Definition of ‘Dharma’ in J.A.B. Van Buitenen’s Essay Dharma and Moksha:

 Dharma and Moksha is an essay written by J.A.B Van Buitenen which was published in a journal named, Philosophy East and West, Vol-7, in April-June issue, 1957. (pp33-40)

 The essay is an elaborate discussion on the question, ‘what is the distinction between dharma values and moksha values.’ To find the answer to the question, Van Buitenen extensively discusses the historical background in which these two terms dharma and moksha originated. In his first argument, he mentions the concept of after-life and spirituality, ideas which are probably in every religion and culture, associated with the concept of heaven and hell. Other concepts of Brahma and samsara are particularly exclusive to Hinduism and Buddhism. In the ancient Indian religious texts, it is also mentioned that the soul passes its journey from one life to another on the basis of the acts performed in previous lives. He explains the idea of ‘moksha’ in his second argument, where he explains that moksha is basically 'release from bondage.' According to Indian philosophy, every soul’s purpose is to attain moksha or release from the cyclic order of birth and death. Buddhism indoctrinates that the soul’s self-recognition is nirvana, which literally means ‘extinction of the flame of life thirst.’

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