Buddhism and Christianity Essay

Buddhism and Christianity may seem like two very different religions on the surface and they are. But they share common themes like the path to ultimate happiness, community-like worshipping and free will.

In both religions, the ultimate goal is to be happy through faith. For Buddhism finding one's self is the greatest achievement a buddhist can behold. Becoming a buddha, achieving enlightenment, is every buddhist's dream. Nirvana, the release of the soul from the wheel of rebirth that is samsara. For Christians, having one's soul released from the body at death to be with God is the ultimate goal. God is the creator of everything and heaven is where everything is happy. Through a Christian's strong faith in God, he or she is able to fully trust in Him and truly believe that their is live after death which is heaven where true happiness can be found.

Community-like worshipping is found in both religions. For Buddhists, Sangha is like their form of a parish like for christians.  A sangha is a community of buddhists.  A sangha gives buddhists the opportunity to temple worship together and talk about their faith just like a parish does for Catholicism. It's not exactly the same in theory but they both share community-like themes of coming together to discuss a faith.

Free will is the freedom to choose. God gives his people in Catholicism the ability to freely do what he or she pleases. He gave it to his followers as soon as they were born. Like in Buddhism, followers are allowed to freely choose the path they want to take in order to find themselves. It's not set in stone exactly what they have to do in order to achieve enlightenment. It's up to the believer what they want to do.

Both religions share common themes but are interpreted differently. Ultimate happiness is basically true for any faith. The desire to be happiness is true for everyone. Communities give both religions the chance to intermingle with other followers. Buddhism might be a lot more lenient with its belief system than christianity but both give a little in that regard. Allowing it's followers to have the ability to choose what they want.

Introduction to Buddhism - Blog Post 19

Life of Siddhartha Gautama

Siddhartha Gautama was born about 583 BCE, in or near what is now Nepal. His father, King Suddhodana, was leader of a large clan called the Shakya. His mother, Queen Maya, died shortly after his birth. When Prince Siddhartha was a few days old, a holy man prophesied the Prince would be either a great military conqueror or a great spiritual teacher. King Suddhodana preferred the first outcome and prepared his son accordingly. Siddhartha Gauatama was raised the in great luxury and  was shielded from knowledge of religion and human suffering. He reached the age of 29 with little experience of the world outside the palace walls. 

Siddhartha asked to leave the palace once to see life beyond the palace since he didn't know what was really out there. On these journeys he was shocked by the sight of an aged man, then a sick man, and then a corpse. The stark realities of old age, disease, and death seized and sickened the Prince. Finally, he saw a wandering ascetic. The charioteer explained that the ascetic was one who had renounced the world and sought release from fear of death and suffering.

Three Jewels

The ideals at the heart of Buddhism are collectively known as the ‘Three Jewels’, or the ‘Three Treasures’. These are theBuddha (the yellow jewel), the Dharma (the blue jewel), and the Sangha (the red jewel). It is by making these the central principles of your life that you become a Buddhist.

Threefold Way

Another formulation of the path is the Threefold Way of ethics, meditation, and wisdom. This is a progressive path, as ethics and a clear conscience provides an indispensable basis for meditation, and meditation is the ground on which wisdom can develop.

4 Noble Truths

 The Four Aryan (or Noble) Truths are perhaps the most basic formulation of the Buddha’s teaching. They are expressed as follows:

1. All existence is dukkha. 

2. The cause of dukkha is craving. 

3. The cessation of dukkha comes with the cessation of craving.

4. There is a path that leads from dukkha. 

Noble Eight-fold Path

The Buddha’s ‘Noble Eightfold Path’ is a further ‘unpacking’ of the ‘Threefold Way’ and is perhaps the most widely known of the Buddha’s teachings. It is ancient, extending back to the Buddha’s first discourse and is highly valued as a treasury of wisdom and practical guidance on how to live our lives. Traditionally the teaching is seen as highlighting eight areas or ‘limbs’ of ‘right’ practice (Sangharakshita prefers ‘perfect’ to ‘right’), which sit in mutual relationship to one other and are each essential elements in an integrated approach to the Dharma:

1.      Right Understanding or Perfect Vision

2.      Right Resolve or Perfect Emotion

3.      Right Speech or Perfect Speech

4.      Right Action or Perfect Action

5.      Right Livelihood or Perfect Livelihood

6.      Right Effort or Perfect Effort

7.      Right Mindfulness or Perfect Awareness

8.      ​Right Meditation or Perfect Samadhi

Hinduism Review Questions - Blog Post 18

1. Explain the meaning of the term, moksha. 
• Liberation or release of the individual self, atman, from the bondage of samsara; salvation; one of the four goals of life. 
2. What doctrine says all reality is ultimately one? Give an analogy that describes it. 
• Monism. Like how monotheism in Western religions, God is the creator of the world and independent of it. 
3. Define brahman and atman. How are the two related?
• Brahman is the eternal essence of reality and the source of the universe, beyond the reach of human perception and thought. 
• Atman is the eternal self, which the Upanishads identify with Brahman; often lowercase: the eternal Self or soul of an individual that is reincarnated from one body to the next and is ultimately identified with Atman.
• Brahman is Atman; all reality is one. 
4. What is the general function of Hinduism's many deities?
• Hinduism generally regards its 330 million deities as extensions of one ultimate reality. Many names for one ocean, many "masks" for one God.
5. Give a brief explanation of the doctrine of samsara.
• The wheel of rebirth or reincarnation; the this-worldly realm of which rebirth occurs.
6. What is the name of Hinduism's most popular sacred text?
• Bhagavad-Gita
7. According to Hinduism, what are the two principles that connect the divine to this world? Briefly explain each. 
• Karma - the moral law of cause and effect of actions; determines the nature of one's reincarnation.
• Dharma - ethical duty based on the divine order of reality; one of the four goals of life.
8. Name the four classes of the caste system and describe the people who belong to each.
1. Brahmin - priests
2. Kshatriya - warriors and administrators 
3. vaishya - producers like farmers, merchants and artisans
4. shudra - servants and laborers
9. In the Bhagavad-Gita, why does Krishna encourage Arjuna to engage in war?
• Because it was the ultimate path to salvation.
10. Identify and briefly explain the four stages of life.
1. Student - instensive study of the vedas and other sacred literature. Lasts until marriage.
2. Householder - career and raising a family
3. Forest dweller (starts with birth of first grandchild) - a retreat from worldly bonds in order to engage fully in a spiritual quest.
4. ascetic - forest dwellers who are ready to return to society but remain detached from the normal attractions and distractions of social life.
11. Name and briefly describe the four goals of life.
1. Sensual pleasure - ultimate goal of liberation
2. Material success - kama and artha, material sucess and social power.
3. harmony with dharma - maintaining the general principles of ethical duty. 
4. bliss of moksha - infinite being and awareness
12. Identify the three paths to liberation. Which type of person is suited for each path?
1. Karma marga - those engaged in the day-to-day tasks of earning a living and raising a family. 
2. Jnana marga - those with talent for the philosophical reflection
3. Bhakti marga - those who have strong emotional attachments
13. What are the three most important schools of hindu philospohy? What is the basic task that concerns all three?
1. Vedanta
2. Sankhya
3. Yoga
• The attainment of knowledge over the igonrance that binds the self to samsara.
14. Identify three important gods or goddesses of Hinduism. 
1. Ganesh
2. Krisha
3. Vishnu
15. What is an avatar? Name two important Hindu figures identified as avatars.
• An avatar is an incarnation, or living embodiment, of a deity, commonly of Vishnu. Rama is another popular avatar.
16. What Hindu text is most closely associated with bhakti marga?
1. Bhagavad-Gita
17. Identify three aspects of Hindu devotional life.
1. Household and villages rituals.
2. Holy places.
3. Cow veneration.
18. How did Mahatma Gandhi influence Hinduism?
1. His steadfast efforts to stand up to oppression through nonviolence and civil disobedience forever changed the nature of India. 
19. What siginificant changes in the caste system took place in the 20th century?
1. It was starting to get rid of its social heirarchy and become equal. 
20. What is sati? What is its status today?
• The burning of a widow. It doesn't exist as strongly as before. 
21. What siginificant development occured in the relations between Hindus and Muslims in 1947?
1. The partitioning of India to form the divided nation of Pakistan.