Cosmic Optimism In Buddhism

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Religion offers hope to many people and there is no denying that. This can be seen in every religion. Religion offers hope that there is something better after this life. Each major religion offers a unique form of cosmic optimism. Although this optimistic outlook is different from religion to religion, it is a common theme they all share. The two religions of the East, Hinduism and Buddhism, have a different image of the fifth dimension and the Ultimate Real than the three religions of the West, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Nonetheless, they all have a sense of cosmic optimism. Hinduism offers hope in liberation from this life. Buddhism shows optimism in the rejection of a caste system and reaching nirvana. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all have a similar idea of a God and having a relationship with their God to reach the fifth …show more content…

Though their God’s are named, seen, and talked to differently, they share a hope of something better after this life. None of the religions refer to this as cosmic optimism; it is seen more as a hope that their people will one day reach the Ultimate Real. According to John Hick in his book The Fifth Dimension: An Exploration of the Spiritual World people believe in religion for a sense of hope in the afterlife and he denies that the naturalistic view provides optimism, but that is not the case. People place their faith in mysticism instead of focusing on the present and what we can achieve from the natural world. The natural world has a great deal to offer in the way of hope. It allows people to stay grounded in the present and believe in a greater here and now rather than waiting for an afterlife that is better than the life they are living. Hick overlooks the optimism that the naturalistic assumption gives and that it is just as fulfilling as cosmic

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