1. Key Concepts
a) Four major religions prevalent in Southeast Asia: 1) Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia, the southern portion of Thailand, northwestern tip of Burma, and in Central Vietnam (among the Cham areas). 2) Buddhism is prominent in Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia. In Vietnam it was introduced by the Chinese and remains in the cultural periphery. 3) Christianity exists in areas of Indonesia, Vietnam (Catholicism), and eastern Burma. 4) Hinduism is found in Bali, interior Java, Sumatra, and Kalimantan. Remote areas of Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia also practice Hinduism. Other religious influences in Southeast Asia include Taoism/Confucianism (located in major cities such as Bangkok, Saigon, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and
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All of the following are specific beliefs of certain Southeast Asian communities in regards to the soul: 1) The Meo of North Vietnam believe that each person has three souls that enter into the human womb after death and are born anew. 2) The Palaung of upper Burma contend that the soul exists in humans and animals (Karbu). After death, the soul searches for a pregnant women in which to insert itself. 3) The Kachin of upper Burma believe that each person has a “perfect” soul (krin) that can be reborn as a human or animal. 4) The Karen of lower Burma accept that each individual has a spirit (la) and a soul (thah). Only the soul can determine if its possessor is evil or good. 5) The Semang of Peninsular Malaysia hold that human souls exist before birth as birds. 6) The people of the Andaman Islands believe that the human soul (otyolo) is similar to an individuals physical appearance, but colored red to symbolize evil. 7) the Jakun of Johore believe that jellyfish are the souls of children preparing to be born. Knappert continues to offer various understanding of the soul among Southeast Asian communities. Some of these remaining communities include: Batin, Kos of Northwest Laos, Indonesians, Ambon, Minangkabau, Minahassa, Olo Dusun of Borneo, Bataklands, Nias, Dyaks, and Ngaju Dayaks (See article for more …show more content…
The following examples stand out the most: 1) The Orang Benua of Malaya believe that those who die will go to the island of fruits (Pulau Buah). The soul resides in this “paradise” conversing with other souls and eating an endless supply of fresh fruits. Those souls that are separated from the body due to violence have to live in a barren wasteland called Tanah Merah (Red Country). 2) The Indonesian people, in general, allow the deceased to carry out an existence that is similar to their experience on earth. The rich enjoy an affluent afterlife while the poor live in squalor. 3) The Javanese believe that the dead voyage to Yama (a southern kingdom). 4) Many groups in Sulawesi believe that the deceased experience death 7 times until they
Reading multiple different journals and articles about how individual cultures interpret death, it has come to a conclusion that many cultures have many contrasting views and perspectives. Some cultures would take their practices to extreme levels, which included doing stuff to the physical body, where in today’s era, would not be right. The central desire to write this paper is to learn about the different beliefs and practices that happen in different part of the countries, in today’s time and from the past.
Each religion has its own idea of what will happen in the afterlife. In Buddhism, they believe that dying is apart of an ongoing cycle until the dead receive enlightenment. This cycle is called Samsara and by definition means an ongoing cycle of life and death until that person reaches enlightenment (heaven). There is a three stage cycle that occurs from the moment you die until you are reincarnated; This process is called The Three Bardo's. The first bardo is when the soul goes into a trance and often doesn't realize that they have passed away. People recall seeing a bright light once in this trance and if that person welcomes the light then they will not be reincarnated, but most people flee from this light. The second bardo begins when the person realizes they are dead. The deceased will see everything that they have done or throughout their life. The third bardo and final stage contains a longing for possessing someone. When they do posses someone the rebirth occurs and they are reincarnated as a living
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 a different idea about death. Both of these religions originated in India. Buddhists and Hindus believe that death is not final. They believe that a person comes back after he or she dies. This process is known as reincarnation, and it provides opportunities for people to enter the world multiple times in different forms. Buddhists and Hindus want to reenter the world as humans, and they want to improve their status through reincarnation. In ancient India, many members of lower casts wanted to come back as members of higher casts. While this is an important goal of reincarnation, the main goal is to reach either moksha (Hinduism) or nirvana (Buddhism). In other words, the goal is to reach a point of spiritual enlightenment that removes the person from the reincarnation process. Geoff Childs, an anthropologist examines the views of the Buddhist religion by studying the lives of the people in Tibetan villages. He looks at issues that adversely affect these people such as infant mortality. He carefully looks at the lives of people who have been left behind by deceased loved ones, and he pays careful attention to customs and traditions surrounding death. Tibetan Buddhists view death as a means of reaching spiritual perfection, and they seek to reach this level of spiritual perfection through living spiritually meaningful lives....
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
Religions in East Asia were very different than religions from other parts of Asia. Confucianism was a philosophy rather a religion. The focus of Confucianism was based on the way a person should behave rather than their reason for existence. Confucius, the founder of the philosophy, held the belief that people should be earnest, truthful, and kind to others. (Doc 3) Taoism was a philosophy like Confucianism but it was also a mystic religion. Taoism often referred to a balance between real and abstract. (Doc 7) It is often stated that if you can explain Taoism you don’t understand
India and China’s geography helped them spread their religion to other areas. India’s religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, spread to other regions. The trade that was created due to each civilizations’ geography not only traded regions’ goods with one another, but their religion as well. According to World History: A Pattern of Interaction, Hinduism spread to Nepal and south to Sri Lanka and Borneo. A majority of the spread of Indian religion was due to Buddhist merchants and monks that converted people along the route of the Silk Road. China is similar to India’s religions, as the Chinese region believed in Buddhism because of the conversions of religion that had occurred
In this essay I will discuss the many aspects and ideals of Asian Religions along with their impact and the role they play within the United States. I had a few questions that I had to try and find answers for, in order to complete the connection of Asian Religions to the United States. Why are some Americans and westerners finding Asian Religions as well as Asian thought and philosophy to be more gratifying than traditional western religions and philosophy? How are Asian Religions perceived and practiced here in the United States as opposed to its place of origination? Finally, is there further growth of the Asian Religions as well as philosophy still possible here in the United States and the west? All of the answers to these questions will try and explain the place Asian Religions have here in the United States.
The afterlife can be described as the belief that an essential part of an individual's identity or the stream of any consciousness continues to show after the death of the physical body. In African culture and religion, life does not end with death, but it continues in another realm. The concepts of "life" and "death" are not mutually unique concepts, and there are no clear dividing lines between the two. Death does not end the life or change the personality of that individual, but it does cause a change in its conditions. This is expressed in the concept of the term ancestors. Ancestors are people who have died but who continue to live in the community and communicate with their families in reference to many African cultures. Death is usually
According to a study, many difficult cultures have the tendency to establish their methods of coping, whether it is through religion, culture, or/and personal ideologies (Chen, 2012). Mourning and burial ceremonies play a pivotal role for Lossography due to individuals having the ability and liberty to express melancholy and sometimes jubilation during the times they once had with their loved one. These types of beliefs and practices used as coping mechanisms can be very meaningful and profound for the comfort of the individual who’s going through a mournful experience (Chen, 2012). These types of coping mechanisms is important for Lossography, due to the fact that individuals are able to convey emotions through traditional practices, archaic arts and crafts, and spiritual rituals to fully find meaning with the death of their loved one. In addition, having established beliefs can definitely change the perception of what death signifies based upon religious and cultural expectations of the afterlife. However, not all cultures and religions put much emphasis into the afterlife. For instance, the monotheistic religion Judaism does not contain any interpretation of what happens after someone dies. Judaists believe that nothing happens after death, death is considered a taboo and not something that is commonly talked about for these religious individuals. Lossography, in religion may take on many forms for how death is perceived and for what actions can people take to ensure that their death will bring them to a place of peace, joy, and everlasting life. Lossography regarding religion, gives individuals hope that death is not the end, it gives them hope that knowing that person may not be here with us in the flesh, but that person is somewhere smiling down. Lossography in religion,
One of the greatest and oldest human mysteries on Earth is death, and the fate that lies beyond it. The curious minds of human beings constantly wonder about the events that occur after death. No person truly knows what happens after a person ceases to live in the world, except for the people themselves who have passed away. As a result, over the course of history, people of various backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions have speculated and believed in numerous different possibilities for the destiny that awaits them beyond the world of the living. The great ambiguity of the afterlife is extremely ancient that many different beliefs about it have been dated back to several centuries ago. These beliefs go as far back to the beliefs of Ancient Egyptians, which outline the journey that the dead travels to the land of Osiris; and the belief of Ancient Greeks that all souls eventually find themselves in Hades’ realm, the Underworld. Throughout history, views and beliefs from emerging religions continue to develop as the human conscience persists in finding answers to this ancient, unresolved mystery. Prime examples of the various and separate beliefs regarding death and the afterlife are found in the diverse faiths of Roman Catholicism, Islam, and Buddhism.
Hinduism was the first major religion to develop in South Asia. Along with it, came a strict caste system and clear social hierarchy. Hinduism stressed the importance of karma and people purifying their lives over many reincarnations to achieve holy perfection. Later on, Buddhism developed in India and incorporated many of the same cultural and religious practices. One key change was the looseness of the religion in regards to social status, as it did not see a person 's place in the caste system as a factor in achieving the afterlife. In response to a decline in Hinduism, especially among the poorer classes, Hinduism became more accepting of these classes and also developed alternate paths of devotion. In summation, South Asian religion has taken on a trend of
Death in Different Religions Death has a great impact on people's lives in such a way that they learn to value life, or even live it to the fullest. But what happens to us after we die? Many religions have answered this question for us, according to their faiths. Buddhism is a religion where Buddhists believe in the concept of death and reincarnation or rebirth.
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.
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.
There are many religions in East and Southeast Asia, those are Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Animism, Confucianism, Chinese Traditional Religion, Shinto, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and many more.