Seeing in Eternal Return: Hermeneutical Perspectives on Karma and Rebirth

Journal Title: Religions - Year 2017, Vol 8, Issue 11

Abstract

This article is a reflection on a conception of death, that of karma and rebirth, and its value in interpreting one’s life. I have thought about this conception in two ways. The first is that I can see the circumstances of my life as the result of causes of which I was the agent, and the second is that I can see my life and the relationships in my life as part of a much larger narrative that began before this life. Through an examination of Vaishnava and Advaita theology, Nyaya philosophy, and some ¯ Puranic and Epic texts, I argue for an interpretation of karma and rebirth as a rational system that allows one to see relationships as involving many layers of complexity.

Authors and Affiliations

Jonathan Edelmann

Keywords

Related Articles

Transcendence, Taxis, Trust: Richard Kearney and Jacques Derrida

Whatever else it takes to drive a taxi, it takes trust. Day after day, the driver has to decide whether the other is or is not trustworthy. I take the taxi as a test case to analyze and assess Richard Kearney’s diacrit...

The Global Consequences of Mistranslation: The Adoption of the “Black but …” Formulation in Europe, 1440–1650

This article investigates the genesis of a linguistic model occasioned by a mistranslation that was taken up in the Renaissance, and had an enduring global impact. I call this model the ―black but…‖ formulation, and it...

Environmental Violence in Minamata: Responsibility, Resistance, and Religiosity in the Case of Ogata Masato and Hongan no Kai

The small town of Minamata is infamous for the industrial disease named after the city. This disease resulted from having ingested methyl mercury, a substance released for more than three decades by a factory owned by...

Transforming the Conversation: What Is Liberation and from What Is It Liberating Us? A Critical Response to “Transforming Encounters and Critical Reflection: African Thought, Critical Theory, and Liberation Theology in Dialogue”

The Religions special issue, “Transforming Encounters and Critical Reflection: African Thought, Critical Theory, and Liberation Theology in Dialogue,” addresses the concern over the present postcolonial context in whic...

The New Indices of Religious Orientation Revised (NIROR): A Study among Canadian Adolescents Attending a Baptist Youth Mission and Service Event

This study explores the properties of the New Indices of Religious Orientation Revised (NIROR) among a sample of 521 Canadian adolescents attending a Baptist youth mission and service event, ranging in age from 12 to 1...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP25842
  • DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel8110250
  • Views 325
  • Downloads 10

How To Cite

Jonathan Edelmann (2017). Seeing in Eternal Return: Hermeneutical Perspectives on Karma and Rebirth. Religions, 8(11), -. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-25842