..."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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...Philosophy and Religion China’s history has been full of richness of culture, mainly due to how they progressed with philosophy and religion. Since the beginning of the Chinese’s civilization philosophy and religion has been at the forefront of Chinese culture. From the ancient oracle bones and bronze inscriptions to the development of different schools of thought, the Chinese have always been adept for the time period in philosophy and religion. And over the course of their history they have combined the two in a manner that suits their needs, through this evolution and combination of the two they have become a strong nation. Oracle bones were the corner stone of the early Chinese dynasties such as the Shang from around 1200-1050 B.C (Shang pg. 1). In one of the articles it attempts to explain the use of these bones by saying that the kings of the Shang Dynasty would “attempt to communicate with the spiritual forces that ruled their world by reading the stress cracks in cattle bones…” (Shang 1). These kings would apply a heated poker to the bones which would produce cracks that they would analyze based on the direction and deepness of the crack. Recently these bones and the records of the king’s analyzation were uncovered. An estimated 150,000 oracle bones were found, and have references to the god of the Shang, Di (Shang pg. 1). This type of analysis by the kings is an early form of a religion, and the building blocks for later philosophy and schools of thought in China’s...
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...Sample Essay 1 Belief systems and philosophies have greatly affected the people and societies where they are practiced. They give guidelines on how to live their lives and affect every aspect of their cultures. Two such belief systems and philosophies are Hinduism and Confucianism. Hinduism is a religion with no founder. The people who practice this religion believe in moksha and reincarnation. Moksha is the freedom from earthly desires and a complete understanding of the world. Reincarnation is the belief that people are reborn over and over again until achieving moksha. Whether or not they are born into a good life depends on their previous life’s karma (good or bad deeds). In Hinduism, they also have a caste system. It divides people into four social classes and hardly gives any social mobility at all. People are decided which class they belong to at birth. For example, if a child is born into a family of slaves, that child will be a slave for the rest of his life. Confucianism is a philosophy started by Confucius in China. In Confucianism, the people valued education and believed in filial piety, the respect for elders. They also believed in the spirits of ancestors and created the famous quote, “do not do unto others, what you would not want them to do unto you.” Hinduism and Confucianism greatly affected the people and societies they were practiced in. In Hinduism, because of the belief in reincarnation and karma, people avoided doing bad deeds. Those who achieved...
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...Jennifer Villalobos Professor Miles REL 2011- Analysis and Interpretation of Religion October 17, 2011 Buddhism A Whole New World History and Origin When we speak of Buddhism we visualize a monk in an orange robe but there is so much more than that. Buddhism in my opinion is a way of life and not just a religion. The founder of Buddhism was a man named Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha said that there were four noble truths and that the only way to save ourselves from suffering was to follow the eightfold path. Siddhartha’s teaching was to help us reach the ultimate goal “enlightment (nirvana), freedom from the cycle of conditioned existence”. It all started with the birth of a child named Siddhartha Gautama who later on is known as the Buddha. Siddhartha was born around present day Lumbini, Nepal around 563 BCE he was born into a wealthy family and was a prince of the Sakya Clan. Siddhartha was raised by his aunt who was his father’s second wife because his mother died when he was seven days old. It is believed that when Siddhartha was a baby a holy man said that he would be either a great politician and unite India or he would be a great religious leader. Siddhartha lived a life of luxury and his father was very careful as to block all negative things from Siddhartha’s sight. His father did not want him to see old age, sickness, death, and a monk. The holy man had warned him that if Siddhartha say all these signs he would become a religious leader. When Siddhartha was...
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...REL 212 Comparison of Two Religions Karen Fulton November 4, 2013 Prof. William Denning REL 212 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...
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...India and China have changed over the years and it is still important today. India and China had many religions and philosophies. In India, people believed in Hinduism and Buddhism. However, people in China would only believe in Buddhism and philosophies. Also, philosophies and religions changed people's lives over time. In conclusion, Religion and Philosophy affected people's lives in China and India in many ways. Indians were affected by religion in daily life in many ways. Religion leaders told Indians about religion and it became popular today in many countries. The religions were Hinduism and Buddhism. First, Hinduism believed in reincarnation and most Hindus did their job daily so they would not end up in the lower castes. Also, the lower...
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...World Religions Report Katherine Grenfell HUM/130 Religions of the World September 21st 2014 Shannon Richmond World Religions Report Buddhism is considered to be beyond religion as it is more of a philosophy and a way of life (A Basic Buddhism Guide: 5 Minute Introduction, 2014). Buddhism sprang from the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama who lived for approximately eighty years in the fifth century BCE. His name means “wish-fulfiller” or “he who has reached his goal” (Fisher, 2014, p138) and through his search to find an end to suffering he became the Buddha, or awakened one. Buddhism is a very personal religion as it encourages its teachings to be tested and explored by each individual, allowing each follower to use the religions in their own way. Having been brought up to explore and question all things, this seems a beautiful philosophy that I could not wait to explore. Siddhartha was born to a wealthy family that sheltered him from all suffering. According to the legend, the Gods arranged for Siddhartha to see four sights: an old man bent with age, a sick person, a dead body, and a vagrant who sought happiness rather than worldly pleasure (Fisher, 2014). The first three sights left Siddhartha contemplating the impermanence of life and the cycle of birth, life, and death, while the final sight intrigued him and interested him in a life of renouncement. He set out as a wandering ascetic in search of discovering a way to total liberation from suffering, spending...
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...took life and Buddhism course last semester and I am now taking this Buddhism course again. Why I am so attracted to Buddhism? Buddhism was attractive and it seemed to be a way of rediscovering something that seemed to be missing, without requiring an entrance fee in the form of religious or metaphysical belief. Although some might say that Buddhism is not “religious” and what they seem to imply is, again, that engaging in tis practices doesn’t depend upon the belief-subscription. So is Buddhism a religion? I believe that the answer to this depends on what you mean by ‘religion’ and what you mean by philosophy of life’. It is a religion because it involves the elements of belief, faith and self- transformation, which do belong to some philosophies as such but which I believe are more characteristic features of religions. In all religions I would argue that faith and belief are paramount and also the self-transforming aspect. People turn to religion very largely because they want to improve their life, their self or their moral conduct or to take greater comfort in life. This is why religion is termed the 'opium of the masses' --it is a 'bolster' which protects us from the bad times. At the very least, it offers that to us in the form of 'understanding which gives comfort'. In this sense a religion is a set of beliefs which we take comfort from but which cannot be conclusively proved objectively as true or false. In the case of Buddhism, like any other religion, there are those...
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...China and India China and India are two great civilizations that have been heavily influenced by religion and it has played a major role in their lives. The main religions from both of the civilizations are Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Although China and India were governed by their beliefs and it determined how they were supposed to live their lives, the civilizations have different lifestyles and believe in different aspects of life. (Siwei, 2010) (Buddhism & Hinduism Compared, n.d) Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism have been a major part of life for the Chinese. In c. 500 B.C.E, Confucianism, a system of teachings by Confucius, was founded. Although many people consider it to be a religion, Confucianism is thought of more as a series of teachings. The way the Chinese go about life or think is often based on the teachings of Confucius. Two thousand years ago, Buddhism came into existence and was implememnted into the Chinese culture. Buddhism is solely based on the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the belief that suffering is the path to overcome. Siddhartha Gautama is the founder of Buddhism. Written by Laozi, Daoism is a spiritual philosophy that focuses on living in harmony and peace....
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...The Umbrella of Buddhism The never-ending debate amongst scholars on whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy is not a debate on Buddhism – it is an artificial debate on our biases and heuristics regarding religion and philosophy. The fastidious dichotomy between religion and philosophy that we insist on today did not exist in western civilization until the around the eighteenth century, and there never existed such a dichotomy in eastern civilization [CITE]. To insist that Buddhism must be clearly defined as one thing and not the other amounts to forcing an ancient product into modern packaging. In fundamental Buddhist philosophy, this sort of conceptual categorizing is considered avidyā (state of ignorance or delusion), which is considered one of the causes of all suffering and a barrier to enlightenment (Keown and Prebish 269). Without realizing it, we use preconceived notions about ourselves and about the world around us in order to divide up and break down everything we learn and experience. The first step in the Eightfold Path, one of the most principal teachings of the Buddha, is to cast aside these divisions in our minds so that we may see the true nature of the world (Keown and Prebish 338). In the same way, we must cast aside all of our definitions, labels, and classifications surrounding Buddhism in order to see its true nature. It goes beyond being just a religion or a philosophy. It is a personal, authentic way of being in the world and it encompasses everything...
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...Buddhism is nontheistic religion and is closely related to Hinduism. This belief is more of a philosophy, which includes an array of customs, beliefs and spiritual practices mostly based on the teachings of Buddha or otherwise known as the “awakened one”(Mann 265) . Buddhism is an offshoot from Hinduism because of their similar beliefs such as, reincarnation, that there is an ultimate spiritual reality beyond this earth and it’s physical world, and that there are different paths one can take on their road to enlightenment. They defer however, by the Buddhist rejection of priests and their conflicting views on reality. Hinduism see’s reality as being everything united as one divinity in contrast with Buddhism which see’s reality as the ultimate...
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...In the first century C.E, Buddhism came to China from India via trade. Political instability and disunity between 220 C.E and 570 C.E. are effects of the arrival of Buddhism in China because some people accepted the religion and others resisted it. Zong Mi believes that the teachings of Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha, perform and reward good deeds and punish wicked deeds, synthesize the foundation for an orderly society (Doc 5). An anonymous Chinese scholar addresses speculation about the validity and the practices of the Buddhist religion, such as depriving themselves of certain luxuries of the world, i.e. marriage, children, and worldly wealth. This scholar claims that in order for a teaching to be acceptable it doesn’t need to be incorporated...
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...Eastern Philosophy Matrix and Essay Part 1 Matrix: Analyze Eastern philosophy by completing the following matrix. Provide a definition of the branch of philosophy as given in a philosophical source (the readings, supplemental materials, or outside academic sources) and list a minimum of three historical developments, theories, key contributors, and principal issues. Bullet point answers are acceptable. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Historical...
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...NAME: COURSE: DATE: Abstract This essay compares the philosophies of three diverse faiths, which are: Buddhism, Baha’i and Judaism, comparing them to Christianity. The essay will explore the basic beliefs, spiritual perspectives on healing and the critical components of healing such as prayer, medication and beliefs. It will also explain what is important to people of those particular faiths when cared for by health care providers whose spiritual beliefs differ from their own. In the conclusion, it will explain how the spiritual perspectives from different faiths should be incorporated in the health care progress by medical professionals so that they don’t interfere with their patients’ beliefs and practices. D’souza (2007) warns that doctors and clinicians should not “prescribe” religious beliefs or activities or impose their religious or spiritual beliefs on patients. Introduction The philosophy of providing health care may differ depending on the faith diversity in the world. Different religious groups have different spiritual perspectives on healing and may also believe in different components of healing. This study therefore explores the Buddhism, Bhai and Judaism faiths and compares them with the Christian philosophy of faith and healing. Buddhism Buddhism is an Indian religion that encapsulates a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama who is commonly known as the Buddha. Buddha means “the awakened one” or “the...
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...Is Buddhism an Atheistic religion? Responding this question is really difficult as its answer may be different depending on who is replying it. The answer depends on the definition one gives to certain words. Words like religion, theism, atheism and god. So to answer this question, these words must first be defined. Religion is defined in the World Encyclopedia as “A code of beliefs and practices formulated in response to a spiritual awareness of existence. It may involve either faith in a state of existence after earthly death, or a desire for union with an omnipotent spiritual being, or a combination of the two.” Another definition is found in Émile Durkheim’s book The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, Book 1. He states: "Religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things which unite into one single moral community called a church, all those who adhere to them." The definition provided by the World Encyclopedia points out that the code of beliefs we understand as religion, has to do with a supreme being/God or in a state of existence after earthly life, this state of existence is in some religions called Heaven. In contrast, Durkheim avoids references to the supernatural or God in his description. There is controversy in the subject, as there are many scholars who’s definition of religion has a relation with a supreme being or god and other scholars who argue that religions do not involve a belief in a God or in nothing related to the...
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