Describe Hindu belief in respect for all living creatures In Hinduism, one of the fundamental beliefs is that all
(a)(i) Describe Hindu belief in respect for all living creatures
In Hinduism, one of the fundamental beliefs is that all living creatures should be respected. This belief comes from various principle and teachings within Hinduism.
Brahman is a very important concept in Hinduism and originates from the earliest scriptures. Priests of the early Indian culture called the magical power of nature ‘Brahman’ in their rituals with the ‘brh’ root meaning ‘giving forth’ or ‘growth and creation’. Later on Brahman became known as the life-giving power of the universe. This power dwell in every corner of the universe and beyond as it is a mysterious concept to grasp and many writers of Hindu scriptures used poetry to try and describe Brahman. Many religions accept the existence of a soul or spirit embodied in everyone, containing their divine nature or God being present within them. For Hindus the person does no only consist of body and soul but a true, eternal, perfect self within a temporary and imperfect body. This inner self is known as the atman in Hinduism and as the body dies, the atman, the eternal, indestructible essence of the living being leaves the body to go to another body. This is known as reincarnation. So if every thing in the universe, including living creatures, contains an atman that has the essence of Brahman, Hindus should respect it. There are two stories that represent this teaching from the Upanishads, which are Hindu scriptures:
