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Similarities between Christianity and Buddhism
Similarity Between Buddhism & Christianity
Similarity Between Buddhism & Christianity
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Buddhism and Judaism are two ancient and significant religions of the world. Both these religions have their own set of principles, beliefs and way of reverences. Millions of followers believe in both these religions in different parts of the earth. There are a number of differences, as well as, similarities in Buddhism and Judaism in terms of worship methods, beliefs and ethical ideas. This paper proposes a discussion on Buddhism and Judaism religions, along with presenting a comparative analysis of both these religions in different perspectives.
Buddhism does not believe in the existence of any god. Buddhism believes in serving the humanity. Buddhism suggests its followers to respect every human being because human beings have the capacity to convert themselves into Buddha. One of the prominent reasons why Buddha did not believe in god was because of his belief that people go to gods because they are afraid of many things including god themselves. Buddha
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also believed that people go to gods with many demands and expectation of many materialistic things that hinder the way of Nirvana (Siderits, 2007, p. 80). Judaism believes in the existence of the god but Judaism idea of god is absolutely monotheistic. Judaism talks about one god that is almighty and has created this universe. Judaism suggests “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our god, The Lord is unique”. Jews consider polytheistic ideas as heretical but many Jews scholars opine that polytheism is not a crime. Unlike Buddhists, Jews believe in the existence of god wholeheartedly, but at the same time they also believe in the humanity. Judaism suggests its followers to love, serve and respect human beings (Hendrie, 2011, p. 96). Buddhism believes in birth and re-embodiment. Buddhism believes that everyone has taken birth from a previous life and this cycle continues unless people achieve the Nirvana and become free from all their desires and materialistic affairs of this world. Buddhism suggests that death is not the end and is just the beginning of another life. As per Buddhism beliefs, human soul travels into hells and heavens after death on the basis of their Karma before achieving the Nirvana. Buddhism suggests its followers to follow the path that is suggested by the Buddha and never harm to others so that they could achieve Nirvana. Nirvana frees human beings from the cycle of life and death, and it is achieved on the basis of Karma (MD, 2013, p. 8). Judaism believes that humans are made by god and sent into this world with the capacity to do good or bad. Judaism has a comparatively simple approach in regard of life and death. Death is considered the seizure of physical world and travel into heaven or hell on the mercy of god. Judaism does not believe in rebirth but certain sections of Jewish followers believe in the idea of resurrection. Torah obedience strongly believes in life and rebirth after death (Siderits, 2007, p. 5, 13). Buddhism suggests high ethical norms to its followers. Buddhism suggests its followers to abide by the ideas of Buddha. As per Buddha suggestions, there are four truths and eightfold path that should be strictly followed by Buddhists. There are ten precepts that are suggested by Buddha himself. These precepts are considered as guiding principles for the followers of Buddhism. There are strict norms in respects of conduct, diet and dresses in the Buddhism. Simple and sober life is recommended to followers of Buddhism. Celibacy and good behaviour are essential for Buddhists. Jewish also suggest high ethical behaviour for followers.
Hebrew Scriptures and customary precedents are full of ethical and behavioural norms for Jewish followers. Truth and mercy have very high significance among Jewish and are suggested for Jewish followers. Judaism firmly believes in one god and serving that god is considered the essence of life for Jewish people. Good conduct, dress and humanity are some essential norms for followers of Jewish people.
Apart from a number of differences, there are various similarities in both the religions. Buddhism and Judaism, both are founded by human beings. Both these religions have symbols and preach their followers to maintain peace and love to humanity. Both these religions have sacred texts and take guidance by them. There are a number of guiding principles for followers of Buddhism and Judaism that regulate every aspect of their life. Both Buddhism and Judaism have specific places where the worship and practice their religious proceedings (Hendrie, 2011, p.
98-99). Buddhism and Jewish religions have guided their followers since time immemorial. Both these religions have evolved in their current form after facing various changes through ages. It is not wise to comment for commoners to comment whether Buddhism is good or Judaism. Both the religions are good if they are practiced appropriately and with the intention to achieve peace and pleasure. If path is good and there is a will to travel among travellers, it takes people towards the destination. After going through different aspects of Buddhism and Judaism, it can be concluded that both the religions are good. None is superior or inferior. Everything depends on intention and way of practicing it.
Buddhism was originated in India in the fifth century B.C.E by Siddhartha Gautama. In today estimation there are about three hundred and seventy six million followers, which is the sixth most practiced religion in the world. The founder of this religion was born a Kshatriya, which was the military or ruling class in the caste system. The caste system is a Hindu tradition. Buddhist does not believe in this system. Instead Buddhist believes in the four noble truths. The four noble truths teaches that everyone suffers, selfish desires causes suffering, suffering can be overcome by destroying selfish desires, and if man follows the Eightfold Path, he will destroy selfish desires and end all suffering. Buddhist also believes in Nirvana which is a release from selfishness and pain. Karma is also part of the Buddhist belief. Karma is interpreted in many ways around the world. But in the Buddhist religion Karma refers to the good and bad actions a person does in his or her life. The good actions will bring about good things in the future. Unlike the good actions, if...
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.
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.
This paper is a comparison between two very different religions. Specifically Christianity and Buddhism. Coming from opposite sides of the globe these two religions could not be any farther apart in any aspect. I will discuss who Christ is for Christians and who Buddha is for Buddhists. I will also get into the aspects of charity, love, and compassion in both religions and I will be looking at the individual self and how christians see resurrection where the buddhists feel about the afterlife. One thing to keep in mind is that the two religions are very different but they seem to have a very similar underlying pattern. Both believe that there was a savior of their people, Buddha and Christ, and both believe that there is something good that happens to us when our time is done here on earth. This is a very generalized summarization but in order to go in to depth I need to explain the two religions more to fully convey this theory.
Into the world, many religions were born; out of all of them Buddhism and Hinduism are both one of the oldest surviving religion. Hinduism is very polytheistic, it is believed to have been established around 1500 B.C but it has no founder or an origin, while Buddhism on the other hand was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who ordinarily allotted as the Buddha, which implies the “Awakened or “illuminated one”. Both religions come from the Indian roots.
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
At first glance the traditions of Christianity and Buddhism appear very different from each other. One centers around a God that was at one time physically manifest on earth in the human form of his "son" Jesus Christ, the other primarily worships a historical figure that gained divine status through enlightenment. This assessment is broad at best, especially in the case of Buddhism where the Theravada and Mahayana traditions differ significantly. Christianity also has division within itself, the most prominent being between the Roman Catholic and Protestant systems. There are however, despite obvious differences, some very interesting similarities between Buddhism and Christianity, especially regarding prayer and worship, which fall into the "ritual dimension" of Ninian Smart's analytical model (Smart). The purpose of this paper is to argue that Buddhism, particularly the Mahayana and Pure Land forms, and Christianity particularly Roman Catholicism are extremely similar regarding the practice and purpose of prayer. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines prayer as follows; "act of communication by humans with the sacred or holy God, gods, transcendent realm, or supernatural. Found in all religions at all times, prayer may be a corporate or personal act utilizing various forms or techniques" (Prayer, Britannica). This definition is the one that was kept in mind in the composition of this paper as it allows for a wide range of practices to be interpreted as prayer. For instance the Buddhist practice of meditation fits the above definition. This paper will explore the practice of performing prayer and worship as well as the purpose of it in the traditions in questi...
...ive of the afterlife. Both religions have an ultimate goal that religious believes must follow in order to obtain a utopian world. Yet, to reach these goals, Christianity and Buddhism vary as they both explore different concepts that must be understood and achieved before reaching a utopian 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 .
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 Budd...
but within individual schools of though opinions still differ. Jewish ethics is centered around ‘being godly’ however ‘godliness’ can only be expressed through interactions on a human level. The highest ideal of Judaism therefore is to protect human life. Saving human life takes priority over any other commandment. Jewish religion has a great desire to reduce or eliminate human suffering.
Has it ever crossed your mind why we have a religion? Can you imagine the world without rules or a world without the disciplines of faith, where no one or nothing can stops you of doing whatever you want? The world where only can live the strong people and the weak dies everywhere. No friendship, no love, no relationship value, no respect even to family members. People cannot go to street because of fear. No truth, only lie and liars everywhere, you do not know whom to believe or with whom share your secrets. No indicator of humanity and love, no evidence of world familiar to us. If there were not any rules that prevents you of doing these bad things, the world would like the same as you read a few seconds ago. As we do not have that bad world
Hinduism is the 3rd most popular religion in the world followed by Buddhism, together they are followed by 22 percent of the world’s population. These two religions are alike in many ways, and are tied together by Asia, where they have deep roots in its culture and history. Although Hinduism and Buddhism are similar in many ways, very important and large differences separate the two. No one and nothing can ever truly prove either religion is better than the other because that is up to personal beliefs and opinions, but many more people around the world prefer Buddhism over Hinduism because of its beliefs and practices.
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.
Buddhism is one of the most popular religions in the world, it originates in Nepal, where the “enlightened one” Saddartha Gotama was born. The word Buddhism originates from the word “Buddhi” meaning to awaken. Buddhism is a nontheistic religion, meaning that they do not have any gods in their faith. Buddha is seen as one of the enlightened ones, rather than a God. One interesting fact about Buddhism, Saddartha Gotama acknowledges Jesus Christ as a very good man and a prophet, however does not acknowledge him as the Messiah.