Buddhism: The Role Of Suffering In Hindu Religion

“In Judaism, the major emphasis is on holiness, in Christianity on the commitments of love which reflect a relatedness in the Godhead itself; in Islam on mercy and demand; among Hindus on the real presence of God in every circumstance. In no case is the human response to God a private or decontextualized affair...Buddhists allow that theistic language has reference, but such theistic realities as there are, are themselves appearances on the way to their own release or enlightenment.” (Bowker, 1997. p.379)

Islam: God in the religion of Islam, “Allah”, seems strict and towering, a figure to be feared and revered. The obedience and submission to Allah is the center of the religion, and as such requires much of the Muslim, both individually and

The particular god or gods worshiped will vary based on region, language, and cultural tradition. This makes a concept of god difficult to particularize in Hinduism. The concept of suffering shows up in the aspect of life called moksha, an attempt to escape the cycle of death and rebirth common to Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain philosophy. Through the many ways of thought and life, one can be freed from suffering forever, achieving a blissful existence after death. This lies on the effort and decision of the person to escape suffering, yet somehow the power comes from outside of themselves (Sivaraman, 1973. p.153). The caste system, the varna, will be a key concept in suffering. There are 4 classes that Hindus are separated into, as well as a fifth group of all the undignified outcasts (Farhadian, 2015. p.67). While this began as a social structure, it is intermingled with Hinduism. A Hindu's caste and the consequential view of self impacts the experience of counseling greatly. Some of life's suffering comes from the caste that you are born into, and this out of your

In this process you may unite yourself with a deity, or celestial being, but they are not worshiped as such. There are several schools of Buddhist thought, but the overall goal seems to be liberation in enlightenment. For the Theravadan school, to be enlightened is to escape this world, which is a repeating process of rebirth, suffering, death, and rebirth. Mahayana Buddhism, the more widely spread school, seeks to stay in this process of suffering and rebirth in order to guide others to enlightenment. Suffering comes from our ignorant attempts to satisfy our desires, because worries, fears, disappointments come when we want things. “Greed, hatred, and ignorance do not allow us to radiate compassion, love and sympathy. Therefore, Buddhism identifies these collectively as the cause of suffering.” (Rahula, 2014. p.24) The solution seem to be to flee from all desires that inhibit our love, compassion, and sympathy, in order to end the suffering in our lives and the