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How are buddhism and hinduism similar and different
Similarity between Hinduism and Buddhism
How are buddhism and hinduism similar and different
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Similarities and Differences (Buddhism vs Hinduism)
Buddhism, and Hinduism as religions have many very clear similarities and differences. The Question about this statement is, what is similar and what is different? Today I would like to compare and contrast the funeral traditions of both of these two religions. Buddhism and Hinduism alike are similar in their traditions surrounding funerals in many ways such as their Funeral ceremonies. Although they are similar, many of these similarities are approached differently in each religion. I’ll address the traditions that are followed in preparation and during the ceremony with each of the two religions.
In both religions the body of the deceased will be prepared for the ceremony. In Buddhism,
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Buddhism believes in a blessing of the body of the deceased. A monk always does this. The blessing of a body will always be done in the presence of the family of the deceased, usually at the viewing before a funeral. The monks will sprinkle a type of blessed water over the body as well as place customary flowers, and herbs around the body. The body is blessed by mantras or chants done by the monk along with the family. These blessings are not solely for the deceased but a blessing to the family as well. A sign of the blessings being completed will be small string bracelets around the wrists of those who have been blessed. Now in Hinduism a “holy bath” is given to the deceased. In this ritual the body will be bathed in purified water. Those giving the holy bath will recite mantras as the clean the body. The deceased will have their big toes tied together, and their hands positioned together as in prayer once the body is cleaned. Finally the body will be covered in a white sheet when the ritual is …show more content…
In many cases in the Buddhist religion, male family members will go through a ceremony in the days prior to the funeral in becoming monks for the sole purpose of escorting the body during the funeral and to the cremation. The purpose of the monks escorting the body of the deceased is that spiritual figures will help guide the deceased until they are removed from their material bodies. In Hinduism, the escorts of a casket will general be the eldest male relative as well as another male elder. The cremation process follows strict guidelines in the Hindu religions. Those attending will pray, then the eldest male relative will do a circling of the body in the final step to prepare for the cremation. The cremation will always be feet first in the Hindu tradition, generally pointing south, towards the real of the their god of death. The cremation is much more strict than that of in the Buddhist tradition, in the Hindu tradition it is inappropriate for females to attend the
“In most human society's death is an extremely important cultural and social phenomenon, sometimes more important than birth” (Ohnuki-Tierney, Angrosino, & Daar et al. 1994). In the United States of America, when a body dies it is cherished, mourned over, and given respect by the ones that knew the person. It is sent to the morgue and from there the family decides how the body should be buried or cremated based on...
When someone dies their bones are burned and crushed into ash and consumed by the relatives. It puts a persons soul at peace to find a resting place within their family, it would be an abomination to bury them in the ground. Once this ceremony is finished the person is gone. Their name or person is never to be mentioned again.
A new opportunity to reach spiritual perfection. Infant mortality is a difficult subject to talk about for many Tibetan parents. Survivors are often faced with poverty and other extreme hardships after the loss of a loved one. However, Buddhism provides great comfort to survivors by teaching that Earthly bodies are impermanent. Tibetan cremation procedures place great emphasis on reincarnation.
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.
As all humans are well aware death is inevitable. Human cultures and death have always been closely knit together. Varying between location, time, and struggles you may notice societies adopt and update their cultures and as these cultures change it sometimes if reflected by how a civilization honors their dead. In fact, the way a civilization’s way of honoring their dead is very important to historians and archeologists as they help put together pieces regarding religion, the civilizations stance on mortality, art style and tell stories that can further clarify history. The topic of death is an extremely broad subject having many confusing and sometimes hard to notice difference that are hard to distinguish. An example of this might be Greek
They believe that if this is not done, the dead person may become a wandering ghost, unable to properly live after death and ultimately a danger to those who remain alive. African peoples have a common custom of removing the dead body through a hole in the wall of a house instead of through the door. It is said that this will make it difficult for the dead person to remember their way back to the living especially because the hole in the wall is immediately closed. Sometimes the body is even removed feet first. A zigzag path may be taken in order to get to the burial site, or thorns scattered along the way, or even a barrier hoisted at the grave itself because the dead are believed to strengthen the living. Others take special steps to ensure that the dead are easily able to return to their homes. Some people are even buried under or next to their homes. It is believed that at the graves, the spirits hover over on the earth and are restless until they are brought home which is seen as an extremely dangerous situation for the family.Family members even take some of the earth covering the grave and put it in a bottle and proceed home with the assurance that the deceased relative is accompanying them to look after the family as an
Without advanced medicine, Americans were familiar with death, as the common cold could easily turn fatal. After the death of a loved one, the family members would give the body a bath and store it in the coldest room of the house to prevent immediate decomposing. The body would only stay in the house until people had time to visit and say their goodbyes. The smell was unpleasant, so flowers would be brought in. This initiated the tradition of having flowers at a funeral. After that, the body would be buried next to other deceased family members in a simple, wooden coffin. For those that could afford it, an undertaker was hired to take away the body and hold a formal funeral. The undertaker would store bodies on blocks of
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,
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.
When death occurs, the body is prepared for viewing. People of the same gender prepare the body by laying their “hands across the chest, closing the eyelids, anointing the body with oil, and placing flower garlands around it.” (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, pg. 384). According to Leming and Dickinson, Hindus believe that cremation is “an act of sacrifice” because they are offering their body to God. The body is usually cremated on the bank of a sacred river. The book, Understanding dying, death, and bereavement offers an “invocation” that would be close to what a priest would recite, “Fire, you were lighted by him, so may he be lighted from you, that he may gain the regions of celestial bliss. May this offering prove auspicious.” Leming and Dickinson (2011) state that between 10-31 days post cremation, a feast (shraddha) is shared among mourners and priests. Shraddhas can last hours to days, depending on the wealth of the family. Once this shraddha is over, the mourning period comes to a close. It is said that the funeral is the second most important ritual, following a wedding, and that many families spend all the money they have on them, leading to impoverishment (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, p.
Death and the Regeneration of Life written by Maurice Bloch and Jonathan Parry focuses on the significance of symbols of fertility and rebirth in funeral rituals. Their book includes many theories that anthropologist have studied with the idea of life and death. The idea of death and the regeneration of life changes with each culture and tradition. Everyone has his or her own opinion of how it shall work. With the help of many contributors to the book, one is able to read the different types of ways some cultures value their own rituals.
As we discussed in class, Hinduism is a religion that puts a stronger emphasis on the soul than the body. Hindus believe they are two separate entities and that the soul detaches from the body after death and lives on. In other words, most Hindus believe that death is similar falling asleep and that being born is like waking up, it is simply a reoccurring cycle that can only be broken by attaining Moksha. Hinduism revolves around the concepts of Samsara, Karma, and Moksha. Looking back at the funeral now, these ideas were surely indirectly and directly referenced.
Throughout history, different cultures have had different views about death and how they deal with this. As the world is changing constantly these ideas about stared to change as well as the methods used to treat the bodies and the deceased. The rituals and the treatment of the disposal of the body these varied according to social class status. The disposal of the body deepened on the class that you were in the society and how much you had. The poor people (slaves) had simple funerals, whereas the rich had quite large funerals.
Their body is placed in the cremation component and then subjected to extremely high heat, which reduces the biological matter to dust and some dried bone. That is then ground to a sand type substance.
...ld note that all three religions, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, have been the dominant, prevailing religious trends in India for many centuries, and they clearly reflect the culture, history, and spirituality of the country. All three of these religions effectively reflect the views of believers on life, death and honorable conduct. Nonetheless, despite the fact that they are very much related with each other, each has some distinct features distinguishing it from all others, and contributes to the understanding of the religious background in India both at the beginning of the new era of humanity, and in the contemporary period of time.