Hinduism 2 Essay, Research Paper

Hinduism is the world s oldest major religion, or more precisely religious complex. Although it has no datable beginning, some evidence traces its origin back to 4000 or more years. Hinduism is not just a religion, but a complicated network of religious, philosophical, social, economic, and artistic elements making up a distinctive Indian civilization. It is said that the more than 780 million followers reside mostly in India, which claims more than 95 percent of the population. Hinduism was started in what is present-day Pakistan, and spread eastward down the Ganges River and southward throughout the subcontinent. Its influence eventually spread throughout southeastern Asia, into Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Burma, and Sri Lanka. There is no one thing or specific creed that defines a Hindu. A Hindu is one born into a caste, or a position in society determined by birth. Adherents to Hinduism may believe in one god or many or none. It emphasizes the good of the soul and is based on the concepts of reincarnation and passage from one state of existence to another. One s position in life is determined by their karma, the deeds and conduct done in their previous life. For a Hindu, the primary goal in life is to conform to certain social and ritual duties and to the rules of conduct for the assigned caste. Those conditions embody that individuals dharma-laws and duties of caste. Caste rules define who you can mingle with, where you can live, what you may wear and eat, and how you earn your livelihood. The practice of Hinduism is rich with rites and ceremonies, festivals and feasts, and processions of ritual gatherings of millions of celebrants. Another big part of Hinduism is taking pilgrimages to holy rivers and sacred places which are thought to preserve religious worth. Along with the many temples and shrines, sacred animals, the daily rituals and worship mark the cultural landscape of Hindu societies.

The largest and most influential of the breakaway movements has been Buddhism, a faith founded in the 6th century B.C. in northern India by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha (Enlightened One). The original teachings of Buddha were more a moral philosophy than a formal religion. He saw the road to enlightenment and salvation through the four noble truths : existence involves suffering; suffering is the result of desire; pain ceases when desire is destroyed; the destruction of desire comes through knowledge of correct behavior and thoughts. In Buddhism, which holds the Hindu concept of karma, the ultimate purpose of existence is the achievement of nirvana, a condition of perfect enlightenment, and an end to successive rebirths. Present-day spatial patterns of Buddhist adherence reflect the schools of thought, or vehicles, that were dominant during different periods of dispersion. The earliest, most conservative, and closest to the origins of Buddhism was Theravada (Vehicle of the Elders), which was implanted in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Mahayana (Greater Vehicle) was dominant in East Asia- China, Korea, and Japan and emphasizes meditation and tended to be more polytheistic. Vajrayana (the Diamond Vehicle) was dominant when converting Tibet and other neighboring northern areas and stressed self-discipline and conversion through the study of philosophy. Later it became more formally monastic and ritualistic, praising the Dalai Lama as the reincarnated Buddha, who became both spiritual and temporal ruler. In all of its variations, Buddhism marks its presence vividly on the cultural landscape. Buddha s image in the human form is now common in painting and sculpture throughout the Buddhist world.

The multi-national corporation that is to be started is going to be a fishing industry and is going to be located in East Asia. The two locations that the corporation is going to finance are going to be located in Hong Kong, Guangdong in China and Nagasaki Japan. The same activities will take place in both locations. These activities include that of sailing the ocean/sea and catching or extracting the fish from the water. From the boat, the fish will then be transported to the docks where they will be separated and done with accordingly. Some of the fish will be processed and packaged for export and long distance travel. Some of the fish will be made ready to be taken to a processing plant, and some of the fish will be skinned and made ready to be sold at a nearby market. Of course all the fish will be on ice and taken care of so as not to spoil or get ruined while being transported.

The marinas in both Japan and Hong Kong should have a relatively low cost of production. The cost of labor is always a concern but it should not be a problem when starting these new fishing ports. The education needed for the job is minimal, but the large workforce that will be required is going to raise expenses. Another blow to the salary cap will come from the raw materials needed to open the new docks. The materials needed consist of new fishing boats and of course up to date fishing gear. To obtain the right location is going to be the most costly. I will need to place both of the ports directly on the coast and in order to do that I will have to come up with some serious money. My decision was greatly influenced when I looked at the economic and social indicators. The PPP and GNP per capita were among the two highest on the table. Business will be good because they have the two highest percents for purchasing power and money made from products. Using social indicators, Hong Kong and Japan have the two highest ages for life expectancy. This is a good indicator because it adds years to the workforce and therefore more fish to be brought in and sold.

The geopolitical issue does not look like a big concern. After being looked into, it does not seem likely there will many huge conflicts or disruptions with the locations chosen. The most recent and probably still the biggest geopolitical issue is the return of Hong Kong to Chinese rule. This happened in 1997 when Britain returned Hong Kong to China with the exception that it still be run with a capitalistic based economy. There will be no opposition from either local government unless there is trouble with the new turnover of Hong Kong. Other than that, there should be no problems with facilitating trade between the two locations. The locations of the two new docks are quite relative to each other. There is no huge spatial distance between them. The quickest and probably most convenient way to travel between the new wharf s would be to sail or fly. To drive or travel overland would be too much of a hassle and definitely take longer. The optimum way to travel would be by sea or flight. The location of the new fish docks would be prime for labor workers. Both of the new spots are right along the coast where there is already great hustle and bustle going on from the surrounding area. There will be no problem getting workers with the high population right around these areas. There will be no large or significant environmental impact. We will be taking fish and food out of the ocean but not to the point of any kind of depletion. The oceanic environment will remain just about the same as is.

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