Religions of the World
Lesson 4 - Buddhism & Sikhism
Assignment 4 1. Write a minimum of 500 word essay concerning an overview and summary of the Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 of your text. Discuss the knowledge you gained concerning the major topics and what confusion or uncertainty may have arisen through your research and studies. The first half of the paper should identify the author's main points. The second half of your paper should be your contribution. Offer an assessment of the author's points, apply the points to examples, support all comments and information with verifiable research, and do not give opinion.
1A. Buddhism began in northeastern India and is based on the teachings of Gautama. Buddhism is different from many other faiths because it is not centered on the relationship between humanity and God. Buddhists do not believe in a personal creator God. Siddhartha had found the path to Enlightenment. Siddhartha was born around the year 560 b.c.e. Nepal. He was born into a royal family and for many years lived within the palace walls away from the sufferings of life; sufferings such as sickness, age, and death and he did not know what these sufferings were.
One day, after growing-up, marrying and having a child, Siddhartha went outside the royal palace and saw, each for the first time, an aged person, a sick person, a deceased body and finally a peaceful monk. He was worried by what he saw. He learned that sickness, age, and death were the inevitable fate of human beings a fate no-one could avoid. Siddhartha had seen that peaceful monk, and he decided this was a sign that he should leave his protected royal life and live as a beggar.
Siddhartha’s travels showed him much more of the suffering of the world. He searched for a way to escape the inevitability of death, old age and pain first by studying with religious men. This didn't provide him with an answer with the philosophies they taught. Therefore he followed a Guru and was not satisfied with his ways. His next approach that Siddhartha and his followers took was asceticism that was a solution to the problems of life. He became weak from his travels and ended up fainting and falling in the stream. When he fell into the stream the water woke him up and he realized he had did everything he could to be expected of an ascetic and still had not found enlighten he was searching for. After this occurred he ate a meal and went to meditate and after this period of meditation he experienced the enlightenment he was looking for and became known as the Buddha or "Enlighten One". Siddhartha Gautama is known as the Buddha of the Buddhism religion.
Sikhism was revealed to Guru Nanak over 500 years ago in the Punjab in northwestern India. The Sikh faith was founded by Guru Nanak 1469-1538 c.e. and shaped by his ten Sikhs (disciples). Sikhs believe their faith to be a new and independent religion based on the insights of Nanak. Sikhism teaches that all human beings are equal and can release the divine within them through devotion to God, truthful living and service to humanity. They believe in One God or Oneness of God, which is the basic Islam teaching and from Hinduism he took the acceptance of reincarnation and karma. Men and Women have the same rights/responsibilities in the Sikhism religion. Sikhism don’t believe in fasting, ritualism, alcohol and drug use including smoking. It is believed when Nanak died; his death had brought harmony between the Muslims and Hindus and helped to sort their differences of where his religious loyalties lied and bring them together on their differences.

2. Choose one of the questions below and answer it in at least 250 words.
A. Compare the life of Gautama to the of Mahavira. Why are the details of their lives similar?

2A. The life of Mahavira (Chapter 5) and that of the Gautama are very similar in aspects of their lives. Jainism was founded and propagated by a lineage of several tirthankaras. Mahavira was the last and perhaps the most popular of the tirthankaras. The tirthankaras are worshipped in temples and religious places not as gods but as enlightened beings who manifest upon earth as a part of human destiny. Mahavira also followed the path of the asceticism and was unhappy with the results it provided.

Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama who became the Buddha after he received enlightenment. Like Mahavira, he also hailed from a royal family. In Buddhism there is no tradition of tirthankaras or a lineage of preachers or prophets. It has only one prophet in the form of the Buddha (Gautama) himself and even his teachings need not have to be accepted by the Buddhist blindly because that was what the Buddha himself recommended before his final nirvana. He wanted his followers to be able to find his or her own path to enlightenment. However Buddhists believe in the various incarnations and appearances of the Buddha and the existence of several pure beings of compassion whom they worship for blessings and help. Some Buddhists believe that the Buddha will reincarnate again sometime in the future to revive the teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha's stand on God was rather ambiguous he maintained silence on the issue of the existence of God and refused to be drawn into any conversation declaring it to be a distraction with no apparent benefit towards the path of enlightenment.
Jainism acknowledges the presence of soul in every animate and inanimate object, including the elements of the universe, such as the earth, water, wind, fire and air. In addition to these Jainism believes in the principles of natures and ensures life was respected no matter how small. The Buddhists also do not believe that inanimate objects have life or individuality. Buddhism is distinguished for its concept of anatma. They declare that a being is an aggregate of elements and parts which come into existence on account of karma and continues its journey onwards through becoming and changing because of desires till it achieves nirvana or a state of non-becoming by right conduct and right living. The concept of a world filled with innumerable individual souls or clusters of souls is unreasonable in Buddhism. Both religions believe in the concept of nirvana, karma and acknowledge the presence of gods as higher beings who, like us, are also subject to change and evolution.

3. Choose one of the questions below and answer it in at least 250 words.
A. Discuss Sikhism as a syncretism between Hinduism and Islam. Which features has it taken from each religion?

3A. (Syncretism / is the combining of different (often seemingly contradictory) beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought.) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncretism)

Nanak, like Kabir and others, endeavored to synthesize elements of Island and Hinduism. Nanak took what he believed to be the most important of both religions.

From Islam
-He taught there is but one God, although Hindus may see this God at work in many ways and still God is only one and is referred as The True Name
-He also rejected harming of all living things (animals) Sikhs are free to kill and eat animals.

From Hinduism
-He accepted the principles of reincarnation, the basic in many Indian religions.
-He taught the Indian principle of Karma and believed that people to aruire Karma and live over and over until they are freed from the cycle by the God or The True Name.
4. In at least 250 words, respond to the following item.
What are your views on the Dalai Lama? Having been in the media a lot you should have some sort of opinion about him. If not, do some minimal research on him? You can use any research available to you, but be sure to cite your sources.
Buddhists believe in reincarnation; and are all bound by the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth until they gain enlightenment and can be out of the released from that cycle of life. Enlightened ones can choose to stay on this cycle of life, to assist others in finding enlightenment. The Dalai Lama is the leader of the Yellow Hat group and is considered the ruler of Tibet. The Dalai Lama was first recognized in the sixteenth century. The current Dalai Lama is the fourteenth of his line, and was born to a farming family 6 July 1935 and given the name Lhamo Dhondrub. He was recognized at the age of two, and brought, with his family, to live in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, at the age of four, where he became His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. Dalai Lamas, like Popes, change names upon taking up their office. He was educated to the equivalent of a PhD in the monastery system.
When China annexed Tibet in 1959, the Dalai Lama and thousands of his supporters fled into exile. He has lived with his followers in Dharamsala, India, since 1960, and continues to head the Tibetan government while in exile. The Dalai Lama has been a powerful spokesman for Tibet, and Buddhism in general, and has written a number of books on the topic. His consistent opposition to violence was recognized in 1989 with the Nobel Peace Prize. He frequently states that his life is guided by three major commitments: the promotion of basic human values or secular ethics in the interest of human happiness, the fostering of inter-religious harmony and the welfare of the Tibetan people, focusing on the survival of their identity, culture and religion.
The Dalai Lama has travelled to more than 62 countries spanning 6 continents. He has met with presidents, prime ministers and crowned rulers of major nations. He has held dialogues with the heads of different religions and many well-known scientists.
With the all that said, the Dalai Lama is one of the most watched and talked about religious leaders. He does stay in contact with his followers via several means. With today’s technology and constant movement toward having it now, the Dalai Lama has continued to stay with today’s society of social media and spreading the word. He is actively involved in the ways of the world and ensures that he constant contact with his followers. He has over 4.8 million followers on FaceBook and 6.2 Million followers on Twitter; he continues to spread the message of his religion on a daily basis on his own website (http://www.dalailama.com) where all this information is referenced from and doing this helps to keep his followers close to the path of enlightenment. He is one of the few religious leaders who have changed with times.

(Material found at http://www.dalailama.com/)