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World Religions From the earliest times religion continues to influence almost every aspect of human lives. Today people from various background, social class and location face so many problems and challenges as well as issues of safety, health and mortality that religion is bound to exist. Being the universal tool of explaining things we dont understand, religion remains the most famous and favorite retreat for people in hour of need, uncertainty and doubt, people turn to it when they need explanation of things and issues beyond the physical world and usually do find their answers there. Even though there are countless religions, they all and each and every one of them serve the same purpose, i. e. they answer questions which interest all human beings at certain point of their lives Why are we here?
How should I live my life? What happens when I die? Not only that, religion also helps people transmit their values from generation to generation and can influence the way people interact with their natural environment. Religion is there for us to teach us how to see ourselves in light of the universe and gives purpose and meaning to life. (Wenner, 2001) Todays global society gives very good chances that within the lifetime of a person, he can very well meet people from all around the world, from every corner of our planet.
So, understanding and tolerance to the religious beliefs of other people is one of the most important steps that mankind should make in order to someday prosper together in peace. (Wenner, 2001) In this paper I want to dwell on Hinduism and Buddhism which, having been originated in the same country, have a lot of differences in their teachings and practices. Hinduism is considered to be the oldest and most complex religion of the world. Trying to provide an adequate background and history of the development of Hinduism is a very difficult task, due to the fact that it has neither specific founder nor theology; it originated in the religious practices of Aryan tribes who moved to India from central Asia more than three thousand years ago. (Wenner, 2001) Aryan tribes attacked and conquered the Harappan people who occupied the territories of modern India around 1500 BC. Eventually, through adaptation and assimilation of the religious beliefs of both groups, they created and developed similar systems of religious practices that were founded on both, polytheism of the Aryans and the sacredness and worship of fertility of the Harappan people. The mostly Aryan society soon developed the caste system, which divided society according to peoples occupational class. The caste system ranked people in the following way: the highest caste was that of Brahmins (priests), then went Kshatriyas (class of warriors, soldiers and kings, who often fought wars, were also referred to this caste), third caste was for Vaishyas (merchants, laborers, farmers, craftsmen), the lowest caste was Harijahns, the untouchables (beggars; it is thought that people belonging to this caste descended from the aboriginal Harappan's who were extremely poor and experienced discrimination). (Wenner, 2001) The higher a persons caste, the more that person is blessed with the benefits and luxuries life has to offer.
Although the caste system was outlawed in 1948, it is still important to the Hindu people of India and is still recognized as the proper way to stratify society. Since the early days of Hinduism, it has branched and now encompasses a wide variety of religious beliefs and religious organizations. Not only is it the primary religion of the region around India, but portions of Hindu beliefs have found their way across oceans to other countries and have been influential in the foundations of other religions, such as Transcendental Meditation and Buddhism. (Wenner, 2001) As I have chosen to speak about Hinduism, Ive talked to a person belonging to this religion who, growing up in India, absorbed all the elements, all the features and particulars of Hinduism which otherwise are not possible to get as profoundly by simply reading a book about this religion. I talked to Mrs. Jyoti Trivedi, a teacher of history of religion and the principals assistant at Modern English School in Rishikesh. It should also be pointed out that Rishikesh is one of the spiritual centers in Northern India.
Situated on the banks of the holy river Ganges, in absolute proximity of spiritually charged Himalayas, the city became the pilgrimage place for many Indians as well as foreigners long ago. The peaceful and calm atmosphere, greenery and spectacular view of the mountains, numerous ashrams and temples, all contribute to Rishikesh being a center of Hindu religion and being a concentration of various Indian beliefs and traditions. Speaking about Hinduism to Mrs. Trivedi was an extremely interesting and enlightening experience and many things came to my understanding and knowledge which when read in a book didnt make much sense, but when told in real did offer a lot of meaning and insight. The first thing I was told when I asked about the definition of Hinduism was that its practically not possible as Hinduism is much more a way of life, rather than just a religion. It is intertwined in each and every aspect of Hindus life since birth to death on a day-to-day basis.
We are in a way of practicing it, says Jyoti, it is a way of life because so many rituals are incorporated in day routine. As Hindus life is divided in 3 stages the birth, the marriage and the death for each stage there are specific rituals. But not only that, the rituals follow a Hindu since morning till night every day, thats why religion becomes in fact part of life, way of behavior, outlook and world perception. Mrs. Trivedi also warned that the area of research is so vast that it would be very difficult to define it or gather knowledge about it in a limited size of a paper. In fact, there are so many aspects and so many systems of beliefs within one religion of Hinduism that its fascinating how so diametrically opposite philosophies can co-exist and not interfere with each other within the limits of Hinduism alone.
Some people believe in worshipping deities, some believe that God is not and can not be seen, some believe that there is no shape and size of God (naraka), some believe that God is within us as well as within each and every thing existing on Earth, some worship even stones and all this is within Hinduism. Mrs. Trivedi explains, this is the only religion where people dont stick to anything in particular. You are free to worship anything or nothing at all and you will still be considered to belong to Hinduism. Therefore the principle live and let live is one of the central in this religion. Hinduism accepts the changes, it is liberal, progressive kind of religion.
It inculcates whatever people feel is good for them, says Jyoti. Indeed, being the oldest religion Hinduism chose the non-violent way of dealing with new flows of philosophical and religious thought. Instead of fighting the foreign influences, it chooses to accept them, absorb them and give space for new forms of beliefs and worshipping. It also doesnt matter to which class you belong, whether you are unbelievingly rich or extremely poor, you can practice Hinduism. It is said in Holy Hindu Scriptures Shastras that even if you have nothing to offer to the God, you can offer just flowers or even only petals, or pour some water and God will be satisfied. The only condition is that your heart should be pure, your thoughts clear and deeds free of sin.
Otherwise, no matter you are poor or rich, you can believe. Of course, when talking about Hinduism, one cant but name the law of karma and interconnected with it reincarnation, samsara. Hindus believe your conduct in this present life influences your next one in a direct way. Live your life righteously, be pure and honest, respect elders and follow traditions, and your next life will be a good one with all the good things having been deserved by you previously. But if you sin now, expect your next life to be full of trouble and misfortune, as according to the law of karma you have to pay for your previous actions. Hindus believe in destiny.
According to Hinduism, everything is predestined and as such future can be tried and found out with the help of horoscopes, palmistry and astrology. These are very developed and very widely used all over India. Hinduism also underlines the preciousness of life. It is said that before one can be born as a human being, he has to be born 84 times as various creatures (snakes, insects, rabbits).
So life is so precious that it shouldnt be wasted. There is so much more to Hinduism than can be ever mentioned in this paper. I come to realize it is the oldest, the richest, the most tolerant religion in the world as through so many years it has been able to absorb, assimilate, adjust to various and varying religious influences and at the same time to survive, to preserve its core, its basic values, beliefs, teachings and practices. Buddhism originated in India, too. It is a school of Indian speculative thought, which was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (566 - 486 B. C. ).
His religious teachings came to many countries and set standards of gentleness, compassion and tolerance, influencing the indigenous cultures. As Albert Einstein described it, Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity (Buddhism, 2005) Even though both Hinduism and Buddhism appeared in the same country, there are a lot of differences as well as similar features in these religions. Unlike Hinduism, which emerged by slow, spiritual accretion, the religion of the Buddha appeared overnight. At the time of Buddha, the Vedic Gods were widely accepted in India and the Upanishads had become the philosophical study of the higher castes in some places. Although Buddhas teaching and Hinduism differed, they shared some beliefs, writes Area Deshpande in the book India A Divine Destination (2005). Buddha accepted the basic Hindu doctrine of the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth (samsara) and the Hindu belief in the law of karma, the moral law of cause and effect.
However, the attitude of Buddha to the inexorable law of karma was not so pessimistic as in Hinduism. He created a certain philosophy as well as a practical method, the Four Noble Truths, which could help overcome the law of karma when, instead of experiencing a series of rebirths before emancipation, one could attain it in this present life. Buddhas own life is the perfect example of this philosophy. The law of karma in Buddhism is respected and believed in but it doesnt agree that ones actions results can be redeemed by grace or prayers, or that God rewards or punishes a man according to his deeds. Instead, they believe that karma is the law itself and that bad (akushala) actions will bring degenerating effects and good (kuala) actions will bring good results. Every action leaves its impressions and these impressions determine whether ones life will go upward or downward. (Deshpande, 2005) Buddhisms view of the cosmos also experienced Hindu influence.
It also considers time in terms of kalpas, each consisting of millions of years, during which birth and rebirth takes place and influences all beings. Buddha wanted to eliminate metaphysics and too much ritualism, which made religion of that time accessible only to high caste people who knew all the ways of practicing it. In Hinduism of Buddhas day, authority had become hereditary and exploitative as Brahmins took to hoarding their religious secrets and charging exorbitantly for ministrations. Rituals had become mechanical means for working miracles. Explanations had lost their experiential base and developed into arguments. Tradition had become a dead weight.
Gods grace was being misread in ways that undercut human responsibility, and mystery was confused with mystification perverse obsession with miracles, the occult and the fantastic. (Deshpande, 2005) And at this time came Buddha with the intention to clear the ground for the true and new message. He preached a religion devoid of authority, ritual, and supernatural, religion that skirted speculation and tradition and was based on intense self-control. (Deshpande, 2005) Since then up to now, Hinduism and Buddhism, being close in some basic aspects, are still worlds apart in their philosophical and spiritual ideas. The most profound differences between these 2 religions are the following: Hinduism believes and relies on its Holy Scriptures while Buddhists do not; Hindus believe in atman, individual soul and Brahman, who is the Supreme Creature while Buddhism doesnt accept the concept of God; Hindu people think that Buddha was a reincarnation of Vishnu, one of Gods in Hindu trinity, Buddhists do not believe that; Buddhists are usually monks who live in groups while Hinduism is a religion of an individual. (Deshpande, 2005) There can be many differences in Hinduism and Buddhism but the most important thing is that they both preach non-violence and bring to the world a message of compassion and peace. References: Buddhism based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (2005), Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Retrieved May 23, 2005 from < web > Deshpande A. (2005), India A Divine Destination, New Delhi: Crest Publishing House Wenner S. (2001), Religions of the World. Retrieved May 23, 2005 from < web >
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Research essay sample on Law Of Karma Hinduism And Buddhism
