Moksha (Sanskrit: मोक्ष, mokṣa), also called vimoksha, vimukti, and mukti,[1] is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, nirvana, or release.[2] In its soteriological and eschatological senses, it refers to freedom from saṃsāra, the cycle of death and rebirth.[3] In its epistemological and psychological senses, moksha is freedom from ignorance: self-realization, self-actualization and self-knowledge.[4]
In Hindu traditions, moksha is a central concept[5] and the utmost aim of human life; the other three aims are dharma (virtuous, proper, moral life), artha (material prosperity, income security, means of life), and kama (pleasure, sensuality, emotional fulfillment).[6] Together, these four concepts are called Puruṣārtha in Hinduism.[7]
In some schools of Indian religions, moksha is considered equivalent to and used interchangeably with other terms such as vimoksha, vimukti, kaivalya, apavarga, mukti, nihsreyasa and nirvana.[8] However, terms such as moksha and nirvana differ and mean different states between various schools of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.[9] The term nirvana is more common in Buddhism,[10] while moksha is more prevalent in Hinduism.[11]
E. Deutsch, The self in Advaita Vedanta, in Roy Perrett (Editor), Indian philosophy: metaphysics, Volume 3, ISBN0-8153-3608-X, Taylor and Francis, pp 343–360;
T. Chatterjee (2003), Knowledge and Freedom in Indian Philosophy, ISBN978-0739106921, pp 89–102; Quote – "Moksa means freedom"; "Moksa is founded on atmajnana, which is the knowledge of the self.";
Jorge Ferrer, Transpersonal knowledge, in Transpersonal Knowing: Exploring the Horizon of Consciousness (editors: Hart et al.), ISBN978-0791446157, State University of New York Press, Chapter 10
^John Tomer (2002), Human well-being: a new approach based on overall and ordinary functionings, Review of Social Economy, 60(1), pp 23–45; Quote – "The ultimate aim of Hindus is self-liberation or self-realization (moksha)."
A. Sharma (1982), The Puruṣārthas: a study in Hindu axiology, Michigan State University, ISBN9789993624318, pp 9–12; See review by Frank Whaling in Numen, Vol. 31, 1 (Jul., 1984), pp. 140–142;
Gavin Flood (1996), The meaning and context of the Purusarthas, in Julius Lipner (Editor) – The Fruits of Our Desiring, ISBN978-1896209302, pp 11–21;
Karl H. Potter (2002), Presuppositions of India's Philosophies, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN978-8120807792, pp. 1–29
^The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism: "Vimoksha [解脱]" (Skt.; Jpn. gedatsu). Emancipation, release, or liberation. The Sanskrit words vimukti, mukti, and moksha also have the same meaning. Vimoksha means release from the bonds of earthly desires, delusion, suffering, and transmigration. While Buddhism sets forth various kinds and stages of emancipation, or enlightenment, the supreme emancipation is nirvana, a state of perfect quietude, freedom, and deliverance. See The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism, vimokshaArchived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
Loy, David (1982), Enlightenment in Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta: Are Nirvana and Moksha the Same?, International Philosophical Quarterly, 23 (1), pp 65–74;
T. Chatterjea (2003), Knowledge and Freedom in Indian Philosophy, ISBN978-0739106921, pp 89; Quote – "In different philosophical systems moksa appears in different names, such as apavarga, nihsreyasa, nirvana, kaivalya, mukti, etc. These concepts differ from one another in detail."
^Peter Harvey (2013), An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices, ISBN978-0521859424, Cambridge University Press
^Knut Jacobsen, in The Continuum Companion to Hindu Studies (Editor: Jessica Frazier), ISBN978-0-8264-9966-0, pp 74–83