The purpose of this essay is to investigate Buddhism, describing it using the framework of the eight dimensions of religion. Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the true nature of reality (Source: the Buddhist centre). By meditating, Buddhists believe it is a way of changing in order to improve the qualities of awareness, kindness and wisdom. The Buddhist ritual is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. There is little historical evidence about Buddha.
Buddha has been described as a child prodigy, which is a person, often a child, in possession of special gifts or power. He is called a student of yoga, which refers to established physical and mental punishments in Hinduism. He is also portrayed, as a
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Religious ethics:
Buddhists also believe in the five precepts, which Buddha taught for everyday life. The five precepts are:
• Do not harm any living creature
• Do not steal, and be generous in giving
• Do not take more than you need
• Do not lie
• Do not act thoughtlessly
Part B:
Buddhism is centered upon the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha, whereas Christianity is centered on the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ. Buddhism is a nontheistic religion, i.e. it does not believe in a supreme creator being also known as God. Christianity is a monotheistic religion and believes that Christ Is the Son of God. (Source: Buddhism vs. Christianity, 2014)
Some of the major differences among Buddhism and Christianity are: God
Buddhists do not believe or speak of a Creator God. In Christianity the concept of God is dominant.
Prayer-Meditation
Buddhists meditate and are mindful. Christianity places greater stress on prayer.
Grace / Personal Effort
Buddhism believes personal effort is more important, where as Christianity places greater importance on
Buddhism is a philosophy of life, it was started by Siddhartha Gotma , who is more commonly known as Buddha. Buddha isn’t god to them however he is well respected for passing down knowledge of how to find true happiness. The Buddhists major aim in life is to find enlightenment (true happiness).Buddhist monks live by a strict moral code, in which they are given food, they live a life structured around the teachings of Buddha.
Buddhism and Islam are pretty different when it comes to their practices and beliefs. Buddhism does not believe in a creator of God. Their practices consist of the Threefold Training: Morality, Concentration, and Wisdom. On the other hand, Islam’s only believe in one almighty God, Allah. Their practices consist of the Five Pillars. The Five pillars include witness, worship, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage. The first pillar is known as Shahadah which means “bearing witness.” Shahadah is the testament that there is one God and that Muhammad is his messenger. This is the core profession of faith for Muslims around the world. The second pillar, worship, is referred to as Salat. Salat are obligatory prayers that must be performed 5 times a day at certain times. These times are during dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and after dark. These are the first Islamic rituals to be performed. The salat must be preceded by ritual washing. This in...
Buddhism’s approach to ethics and practices are centred upon the principal beliefs of; the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts. By adhering to these guidelines, Buddhists are ensured that they are taking a step closer to escaping Samsara, and attaining the revered state of Nirvana,
Buddhism is a religion of the Buddhist. Buddhist are non theistic meaning they don't believe in or worship a God or Goddess. Buddhism originates from northern India between 1000 and 5000 years ago. As of today there are between 488 and 535 million Buddhist throughout the world.
Both these religions have basic beliefs that are relatively different from each other. Buddhists on one hand believe in karma, rebirth, dharma and moksa. Karma is "cause, effect and the law which equilibrates the two" . It is the consequences of every action, whether good or bad. This action-reaction may take effect anytime, may be in the current life or not. Rebirth is inter-connected with karma. If one did more good things than bad in his life, his karma will lead him to a life of better condition than the previous one. Dharma is the basic concept of the religion; that is the Buddhist teaching, also meaning the nature of existence. Lastly, moksa refers to the renunciation of the world, which is parallel to the Hindu belief in the importance of asceticism and meditation .
Buddhism is currently the fourth most popular religion in our society today, following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Its major ideologies are based on the philosophies of Siddhartha Guatama, also known as “Buddha”, who began his teachings in 598 BCE at the age of 35, according to Buddhist texts. A Buddhist’s foremost aspiration is the obtainment of Bodhi, or enlightenment through meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of the breath). Buddhism shares many ideologies with India’s Hinduism and Yoga such as non-harming, non-violence, and self-awareness. In many instances, people regard Buddhism as a way of life rather than a religion, for it has no clear belief in the idea of a God or Gods. Its structure is built upon a hierarchy much like Christianity where superior orders such as Lamas or the Dalai Lama are said to be chosen by nature through the process of reincarnation rather than by a council like Christianity’s Pope. Though these “higher level” Buddhists are rare (not everyone is a reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist “priest”), all are permitted to follow “The Middle Way” either as a Buddhist monk or the simple attendance of a weekly teaching session from time to time. Throughout the last few hundred years the Buddhist population has blossomed into a healthy 381,611,000 and over fifteen different sects including Zen, Mahayana, and Theravada.
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”).... ...
Siddhartha Gautama is famously known as Gautama Buddha and was the founder of the idea of Buddhism. The Buddha was known to possess supernatural powers and abilities. He was born in the holy land of Nepal and his journey began in India when he decided to travel and teach himself about life. In the midst of his journey, he discovered Buddhism after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. Buddhism became a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and since then Buddhism has been popular throughout many civilizations. Buddhism is now one of the most ancient religions in the world, where people follow Buddha, which stand for “awakened one,” and Buddhism which has gained popularity because of the teachings of the Buddha.
Like Jesus, Buddha is the founder of his church, having founded Buddhism in the late sixth-century BC, some years before the birth of Jesus (Violatti). Unlike Christianity, however, Gautama Buddha, upon creating the institution, recognized himself as a mortal being with no relationship to a divine power. Along with this belief, Buddha insisted that there “is no almighty, benevolent God” that corresponds with the Christian beliefs. Rather, Buddha founded his religion on the principle that one can be “enlightened” and understand the concept of “dhyana,” or meditation as a means to seek peace and achieve a perfect balance and state of mind. The practice of dhyana is credited to Buddha, and while Buddhists across the world do not worship him for his intelligent teachings, they do hold him in a very high regard and attribute a divine like aura to him, recognizing his greatness and importance to the practice of Buddhism (Violatti). In addition to dhyana, Buddha has many other teachings emphasizing peace of mind and spirit that are still relevant to today’s Buddhists, but these teachings differ from Christian teachings in that they are often disputed by scholars and different types of Buddhists. For example, while Christians have the Bible as an absolute point of reference, the Buddhist teaching of “The Four Moral Truths,” or guidelines on
"What is Buddhism? | The Buddhist Centre." What is Buddhism? | The Buddhist Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. .
Buddhism and Christianity are different religions. Both have numerous similarities as well as differences that one might find really interesting to look at in details. These two religions have certain beliefs, values and traditions which are really compatible. On the other hand, some of these values, beliefs and traditional practices are quite contradicting and conflicting. This makes the study of these two religions an inevitable and pleasurable task. Theology historians have raised adequate concerns and issues relating to connections between Buddhism and Christianity. They claim that there is strong comparability between the characters of Jesus and Buddha, especially their lives and teachings.
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
Even so, Buddhist teachings promote a solution to the stresses of modern living by encouraging a life of tranquility, gentle awareness and living in the moment. I concur that Buddhism seems to be a belief system that promotes spiritual development for the mind and body and how we treat ourselves and others. Christianity is by far the largest religion with over 2 billion followers worldwide, its followers model themselves based on the life and instruction of Jesus Christ. These teachings are assembled in a holy book called the Bible which is divided into two testaments, the Old and New Testaments. The New Testament explains how God sent Jesus Christ to mend the relationship between people and God due to the level wrongdoing by humans.
This essay has taught me that living by the five Buddhist precepts can be a challenging task but once completed it can lead to enlightenment. The precepts teach and guide an individual towards the path of appropriate behavior. I also learned that if you choose to not follow the five main precepts, no one would be harmed or affected except for yourself.
Buddhism is centered upon the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha, whereas Christianity is centered on the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ. Buddhism is a nontheistic religion, i.e., it does not believe in a supreme creator being God. Christianity is a monotheistic religion and believes that Christ Is the Son Of God. In Christianity, they believe in Jesus. Christianity is monotheistic because they only believe in one God, unlike Buddhism whom believes in several Gods. First and foremost, I will start by looking at the various similarities between Buddhism and Christianity. Both religions are based on the golden rule which concerns individual wellbeing as well as the interests of other people. Both Lord Buddha and Jesus Christ taught their disciples about the welfare of all human beings. They encouraged their followers to do good to others the same way they would like others do unto them. Jesus and Buddha preached the importance of social values and ethics. Both Buddha and Jesus rejected and highly condemned excessive asceticism and emphasized on self-liberation. Both Buddhism and Christianity doctrines lay emphasis on equal love for all human beings. According to Buddhism, this love should be extended to human beings as well as other living things. Similarly, Christian doctrines are based on the principle of loving a neighbor as much as one loves him/herself. This special kind of love, usually referred to as Agape by Christians, begins at individual levels and should be extended to all people, including friends and enemies. Both Buddhism and Christianity entail worships that involve use of rosaries, incense and performance of rituals among other spiritual practices. Buddhists and Christians worship through personal confessions, monasticism, bowing before holy images and mediations. Often, bells are rung to indicate transitions within prayer