In the world of 140-character twitter, it is but natural to use various acronyms or shorthands to express our feelings – happy or sad. LoL, TC, GN are now a part of common vocabulary of many of my friends – and mine too. Another such acronym which keeps popping up, though –thankfully– not as frequently as the others, is RIP. Of course it is not a digital-age acronym, and has been appearing on headstones for centuries. When the news of a celebrity passing hits the twitteratti, it transforms itself into a hashtag and dominates the digital landscape for some time, crossing the region-religion boundaries. Many of my friends use it – almost as a habit – without realizing that its roots lie deep in that part of the Abrahamic theology (the basis of Christianity, Judaism and Islam) which is not compatible with the Dharmic philosophy.
Rest In Peace (RIP) indicates resting of the departed soul, and begets the question: for how long, and for what purpose? The answer is: till the end of the world, for the judgement on the dead person's conduct in life, i.e., being sent to either an eternal hell or heaven. The day of judgement (qayamat in Islam) will see the resurrection of the dead, when the bodies from the graveyards will be brought back to life and everyone's deeds will be read out and judged. This, by the way, is the reason for burial as against cremation in Hinduism.
Hindus pray for the departing life's sadgati, meaning a good (sad-/sat-) passage (gati) of the aatman – from this life to another. Note: gati is antonymous to rest. There is no concept of eternal hell or heaven either. The aatman spends a brief period in the hell or heaven based on its paapa-punya, and then assumes another life form according to the karma-phala. Note: while sin is the English word for paapa, there is no equivalent of punya in Abrahamic theology – and hence English.
Karma and reincarnation are central to Dharmic philosophy; almost all Dharmic religions are in sync with it. Abrahamic religions are not. They cannot be. To believe in reincarnation will remove the exclusivity of Jesus, and will empower a Christian with the potential of attaining moksha via his/her own karma, instead of the dogmatic belief in one prophet's abilities to wash his/her sins.
If you believe you can uplift yourself — please don't RIP it!
Then what is a concise, twitter-friendly way of expressing our grief?
I would go for Om Shanti. It signifies the peaceful passage of the aatman, and is 100% Hindu.
Rest In Peace (RIP) indicates resting of the departed soul, and begets the question: for how long, and for what purpose? The answer is: till the end of the world, for the judgement on the dead person's conduct in life, i.e., being sent to either an eternal hell or heaven. The day of judgement (qayamat in Islam) will see the resurrection of the dead, when the bodies from the graveyards will be brought back to life and everyone's deeds will be read out and judged. This, by the way, is the reason for burial as against cremation in Hinduism.
Hindus pray for the departing life's sadgati, meaning a good (sad-/sat-) passage (gati) of the aatman – from this life to another. Note: gati is antonymous to rest. There is no concept of eternal hell or heaven either. The aatman spends a brief period in the hell or heaven based on its paapa-punya, and then assumes another life form according to the karma-phala. Note: while sin is the English word for paapa, there is no equivalent of punya in Abrahamic theology – and hence English.
Karma and reincarnation are central to Dharmic philosophy; almost all Dharmic religions are in sync with it. Abrahamic religions are not. They cannot be. To believe in reincarnation will remove the exclusivity of Jesus, and will empower a Christian with the potential of attaining moksha via his/her own karma, instead of the dogmatic belief in one prophet's abilities to wash his/her sins.
If you believe you can uplift yourself — please don't RIP it!
Then what is a concise, twitter-friendly way of expressing our grief?
I would go for Om Shanti. It signifies the peaceful passage of the aatman, and is 100% Hindu.
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