World Religions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

World Religions - Essay Example Path of desire is not condemned in the Hindu religion, but the problem with path of desire is its un-fulfillment, as there is no end to desires and wishes which lead to wanting more and more. The followers of Path of desire follow false happiness and chase illusive dreams. Even, if an individual were able to find success, soon he/she would realize that there are still better things in life to be achieved. Man often man desire true happiness and success, which can only be satisfied by following Path of Renunciation. Thus, Path of Renunciation refers to renouncing one desire in order to achieve some thing more important (Moksha). And one can reap the benefits of Path of Renunciation only, when one has achieved maturity in the Path of Desire and wish to go beyond one’s own pleasure and success through renunciation personal desires. It is only possible by becoming part of the community and fulfill the duty of contributing greater good towards society. However the peak of the Path of Renunciation is beyond community and desires, which is the ultimate liberation from matter to attain enlightenment. 2) What are the "Four Paths to the Goal" What is the definition of 'yoga' Discuss each yogic path and its attributes. The Hindu scriptures have mentioned four paths to achieve goal in life: Dhrama, the righteousness in life; Artha, the economic development; Kama, Sensual enjoyment, and Moksha, ultimate liberation and union with God (through yoga). Yoga is training oneself (mind) to achieve perfect state of mind and peace through a system of exercises. Each exercise prepares body for further spiritual awareness and unites the body and spirit for greater control. Yoga is meant to train the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility. A system of exercises practiced as part of this discipline promotes control of the body and mind." These exercises prepare body for a full on spiritual awareness enables an individual for complete control of ones actions. The first one is Karma-yoga, which starts with an understanding that man is bonded to actions, thus the purpose is to relieve oneself from these selfish actions. It does not mean giving up all activities; instead Karma yoga refers to the sacrifices being offered to various deities to attain material necessities, however at the highest level it means dedication of all activities to God only. The next form of yoga is Jnana which is meant to promote knowledge through study and thinking. It asks for minimizing the life activities in the belief that the pursuit of wisdom means a simple life. The third kind of Yoga is Astanga, which is divided into eight different stages called Yoga Sutras. The sutras discuss the super-states of consciousness and attainment of several mystical powers, such as the power to become smaller in size. However yogis are not to be fascinated by such mystical powers and instead keep the mind focused on God within. The last form of Yoga is Bhakti, which is meant for mature individuals Within modern Hinduism, Bhakti-yoga remains the predominant path towards spiritual fulfillment. It includes the external and symbolic

Is wind power green Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Is wind power green - Essay Example Wind power, though helpful in promoting alternative resource could not sustain the growing need of electricity; the claim about how it reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emissions holds a lot of questionable areas, while its more subtle effects on animals is as fatal as the blatant ones. Wind Power The wind’s molecular structure and versatility in movement are the main reasons why it is a good agent of producing electricity by means of wind turbines. The blades of the turbines are â€Å"designed to capture kinetic energy in the wind† (Layton, n.d.). The heat of the sun combined with the irregularities of the Earth’s surface, are the main factors of wind formation; thus leading us to the idea that wind power is basically an offshoot of solar energy. The origin of using the wind as an energy resource dates back hundreds of years ago when civilizations prosper and began to develop agriculture. According to Redlinger, Andersen, Morthorst, and the United Nations Env ironment Programme (2002), the origins of wind power may be traced back in ancient Asia particularly in some parts of North Asia and the Middle East. In the eve of European navigation, windmills were spread across the European continent particularly in the Netherlands and Denmark, where windmills were used primarily for irrigation. What convinces environmental advocates that wind power is the safest form of renewable energy is the fact that it does not reproduce radioactive chemicals like what nuclear energy does. Truly, wind energy is tried and tested through time. However, the needs of the society nowadays are a far cry from what it is before. If power was only needed to process wheat and other agricultural products, then the amount of power the wind produces would be enough, but looking into the modern context where steel and massive electricity needed to light the country’s households, power generated by the wind would only mean a speck of dust. A Lighter Side of the Issu e Harnessing energy from the natural wind may be the biggest advantage of wind power if compared to fossil fuels or nuclear energy. According to the Energy Resource Center of Wisconsin (n.d.), power plants generally produce toxic by-products such as mercury and lead, which are both lethal to the environment and human and animal health. The use of wind power would likely to reduce the production of these chemicals in such a way that it would prevent contamination of clean natural resources. In addition, an edge that wind power may have among other forms of energy source is the longevity of the system. The wind power equipments have accessible materials for its maintenance and would less likely to require expensive machineries for its sustenance (Cane, 2010). Nowadays, information about the wind power offers a bright future for the environment; however several environmental advocates disagree with this statement. The Other Side In his book Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future, Bryce (2010) regarded the energy by the wind power, a myth; more-so with its efficiency as electricity provider. In the case of Denmark’s wind power resources, the wind turbines needed a considerable amount of electric generation capacity (Bryce 2010). Basing on the Denmark’