forever be prisoners to the sorrows inherent in this world unless we become aware of our total selves and realize that the things we seek most – infinite being, infinite knowledge and infinite bliss – are things we already posses.

What is the solution to this condition?

In order to release ourselves from the finitude that restricts us from the limitless being, consciousness, and bliss our hearts desire, we must follow the four paths to God. Our infinite power lies deep within, and following one of the four yogas can unlock it. All of the yogas – Bhakti, Raja, Jnana and Karma – use different approaches, yet they all lead to the same ultimate goal. The yogas are designed to unite the human spirit with the God that lies concealed. We must follow these paths and only then can we obtain liberation (moksha).

How do we move from problem to solution?

In order to move away from the sorrows and desires of this human world, we must come to the creator God, Brahman, and remain in touch. The four yogas can help us obtain just that. Jnana is the way to God through knowledge. Bhakti is the way to God through love. Karma is the way to God through work. And finally, Raja is the way to God through psychophysical exercises. Each of these yogas have distinct instructions, but which path you choose to start on depends on the kind of person you are, lending to an almost “customized” spiritual route.

How best to live the solution in our own lives?

I really like that Hinduism encourages a “pursuit of happiness” sort of lifestyle. Let’s face it; we are all born with pleasure-reactors. It’s what makes us human. To seek pleasure and to want success in life is completely natural, as long as it is done so honestly and with a pure heart. But to realize that ultimately, there is more to this life, more to ourselves, more than these trivial wants and desires, is truly remarkable. Transcending beyond our human selves and tapping into this duct of infinite knowledge and bliss does seem like quite the monumental zenith. But when I think about how hard it would be to realize that this material world really doesn’t matter - that there really is no world at all - and you really just need to let go of it all, it seems almost impossible and somewhat terrifying. But the paths you can take to reach this ultimate "enlightenment" if you so choose to seem very personable and virtuous. I like the idea that all the paths lead to God eventually and each have characteristics that hold admirable applicability. While I'm not necessarily interested in practicing Hinduism myself, there are definitely aspects of it that I truly do respect and could definitely apply to my own life. Like Krishna says to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, "strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world; by devotion to selfless work one attains the supreme goal of life." This is definitely something that everyone, regardless of religious background, should consider and strive towards.