...Buddhism is the Modern World University Of Phoenix REL/133 Mr. Finch Buddhism is the Modern World Buddhism is one of the most popular religions of the world, a large number of people have accepted its teachings and principles. A large number of people who follow other religions such as Hinduism, Christianity and Jainism believe they are similar. Buddhism originates in the teachings of the Buddha. While a global religion, Buddhism today most commonly lies in such areas of the Far East as China, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Burma("Cliff'S Notes ", n.d.). Similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism On Reincarnation •Buddhism: believes in the process of reincarnation based on deeds of the present life. •Hinduism: also believes that everyone is a part of an impersonal world and therefore, one's soul reincarnates into another body of any being, based on the deeds of the present life. On Salvation • Buddhism: One has to work for salvation oneself and therefore, cannot blame others for the same. The salvation depends on the good deeds of a person. •Hinduism: One also attains salvation as per one's own fate and deeds. On Enlightenment •Buddhism and Hinduism : Both of them believe that there are many paths to attain enlightenment such as overcoming through your feelings and desires and controlling over the six conscious senses. On Sufferings • Buddhism and Hinduism: Both the schools of thought believe that excessive attachment to things and people in the...
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...Contemporary Issues in Buddhism Team D REL/133 May 21, 2013 Prof. Joseph Pirelli Buddhism is considered one of the oldest forms of religion dating back over 2,500 years; which originated in Thailand and has spread throughout Asia and begun to spread in Northern America, with over 125 million practicing Buddhists today. Siddhartha Gautama the founder of Buddhism became Buddha, his teachings and philosophy of selflessness and love towards others, modest and meek lifestyle, karma and reincarnation, education, and total submission and control of the mind and body are the basics of this religion. Buddhism has similar characteristics with other major religions that include practices, rituals, scriptures, and believes such as the belief in a deity or higher greater power. It has a doctrine accepting teachings of salvation and a code of conduct. The Buddhism religion maintains an essential qualities or religious practices that are passed down from generation by sources such as authorities and or their followers are accept as sacred. The Buddhist teachings consist of the Noble Eight Fold Path: 1.) Right View- full understanding of life. 2) Right of Intention- selflessness and good will towards all. 3.) Right Speech- always watching words 4.) Right Actions- always in control of ones actions and the results or impact of them. 5.) Right Livelihood-live upstanding example nothing illegal or unethical. 6.) Right Effort- always displays effort...
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...REL 212 Comparison of Two Religions Karen Fulton November 4, 2013 Prof. William Denning REL 212 Jainism and Buddhism Jainism is one of the oldest of the oldest religions known today. Its origins lie in the county of India. The origin can be traced back to the Indus River Valley civilization of 3000 B.C. Jains believe that there were twenty-four great teachers called Tirthankaras-people who attained all knowledge and preached it to the people. Approximately 2600 years ago Lord Mahavir or Vardhaman (599 to 527 BC), the last of the Tirthankar expounded the Jain philosophy. In essence Jainism addresses the true nature of reality. Jains believe in reincarnation, their souls, which are believed to be a unique substance in the universe, take different living forms in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Jains believe in the philosophy of karma, reincarnation of worldly soul, hell and heaven as a punishment or reward for one’s deeds, and liberation of the self-form life’s misery of birth and death in a way similar to the Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. Jains belief has Hinduism historical roots, but many differences between the two Indian religions. Another belief is the universe and everything in it is eternal and nothing that exist now was ever created nor will it be destroyed , and there are three realms , the heavens, the earth, and hell. They also say humans can attain “prefect beingness” of divinity Jains religion during it existence of over 5000 years has never compromised...
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...BUDDHISM Hongpei Lu ELP 600 Julie Kidder 12/8/2012 Buddhism Buddhism is a major global religion with a really complex history and system of beliefs; there are almost 350 million Buddhists around the world which makes Buddhism the fourth largest of the world's religions. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago and Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who lived about 25 centuries ago in what is now Nepal and northeastern India. He came to be called “the Buddha”, which means “awakened one”, after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. In English, the Buddha was said to be enlightened, although in Sanskrit it is ‘Bodhi’ means "awakened." Buddhism is divided into two major branches: Theravada, the Way of the Elders, and Mahayana, the Great Vehicle. Buddhism is now prevalent in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, and in China, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam, and India. As the time go, the number of Buddhists is increasing everyday. Origin of Buddhism Buddhism is a popular religion. Many people in many countries practice it. Buddhism has a long history. 2500 years ago,Buddhism originated from north-east India.It became the most important religious parts of Asia. Buddhisms’ spread to most countries in the world in the 20th centry. It is very helpful to understand the beginning view of the development of the Buddhism,especially to know the aspects...
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...What is Buddhism? General Information Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path - a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood. Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or gender. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realise and utilise its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion. There are around 350 million Buddhists and a growing number of them are Westerners. They follow many different forms of Buddhism, but all traditions are characterised by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and, usually, by the practice of meditation. Who was the Buddha? Buddhism started with the Buddha. The word 'Buddha' is a title and not...
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...Buddhism & Hinduism "Buddhism, in its origin at least is an offshoot of Hinduism." (S.Rahdhakrishnan) Guatam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism was born and brought up and lived and left this materialistic world as a Hindu. And this particular evidence is enough to explain that the concept of Hinduism predates to that of Buddhism. Hinduism, better known as the 'Sanatan Dharma' to the Hindus, is believed to be the oldest religion in the history of human civilisation. Practiced majorly in the secular India, the origin of Hinduism is still a mystery! According to the historians, the origin of Hinduism dates back to 5000 or more years, whereas, the origin of Buddhism came into existence in a much later period, that is in & around 563 BC. After Lord Buddha achieved enlightenment, He preached whatever He learnt from His experiences and His teachings came to be known as Buddhism and were well received by the people. It was during the later part of the Vedic Era, when Hinduism was on the verge of decline owing to the orthodoxy, superstitions and staunch practices, prevailing in the religion, when Buddhism with lesser complexities and rituals was accepted by the common people of India. This was the time when Buddhism arose out of the atheistic strands of Hinduism. It is a fact that Buddhism evolved and developed because of the complex nature evolving in Hinduism, but still despite some differences, these two sects have a lot of things in common. Similarities between Hinduism...
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...Brock 1 PHI 210 World Religions 2 February 2016 A Deeper Look into the Similarities and Differences of the Belief in Karma and Reincarnation in Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism “All of the religions in the world, while they may differ in other respects, unitedly proclaim that nothing lives in this world but Truth” –Mohandas Gandhi. Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism are three major world religions that differ on many different levels, but they all collectively provide hope and meaning to the lives of people all over the world. The Marriam-Webster dictionary defines karma as the force generated by a person’s actions held in Hinduism and Buddhism to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person’s next existence. Reincarnation is defined by the Marriam-Webster dictionary as rebirth in new bodies or forms of life; especially: a rebirth of a soul in a new human body. Karma and reincarnation are core concepts in the Indian religions, although their specific views on each vary. The Hindu’s view of karma is causality in which good deeds, words, thoughts and commands lead to beneficial effects for a person, and bad deeds, words, thoughts and commands lead to harmful effects. Hinduism beliefs say that karma is the force of punitive justice that Brock 2 encourages believers to behave according to Dharma, the moral order of the universe. Karma is an essential portion of the Hindu worldview because Hinduism governs not only individuals...
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...Religions are an important aspect of many lives of the people around the world. Religion is a cultural aspect in different countries, meaning different things to different people. When comparing religions there are six areas that are looked at these are; the absolute, the world, humans, the problem for humans, the solution for humans, and life after death. There are many religions around the world, some religions branch off of other religions. When looking into these religions I came to see why many are similar. They have the same beliefs but worship and view some aspects in different ways. Hinduism and Buddhism are sometimes mistaken as being the same religion, though they are similar. They both originated in India. Buddhism came to be by breaking off of Hinduism and now has their own beliefs....
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...Danielle Copley Professor REL2300 4/7/13 What does it mean to be Human? There are many religions in the world each one is unique. I have often wondered what it means to be human in other religions other than Christianity. We will explore what it means in both the Hindu and Buddhist religions. We will start off with Hinduism. The Upanishads, perceived the individual self or atman as the immortal pure essence of each being. Hindus believe that everything has a soul. The atman is not the body; the body is not eternal. The body houses the atman until the body dies. Atman is immortal and eternal. All human beings are positioned in the all- embracing Brahman or the absolute. The Upanishads describe the Brahman as the eternal, conscious, irreducible, spiritual source of the universe of finiteness and change. Brahman is impersonal being in itself but it can be known through the many gods and goddesses that are manifestations of Brahman. We will look at atman first. . Moksha is the spiritual release from the cycle of life. In moksha the individual soul joins the atman. Atman is the eternal self, refers to the self beyond ego or false self. It is often referred to as spirit or soul and indicates the true self and underlies our existence. The individual soul becoming part of the larger soul of the universe. Achieving Moksha can span over many lifetimes. This process requires loss of attachment to life and the things in life. It also requires a balance of karma by a person’s duty...
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...Part I Buddhism The Question of Origin Buddhism teaches that the beginning of this world and of life is inconceivable since they have neither beginning nor end. Buddhism never claimed that the world, sun, moon, stars, wind, water, days and nights were created by a powerful god or by a Buddha. Buddhists believe that the world was not created once upon a time, but that the world has been created millions of times every second and will continue to do so by itself and will break away by itself. According to Buddhism, world systems always appear and disappear in the universe. The Question of Identity Buddhism see’s the question of identity within the context of enlightenment. They teach that we do not exist as separate beings but that one must see pass the human tendency to identify with a limited sense of existence. If one does this they will discover that the belief in an individual small self is a root illusion that causes suffering and removes us from the freedom and mystery of life. The Question of Meaning/Purpose Buddhist texts do not outright say there is a meaning of life, but rather talk about the capacity for humans to end suffering, which is one of the things Buddhists should strive for. Buddhist believes in enlightenment through study, meditation as a way to ending suffering. In his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha taught the "Four Noble Truths," which form the foundation of belief for all branches of Buddhism. All of life is marked...
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...Buddhism Essay Candice Graham Rel/133 December 10, 2014 John Shear Buddhism Essay Buddhism is a religion with over 300 million followers around the world. Its origin is about over 2,000 years ago, and Siddhartha Gautoma, or Gotama was known as Buddha the awakened one. Buddha was open-minded to be involved in teachings because he felt as though he was awakened to have an awareness of his own nature. Buddha believed that his thinking was the only way to “prevent spiritual understanding that he had been seeking so he renounced a life or wealth, and power to become a spiritual seeker” (Hardy, 2014). The founder of Buddhism in this world is Buddha Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni was a royal prince who was born in the 6th century B.C.E. in Lumbini, located in Northern India. The Northern India is now a part of a place called Nepal. Buddhism has four spiritual teachings that they abide by, which are called the “Four Noble Truths”. When Buddha preached his first sermon he outlines the spiritual truths calling them Four Noble Truths, and these were “The suffering is characteristics of human existence, the suffering is caused by the longing of pleasure and the avoidance of pain, that it is not necessary to suffer and there is a path to end suffering” (Hardy, 2014). Buddha has gained disciples and they became his followers known as the first Sangha, who basically became part of the Buddhist community of monks. The monks were known as men because at the first only men followed Buddha...
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...Critical Thinking Assignment Part I - Analysis of Buddhism Origin The founder of Buddhism was a Hindu Prince named Siddhartha Gautama who lived in India. The young boy was sheltered from the world in hopes to keep him safe, but he saw many things that scared him; poverty, illness, death and aging. At the age of 35 he ran away from home in search for peace to all these things; leaving his family behind. For six years he fasted, eating one grain of rice a day for two years, a sip of water a day for two years and then nothing at all for two years. Gautama came upon a fig tree and mediated for seven days and reach Nirvana. Nirvana is a place where a person is free from all the evil or bad in the physical world. Everything is at peace. This is where the Bodhi or “The Tree of Wisdom” was created and when Gautama changed his name to Buddha or “The Enlightened One”. (Hindson & Caner, 2008, p.115) Identity In Buddhism, all life is sacred. The soul is eternal and when your physical body dies you may reach a state of Nirvana and be one with The Buddha. Or, your soul is reincarnated, depending on how you lived your previous life. Good deeds are rewarded, bad deeds you are reincarnated into a lower life form. Since all life in sacred, humans and animals have similar essence and are partners in searching for eternal oneness. (Weider & Gutierrez, 2013, p. 67) Meaning Mans purpose is to end reincarnation so that the soul can reach a state of Nirvana, or liberation. In...
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...The religious group of Buddhism has a lot of differences then other religious groups. Buddhism “is an 800 year old religion and a way of life dedicated to manifesting the endowed purpose of every human being to realize enlightenment”( Shinran Shonin, BASIC BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND EXPERIENCES). One thing that I learnt that stood out about the differences of Buddhism is that they are not concerned about labels. Buddhists don’t worship an idol, but do sometimes pay respect to images of Buddha. All though not in worship nor to ask favors, but more of a gratitude for their teaching. Some basic concepts of Buddhist teaching are the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Two differences between Buddhism and other religions are god and the concept of hell. Buddhism do not believe Buddha is a God, they say it’s more like a teacher student relationship. Buddhist concept of hell is way different than other religions. They believe in realms and Hell is the worst of the three undesirable realms, not that Hell is a place of eternal damnation. Buddhism is still new in American culture but you still see Buddhist, just not as common as other countries. The biggest thing that they have contributed to American culture is the politeness and caring not for themselves but for other human beings. They have brought to the American culture that wealth is not the way to happiness. Actually, if you look at a lot of Buddhist countries, they are poor looking because they believe that...
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..."Buddhism, in its origin at least is an offshoot of Hinduism." -S.Rahdhakrishnan Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the world’s largest and most influential religions. Both religions originated in the Asian country of India, and thus stem from a similar culture as well as philosophy. While contrasting greatly with the monotheistic religions of the West, Hinduism and Buddhism also contrast greatly with each other. Although similar in respect to general philosophy, the two faiths differ markedly on matters of social structure. The two religions also contrast in that Hinduism omits and Buddhism emphasizes individual freedom to progress spiritually and socially in the current life. By comparing the two traditions, one can unambiguously see why it is that Hinduism has proved the more unwavering and Buddhism the more humanitarian philosophy. Hinduism and Buddhism are more philosophical than doctrinal. Both exhort and encourage an all-encompassing way of life and define existence itself. For instance, the essential Hindu concept defining the individual and humanity’s responsibilities is called dharma. An intricate term, dharma is conceptually one’s sense of obligation. One must fulfill his role in society and the world. Such responsibilities include procreation and caste duties, but extend into the philosophical realm of peaceful and humble acceptance of one’s position...
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...Buddhism current issues and class handout Current Issues and Class Handout Religion can be defined as “a system of thought, feeling, and action that is shared by a group and that gives the members an object of devotion; a code of behavior by which individuals may judge the personal and social consequences of their actions; and a frame of reference by which individuals may relate to their group and their universe” (Religion, 2013). The world is made up of many different religions that share common practices and beliefs with one another and this paper will examine common characteristics that Buddhism shares with other religions as well as discuss how Buddhism has responded to challenges in the modern and what has changed about the roles of women in Buddhism over time. Buddhism Buddhism is an ancient religion that originated in India from the experiences noted by Siddhartha Gautama, a “mortal prince born miraculously to Maya who was kept from all the evil and misery of the world throughout his youth” ("Siddhartha Gautama," 1996). Siddhartha was forbidden to leave the royal grounds; however one day he disobeyed those order given by his father and visited a nearby town where he witnessed what is known as the four passing sights. The four passing sights were “an old man, crooked and toothless, a sick man, wasted by disease, and a corpse being taken for cremation. Then he saw a sannyasin (a wandering holy man, a renunciate), who had no possession but seemed to be at peace”...
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