...Short Essay Shiyun Wang (Jack) 6464416 Introduction to Buddhism INSTRUCTOR: Professor Brendan-John Reid Purdie As a Chinese born, I always viewed Buddhism as a religion that originated from China. In China, Buddhism is often interpreted as Fó, the popular Shaolin monks are what comes to mind to most people. As a kid I would always watch Chinese martial art series that would often involves Chinese monks Fó, they were expert in the martial art and I also remarked that they would refuse to kill any beings. As of a result being a child I always viewed Buddhism as a religion that specialized in martial art. At that time I was convinced that Buddhism originated from China due to its long and rich history. As I grew older my understanding on Buddhism has dramatically changed. To my shock I’ve learned that Buddhism originated from India and the Buddha himself is very different from the portrayal that I’ve had in my mind. I always believed that Buddha was the founder of the Shaolin martial art. The more I grow older and the more I read and learn, I started to understand that the Buddhism is completely different that the Buddhism I thought I knew when I was a child. The Buddha that I have read about was someone serene that ascended and not a martial artist. Before taking this class I believed that the Buddha was the only religion that was atheistic. Due to the fact that the Buddha was merely a mortal that was born in India. But because of his deeds he transcended and now teaches...
Words: 508 - Pages: 3
...Buddhism & Hinduism "Buddhism, in its origin at least is an offshoot of Hinduism." (S.Rahdhakrishnan) Guatam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism was born and brought up and lived and left this materialistic world as a Hindu. And this particular evidence is enough to explain that the concept of Hinduism predates to that of Buddhism. Hinduism, better known as the 'Sanatan Dharma' to the Hindus, is believed to be the oldest religion in the history of human civilisation. Practiced majorly in the secular India, the origin of Hinduism is still a mystery! According to the historians, the origin of Hinduism dates back to 5000 or more years, whereas, the origin of Buddhism came into existence in a much later period, that is in & around 563 BC. After Lord Buddha achieved enlightenment, He preached whatever He learnt from His experiences and His teachings came to be known as Buddhism and were well received by the people. It was during the later part of the Vedic Era, when Hinduism was on the verge of decline owing to the orthodoxy, superstitions and staunch practices, prevailing in the religion, when Buddhism with lesser complexities and rituals was accepted by the common people of India. This was the time when Buddhism arose out of the atheistic strands of Hinduism. It is a fact that Buddhism evolved and developed because of the complex nature evolving in Hinduism, but still despite some differences, these two sects have a lot of things in common. Similarities between Hinduism...
Words: 875 - Pages: 4
...Religious Studies Salvation: Hinduism Buddhism arose within the context of Hinduism and have shared parallel beliefs for that have existed side by side for generations, but also very pronounced differences. Both traditions have religious professionals that have responsibilities and salvation tasks for their followers. Monks, nuns and gurus are significant to respective religions as well as practices like meditation and asceticism. Hinduism instills in men that they have the potential to do good if he does the spiritual exercises it prescribes. Hindus spirituality is loving and complying with god, having the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit, escaping from the body to succeed in having no desire or emotion to not be controlled by what is material. Hindus believe that being saved is escaping from what is material and that they can escape from the circle of death and rebirth (reincarnation) by seeking what is only spiritual Guru in Hinduism is spiritual teacher or a guide that has achieved spiritual insight and offers individual and or group coaching to guide you into a spiritual path. In Hinduism it is believed that the ultimate goal in life is to achieve moksha (the ending cycle of death and rebirth) and the guru is the guidance to achieve such quest. Brahman (The self), is the only Being, the Sole Existent, the One Mind. (Elwood, pg59), the ultimate goal and absolute of Hinduism. The self, is the all-knowing God. He is not born. He does not die. He is neither...
Words: 759 - Pages: 4
...Among the major world religions, three are very closely related in their origins, their beliefs, their revealed books or Holy Scriptures, and their institutions of leadership. They are also closely related in their beliefs about morals and ethics, and their views of the individual and social life. Following is the way that the Abrahamic religions are compared to each other: Abraham (or Abram) had a huge impact on the religions Believe that God made a covenant, or agreement with Abraham to keep the faith in One God, and to worship Him, to keep that faith and teach the practice of worship to his children down the generations, and God would preserve, protect and multiply the children of Abraham. All of the monotheistic faiths share a belief that God, the Creator, has “spoken” to humankind over time. The word for this divine communication is “revelation.” Belief in angels as God’s messengers to human beings. Believers in the Abrahamic faiths have preserved these scriptures and traditions of the prophets and the story of their unfolding in human history. Mahayana Buddhism The Mahayana emerged between 100 B.C.E. and 100 C.E. in India in the context of debate about proper Buddhist doctrine and practice, about monastic discipline, and particularly about the ongoing presence of the Buddha after his death as well as the nature of enlightenment itself. Initially, the Mahayana was influenced by other Buddhist schools of thought in India; as it spread in...
Words: 1549 - Pages: 7
...The earliest evidence for prehistoric religion in India date back to the late Neolithic in the early Harappan period (5500–2600 BCE).[21][22] The beliefs and practices of the pre-classical era (1500–500 BCE) are called the "historical Vedic religion". Modern Hinduism grew out of the Vedas, the oldest of which is the Rigveda, dated to 1700–1100 BCE.[23] The Vedas center on worship of deities such as Indra, Varuna and Agni, and on the Soma ritual. Fire-sacrifices, called yajña were performed, and Vedic mantras chanted but no temples or icons were built.[24] The oldest Vedic traditions exhibit strong similarities to Zoroastrianism and other Indo-European religions.[25] The major Sanskrit epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, were compiled over a protracted period during the late centuries BCE and the early centuries CE[citation needed]. They contain mythological stories about the rulers and wars of ancient India, and are interspersed with religious and philosophical treatises. The later Puranas recount tales about devas and devis, their interactions with humans and their battles against demons. Three major movements underpinned the naissance of a new epoch of Hindu thought: the advent and spread of Upanishadic, Jaina, and Buddhist philosophico-religious thought throughout the broader Indian landmass.[26] Mahavira (24th Tirthankar of Jains) and Buddha (founder of Buddhism) taught that to achieve moksha or nirvana, one did not have to accept the authority of the Vedas or the caste...
Words: 732 - Pages: 3
...Buddhism The religion of Buddhism has approximately 370 million followers worldwide, but it all started with one man. His name was Siddhartha Gautama but he is better known as The Buddha which means enlightened one in Sanskrit. Before he became the Buddha, Siddhartha lead an extravagant life as the son of an Indian warrior king. But eventually he got bored of his glamorous life and wandered off into the world in search of understanding. During his journey he met a sick old man a realized that everything leads to suffering. Then he gave up his royal life and became a monk and deprived himself of worldly possessions so that he could understand the truth of the world around him. He achieved this understanding while meditation under a tree. He finally understood how live a without suffering and ultimately how to achieve salvation. After his discovery he spent the rest of his life journeying across India teaching other what he had come to understand. Buddhism has several different texts. One of them is the Tripitaka which means the three baskets. The baskets are divided up by subject matter. The first basket is the Discipline Basket which set rules and guidelines for followers living the life of the Sangha. First it focuses on the 227 regulations for monks. These concern everything from basic morality to robe making. There are additional rules for nuns and for the interaction of monks and nuns. The second basket is the Discourse Basket which contains records of...
Words: 1212 - Pages: 5
...Critical Thinking Part I – Analysis of Buddhism Origin A young prince named Siddhartha Gautama was whole heartedly affected by the poverty, disease, old age, and death he witnessed from beyond the gates of his shelter. Gautama rebelled and took drastic measures that included abandoning the life he was given, self denial of nourishment, and extended periods of meditation in which he achieved the highest level of knowledge called nirvana, hence the name the Buddha, which means “the Enlightened One” (Carner, 2005, p. 114-115). Identity Buddhism is a dharmic religion that charted off from Hinduism and thus becoming independent of Hindu’s vague philosophy and unsatisfying goals (Carner, 2005, p. 114). While Buddhism is a religion, it is also a philosophical belief system in terms of life in general; it teaches how to save oneself from life’s suffering and aguish by following very specific rules through doctrines known as Pali Canon, which were developed shortly after the death of Gautama. Pali Canon also called the Tripitaka, contained rules for conduct, methods for spiritual attainment, and the ethics taught by the Buddha (Rast, Contender Ministries, n.d.). Meaning The Buddha developed what is called the Four Noble Truths which he taught were the principles to live by in order to attain enlightenment. According to the beliefs of Buddhism, through his own efforts man can save himself from human desires, misery, suffering, and pain...
Words: 1131 - Pages: 5
...topic of religion in China. Right away it is told that the Chinese do not worship any one god, diety, or force. They are very spiritual but have no set predominant religion that most people worship. The Chinese culture can be said to be a mix between polytheistic, pantheistic, and atheistic. In the past some sinologists and sociologists such as Jan De Groot and C.K. Yang have sought to fully understand China’s religious position and have conducted many studies about Chinese spirituality and worship. Through time it was found that two types of religion exist in China, diffused and institutional. Diffused religion such as Confucianism is part of the country and its systems. It is within the families, education, and the state as a belief. Institutional religion exists as a separate entity of the systems and is in itself a system. Certain religions like Buddhism and Daoism can be said to be this because of their separate institutions and priesthoods. Before todays beliefs, however, existed many different cults and sects that practiced a variety of values and rituals. Way back in ancient times between 2000 and 1123 BC existed the ancient cults which included totemism, animism, and occultism. After that came the humanistic religions when the Zhou dynasty came into control between 1122 and 256 BC. Proceeding that came Confucianism and Daoism between 772 and 481 BC. This was followed by the introduction of foreign religions and their integration within China. Buddhism was introduced...
Words: 1061 - Pages: 5
...Australia is home to increase religious diversity and religious variety. Its current religious landscape is shaped through the dramatic effect of immigration, the movements to and from religions or denominations, the exploration of new religious movements and the acknowledgement of no religion. These many reasons have created an increase and decrease of many religious traditions, as well as ethnic and cultural diversity in Australia. Post war immigration is directly linked to the emergence of Australia’s new wave of migration. This helped greatly in reshaping Australia’s religious connections with many religions and denominations in terms of ethnic diversity. Many religions existed elsewhere in the world but only appeared in Australia as migration and refugee patterns changed. When Indigenous Australians were counted in Census forms in 1960, a vast majority were Christian whilst some still had a desire to integrate Aboriginal spirituality and customs into Christian expression. Migrants whom entered after World War 1 were simply those who chose to assimilate and not change the British-European culture. This was because the ‘White Australia Policy’ was in place and it was racially prejudice, religiously intolerant and only accepted whites. However, by World War 2 Australia had to ‘Populate or Perish’, thus they were desperate to increase population for national security reasons and economic growth. This ultimately led to a huge population increase, as Australia accepted over 3...
Words: 1591 - Pages: 7
...I am going to explain a few aspects of two separate religions. These two religions being Christianity and Buddhism. I will give information on the characteristics of the God or follower, talk about how one should live in accordance with their practice and finally, the Life after Death. One interesting thing that I would like to point out is that thought these are very different religions, they have similar underlying patterns. Both believe that there was a savior or someone to follow in the footsteps of, being Buddha for Buddhist and Christ for Christians. Both believe, in different respects, which we are only here in temporarily. I will explain more so that it will make sense. In my opinion, as I compare and contrast these two religions, you will capture that in both religions have a strong focus upon being humbled to certain degrees in order to achieve something greater. Every religion has a story, I’ll start with Buddhism, which began before Christianity. It dates back to the 6th century BCE and Christianity was founded in about 30-33 AD. Buddhism’s founder was a Gautama Buddha named Prince Siddhartha. Who was born into a royal family in Lumbinia, now known as Nepal. At age 29, he realized that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teaching religion and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation, he finally found the middle path and was enlightened. After englightment, Buddha spent...
Words: 2038 - Pages: 9
...Religious Field Research Joe Carter Bob Andrews Religion 212 June 4, 2012 Report on Religious Field Research Religion is defined by Brodd (2003) as a collection of beliefs concerning the existence of nature, the purpose of the universe, the existence of human beings, and deities. Religion is usually related to the cultural beliefs systems, which are connected to humankind, spirituality, and the moral values. There are different types of religions in the world that have different signs, beliefs, descriptions, ethnicity, and, sanctified accounts that explain the meaning and origin of life and the universe. Through the accounts ideas, principals, morals, sacred laws, and the way of life are generated in addition to the existence of the universe and the human nature. Examples of religions include Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and atheism. Among all the religions, atheism tends to be different from the others as it is not similar from any of the others. I watched a program on atheist and this encouraged me to conduct a research on atheism through interviewing an atheist and through books to gain a complete understanding of atheism. According Neilson (1985), atheism is said to have a great connection in the lack of beliefs of God’s existence. This situation occurs due to a purposeful choice of not believing or from a natural failure to believe the religious teachings of a certain religion, which literally seems unbelievable. For the...
Words: 1773 - Pages: 8
...Comparison of Two Religions: Hinduism and Buddhism Strayer University Professor Carla Thompson April 28, 2014 Comparison of Two Religions: Buddhism and Hinduism Buddhism Buddhism was founded around 500 BCE by Prince Siddhartha Gautama. Gautama Buddha who was born about 2,500 years ago questioned his sheltered luxurious life in a palace. Leaving the palace he found four sights, a sick man, an old man, a dead man and a monk. Seeing this he realized that even a prince could not escape the issues of illness, suffering and death. So a monk told him to relinquish all his power and become a wandering holy man and seek the answers of why must people suffer and what was the cause of the suffering” (United Religions Initiative, 2002). For many years of doing many religious practices, including praying, meditating and fasting, he finally understood the basic truths of life. He realized this all by sitting under a popular-figtree in India for many days in meditation and this is when he was enlighten which is actually known as nirvana and this is when he was given the title of the Buddha which is the meaning of the Enlightened One. Buddha spread his teachings from India as far as Asia, becoming the dominate religion in many countries” (Fisher, 2014).It is thought that the Buddha lived many lives before his birth as Gautama, and that he continues to live through his teachings and his relics. Buddhism is the religion and philosophy which developed out of the teachings of...
Words: 1861 - Pages: 8
...one of the most popular religions, they are more likely to say that the deceased will get reincarnated. It is all in a culture and religions aspect of the other world. Where do we go when we die? Do we really know? The United Church of Bacon says that they enjoy the life they are living now and don’t believe in an afterlife as there is no proof. Christians believe we go to heaven or hell depending on how we lived our life and Jains see afterlife as a depiction of what you did when you were alive. You can either be reborn, go to one of the eight levels of hell or join the liberated souls in the highest level of heaven. Afterlife is a big part of all religions as many religions live by the fact of what you did during your lifetime will make the ultimate decision for when you die. There is no definite answer on where we go because so many of us believe in different things. Whilst studying the different afterlife’s it was interesting to learn everyone theories. If you are Muslim you are spending your present life getting ready for your next life. “According to Hinduism, death is regarded as a natural process in the existence of soul as a separate entity” (Religious Movements). Many religions are based on the thesis of an afterlife, where you will go after death is all dependent on the God you serve. Buddhists believe in the theory of being reborn until you reach Nirvana happens, rebirth can take up to 49 days or happen straight away. Out of 75 religions there are 9 that believe...
Words: 945 - Pages: 4
...Religion has a major impact on every living human being on this planet. Whether agnostic or atheistic, every individual has a general set of beliefs about life, purpose, etc. Most religions have been accountable for positive influences throughout history and are responsible for shaping the modern world as it is today. For example, religion is known to have supported the construction of the most magnificent architecture in the world, from the Great Pyramids of Egypt to the Taj Mahal in India. Times past has also projected religion negatively, from the medieval crusades to the eradication of entire civilizations in the name of religion. Presently, religion helps unite different people from numerous cultures under one banner and aids the poor, homeless, sick, etc. However, like the past, religion continues to oppress other religions through war by genocide and has been the highlight of many scandals. If I were to create my religion, it would be categorized as faith rather than a religion and would be completely reliant on the Law of Aloha (Law of Love also known as LOA). The LOA is a special mandate that incorporates a number of beliefs and practices from various religions that in essence better all human kind and nature. The Law of Aloha can influence individuals and societies in very important mental, physical, economic, political, and social ways. First and foremost, the LOA can better humanity by helping individuals mentally. Initially, the concept of inner peace will...
Words: 1184 - Pages: 5
...A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence.[note 1] Many religions have narratives, symbols, and sacred histories that aim to explain the meaning of life, the origin of life, or the Universe. From their beliefs about the cosmos and human nature, people may derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle. Many religions may have organized behaviors, clergy, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, holy places, and scriptures. The practice of a religion may include rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration (of a deity, gods, or goddesses), sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trances, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture. Religions may also contain mythology.[1] The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or set of duties;[2] however, in the words of Émile Durkheim, religion differs from private belief in that it is "something eminently social".[3] A global 2012 poll reports 59% of the world's population as "religious" and 36% as not religious, including 13% who are atheists, with a 9% decrease in religious belief from 2005.[4] On average, women are "more religious" than men.[5] Some people follow multiple religions or multiple religious principles at the same time, regardless of whether or not the religious principles they follow traditionally...
Words: 7947 - Pages: 32
