Throughout the history of humankind, man has always searched to find answers to the many existential questions. Numerous different religions and denominations have developed around the world over time. Though, most wonder about the origin and purpose of our existence. Buddhism was founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama about 2,600 years ago in India. After he had experienced that everyone was subject to “birth, sickness, death, and old age”, he tried to find a way to break from the cycle of rebirth (Bloom). Siddhartha Gautama experimented with a number of methods to find the cause of suffering which led him to what he called the Middle Way – a path between “licentiousness and extreme mortification” (Bloom). Once he achieved enlightenment, he turned into ‘the Buddha – the enlightened or awakened one’. Christianity is one of the largest and most prevailing religions of the world and largely based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians trust that Jesus was sent by God to save humanity. Therefore, the faith of the followers of the Christian belief is primarily based on the preaching of Jesus and later the spreading of those by his disciples. Although Buddhism and Christianity show several parallels, their three key differences are that Buddhists do not believe in one divine being, and have different views about both the purpose of life and the concept of afterlife.
Buddhists do not believe in a Supreme Being, God or Creator, though many Buddhists today worship the Buddha - the central figure of Buddhism - and his teachings. They view him as someone with a universal spirit, an essence that can be attained by everyone rather than only a higher deity that rules over the world (Brown). Especially in Mahayana Budd...
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...ompassion” (Brown). Therefore, compassion is viewed as a means to reach both forms of salvations in Christianity and Buddhism.
The concept of sins is present in both religions but it is regarded differently. In Christianity there are the Original and individual sin, and in Buddhism there are the Five Deadly Sins. However, traditional Christians views sins stricter than Buddhists. The Five Deadly sins, for example, are seen as Although the concept of sins is not a key concept in Buddhism, one cannot completely exclude it from Buddhism because its doctrines do not deny the presence of evil (“Pure Land”). The principle of the Golden Rule is a shared idea in most religions and so is it in both Christianity and Buddhism (“Introduction”). One could conclude that if humankind would follow the teachings of the Golden Rule that this could prevent most of our sins.
Hinduism and Buddhism have different similarities and are in some ways connected to each other. Some of the practices of the two religions are similar in various ways and there are several examples to show this.
This paper is a comparison between two very different religions. Specifically Christianity and Buddhism. Coming from opposite sides of the globe these two religions could not be any farther apart in any aspect. I will discuss who Christ is for Christians and who Buddha is for Buddhists. I will also get into the aspects of charity, love, and compassion in both religions and I will be looking at the individual self and how christians see resurrection where the buddhists feel about the afterlife. One thing to keep in mind is that the two religions are very different but they seem to have a very similar underlying pattern. Both believe that there was a savior of their people, Buddha and Christ, and both believe that there is something good that happens to us when our time is done here on earth. This is a very generalized summarization but in order to go in to depth I need to explain the two religions more to fully convey this theory.
While Nirvana is the ultimate spiritual attainment, most ordinary Buddhists show their commitment to the Buddha through several religious practices. The basic motives behind Buddhist practices mirror with those behind the Catholic tradition (Seay (2001,p.58). Both traditions aim to create togetherness within their community by developing a sense of communion with all present through a group activity. Some of these activities include group prayer/meditation and group singing/chanting. Another motive behind some Buddhist and Catholic practices is the principle of suffering, a significant element of religious tradition. This principle was formed on the basis of the suffering endured by Saddartha Gutama and Jesus Christ and is put into practice through traditions like achieving Nirvana and Le...
People who come from different areas may have same cultures and language while people who come from different countries may eat different food. However, people who live in the different places may have different religions. Two different religions that have a certain differences are the Buddhism and Christianity such as lifestyle, beliefs, and vies on universe. Although the Buddhism and Christianity could share similarities in some ways, the differences between them are more significant.
In this term paper I will be comparing and contrasting Buddhism and Hinduism. Comparing both Hinduism belief, sacred text and overall view of how the world SHOULD be. Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the most influential and complex religions around the world. Both religions have similar philosophies and originated in India before 500 B.C. Both are among the top five major religions being practiced in today’s world. Hinduism ranks as the third most popular organized religion and is much older than Buddhism. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, or Lord Buddha, who considered himself a Hindu before being called to his path and attaining enlightenment, and therefore given this fact, it follows that Buddhism share many similarities and some very distinct differences in certain doctrinal sacred texts, ideals, practices, and beliefs of Hinduism.
Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world, which began in India. The origin of Buddhism is traced back to the experience of single man, Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. Born around 563 B.C.E., legend follows that Siddhartha was the son of a prince in a kingdom near the border of what is now India and Nepal. As such, he was sheltered from the world and lived a life of luxury and comfort. (Molloy 124) However, at age 29 Siddhartha left the royal grounds and witnessed the suffering of ordinary life for the first time. What he saw deeply affected him and caused him to question everything in his materialistic life. Siddhartha made the decision to give up his possessions and embark on a search for enlightenment, an event known as the Great Going Forth. (Molloy 125)
Buddhism is currently the fourth most popular religion in our society today, following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Its major ideologies are based on the philosophies of Siddhartha Guatama, also known as “Buddha”, who began his teachings in 598 BCE at the age of 35, according to Buddhist texts. A Buddhist’s foremost aspiration is the obtainment of Bodhi, or enlightenment through meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of the breath). Buddhism shares many ideologies with India’s Hinduism and Yoga such as non-harming, non-violence, and self-awareness. In many instances, people regard Buddhism as a way of life rather than a religion, for it has no clear belief in the idea of a God or Gods. Its structure is built upon a hierarchy much like Christianity where superior orders such as Lamas or the Dalai Lama are said to be chosen by nature through the process of reincarnation rather than by a council like Christianity’s Pope. Though these “higher level” Buddhists are rare (not everyone is a reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist “priest”), all are permitted to follow “The Middle Way” either as a Buddhist monk or the simple attendance of a weekly teaching session from time to time. Throughout the last few hundred years the Buddhist population has blossomed into a healthy 381,611,000 and over fifteen different sects including Zen, Mahayana, and Theravada.
He also makes reference to the long history of religious intolerance and persecution within the Christian tradition, brought about by greed, mistrust, and ignorance. He emphasizes the need for continuous practice, prayer, meditation, mindfulness, and personal growth within individual religious traditions and cultures. We must make the spirit of the Buddha and the spirit of Christ part of our everyday lives. He explores the “Five Wonderful Percepts of Buddhism”: reverence for life, generosity, responsible sexual behavior, speaking and listening deeply, and ingesting only wholesome substances; comparing them to the teachings of Christ. These precepts are without a doubt, very similar to the principles thought by Christ and his apostles. Each precept or teaching works with the next, interconnecting and building upon each other toward the same goal to end suffering, bring about personal and worldly understanding, world peace, and spiritual
1. What is the difference between a. and a. The founder of Buddhism was a man called Siddhartha Gautama, born to a wealthy family and destined for greatness; Siddhartha, however, left his family and the palace in search for religious truth and an end to suffering. Siddhartha tried many ways of reaching an enlightened stage; wandering the forest, joining the beggars, fasting, debating with religious leaders, but when none of these methods brought him a greater understanding of the world, Siddhartha sat himself down under a fig tree, and meditated. After forty-nine days of meditation Siddhartha was said to have achieved an understanding of the cause of suffering, he then became known as the Buddha, enlightened one.
To those who grow up immersed in Western culture and ideals, Buddhism can be a very difficult philosophy to grasp. The notion of causality and conditionality escape them, and it is from this concept of the philosophy that the three broader characteristics of existence emerge. These three characteristics are impermanence, suffering, and non-self. As the “marks of existence” for Buddhists, they form a basic framework and understanding that shape many other core teachings of the religion. Ultimately, all three marks are interrelated, and their comprehension brings one to ponder the primary soteriological goal of Buddhism, the end of suffering.
To reach enlightenment in Buddhism, one must overcome attachment to the pleasure of peace. Gampopa defines the pleasure of peace as “the desire to achieve nirvana only for oneself without the altruistic mind for sentient beings, and because of it, one does not benefit others” which is also termed as the lesser vehicle (Gampopa, 126). The remedy for this is the practices of loving-kindness and compassion. When one develops this loving-kindness and compassion, then one will have a mind that wants all sentient beings to meet with happiness as well as be free from suffering and its cause. When one achieves this, then one is attached to all sentient beings and no longer wants to attain liberation only for oneself. Compassion is so heavily ingrained in Buddhist practices, that it has been noted that the Buddha had said “the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is not just part of our practice, it is all of our practice” (Strain, “Compassion & Stoic Philosophy”). Compassion is not just a crucial aspect of the path to Enlightenment; practicing and training in compassion can function to improve the lives of those unconcerned with achieving Buddahood through means of improving health, well-being and increasing self-motivation. Considering the benefits that can come from compassion, everyone should take part in practicing and experiencing compassion as its benefits extend into other aspects of life.
“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves (Siddhartha Gautama, n.d).” Siddhartha Gautama is recognized as the leader and the founder of the Buddhist religion. He was a prince in 5th century B.C.E that opted to give up all possessions and begin a life in the forest, seeking enlightenment. While living and meditating in the forest, underneath a large tree, he discovered the way to abolish suffering. Through this change in his life, he acquired important wisdom that shaped the formation of Buddhism. His teachings are the foundation of the religion, but even more than that, they are what I believe to be very vital in shaping yourself as a human being.
Two of the essential attributes of religion are faith and worship. As the textbook explains the Mosaic covenant, Ten Commandments, not commitments and Precepts for an engaging Buddhism one can understand that there not only is a similarity but also a difference in each of the principles. In the beginning, the Mosaic Covenant talks about how God has given the Hebrew’s the Ten Commandments, as an individual reads further into the textbook they can encounter Michael Learner’s interpretation of the Ten Commandments. Both explain instructions and guidelines given from God to his people but with his intention Michael Learner’s work describes the Ten Commandments differently. For example, from the Mosaic covenant, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” (Judaism, pg 397) This quote states the fourth commandment about the Sabbath day. In Learner’s perspective “Observe the Sabbath”(Judaism, pg 422) explains a different interpretation but the same concept as the mosaic covenant. Secondly, the Precepts for an engaging Buddhism by Thich Nhat Hanh has a different understanding of guidelines but all fourteen precepts explain similar values as the mosaic covenant and Learner’s writings. All fourteen principles solve the problems of life by avoiding the bad causes. For instance, “Fourteenth: Do not mistreat your body. Learn to handle it with respect.” (Buddhism, pg 386) This quote is one of the different precepts in
There are many different characteristics that bring territories together and make them stronger. One of these is religion. Religion is the organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods. In these religions, there is usually a leader to guide the people in their belief and show them the right path to take to serve their god. Throughout history there have been many different types of religion. The three main ones that are still recognized today are Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Each had different people that were seen as a leader. In order for others to know about these leaders and the works they did, there were many stories that were written about them. These stories were created to spread knowledge of their religion and how one was to act when following it. Three documents of the 300 B.C.E-800 B.C.E time period that were about religious leaders are Asokavadana, Life of Constantine, and The Life of Muhammad, Apostle of Allah and were written with persuasive purposes to show which behaviors were approved and disapproved of by looking into inspired men’s lives.
First, Christianity and Buddhism’s fundamental view for Salvation will be briefly defined. Second and third, the life and teachings of Christ and Buddha will be respectively examined as their idea of salvation is significantly embedded within their scriptures. Lastly, the salvation that Christ compromises, and the salvation that Buddha teaches will be compared and evaluated.