One Idea, Two Results Most religions believe in an afterlife. If the deceased person wisely led a kind, generous and loving life, the soul or energy of the person will be rewarded with everlasting life in paradise. There is the Christian Heaven and the Buddhist and Hindu Nirvana. These two forms of spiritual places are very different, yet similar. They both share the same idea and purpose: a beautiful, peaceful place after death. The Christian Heaven is surprisingly called Judaeo. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NIV) In the Christian faith, Jesus Christ is the only way to reach everlasting life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall to perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV) Because Jesus died on the cross for the sins of man, those who truly believe in Him will enjoy life in Heaven after they die. Christians …show more content…
Judaeo and the Hindu version of Nirvana is where they will be reunited with their God or Brahman after death. They are both places of peace and happiness where the deceased will live forever. Christians, Hindus and Buddhists all have different ideas on how to reach these spiritual locations for afterlife. Strongly, followers of Christianity believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. They just need to believe in Him and they will be reunited. While Buddhists believe that they need to destroy karma, which is how they escape rebirth, to reach Nirvana, Hindus use karma to eventually promote themselves to Nirvana. Because Hindus believe that karma is their ticket to Nirvana they build up good karma by leading good lives. Christians don’t attempt to earn their way to Heaven, though it is their duty to spread the love of Jesus to others. Somehow, Buddhists find some way to rid karma, escape reincarnation and live in Nirvana after
Many religions and philosophies attempt to answer the question, what happens after a person dies? Some religions, such as Christianity and Islam, believe there is an afterlife. They believe that good and moral people enter Heaven or Paradise and that bad and immoral people go to Hell. Other religions and cultures believe that death is final, and that nothing happens after a person dies. Buddhism and Hinduism have different ideas about death.
The five Eastern religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto have some similarities when it comes to the their beliefs on death. Hinduism and Buddhism both believe in karma and reincarnation, while Daoism and Shintoism revolve their beliefs around nature. Confucianism chooses not to focus on things we do not know, so their beliefs on death are limited. In deciphering the different beliefs on death associated with each religion, it is important to understand the different belief systems and their origins. While some religions merged the views of the other religions, some came from the views of an originating founder. Each religion has their own view on life after death and whether or not their followers should be concerned
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.
“You will be with me today in paradise,” Jesus Christ told this to the thief on the cross while they were dying. However, can people believe that there is truly life after death? In many different religions there are different perceptions of life after death. For example in the Buddhist religion, the Buddhist people believe that life is practice for death. Professor Brown, of California State University of Northridge stated, “The Buddhist people cultivate positive, happy virtuous states of mind and abandoning non-virtuous, harmful, suffering states of mind.” This teaching is mirrored by Christianity teachings as well. Professor Brown also stated, “Death is an opportunity for great spiritual achievement if one is prepared and remembers one’s spiritual practices and beliefs and understandings during the death process.”
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 Buddhism, the concept of the Buddha nature is fundamental (“Pure Land”).... ...
I never knew that, “ Buddhism is sometimes called a non historical religion. In other words, it does not tell a story of creation, or speculate that we are heading toward a heaven or afterlife of some kind” (p.10). For me it is hard to imagine not believing in any of this like people who practice Buddhism do. It is difficult to understand how they might see where they will be when they die. I look forward to being in heaven after I live and complete my life. I could not imagine dying and not having any kind of afterlife. I know that one day when I die I will see all the people that died who I love and dearly miss. I had a best friend die and I cannot wait to be with him after I die.
In the western world, a dominant belief is that after life, a person’s soul is sent to a place of eternal bliss, heaven, or a place of eternal damnation, hell. To Buddhists, this concept is not the norm. Buddhists believe that a person is reincarnated into another life form, either human or animal. What life form a person is reincarnated as is determined by the person’s karma. The concept of karma not only affects reincarnation, but also what path a person’s life takes. While much of the concept of karma is believable and comprehensible by a person of any denomination, some aspects are dependant upon a belief in reincarnation and that a person will eventually be punished for his sins or rewarded for his good deeds, whether in this life or the next. At the same time, in order to believe in how reincarnation works, a person must understand the idea of karma.
There are multiple views on death and the afterlife and each view is different depending on the religion or belief that someone practices. Some religions believe in a heaven but not a hell, some believe in both and others do not believe in either. The religions that are practiced today were created by our ancient ancestors who had the ability to think beyond themselves. Practicing a religion and having an idea of death and an afterlife back in ancient times laid a foundation on how religion is seen and practiced today. Mesopotamians, Egyptians and Hindu’s created the concept of death and life after death through what they believed and practiced in ancient times.
In most every religion, the promise of some sort of afterlife is why most people believe. That is what causes so many things in life to go unrecognized. We do not live in a world were everyone stays forever young, there is always a beautiful sunset, and "ripe fruit never falls." Every living thing dies. That is what makes it all so special.
Christians, for example, believe that souls that have lived by the words of their God will exist eternally in heaven as divine beings themselves. This conception of an afterlife is generally what we people who are residents of the Unitied States hold to be true. For American culture has its roots in Europe and European culture was and is still influenced by Christian faiths. Similar to Christianity, the Hinduism also eases the fear of death by presenting a life after death. Disimilarities present themselves in the two faiths concerning exactly what kind of afterlife is lived. Believers of the Hindu faith expect to be reincarnated after their demise, either as an animal or human being depending on the manner in which their lives were carried out.
By understanding the concepts and terminology of religious traditions it is important to understand other people 's religious experience and expression. To begin with, both Buddhism and Judaism are two different forms of religion with some similarities. Buddhist’s believe they are reborn from a previous life until they reach nirvana, which is the extinction of all desire and release from suffering. In comparison to Judaism, they believe that they are made in the likeness of God and come into the world with the capacity to choose for good or evil. Judaism follows in practicing the Ten Commandments and find happiness in other humans. Buddhist has the same opportunity in his or her life and can find fulfillment in thinking and following in the correct path. Lastly, as Buddhists do not worship a God who created and sustains the world, this makes Buddhism a non-theistic
According to the Mariam- Webster dictionary salvation is, “deliverance from the power and effects of sin.” The concept of salvation is principal to Christianity. Looking at the history of Christianity, Jesus Christ is known as the savior, which is what spring the Christian movement. The religion of Christianity began and contined because Christians see Jesus as someone who brings God’s salvation to the people. When it comes to Christianity there is no real definition of salvation although it is very important to the religion. The meaning of salvation remains unknown exactly. When Adam and Eve went against, man and God became separated through sin. Death alone would not be enough to cover all the evils on sin. Sacrifice offered in the right way can pay for our sin. We work all our life to pay for the sins we are born with. Jesus Christ came and offered us the pure everlasting sacrifice, which is his death, and resurrection which would remove all debt of sin.
It is essential to commence with the following two quotes which respectively define the Christian and Buddhist’s fundamental notion of salvation, and displays aspects of the two opposing worldviews. Firstly, Jesus said "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NIV). Secondly, Buddha spoke "The long road of transmigration is a road of pain for the traveller: let him rest by the road and be free" (The Dhammapada, translated by Juan Mascaro 1973, v. 302). The first quote assumes a lineal event-filled theocentric view of time, a world-loving empathetic view of suffering, and salvation being Christocentric. In general, Christianity’s means of salvation is also defined through Christ's death and resurrection, by grace, through faith, not by works lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:9). The second quote however, Buddha assume...
What is going to happen to us when we will die? Some people never considered what it could happen to them after life. For many people, death is a redoubtable event because they do not know what to expect after their death. However, other persons, such as religious people are conscious of what to expect after their death because of their beliefs. Each religion has different ideas and different ways of looking life. Death, therefore, is viewed by different religions in many ways. Although, different religions have a distinct conception of death, they all have something in common: they all give hope to people. Among all different religions in the world, four of the most common ones - Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu- view death in different ways.
I thought that, like many other religions, there was a desirable and undesirable place to go to after death. Hindus do not believe in a heaven or hell. They believe in rebirth and this happens depending on their karma. Karma is the computation of a person’s actions. An individual’s karma will decide on what they will be reincarnated as in their next life. Their goal in life is to become one with Brhaman and this happens when there is no more karma. There is no more rebirth and karma has equalized, meaning it has balanced. The person is immersed into Brahma and they are forever with the ultimate. An example of this is how a river flows into an ocean. This stage is called Moksha and that is the ultimate