Hinduism/Travis Batista

What is the human condition?
Hinduism views the human condition on an individual basis but still part of a greater being. On the large scale, each person is part of the divine creator known as Brahman. Brahman is made up of three main traits. These traits are characterized through different gods: Brahma is the creator aspect; Vishnu is the preserver; Shiva is the destroyer. The divine creator went to sleep and is dreaming the world which we are living in today. Everything in this world is part of this dream.
The individual aspect works with how the individual works in this created world. The individual goes through this creation through its interactions with the world known as karma. Karma is everything. It is everything from a personality, to reaction, to a person’s vices. Karma is a force that works through many lifetimes to bring individuals to enlightenment. This enlightenment comes when the individual realizes he/she is an Atman. That is to say the individual realized their own divine nature. It takes an innumerable amount of lifetimes to reach this point of enlightenment. Each life collects karma that brings the circumstances for the next lifetime that will help the individual one day reach his/her Atman.

What is the solution to this condition?
There are 4 basic avenues which an individual can take to reach the understanding of being fully god-realized. These avenues are known as Yogas or yokes.

1. Bhakti Yoga is a life that is devoted to worship. Every action is a work for god.
2. Karma Yoga is a life that is spent in service. This service are often rituals that help an individual get closer to god.
3. Jnana Yoga is a life spent studying. It looking at Hinduism and the divine through an intellectual lens.
4. Raja Yoga is a life spent working toward the divine through meditation.

All of the Yogas are used to reach the point of Atman. Hinduism allows for personalities to choose which avenue will lend best for reaching the divine. One usually comes easier for an individual, but all can be used to becoming fully god-realized.

How do we move from problem to solution?
We move from lifetime to lifetime learning lessons. Each lifetime teaches the the individual something he/she needed to learn from past lifetimes. There is no end in sight. Every individual will eventually get to the point of Atman. The individual must perform their dharma(duty) for each lifetime. This will effect their karma, and eventually leads them to Atman.

How best to live the solution in our own lives?
The best way to live the solution is to follow the yogas. Hinduism say that as humans we have certain drives. The lowest drive is pleasure. Eventually we will lose need for pleasure and move our way to success. The cycle continues until we reach a point were we want to deal with our spirituality. This is when we enlist the Yogas. As we work toward the divine, we will work through our karma and eventually become fully god-realized.

Personal Response
I have done my best to see Hinduism through unbiased lens, but it is not possible to completely step out of my own views. As a Christian, I saw many similarities with Hinduism. The spiritual realm is more concrete than the world we see will out eyes. It is a religion that places a value on each individual. Its ultimate resolution is oneness with the divine. Those who reach the state of Atman have dealt with the base condition of humanity. This is very similar to those who live righteously in Christianity.
I did find a few similarities, but there were many things that I found hard to understand. For instance, the creation and cyclical movement of time does not process for me. The logic of reincarnation does not fit in my paradigm. The karma aspect of Hinduism makes sense, “reaping what you sow” to put it in more familiar terms, but ultimately any cycle was broken for me on the cross.