Eastern Approach to a Unified Reality
Hinduism
Purpose of life is to achieve 4 things: Dharma, Kama, Artha, and Moksha.
Moksha, the hardest to achieve, is also known as enlightenment. It can take long periods of time, even crossing over several lives to finish, and results in unity with god.
Artha is to pursue wealth and prosperity while following Dharma.
Kama is to seek enjoyment from life, and find happiness.
Kama
The Dharma is to act righteously, and be moral and ethical throughout their life, including repaying God for our life, our parents and teachers for giving birth and raising us, guests, other humans, and other living beings.
We have both an "Ego and our "Self".
Self: This is the part of our selves that is us. When we take away all desires and attachments, this is what we are, a state if awareness.
Ego: Our personality, our likes, dislikes, love. It doesn't exist in real capacity.
Hinduism says that reality is a single, pure consciousness named Brahman. It is infinite, and incorporeal, all the gods are a part of it.
Buddhism
The primary purpose of life in Buddhism is simply to try and end suffering, as we endlessly chase things that don't give us lasting happiness, which is our suffering.
In Buddhism, both mind and body are united, existing as one.
Subtopic
Dharma, or Dhamma, is a series of natural laws that rule the natural laws of everything.
Confucianism
The meaning of life in Confucianism is to live virtuously and try and be worthy of heaven.
While separate, they work together, while the mind learns the virtues, the body must carry them out.
To do good, and try and reach heaven, as we cannot comprehend what's after death, we must work towards heaven.
Taoism
The meaning of life
In Taoism, the meaning of life is to achieve unity with the Tao, or unite with the universe itself.
The relationship between mind and matter
Taoism believes that you must completely open your mind to nature, and in turn, physically become part of nature, so Mind and matter are closely related, and can be considered one.
The nature of ultimate reality
The Tao is a force that flows through everything, corporal and incorporeal. Reality is the Tao, and the Tao is the way of Everything.
