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buddhism overview essay
Buddhism and its principal
buddhism overview essay
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No God to pray to, a place without the presence of suffering and finding enlightenment are just a few of the aspects that pull me towards Buddhism. If I lived in India around 100 B.C., I would choose to be a Buddhist. Seeing a Hindu prince go from having it all to giving everything up to find enlightenment as oppose to continue suffering, is truly inspiring. In addition, Hinduism, in my opinion, is a very complicated religion that involves numerous twists and turns in its beliefs and practices. While Buddhism is a less complex religion, that is easier to understand and more spiritual, which in a way makes it not purely religious, than Hinduism.
With my personality, which I strongly believe is introvert, Buddhism’s family like religion and option for personality input pulled me in. Although I like to have my own space and work towards different things alone, having a family or people that share the same beliefs as me and having them there to support me is something I enjoy. I would be able to add my own personal touch to this religion, while also being with others. This gives me the ...
There are many similarities and differences between Judaism and Buddhism. While Judaism is more popular Buddhism they both have many followers throughout the world.
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.
Buddhism and Hinduism share vast similarities. One being both the practice of meditation. Hinduism has “no single founder” (Hinduism, Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition), no central authority, and no widely known creed. However, Hinduism does have a caste system that they run on. Hindus believe that everyone has their place in the world and they cannot overstep their roles and responsibilities outlined in their caste. Hindus also follow the “Veda as the most sacred scriptures.”(Hinduism, Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition). Due to this commonality it has helped Hindus and Buddhists come to recognize each other and remain cordial to one another. Which is pivotal since both religions are practiced so close to one another (at least geographically speaking). The “caste system” (Hinduism." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition...
In a quote from the Dalai Lama he says, “My religion is very simply. My religion is kindness.” IN buddhism where the main goal is happiness, that quote seems to explain it all. The fact of the matter is, religion has been around since the beginning of mankind; religion gave people faith, structure, and a way of life. Without it people begin to lose their sense of direction and purpose. In today’s society there are over 4,200 religions, and they continue to aid people in their life and accommodate to their needs of self-knowledge. In comparison to Cao Dai, Eckankar and Jainism, Buddhism is a religion because of its similar beliefs, the way it's practiced, and its head figure.
In the world, there are five major world religions, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In the past few classes, I have been exposed to and absorbed a tremendous amount of information on the religion of Buddhism. According to the dictionary, Buddhism is a religion of which originated in India, was founded by the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, and teaches that life is full of suffering caused by desire and that the way to end this suffering is through enlightenment that enables one to halt the endless sequence of births and deaths to which one is otherwise subject. Buddhism is a way of finding peace within oneself. It is a religion that helps it’s believers to find the happiness and contentment us humans seek. One thing I found
When it comes to Gods, the Buddha did not have a lot to say about them and highly discouraged the devotion to them. (Brodd 2016). Rather than spending all of their time and effort worshipping God’s in hope of reaching nirvana, Buddhists spend their time meditating, reading the teachings of the Buddha, and reflecting to reach nirvana (Brodd 2016). There are two major types of Buddhism that Buddhists follow. The first one is Theravada Buddhism which is defined as “the way of the elders” (Brodd et al. , 2016 , p.157). Theravada followers pursue nirvana through a more individual approach; they live by the Buddha’s last words “work out your salvation through diligence.” (Brodd et al, 2016, p.157). Theravada followers pursue a monastic, Buddha like lifestyle by using meditation to reach nirvana. (Brodd 2016). Another way to break samsara and reach nirvana is through Mahayana Buddhism. In Mahayana Buddhism, they dig deeper into the teachings of the Buddha (Brodd 2016). Mahayana Buddhists analyzes and elaborates the Dharma, which “refers to Buddhist teaching and Buddhism as a religion.”( Brodd et al., 2016, p.157). In Buddhism, Gods and supernatural beings do not play a role in a Buddhist’s path to escape samsara and reach the ultimate nirvana. Hinduism, on the other hand has a different path to
Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions, but Buddhism differs from those religions as it is considered more of a ‘lifestyle’ than a specific type of religion. Buddhism centers around ...
Hinduism and Buddhism There are many religions that are practiced around the world, especially in Asia where there are eight different religions being practiced. In the country of India, Buddhism and Hinduism are the main religions that are practiced today. Buddhism and Hinduism were both founded in Asia, but they were founded by two different people and practiced in two different ways and languages. Buddhism is a living tradition that is passed down from teacher to student as a set of instruction and techniques for sanity and brilliance in the inner self and the world. Hinduism is more based on the thoughts and attitude about one’s everyday life, and reflects in his actions.
Buddhism prevailed as a religion indigenous to west India and comprises of varieties of traditions, beliefs and practices based on the teachings of Buddha. There are many reasons why Buddhism became so popular and entered into many civilizations. Buddhism began to be popular throughout Asia alongside India. Buddhism has blossomed in the contemporary world, especially in the West. It is an issue to wonder what Buddhism offers that other religions cannot and has become so significant worldwide. Buddhism has become an idea that is widespread and the teachings of Buddha have made a real difference in many civilizations like India, China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and surprisingly Buddhism has come to make a significant difference in American culture.
“If I were asked to define the Hindu creed, I should simply say: Search after truth through non-violent means. A man may not believe in God and still call himself a Hindu. Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth... Hinduism is the religion of truth. Truth is God.”
Man has always found pleasure in expressing himself by creating art. Through the centuries, man’s art has left behind clues and insight that enables the generations of today to understand their ancestors. In particular, historians and artist alike can see what certain Asian sculptures reflect of the culture and religious beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism is the parent religion to Buddhism; much like Judaism is to Christianity. Despite Buddhism and Hinduism sharing similar philosophies and various idealisms, their respective sculptures also show their differences. There are two important characteristic of the sculptures of these religions. The first is motion versus rest, and second the subject matter. It is these two types of characteristics historians and artist can help use to decipher Hindu and Buddhist sculptures.
Unlike Hindus, Buddhist follow Buddha’s four noble truths. The four noble truths provide a pathway to enlightenment; they teach what causes suffering in life and how to stop it. The noble truths are very simple and easy to understand. The first truth is that all existence will suffer no matter what, the second truth is the understanding of craving, the third truth is the cessation of suffering, and the final truth is following the noble eightfold path. Practicing Buddhism isn’t complex or difficult, unlike Hinduism. As long as one gives love and acceptance to everyone and everything, is mindful, practices Ahimsa, and detaches themselves from materialistic items one can be a successful Buddhist. Unlike the simplicity of Buddhism, Hinduism is very strict and complex. It is male oriented and difficult to follow through. To practice Hinduism one must follow the four stages of life. The first stage is being a student and study the Vedas. The second stage is being a house holder; support a student and have a family. The third stage is being a Hermit; withdraw from family for many months and prepare to become an ascetic. Finally, the last stage of life is becoming an ascetic. These stages are only allowed to be done by men and an extremely small percent of
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
...fter. Its emphasis on inner peace and understanding is what separates it from most other faiths. In Buddhism you don't need a god to answer your questions about life and faith. Once you have canceled out the suffering in life, that all becomes clear to the believer.
Upon reading about the historical and religious background of Ancient India, one can clearly assume that the country was strongly influenced by three main religious teachings: Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. These three sects in religious thinking have many similarities as all recognize the life-cycle and the need of liberation, they worship one central deity that used to be a human who gained enlightenment and they all recognize the existence of the eternal soul and after-death re-incarnation. However, they also share a lot of differences that mark the underlying principles of practicing them. I will identify the scope of differences and similarities in these ancient religions in an attempt to understand why each attracted followers, why each was shaped a certain way and how they preserved the interest of followers on into the modern times as well.