🧭 Mapping Human Destiny
Every great civilization is rooted in a response to the same timeless questions:
Who are we? What are we meant to do? Why is there suffering, and can it be transcended?
Across religious, philosophical, and mythological traditions, answers vary — from divine judgment to absurd freedom, karma to cosmic harmony. Below is a comparative map of how major worldviews — spanning East and West — frame the human condition, action, and purpose.
🌸 Cross-Traditional View: Indian Philosophical Schools (Part 1)
| School / Tradition | Existence of God | Separation of God | Existence of World | Creation of World | Religious |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advaita Vedānta | ✔ Impersonal | ✖ (God = Self) | ✖ Māyā (illusion) | ✖ No real creation | ✔ |
| Viśiṣṭādvaita | ✔ Personal | ✔ Qualified unity | ✔ Real | ✔ Created by God | ✔ |
| Dvaita | ✔ Personal | ✔ (Soul ≠ God) | ✔ Real | ✔ | ✔ |
| Sāṅkhya | ✖ No God | ✖ (Self = Purusha) | ✔ Prakṛti (real) | ✖ Eternal matter | ✖ |
| Yoga (Pātañjala) | ✔ Iśvara exists | ✔ (God ≠ Self) | ✔ Real | ✖ Eternal Prakṛti | ✔ |
🔄 Part 2: Karma, Action & Goal
| School / Tradition | Actions Effective | Cause of Actions | Consequences (Karma)? | Awareness of Results | Ultimate Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advaita Vedānta | ✔ In māyā | Avidyā (ignorance) | ✔ Illusory level | ✖ Until realization | Realize Self = Brahman |
| Viśiṣṭādvaita | ✔ | Free will + God's will | ✔ | ✔ Gradual clarity | Mokṣa via surrender |
| Dvaita | ✔ | Free will + karma | ✔ | ✔ | Bhakti & divine grace |
| Sāṅkhya | ✔ | Prakṛti + Guṇas | ✔ | ✔ With viveka | Kaivalya (isolation of Self) |
| Yoga (Pātañjala) | ✔ | Karma + habits | ✔ | ✔ Yogic insight | Liberation via yoga |
🌍 Cross-Traditional View: Western + East Asian Philosophical Schools (Part 1)
| Tradition | Existence of God | Separation of God | Existence of World | Creation of World | Religious View |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christianity | ✔ Personal God | ✔ (God ≠ soul) | ✔ Real | ✔ Created by God | ✔ Theistic |
| Existentialism | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ Absurd but real | ✖ | ✖ Atheist |
| Stoicism | ✖ (Logos = reason) | ✖ | ✔ Real | ✖ | ✦ Rational/agnostic |
| Daoism | ✖ (Dao is not God) | ✖ (Dao is immanent) | ✔ Natural flow | ✖ Spontaneous order | ✦ Non-theistic |
| Buddhism | ✖ | ✖ (no soul-self dualism) | ✖ Impermanent (Anitya) | ✖ No first cause | ✖ Atheist/Non-theistic |
| Shinto | ✖ (kami, not creators) | ✖ (kami in nature) | ✔ Real | ✖ | ✦ Animistic |
| Nordic Paganism | ✔ Polytheistic gods | ✔ (Gods ≠ humans) | ✔ Real | ✔ Gods shaped chaos | ✔ Polytheistic |
🔄 Part 2: Karma, Action & Goal
| Tradition | Actions Effective | Cause of Actions | Consequences (Karma)? | Awareness of Results | Ultimate Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christianity | ✔ Free will + morality | Will + Original Sin | ✔ Judgment (heaven/hell) | ✔ Scripture & conscience | Salvation & union with God |
| Existentialism | ✔ | Radical freedom / absurdity | ✖ No metaphysical consequence | ✖ Often unknowable | Self-authenticity / freedom |
| Stoicism | ✔ | Reason or vice | ✔ Virtue = peace | ✔ Reason as guide | Ataraxia (inner calm) |
| Daoism | ✔ | Imbalance with Dao | ✔ Harmony or disruption | ✔ Intuition / alignment | Wu-wei (effortless flow) |
| Buddhism | ✔ | Craving + Ignorance (tṛṣṇā) | ✔ Karma → Rebirth | ✔ Meditation & insight | Nirvāṇa (freedom from rebirth) |
| Shinto | ✔ | Harmony or defilement | ✔ Blessings or ritual impurity | ✔ Ancestor rituals & omens | Purity and life continuity |
| Nordic Paganism | ✔ | Fate + divine influence | ✔ Valhalla or Hel | ✔ Prophecy, omens, honor | Die with honor; enter Valhalla |
🧘 Why This Matters
This comparative framework isn’t just academic — it reveals the inner architecture of belief in each tradition:
How do they see the human being? The divine? The world? The afterlife? The role of effort, grace, or fate?
Understanding this matrix helps you locate where you stand — or begin walking toward.