Azam Khodashenas Pelko et. al. / International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Vol.

2(7), 2010, 3185-3187

Religions and Human Salvation

Azam Khodashenas pelko
Department of Jainology and Prakrits, Mysore University, Mysore, India Email: sn90048@yahoo.com

Padmashekar
Department of Jainology and Prakrits, Mysore University, Mysore, India Email: sina_a_n@yahoo.com

Asghar Khodashenas Pelko

Shaheed Rajai Tarbiyat Moalem, Semnan, Iran Email:nikoo20022001@yahoo.com

Abdoullah Namdar
Mysore University, Mysore, India ab_namdar@yahoo.com Abstract: Private relationship between man and his Creator is essentially founded on the idea of salvation. In plain English, we will define salvation as what it takes to get into Heaven or Paradise. The Quran clearly teaches that salvation is achieved on the basis of good works. The Buddhist, Christian and Hindu doctrines of salvation have a great deal in common. In each, the emphasis is upon liberation from sin; upon rescue from evil. This paper is deals with berief ideas of Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism on salvation. Keyword: Heaven; Faith; God; Liberation; Save; Truth. Private relationship between man and his Creator is essentially founded on the idea of salvation. The salvation is a religious concept, and every religion includes a doctrine of salvation, a soteriology, even to Buddhism, which does not acknowledge the existence of God [1-2]. In plain English, we will define salvation as what it takes to get into Heaven or Paradise [3-4]. The Quran clearly teaches that salvation is achieved on the basis of good works. Considering the following statements: Every soul shall be paid in full what it has earned. God loves those who cleanse themselves. Gardens of Eden, underneath which rivers flow, there indwelling forever; that is the recompense of the self-purified [5]. The Buddhist, Christian and Hindu doctrines of salvation have a great deal in common. In each, the emphasis is upon liberation from sin, upon rescue from evil. In each, the objective is a return to the previous state of innocence and bliss [6]. Salvation in Jainism Jainism is a religion of salvation ("Erlsungsreligion"). In Jainism as in Buddhism the whole system is based on the idea of rebirth and transmigration. Whatever is recommended or prescribed in a religion of salvation is (in the long run at least) conducive to salvation. Good deeds are never in vain. The Jaina texts furthermore emphasize that, on the search for salvation, man is thrown upon himself. The world of Jainism is replete with gods of every description (Jainas are against being labelled as atheists), but these deities do not interfere in human life -- neither as assistants with earthly matters nor as aids to salvation. It is only logical that the Tirthankaras, for their part, are not gods. They do enjoy high honour, and therefore, to a certain degree, they fill the vacuum left by the absence of truly present gods [7] .To reach the stage of salvation as a human being is the prime purpose of every human having reached the stage of human evolution. The journey is long yet one does not have any other choice. It is our soul (the atman within), which is on the cosmic journey and every human being has to bid by its choice. Whenever the ego of a human being prompts one to differ with the choice of our soul (the atman within), it is a series of stress and strains primarily in the workplace one has to go through. To avoid passing the stage of unhealthy stresses and strains every human being must abide by the wishes of our soul (the atman within)[8]. Salvation is primarily the end of cosmic journey of atman the soul within our body. It is the culmination of life itself for beyond salvation there is nothing else for the atman soul to do. No further manifestations the atman soul liberates forever from the cycle of birth and death. Salvation is achieved after gaining Enlightenment. After achieving the stage of salvation there is nowhere else to go for atman the soul within except to the abode of God and in Christianity aka the kingdom of God. We may desire or not but salvation is the end goal of

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Azam Khodashenas Pelko et. al. / International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Vol. 2(7), 2010, 3185-3187 every living being. We can make efforts to reach the stage of salvation within this life itself that requires one to understand the crux of the cosmic system [9-10]. The Jainas consider salvation is, the right of human beings only. The path of salvation prescribed by Jainism is only one and it is known as Ratnatraya-marga, i.e., the threefold path of Right Belief, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct, which is to be simultaneously pursued by all persons [11]. According to Jainism, moksa or liberation can be attained only in the human birth. Even the demi-gods and heavenly beings have to re-incarnate as humans and practice right faith, knowledge and conduct to achieve liberation. According to Jainism, human birth is quite rare and invaluable and hence a man should make his choices wisely[12]. Salvation In Christianity In Christianity, salvation is variously conceived. One prominent conception emphasizes justification - the process through which the individual, alienated from God by sin, is reconciled to God and reckoned just or righteous through faith in Christ. In certain forms of Hinduism and Buddhism, for example, salvation is understood as liberation from the inevitable pain of existence in time by means of religious disciplines that ultimately achieve a state of being that is not determined by time bound perceptions and forms of thought. [13]. Roman Catholics believe "Man stands in need of salvation from God," and "Divine help comes to him in Christ through the law that guides him and the grace that sustains him." It was for our salvation that "God loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins; the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world, and he was revealed to take away sins." [14]. Salvation in Islam Study of the concept of salvation in Islam is with the use of the verb naja (to save) and noun najat (salvation) in the Quran. Many scholars have noted that the word najat only appears once in the Quran (at 40:41)[15-18]. Some have taken this as an indication of the importance of the concept of salvation in the Quran. But the use of the verb naja is more extensive and needs to be noted. The verb naja occurs 62 times in various forms in the Quran with the meaning of to save [19]. Those who have disbelieved and died in disbelief, the earth full of gold would not be accepted from any of them if one offered it as a ransom. They will have a painful punishment, and they will have no helpers.[20]. So, this life is our only chance to win Paradise and to escape from Hellfire [21]. According to the Qur'an, God created man in the best stature, with an intelligence capable of knowing the One. Islam teaches that humans carry within themselves a primordial nature (al-fitrah) which they have forgotten and is now buried deep under layers of negligence. Salvation according to Islam is therefore remembrance, recollection, and confirmation of a knowledge deeply embedded in the very substance of our being.[22] In the Qur'an, God (Allah in Arabic), states (2:62): Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the Sabians; anyone who (1) believes in God, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. Salvation in Hinduism In Hinduism, salvation is the Atman's liberation from Samsra, the cycle of death and rebirth and attainment of the highest spiritual state. It is the ultimate goal of Hinduism, where even hell and heaven are temporary. This is called moksha (Sanskrit: , "liberation") or mukti (Sanskrit: ,"release"). Moksha is a final release from one's worldly conception of self, the loosening of the shackles of experiential duality and a reestablishment in one's own fundamental nature, though the nature is seen as ineffable and beyond sensation. The actual state is seen differently depending on school of thought. Salvation in Buddhism Liberation, called nirvna in Buddhism, is seen as an end to suffering, rebirth, and ignorance. The Four Noble Truths outline some of Buddhist soteriology: they describe suffering (dukkha) and its causes, the possibility of its cessation, and the way to its cessation, that is, the Noble Eightfold Path, which includes wisdom (paa), morality (sla), and concentration (samdhi). The means of achieving liberation are further developed in other Buddhist teachings. They are expressed in different terms by Theravda, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhists. Salvation in Sikhism Salvation in Sikhism means ending the cycle of death and rebirth and thus merging oneself with the Infinite Formless God.According to Guru Nanak,the founder of Sikhism,the goal of the human is to have union with God and for this the Sikhs are to conquer their ego and thus realizing their true nature which is the same as God.There are five spiritual stages through which the Sikhs go through reaching the final stage of having union with God.

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Azam Khodashenas Pelko et. al. / International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Vol. 2(7), 2010, 3185-3187 1. Dharam Khand: The realm of Righteous action. 2. Gian Khand: The realm of Knowledge. 3. Saram Khand: The realm of Spiritual endeavor. 4. Karam Khand: The realm of Grace. 5. Sach Khand: The realm of Truth. According to Sikhism, moksa or liberation can be attained only in the human birth. Even the demi-gods and heavenly beings have to re-incarnate as humans and practice right faith, knowledge and conduct to achieve liberation. According to Sikhism, human birth is quite rare and invaluable and hence a man should make his choices wisely [23].

References
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/pdf/Archive/Soc/soc.religion.islam/2008- 02/msg00101.pdf William F. Vallicella (2007), Three Concepts of Salvation: Physical, Mystical, And Religious http://uhho-clydes-thinking-again.blogspot.com/ https://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm?articleid=156822 A. J. Arberry, The Koran Interpreted (NY: MacMillan, 1976), p. 93, 220, 344 Salvation in Islam http://www.here-now4u.de/eng/salvation.html Vijay Kumar Jain(2005), Human Evolution Timeline Chart http://searchwarp.com/swa22083.htm Vijay Kumar, Steps to Salvation http://www.vijaykumar.org/steps_to_salvation.html Varni, Jinendra; Ed. Prof. Sagarmal Jain, Translated Justice T.K. Tukol and Dr. K.K. Dixit (1993). Sama Sutta . New Delhi: Bhagwan Mahavir memorial Samiti http://www.jainworld.com/jainbooks/antiquity/jainorel.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation K Klostermaier, Liberation, Salvation, Self Realization: A Comparative Study of Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian Ideas (1973); A W Pink, The Doctrine of Salvation (1975); C R Smith, The Bible Doctrine of Salvation: A Study of the Atonement (1969). http://mbsoft.com/believe/text/salvatio.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation Cf. Norman Anderson, Islam in the Modern World. (Leicester: Apollos, 1990), p. 216; L. Bevan Jones, The People of the Mosque. (Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 1959), p. 280 Thomas Patrick Hughes, A Dictionary of Islam. (London: W.H. Allen & Co., 1885), p. 564 Abdullah Yusuf Ali, trans., An English Interpretation of The Holy Quran. (Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1992). Quran 2:49, 50; 7:141 (x2); 10:86, 92; 14:6; 20:80; 26:66; 37:115; 44:30. Quran 3:91 The means to salvation from an Islamic perspective (2006) islam-guide.com Seyyed Hossein Nasr, William Chittick (2007), The Essential. World Wisdom, Inc. ISBN 1933316381, p.45 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation

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