Hinduism: Ethics

By: Camille Lee, Shaina Geyer, and Skyler Genelly

Animal Ethics

The right way to treat animals

varies among cultures; therefore,
Hindus demeanor towards cows in
particular is quite reverent.
Most Hindus are vegetarian
No Hindu will eat beef

Come together, talk

War

together,
Let our minds be in
harmony.
Common be our prayer,
Common be our end,
Common be our purpose,
Common be our
deliberations,

Hindus condemn war and violence, as well as

teachings that promote it as a moral duty.

Common be our desires,

The teachings that condemn violence are contained

United be our hearts,

in the doctrine of ahimsa, while those that permit

United be our
intentions,

it centre around the Kshatriyas - the warrior

Perfect be the union

caste.

among us.
Rig Veda 10 - 191:2

Hinduism contains the early writings of the Rig

Veda.

Abortion
When considering abortion, the Hindu way is to choose
the action that will do least harm to all involved: the
mother and father, the foetus and society.
Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and
revered, and therefore practice ahimsa or nonviolence. All
life is sacred because all creatures are manifestations of
the Supreme Being.

Capital Punishment
There is no official Hindu line on capital punishment.
However, Hinduism opposes killing, violence and
revenge, in line with the principle of ahimsa (nonviolence).
The Indian Supreme Court has ruled that the death
penalty should only be used in the rarest of rare cases.

An eye for an eye ends up

making the whole world blind Ghandi

Contraception
There is no ban on birth control in Hinduism.
Because India has such a high level of population, much
of the discussion of birth control has focussed on the
environmental issue of overpopulation rather than more
personal ethics, and birth control is not a major ethical
issue.

Organ Donation
Life after death is a strong belief of Hindus and is an ongoing
process of rebirth. The only constraint on the idea of organ
donation is imposed by the very nature of Dharma.
The Hindus believe every act or intention of anyone should be
dharmik. Therefore, it is right to donate organs, only if the act
of donating an organ has beneficial results.
The principle of karma means the recipient will have to return
the favour in the donor's next life.

Euthanasia
sannyasin - one who has renounced everything
There are two Hindu views on euthanasia: By helping to end a
painful life a person is performing a good deed and so fulfilling
their moral obligations and by helping to end a life, even one
filled with suffering, a person is disturbing the timing of the
cycle of death and rebirth. This is a bad thing to do, and those
involved in the euthanasia will take on the remaining karma of
the patient, keeping a person artificially alive on a life-support
machine would also be a bad thing to do.

Suicide
Prayopavesa, or fasting to death, is an acceptable way for a
Hindu to end their life in certain circumstances. It's only
used when it's the right time for this life to end - when this
body has served its purpose and become a burden.
Prayopavesa is a gradual process, giving ample time for the
patient to prepare himself and those around him for his
death, while suicide is associated with feelings of
frustration, depression, or anger
Prayopavesa is only for people who are fulfilled, who have
no desire or ambition left, and no responsibilities remaining
in this life.

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Works Cited
BBC. "Hinduism - Ethics." BBC. BBC, 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

Canopy with Colorful Deities and Sacred Cows. Digital image. Alamy. N.p., 6 Jan. 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Express News Service. 72 Muslims Hanged in India Against 1342 Hindus and Others. Digital image. The Sunday
Standard. The New Indian Express, 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

"Animal Ethics." BBC. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

"Euthanasia, Assisted Dying, and Suicide." BBC - Religions - Hinduism. BBC, 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Gopal, G. Mohan. In Bangalore, a candle light protest against capital punishment. Digital image. Frontline. The
Hindu, 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
HHR. Hindu Religious Quotes on Abortion. Digital image. Hindu Human Rights - Serving Hindus Worldwide. Hindu

Human Rights - Serving Hundus Worldwide, 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

Hindu cow taboo. ReligionFacts.com. 10 Nov. 2015. Web. Accessed 29 Mar. 2016.

Works Cited Contd

"Hinduism and War." BBC. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
"Hinduism - Death." Hinduism - Death. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016
Kader, Esoofi. "Hindu Ethics - Esoofi Kader Videos 136." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Dec. 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
N.A. Abortion - Hinduism. Digital image. Modie Johnson. Tripod, 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Peace Sign. Digital image. Google Images. N.p., Mar. 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Pradesh, Andhra. FOR A CAUSE: Women from the Jain community taking part in a rally organised to create awareness
against abortion, on Thursday. Digital image. The Hindu. The Hindu, 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Staff Correspondent. Hinduism and Capital Punishment. Digital image. Daily Sun. The Daily Sun, 2015. Web. 27 Mar.
2016.

Works Cited Contd

"Organ Donation." BBC - Religions - Hinduism. BBC, 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Surahmanyam, C. V. Volunteers of Voice of Vizag and members of Surajya Movement taking out a rally from the Beach
Road to Collectorate Bunglow paying condolence to the Delhi gang-rape victim. Digital image.The Hindu.
The Hindu, 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

The Rig Veda. Digital image. Detechter. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.