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My View on the Act of Existing

There is a line of philosphy which is called nilism that brings power to the action of men but at the same time rejects the concepts of the good and the bad. I seem to be inclined to this philosophy until this point, for I do believe in the good of people, and yes, I do understand that goes beyond the material. To remain atheist after knowledge gathered is reserved for those who believe to be spiritual is to be restrictly religious. All great minds like Einstein and even Carl Sagan admitted to themselves the impossibility of this world as lacking something bigger. I believe our world is lacking symbols to represent this bigger thing, the love we have between our souls. And i do not regard the soul in any politic way, this is an exchangeable noun, that is used as good as energy for exemple. Within my search for meaning I have found hinduism and budhism to be the two religions most helpful for interpreting the greater energy that is always within and between us. Here I try to make an introduction to both(for my own learning as well). But it is important to say that I do not conform entirelly to them, and I do have my own truth which I do remember inside my heart from the world beyond this one. I remember the peace that not only I felt, but that I was, before arriving in the earth. I know my mission here as to reunite our individualistic and lonely world. Some of this view cannot be found in any religion, but is in sync with the only possible way we can get to know the world beyond this world: stories of near death experience. To understand what this means beyond the judment of the naive, I recommend watching some of the near death experience stories available to us (click here).

✧ hinduism ✧ ☆ buddhism ☆

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Hinduism

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Sacred Texts The Four Vedas Mahabharata & Gita Krishna The Gods Symbols ♥ Buddhism ↓
I

The Sacred Texts

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The oldest Hindu sacred texts fall into two great classes that organize the whole tradition: that which was revealed and that which is remembered.

Shruti — "that which was heard / revealed"

The eternal revelation

The highest and most sacred category. It includes the four Vedas and their inner parts, such as the Upanishads. They are considered to be of divine origin, eternal, "heard" by the ancient sages. The Vedas are the oldest texts of Hinduism, composed more than 3000 years ago in Sanskrit: hymns, rituals and philosophical reflections that form the foundation of the religion.

Smriti — "that which is remembered"

The transmitted tradition

Texts of human authorship, handed down by tradition. This is where the Mahabharata belongs, along with the other great epic, the Ramayana, and other texts such as the Puranas. Immensely influential and beloved — many Hindus know them better than the Vedas themselves.

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II

The Four Vedas

Shruti ✧
the oldest

Rigveda

A collection of hymns (suktas) dedicated to deities such as Agni (fire), Indra (thunder/war), Varuna and Surya (the sun). It is the foundation of all the others and one of the oldest religious works in the world still in use.

the melodies

Samaveda

The "Veda of chants." It draws much of its verses from the Rigveda, but arranges them to be sung during rituals. It is considered the root of sacred Indian music.

the formulas

Yajurveda

The "Veda of ritual formulas." It contains the prose instructions that priests recited while performing sacrifices (yajnas). It is basically the practical manual of the ritual.

the most distinct

Atharvaveda

It gathers incantations, prayers for healing, protection and prosperity — closer to folk magic and medicine than the other three. It was added to the canon later.

The four layers of each Veda

From ritual to philosophy, each Veda progresses through four strata:

ISamhitas — the hymns and mantras themselves (the core).
IIBrahmanas — prose texts explaining the rituals and their meaning.
IIIAranyakas — the "forest texts," more contemplative, transitional.
IVUpanishads — the final and most philosophical part: the soul (atman), the absolute (brahman) and the nature of reality. They form the foundation of later philosophical thought — the Vedanta.
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III

The Mahabharata & the Bhagavad Gita

Mahabharata

Traditionally attributed to the sage Vyasa, it is one of the longest literary works in the world and the most extensive in Hinduism — vastly longer than any individual Veda (around 100,000 verses). It is a narrative epic: it tells of the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, whereas the Vedas are mostly hymns, ritual formulas and philosophical reflections, not a narrative.

Within that immense epic lies, in just ~700 verses, the spiritual heart of Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita ("The Song of the Lord") is perhaps the most famous spiritual text of the tradition: a dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and Krishna, who appears as the driver of his chariot but is, in truth, a manifestation of the divine. Krishna teaches him about duty (dharma), action without attachment to results, and devotion. It is considered one of the three foundational texts (the prasthana-trayi) of Vedanta philosophy, alongside the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras — which is why almost all the great schools wrote commentaries on it:

Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism, of Shankara) — reads the Gita as a teaching about the ultimate unity between the individual soul (atman) and the absolute (brahman).
Vishishtadvaita (of Ramanuja) — reads it in a devotional key, emphasizing the relationship between the soul and a personal God (Vishnu).
Dvaita (dualism, of Madhva) — emphasizes the eternal distinction between the soul and God.
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IV

Krishna

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Krishna is considered an avatar of Vishnu — a "descent" of the preserver god into the world, in embodied form, to restore dharma when evil becomes excessive.

He is beloved in various stages of life, each with its own devotion: the mischievous baby who steals butter; the young cowherd (Govinda/Gopala) who plays the flute and enchants the gopis — and whose relationship with Radha became the supreme symbol of the love between the soul and God; and the wise counselor who, in the Mahabharata, becomes Arjuna's charioteer and delivers the Gita to him on the battlefield.

Unlike more distant deities, Krishna is accessible and human — he plays, loves, laughs, advises, suffers. He allows a personal and affectionate relationship with the divine, exactly what the path of bhakti (devotion) values, and he stands at the center of the Vaishnavism current.

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V

The Gods

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Hinduism has a great many gods — it is one of its most striking features. Vishnu is just one among several. At first glance it seems chaotic, but it has a structure.

The Trimurti — the central "trinity"

Creator

Brahma

Creates the universe. Curiously, despite being the creator, he is very little worshipped today.

Preserver

Vishnu

Maintains the order of the world and descends in avatars — such as Krishna and Rama — when needed.

Destroyer

Shiva

Dissolves the universe to allow renewal. The trident (trishula) is his emblem.

Create, maintain, dissolve — the eternal cycle.

The great goddesses — the divine feminine (Shakti)

  • Parvati / Durga / Kali — the forms of the Great Goddess, wife of Shiva. Durga conquers evil; Kali destroys illusion.
  • Lakshmi — goddess of prosperity and fortune, wife of Vishnu.
  • Saraswati — goddess of knowledge, music and the arts.
  • Shaktism — the current that worships the Goddess as the supreme reality, alongside Vaishnavism and Shaivism.

Other very popular gods

  • Ganesha — elephant-headed, remover of obstacles, son of Shiva and Parvati.
  • Hanuman — the monkey-god, symbol of devotion and strength, central in the Ramayana.
  • Rama — another avatar of Vishnu, hero of the Ramayana.
  • Indra, Agni, Surya — older Vedic gods (thunder, fire, sun), less worshipped today.

One, or many?

Hinduism is hard to label simply as "polytheistic." Many currents hold that all these gods are manifestations of a single ultimate reality, the Brahman — the impersonal and infinite absolute of the Upanishads. The multiple gods are like different faces of one same truth, adapted to each devotee.

So, depending on the viewpoint, it can be seen as polytheistic (many gods), monotheistic (one supreme God in many forms) or monistic (a single ultimate reality from which everything emanates).

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VI

The Symbols

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Each symbol is a visual "capsule" of an idea that runs through the whole tradition.

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Om (Aum)
The primordial sound — the brahman in sonic form.
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Lotus
Purity blooming from the mud — the action without attachment of the Gita.
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Svastika
Auspiciousness and the cycles of samsara (an ancient Hindu form).
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Trishula
The trident of Shiva and of the Shaivism current.
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Tilaka
The mark on the forehead: center of wisdom and sign of the devotional current.
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Sacred cow
Ahimsa and generosity — linked to Krishna the cowherd.

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Buddhism

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The Origins Four Noble Truths The Eightfold Path Core Concepts The Schools Symbols
I

The Origins

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Buddhism was born around the 6th–5th century BCE, in northern India, with Siddhartha Gautama — the Buddha, "the Awakened One."

He was a prince who abandoned a life of luxury upon confronting human suffering — illness, old age and death — and sought a way to free himself from it. After years of searching and meditation, he attained awakening (enlightenment) beneath a tree, the Bodhi fig tree, and devoted the rest of his life to teaching the path he had discovered.

A response to the Vedic world

Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism is not based on the Vedas or on creator gods. In fact, it arose in part as a critical response to the Vedic ritual and caste system. The focus is not the worship of deities, but a practical method to understand and end suffering — something each person can walk for themselves.

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II

The Four Noble Truths

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All of Buddhism rests on a four-step diagnosis — like a doctor who identifies the disease, its cause, its cure and the treatment.

Existence involves suffering Duḥkha

Living brings dissatisfaction, pain, loss and impermanence. Recognizing this is the honest starting point.

Suffering has an origin Samudaya

The root lies in desire and attachment — the constant craving for what is fleeting.

It can be brought to an end Nirodha

By letting go of attachment, suffering can cease. Liberation is attainable.

There is a path to it Mārga

The Noble Eightfold Path — ethical conduct, meditation and wisdom — leads to liberation.

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III

The Noble Eightfold Path

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The eight factors of the path — the eight spokes of the wheel of Dharma — are grouped into three domains that support one another.

Wisdom · Prajñā

See clearly

  • Right view
  • Right intention
Ethical conduct · Śīla

Act with integrity

  • Right speech
  • Right action
  • Right livelihood
Meditation · Samādhi

Cultivate the mind

  • Right effort
  • Mindfulness
  • Right concentration

Not a rigid sequence, but a simultaneous cultivation — the "Middle Way" between excess and deprivation.

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IV

Core Concepts

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the law of action

Karma Karma

Actions have consequences: every gesture, word and thought shapes future experience.

impermanence

Impermanence Anitya

Everything is constantly changing; nothing composite endures. Clinging to the fleeting generates suffering. (Pali: anicca)

non-self

Non-self Anātman

There is no fixed, permanent "self" — only processes in flux. One of the most distinctive ideas of Buddhism. (Pali: anatta)

the cycle

Samsara Saṃsāra

The wheel of births and deaths, driven by desire and karma, from which liberation is sought.

the goal

Nirvana Nirvāṇa

Liberation from the cycle of samsara and the extinction of suffering — the blowing out of the flame of desire. (Pali: nibbāna)

compassion

Compassion Karuṇā

Care for all living beings — a central value that accompanies wisdom on the path.

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V

The Great Schools

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Over the centuries, Buddhism branched into great traditions, each with its own emphasis — but all sharing the Four Noble Truths.

Theravada Sthaviravāda — "the doctrine of the elders" The oldest surviving tradition, close to the earliest teachings. It predominates in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, with a strong emphasis on monastic life and meditation.
Mahayana Mahāyāna — "the great vehicle" It broadens the ideal to all beings: the figure of the bodhisattva, who postpones their own liberation out of compassion for others. It predominates in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
Vajrayana Vajrayāna — "the diamond vehicle" An esoteric current, with rituals, mantras and visualizations, especially associated with Tibetan Buddhism.
Zen from Dhyāna — within Mahayana It emphasizes seated meditation (zazen) and the direct experience of awakening, beyond words and concepts. It flourished in Japan.
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VI

The Symbols

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Each symbol condenses a central idea of the path.

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Wheel of Dharma Dharmachakra
The eight spokes are the Eightfold Path; the wheel is the teaching itself in motion.
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Lotus Padma
Purity and awakening — it blooms immaculate from the mud, like the mind that rises.
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Bodhi leaf Bodhi
The tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment — symbol of awakening.
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Stupa Stūpa
A reliquary monument that represents the awakened mind of the Buddha and the ascending path.
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Endless knot Ananta
The interdependence of all that exists and the intertwining of wisdom and compassion.
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Seated Buddha Buddha
The meditation posture — the serenity and stillness of the awakened one.
☸ ✿ ✧ remember to practice learnings ✧ ✿ ☸

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