Sin &Forgiveness In Hinduism Essays - Spirituality, Forgiveness

Sin &Forgiveness In Hinduism Sin begins in the realm of consciousness. When we are young we are taught by our guardians that which is ?right? from that which is ?wrong?. We grow up with the understanding that stealing our playmate's toys or hitting our grandparents is wrong and therefore, a sin. As we mature the concept of sin begins to change; it is no longer quite so easy to define or to explain and its repercussions become much more severe than a grounding. Sin is a malicious act, intent-full, deliberate and harmful. An act is considered sinful when, though the perpetrator may gain some form of momentary satisfaction, the action inflicts harm to someone or something else. In reference to Hinduism, a sin is an immoral act; It is ungodly or unethical. The concept of ahimsa (to do or cause no harm) to a Hindu is very sacred and from childhood he is taught to respect and abide by this ideal. Therefore, any step towards dishonoring this paragon is a sin. The story of Svetaketu Aruneya offers a subtle definition of sin. The boy was so proud of himself for having learned the Vedas that his high opinion's of himself stood in the way of his most important lesson and understanding; that of faith. Here, Svetaketu's ego served as a maya and kept him from realizing moksha. Since it is the Hindu's ultimate goal to achieve moksha, all which stands as a barrier is a sin. In a Hindu's life there are different stages which he must pass through before he reaches the end of his life. Each stage is representative of different levels of learning, understanding and growth. Though sin (or rather its potential) is prevalent throughout the four stages, forgiveness becomes an extremely important factor towards reaching moksha. Forgiveness, for the Hindus, begins with self realization that one has sinned. Without this realization, forgiveness cannot begin. The moment this realization is reached the sinner begins his process of forgiveness through growing from his mistakes. Much like the Western traditional views of sin and forgiveness, a Hindu is bound to the same principles; he must consciously realize his sin and with a sincere heart, ask for forgiveness, both to the person he has sinned against and then to God. Shiva, the God of rebirth and destruction is revered by devout Hindu's as a God with a very hot and unpredictable temper, but also as a very forgiving and just God. The Gods of Hinduism hold no grudges against repenting sinners and thus, good Hindu's must not either. At the source of Hinduism lies transcendence. Not to forgive is a sin in itself for it furthers one from complete liberation. It is understood that in order to achieve peace within oneself, forgiveness is inevitable. Karma, often misunderstood or improperly used in the Western culture, can best be described as the proverbial ?to each his own?. Therefore, it is not for the independent individual to judge whether forgiveness is merited or not. Forgiveness offers relief: relief from pending tensions, ill-feeling and mounting egoism. Forgiveness saves one form becoming selfish and egotistical. Physical exercise, meditation through different forms of yoga, devotion, spiritual cleansing through prayer and ?public chanting?(Sharma, 40), all of these exercises are performed in order to achieve a heightened sense of consciousness. It is through consciousness that one may avoid that which is bad, harmful and evil, both to oneself and to others. This is the achievement of egolessness (24). The more one learns to forgive the happier and more peaceful they will feel. The obtainment of moksha, cannot be realized through the containment of negative energy which is associated with animosity, ill thoughts or malevolence. Rather, Hinduism teaches that it is better to forgive, to receive freedom and gain liberation for oneself, this is fulfillment, this is moksha. Religion Essays

Story Writing 101

Story Writing 101 Story Writing 101 Story Writing 101 By Ali Hale Since prehistoric times, when tales were told around fires and painted on cave walls, stories have been an essential part of our human experience. But what exactly is a story – and how can you write a great one? A story is simply a tale of events that are linked by cause and effect. It can be true or it can be a work of fiction. We expect stories to have a beginning, middle and end; they involve at least two characters, and some events take place. In this article, I’ll take you through three major contemporary types of written story: The short story The novel The life story (biography or autobiography) For each, I’ll explain what it is, and how to write it successfully. I’ll end with tips about story writing which will help you improve your writing, whether you’re a beginner or a published author. Three Types of Story 1. Short Stories A short story is a piece of fiction under 20,000 words. More typically, a short story will be 1,000 – 5,000 words. (Pieces under 1,000 words are â€Å"short short stories† or â€Å"flash fiction†, over 20,000 and they’re novellas.) Short stories are published in magazines, newspapers and book anthologies. Short stories need: A small cast of characters, with one main character A compact time frame, with the story taking place over the course of a few days or weeks A single plot without subplots, though longer short stories may have a subplot The majority of writing competitions are for complete short stories, rather than novels or novel excerpts. If you do enter competitions, don’t be put off writing if you don’t win – judges have different likes and dislikes. How to Write a Great Short Story Like any story, your short story needs to have a beginning, middle and end: The beginning is where we’re introduced to the characters, especially the main character and his/her problem The middle is where the action and plot develops. The main character will face difficulties such as opposition from other people or a challenging environment. The end is where the main character triumphs over his/her biggest challenge (or fails, in the case of a tragedy). The resolution should be satisfying and conclusive for the reader. Even in literary and experimental short stories, it’s important that something should happen. Much of the action might take place inside the characters’ heads, but there should be a real change as a result. By the end of your short story, your main character should have experienced an internal change. This means that they’ve grown and developed as a person – perhaps overcoming a fear, or recognizing an unacknowledged truth about himself or herself. 2. Novels A novel is a piece of fiction that’s 60,000 words or longer (shorter books are novellas). The typical novel is around 80,000 – 150,000 words, depending on genre. Novels and short stories share similar structural features, but novels give the author a much wider scope. A novel might have: More than one main character (though attempt this with caution!) A large cast of characters A long time frame – potentially covering several centuries and several generations Multiple subplots Novels tend to be much more popular than short stories with the reading public, and almost all full-time authors are novelists rather than short story writers. How To Write A Novel A novel is a much bigger undertaking than a short story. Even if you are able to write short stories without much planning, you’ll need to plan out your novel in advance. There are a number of ways to do this, but whichever you choose, ensure: You have enough plot to meet your word count target Your main character (protagonist) is sympathetic – readers of short stories will put up with a dull or unlikeable character, but novel readers are stuck with the character’s viewpoint for much longer. As the writer, you’ll need to be able to become your characters. You have an escalation of events throughout the plot. Things need to get worse and worse for your characters, until they finally overcome their problems or enemies. 3. Life Stories A life story is a true story – though it shares features with fictional stories. Life stories are either â€Å"biography† (when you write about someone else) or â€Å"autobiography† (when you write about yourself). Most biographies and autobiographies are book length, similar to a novel. Many writers draw on their own life experiences for newspaper columns and magazine articles, though. There is also a market for â€Å"true life† stories in magazines, which are told in a story-like way: writing about your own life is a simple way to write about what you know. How To Write A Life Story A life story needs to be engaging and interesting for the reader. Don’t include boring details just because they’re â€Å"true† – the reader doesn’t need to know everything that happened. In many cases, details of childhood or dull years can be summarized – or told through a few vividly-drawn incidents. You will need to be careful when writing a biography or autobiography to: Structure your piece as a story, focusing on interesting events and incidents. Show the personality of the subject (yourself or the person you’re writing about), and making sure the reader will find them at least partly likeable. Be conscious of the other people involved – try to be sensitive to how they might feel (and avoid getting sued for libel – make sure you’re certain of your facts). There is often a fine line between life writing and fiction. If you are writing the story of your life, you will need to make decisions about whether you will alter or make up lines of dialogue, for instance. General Story Writing Tips Whatever type of story or stories you’re writing, and however experienced you are, there’s always room for improvement Share Your Story Writing Efforts It’s hard to write in isolation, and sharing your work with other writers is a great way to get feedback and suggestions. Look for a local writers’ circle, or join an online forum. You want to find somewhere that’s supportive but where people aren’t afraid to offer advice about things that aren’t working in your story. Keep Learning Writing is a craft that you can learn, like any other. There are hundreds of books on all aspects of writing, from the nuts and bolts of grammar and punctuation to writing in specific genres. You can also find free advice on the Internet (on blogs like this one). You can even take a degree or post-graduate course in creative writing. Keep Practicing As well as learning about writing, you need to practice. That means writing regularly – ideally daily. As you write more, your stories will get better – your characters are more â€Å"real†, your plots are convincing, and your endings are deeply satisfying to readers. You’ll also find that writing itself becomes easier: you’ll spend less time struggling to find the right words, and more time enjoying seeing the story spill from your fingers. Always Revise All authors need to revise their work. Your first draft might have a lot of problems – inconsistent characterization, scenes which don’t really fit, holes in the plot, incorrect pacing or tension. Don’t worry if this is the case: most published authors have to extensively rewrite their first drafts too. Always allow time to revise your story, and if possible, do several rewrites. Most authors recommend letting your story sit unread for a few days or weeks when you complete a draft, so that you can come to it with fresh eyes. Good luck with your story writing! Check Out Other Articles from The Writing 101 Series: The Writing Process Creative Writing 101 Story Writing 101 Letter Writing 101 Business Writing 101 Freelance Writing 101 Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point ArcWork of Art TitlesSentence Adverbs

Business Administration Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Administration - Personal Statement Example The emphasis on the religious and cultural upbringing of a child in my culture is considered as more important than any other aspect of life and as such I believe I was raised as a child who is going to contribute positively towards making others’ lives easier and fulfilling. I passed my Bachelors in Health Administration in 2009 from California State University, Sacramento with an overall GPA of 3.5/4 with degree honor of Cum Laude. Apart from that I also passed Associates of Science and Medical Assistant Certification. This indicates my overall zeal and commitment to continuously upgrade my level of education standards and achieve better education to improve my chances of getting ahead in my career at relatively swift pace. What this also indicates is the fact that my educational credentials are good enough to give me confidence to pursue a higher degree and improve my chances to obtain better career position in the future and this degree will serve as a foundation for me to set foot on a career that is not only self fulfilling and lucrative but also allow individuals to serve the humanity in appropriate manner and remain in touch with the life. I am currently working at Mercy San Juan Medical Center as Patient Registration Rep and my core duties include ensuring that complete and timely information on Insurance is achieved and collecting demographics and financial information about the patients. My current job is therefore relatively administrative in nature as I am supposed to take care of the most critical aspects of hospital management that is maintaining of financial records of the patients and ensure that the timely and accurate information is collected for serving our patients in more appropriate manner. My earlier experience includes working as ER Assistant at Woodland Memorial Hospital, Communications Operator at Mercy General Hospital, Â ­Medical Assistant

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art - Essay Example The World of Art: Concepts of Art: Going through the book, different concepts can be unlearned through which an art or a craft is presented. The most important concept in the creation of an art seems to be the use of different medium available in an artist’s surroundings. The concept of aboriginal rock art enhances on the fundamentality of the experiences by human that lead him to create an art. The use of chalk and charcoal could be observed as another concept of making art that descriptively presents a matter in front of others as given the name of delineation. Smudging is a procedure that can be applied on such charcoal paintings which is another concept of art creation and presentation. The use of pastel and pastel oil sticks have also been reflected through the book as several artists have made use of these in their paintings. Another concept of painting is the ‘wash and brush’ where the painter dilutes ink with water and then apply it on broad areas for maki ng the painting. The book also presents other aspects of craft apart from painting that include printmaking and creation of crafts. The technique of printmaking also involves several concepts some of which as mentioned in the book are woodcutting, wood engraving, linocut, engraving and etching. These are different forms of printmaking and uses different mediums for the design of the print, for example, in case of wood engraving, the print is created by engraving designs on the wood. These designs would then be filled with colors and inks. Lithography or writing on stone has been presented as another form of art creation. Finally the book also presents the creation of crafts through the use of different concepts like the glass, fiber, ceramics, and wood that can be used in the designing and creation of different crafts (Sayre, 169-320). Artists and their Arts: The book presents the arts and creations of several artists. The Allegory of Painting is an art created by Jan Vermeer that s hows the use of each and every medium present in the surroundings of the artist. An ink and wash concept has been used in the creation of the Workshop of Pollaiuolo which was a drawing of the times of Renaissance. It presents a view on the unavailability of paper and hence the use of wood to carve out arts as portrayed through the painting. A magnificent painting has been created by Leonardo da Vinci named as Study for a Sleeve with the use of pen, chalk, and lampblack. The paintings created by Leonardo generated a seriousness of the contribution of art on the paintings and also inspired several other painters of the time. Oil paint was used by Raphaiel in his creation of The Alba Madonna and the painting marvelously portrayed the human expressions from in depth of their hearts. The Banana Flower art created by Georgia O’Keeffe was done with the use of charcoal and black chalk. Another artist, Georges Pierre Seurat, created the painting Cafe Concert with the use of crayons on Ingres paper. Vija Celmin had presented a graphite drawing unique in its character in the way it presented the picture of an ocean. The name of the painting was Untitled (Ocean) (Sayre, 169-179). Mary Cassatt learnt the use of pastel and became famous for her drawings associated with mothers and children, one of which was reflected through the painting named Young Mother, Daughter, and Son. Artists like Elisabetta Sirani and Jean Dubuffet were also famous for their use

Understanding omega-3’s Essay Example for Free

Understanding omega-3’s Essay To-date, many studies have been conducted to validate and understand the effect of omega-3’s in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Omega-3’s have attracted attention as potential triglyceride lowering and cardioprotective agents. They are a special group of polyunsaturated fatty acids found abundantly in marine sources (fatty fish) as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docohexaenoic acid (DHA), and in nuts, seeds and vegetable oils as ÃŽ ±-linolenic acid (ALA). The delta-6-desaturase enzyme in vivo converts ÃŽ ±-linolenic acid into EPA and subsequently to DHA. Further metabolism of these products yields eicosanoids, the subject of interest. Eicosanoids (thromboxane, leukotrienes, prostaglandins) derived from omega-3’s have an anti-inflammatory and anti-aggretory effect. These properties account for the cardioprotective effects of omega-3’s since inflammation is one of the basic factors behind atheroma formation and plaque rupture. Studies have confirmed the dietary intake of omega-3’s to be inversely proportional to the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein, IL-6, E-selectin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1. Another study revealed an inverse relationship between EPA+DHA intake and soluble tumor necrosis factors. Omega-3 consumption has been shown to be inversely proportional to CVD, especially sudden cardiac death. The reduction of sudden cardiac death in people who consumed fish once a week was more (52%) than those who ate fish less than once a month. However, no relationship between omega-3 consumption and non-sudden death, myocardial infarction, or CVD mortality has yet been established. Although studies have been focused on the effects of EPA+DHA, the 4 prospective randomized trials discussed in the article suggest that the effect of ALA is not much different. However, further studies need to be conducted to verify the details in metabolism of ALA to eicosanoids. This knowledge may be important in knowing the extent and limitations of the process, and the limiting factors if any. Use of omega-3 has not been reported to cause any life-threatening illnesses or deaths. However, some gastrointestinal problems have been reported in a minute fraction of subjects. Presence of traces of mercury or methyl mercury in fish poses risk of mercury poisoning. However, while the FDA recommends pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children to avoid eating fish with high mercury content, it allows adults one serving (7 oz. ) per week consumption of fish containing 1ppm mercury. Some studies suggest role of ALA in prostrate cancer. Although such a link has not fully been established, it is safer to chose fish oil when implementing omega-3 supplementation in men. The American Heart Association recommends that the patients without known CVD should maintain a diet rich in ALA and eat a variety of fish twice a week. Patients with known CVD should consume at least 1 g/d EPA+DHA (3 g/d of fish oil) (Table III). The graph in Figure 3 shows a marked decrease in the percentage of energy the industrial society is getting from omega-3’s since the past century. The sudden surge in the use of harmful trans fats and the omega-6’s can be seen as the reason to the increase in heart diseases and sudden cardiac deaths during this period. This study has established the importance of omega-3’s from fish and vegetable oils in diet for everyone who wishes to live a normal, healthy life. Further studies need to be conducted to account for the effects of long term use and minimum threshold doses of EPA+DHA and the extent of metabolism of ALA and its role in prostrate cancer. However, knowledge from this article has made me stauncher in the use of fish at least once a week, since I have a family history of CVD.

Tales of Ise and The Tosa Diary Essay -- Literary Analysis

As seen in examples of monogatari such as Tales of Ise or nikki with The Tosa Diary, poetry is a very much used tool in the writings. While other examples of the two writing styles use poetry, these two examples best demonstrate the breaks in the writing style changes from a narrative and turns into something that takes on a more personal voice when it clearly goes into its poetic style. These poems are made to compliment the setting, such as in a poem credited to the former governor in The Tosa Diary where there is a description of the waves as they illustrate the governor’s sadness as he leaves Kyoto (83). Another point seen from this poem is that the governor is meant to be very good at constructing his poems and with it comes an example of a good poem as opposed to something that a commoner would have to write. Likewise, in the tenth of the Tales of Ise there are poems describing the love a man has for a woman while he is also comparing the physical setting, such as the mo untains. There are comparisons to Mt. Fuji and Mt. Utsu while they represent the waiting for his love or the beautiful vision that the man sees in his dreams with his love respectively (75-6). Such images of the scenery as seen alongside the desires or longing of those who write the poems are examples of how the poems are used to strengthen the narrative prose. Without the poems, the narrative prose in either the monogatari or the nikki would simply be a story and the significance would be lessened as there would not be the personal impact emanating from the characters and their feelings since a reader would only be able to read the description of the events and not get a feel of the thoughts from any of the characters. In the very deep illustrations of the... ...d to be a woman in the company of the boat. The significance lies in the possibility that with the different types of poetry in the narrative, the governor presents examples of the types of poems that should be written by different people coming from different classes. Looking back at the narratives and the significance of the poems in them is that many of the poems are inspired by nature around the authors. Also, the poems provide more of the voice of the authors instead of just the voice of the narrator and helps present the emotional tones of the characters in the narratives to the reader so that there can be more of a connection to it when it is being read. The poems make for a simple addition to the narrative and allows for a much more meaningful experience for a reader and makes for a much more engrossing story, thus adding to the to experience as a whole.

My role model Essay

To me a role model is someone in my life that has influenced me in a positive way. They help shape the way I am in the present and what I am going to be in the future. They are some one that I can look forward for advice in a tough situation and I know that they will give me advices with wisdom. They will never judge me on my past but only look to help because they really do care about me. Some one who I never feel awkward talking to about my problems because I know that it will not change their view of me and they will not reveal any information about me to other unrelated person or someone who are nosey. A role model should be sincere and not out for there own good but the good of others. I think that they should be older then I am because they need to have more experience then I do and need to have a deeper insight. It would be pointless to have a role model who knows less then me. Read more: My role model essay But apart from my parents, , teachers or very best friends like Brian Lee really do care about me a lot, there is nobody should be deserved to have a talk about, or can drag my attraction, or makes me change my personality and reach more achievements. I don’t have a real one honestly, but I would be searching for him or her! ( You must feel surprised that why do I write such a short paragraph this timeï Å )