Hinduism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Hinduism - Essay Example This can be seen by their varying ideas and explanations of the world, as well as the distinct differences in their beliefs and religion systems. Hinduism is a complex, ancient religion. It is unique because it has no known founder, as with the other religions. Hinduism cannon was put together over the years and mixed with other traditions and lore, until it finally was written down in the Vedas. It is the world's oldest religion, and also the worlds third largest, falling in place behind Christianity and Islam (Hin). Often, Hinduism is confused and labeled as a polytheistic religion, when it is not as simple as that. The writings teach that there is one main deity, Brahman, who can from time to time appear to humans in many different forms and shapes. The Brahman is the supreme deity in the Hinduism religion, however it offers an interesting shape and role to the kind of divine and divinity most religions offer. The God of Hinduism is referred to as Brahman when it is referred to as the all encompassing supreme power of the world. It is one and part of the world, and is part of everything and everyone within its creation. "Brahman is often described succinctly as sacchidananda, meaning 'Truth-Consciousness-Bliss', not only possessing the qualities but also being their very essence."( Hin) showing that inside the religion of Hinduism, the Brahman is everything and anything, and is the supreme force and energy of the world. There are many different interpretations and understandings of Brahman. One such belief states that "ultimately Brahman (the impersonal God) is beyond mere intellectual description and can be understood only through direct spiritual experience, where the 'knower' and the 'known' are subsumed into the act of 'knowing'. The goal is to "wake up" and realize that one's atman, or soul, is really identical to Brahman, the uber-soul(Hin). This helps explain the idea that the Brahman unites all people, and is part of everything and the entirety of the world around us. Several different areas of thought have ideas that contradict this school of thought, and may believe that the Brahman actually has being and personality, and may associate the Brahman with one of the lesser gods of the religion, such as Vishnu, Shiva, or Shakti. All of these different interpretations of the Hindu understanding all come from its ancient history, different readings of the sacred texts, as well as different and modern interpretations of faith. There is also another understanding of the Hindu divine, this being the idea of Isharva, of a more personal idea and personality of the God figure. This is the idea of God as a supreme being, and not an overwhelming force and eternal power such as tied into the Brahman ideology. Some sects of Hinduism do not believe in this idea at all, and some of them believe in it in different forms and facets of belief. Also included in the Hindu belief system is the idea of devas, or demi-gods. It is not uncommon for a Hindu worshipper to pick one of these gods as their personal god, and this god may be passed down as part of family life, traditions, or culture. These personal demi-gods are very unique to the Hinduism religion, and a integral part of their culture, artwork, and history (Hin). Hindus also have varying thoughts and beliefs on the connection between the human and divine. The Atman is the Hindu word for "soul" or "self", and is associated with Hindu

Federal and State Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Federal and State Governance - Essay Example An analysis of the nature of the crimes in both states provides may provide insights to the differences in policies. The incidence of violent crimes as well as recidivism in California is higher while Texas shows lesser recidivism and significant higher prison population. According to Kaplan and associates (2002), Texas' law shows greater inflexibility in the use of incarceration as a penal measure citing that the nature of crime in the state historical justifies the application of such measures. Given that the United States follows a federal system of government, each state is given the privilege to formulate and implement its own legal codes which include criminal justice programs. This is meant to allow individual states to develop criminal and penal statutes that correspond to individual or unique crime trends that may greatly differ from state to state (see Appendix A). There are times that policies and perspectives used differ between states depending on the perspectives, policies or by the nature of the crime committed (Pillsbury, 1989). This is not to imply that crime is one state is more acceptable in another and only a variance in the manner by which the act is assessed and addressed (Jones and Newburn, 2005). In such a system, federal statu... sure that independent criminal justice programs do not impair constitutional rights, contravene federal legislation or create conditions that will prevent equitable application of the law (Peak, 2006). In effect, though state perspectives and policies on crime and punishment may differ significantly, there are criteria or range of acceptability for the policies that each state is to implement. This also reinforces the order in policies and subsequently order in society as well. It should be noted as well, that though the criminal justice programs in California and Texas may differ significantly, they have a common purpose of preventing crime and victimization, maintaining order and security and supporting federal objectives and policies. Conflicts or inconsistency with federal policies or that of other states are also not designed to undermine another state's authority but rather are individual trends or modes in that state or the federal government's criminal justice program (Hepburn, 1986). Furthermore, the availability of channels to mitigate and resolve conflicts, federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court, signify that there is states are a part of a system that has established operations and procedures to establishing order and even harmonize policies. Community Policing Community policing initiatives have gained support in an effort to develop greater social participation in securing communities. In general there has been indication that efforts have had a measure of success but Matthews and Pitts (2000) point out that sustaining such this outcome requires the development of long-tern programs. These programs range from the development of operations and procedures, establishment of channels of command and responsibility and public education. In a similar