Category: Buddhism

Buddhism and Christianity are the religions that have many believers from different parts of the world. The two religions may be seen as distinct, but they still share some beliefs and teachings. Buddhism entails teachings about Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as Buddha, while Christianity is based on the belief in Jesus as the Son of God (Bidwell, 2018). This paper seeks to compare and contrast the two religions differences and similarities based on three key aspects such as Afterlife, Suffering, and Rituals. Both Buddhism and Christianity are different from each other.

Christianity and Buddhism are western and eastern religions that differ a lot concerning suffering. This is the case as in Christianity, suffering is part of Gods plan where He allows mankind to be tempted, but He gives humanity a way to overcome the suffering. In the book of Job, the devil requests God for permission to test Job, and Jehovah grants this permission (Willard et al., 2020). Despite Job suffering many tragedies that he is on the verge of death, God redeems him, multiplies his wealth, and reinstates his health. The persecution was not a way of making Job suffer but was just a test to see if he could be tempted to curse his God. Conversely, in Buddhism, suffering is depicted as something that humanity does not need. Grief in Buddhism is differently approached compared to how Christians consider suffering as part of the journey to finish the battle and be reunited with God.

Moreover, in Buddhism, suffering is associated with sickness, old age, and depression, while in Christianity, it is not the case. Christians understand that to live a life that pleases God, they must be ready to suffer (Willard et al., 2020). The Bible states that those who desire to live a Godly life should be ready to be persecuted (King James Bible,1769/2017,2 Timothy 3:12). The difference between the two religions in terms of the origin of suffering is that Buddhism views it as self-inflicted, but Christianity believes that it comes out of devotion to God. Buddhism does not associate suffering with God the way Christianity does. In addition, in Buddhism, the suffering ends when an individual follows the Noble Eightfold path, which entails the following right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration (Hall et al., 2018). If a person engages in all the above steps, then they can be liberated from suffering. However, this is not the case in Christianity as suffering can be put to an end if the person repents their sins, follows Gods commandments, and believes in Jesus Christ.

Nonetheless, in terms of rituals, the two religions differ as Christians do not engage in practices as those involved in Buddhism. The worship of idols in Christianity is outlawed as the religion entails the worship of just one God. However, in Buddhism, the worship of idols is common, as they believe in several gods representing the supreme being (Hall et al., 2018). The similarity between these two religions is the presence of supernatural beings, God, who sustains them. Moreover, the Christians do not mix their faith with any other religions beliefs and traditions. For instance, Christians cannot accept Buddhisms teachings as they do not teach about salvation through Jesus Christ.

Conversely, Buddhism allows for a mixture of its traditions to that of other religions. The two religions have different rituals that mark various ceremonies, such as Puja for the Buddhist and Easter for Christians (Hall et al., 2018). Puja is a ceremony that Buddhists give Buddha gifts and offerings. Christians have Easter ceremonies, where they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and Christmas, where they commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Buddhists chant the scriptures as a way of meditation. The offerings are given to Buddha to thank him for the teachings.

Furthermore, in the aspect of afterlife, the Christians believe that the dead will be resurrected and live with their God in Heaven. In turn, Buddhists believe in a cycle of birth and rebirth or rather reincarnation (Willard et al., 2020). Jesuss teachings to Christians do not mention reincarnation as Christians only have one life to live. The Buddhists believe that karma is responsible for deciding where someone goes after death. Moreover, they think that at the end of the birth and death circle lies the ultimate goal Nirvana. They do not believe in heaven or hell as their God does not punish them for being sinners. In the Christian religion, afterlife belief is emphasized in the book of Revelation (Bidwell, 2018). Jesus told His followers that He had gone to prepare a place for them in heaven and that once the time came, He would come to take them home (King James Bible,1769/2017, John 14:1-3). Christians believe that the dead will be resurrected, and they shall be judged according to their deeds on earth. Those found to be sinners will be sent to hell to burn forever, and those who are righteous will be welcomed in heaven, where they will sit with God (King James Bible,1769/2017, Revelation 20:15).

From the above analysis, it is conclusive that the two religions share few similarities compared to the differences. Buddhist accept the idea of afterlife but not in heaven and hell, while Christians believe in heaven and earth. Buddhists allow the mixing of their traditions with other religions, but Christianity does not. In terms of rituals, the Christians do not indulge in such, but Buddhists engage in traditions when offering their gifts to Buddha. On the issue of suffering, the two religions view the matter differently. As in Christianity, suffering is inflicted by God to test Christians, but in Buddhism, suffering is considered something that one does not need. Thus, the two religions are distinct from each other in terms of the afterlife, suffering, and rituals.

References

Bidwell, D. R. (2018). When one religion isnt enough: Hinjews, Buddhist Christians, and? other spiritually fluid people. Beacon Press.

Hall, M. E. L., Shannonhouse, L., Aten, J., McMartin, J., & Silverman, E. J. (2018). Religion-specific resources for meaning-making from suffering: Defining the territory. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 21(1), 7792. Web.

King James Bible. (2017). Cambridge University Press.

Willard, A. K., Baimel, A., Turpin, H., Jong, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2020). Rewarding the good and punishing the bad: The role of karma and afterlife beliefs in shaping moral norms. Evolution and Human Behavior, 41(5), 385396. Web.

Abstract

The term religion is used to refer to the approach that human beings give to their spirituality as provided by their beliefs, symbols, narratives, and practices on a supernatural figure. Human beings express religious inclination through several ways; some of which include prayers, rituals, and music. There are different types of religions, varying far and wide but at the same time having some commonalities cutting across all of them. These different types of religious practices can be compared or contrasted in terms of their individual laws, lifestyle, ethics, traditions, mythology, and history (Brodd, 2003, 23-25.). The term is used in an overall sense to give reference to a shared conviction among a group of individuals as far as specific behaviors are concerned. This research paper will give some of the aspects common between Judaism and Buddhism as well as the areas where they have ideological and principle differences.

The Differences and Similarities between Judaism and Buddhism in Relation to Their Origination, Foundation, Beliefs, Rituals, and Major Prophets

Judaism

This is the Abrahamic religion; Abrahamic in the sense that it recognizes Abraham as the head Patriarch of their faith. The Judaism sacred text (The Old Testament of the Bible) holds that Judaism started after the covenant between God and Abraham in Circa 2000 BCE, which made Abraham ahead Patriarch. Two other patriarchates are also recognized in this religion is Isaac and Jacob. Their teachings follow the laws (The Ten Commandments) which they believe were given to Moses by God on Mt. Sinai (Gen. 20-NKJV). The holy book of Judaism (The Old Testament-as the Christians refer to it) is known as the Tanakh by the Jewish. The book is divided into three parts; the Torah, the Neviim, and the Ketuvim all making a total of 39 books. These three divisions are where the Jews draw guidelines by which they are required to live by within the society. The head of a Judaism religious organization is called a Rabbi. Some of the beliefs under this religious culture about God (their supreme being) include; He exists, He is Incorporeal, Eternal, One and he knows everyones needs. They also believe in the coming of the Messiah, Resurrection theory, and that the good deeds will be rewarded while the bad will be punished when the earth finally comes to an end.

Buddhism

Buddhism was first established in Northern India by Lord Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) in the 6^th Century BCE. So far, it is the Fourth-Largest religious group in the World with a population of 365 million followers (6% of the worlds population). They refer to their spiritual leader as the Buddha and pray in a Synagogue. Buddhist base their teachings on the Siddhartha Gautama Principles who were their head Buddha and the founder of Buddhism. It is believed that through Gautamas awakened knowledge, he managed to teach the Buddhists the true meaning of nature and how to live in harmony among themselves with good conduct and moral behaviors&by so doing, Buddhists considered him as a savior who delivered them from their uncertainty and sufferings. Buddhism is most common among the Asian countries where it first originated, but lately, the culture has spread and is found all over the world (McFarlane, 2001).

Findings in (McFarlane 2001.) report that there was a time when Gautama came across a rotting corpse, a deceased man, an ascetic, and a very old man; he then came to realize how the society was full of evils and misfortune and decided to make these four scenarios the Buddhists Principles known as the Four Sights. It is these four sights that drove him into abandoning the royal life that he had all along enjoyed for 29 years in the palace and Instead he sought a spiritual quest which led him to being the spiritual leader of Buddhists.

To the Buddhists, Devotion to their beliefs is an integral and vital part of their worship. They do this by either bowing, giving offerings, chanting religious texts, and going on pilgrimage. This set of religious groups also have guiding ethics which involves adherence to purity indeed, an insult free speech, and purity in thought; these acts are believed to be able to promote peace and stability to their community. The Buddhists have drawn eight basic rules retraining their faithful from indulging into. The Buddhist faithful are advised to shun any act of violence, theft, immorality, lying, dancing, luxury, eating at the wrong time, and drugs

Similarities

Despite the variance, these two religious groups share some concepts of beliefs; for instance, the belief that there is no need for a sinless Savior to lift man out of sin&Jesus is given no divine recognition in both Buddhism and Judaism, they also share the way they view the ethics of reciprocity, i.e. the rules and regulations that, govern human behavior towards one another in both Buddhism and Judaism are the same, belief in the existence of another life after death and finally is the common belief in the power of prayer.

Differences

While Judaism believes in praying and fasting to strengthen their faith in God, the Buddhists on their side believe that such practices of physical molestation like fasting, holding ones breath, do not have any spiritual benefit. They instead embrace meditation, which they call The Middle Way -a compromise position between the two extremes of self-motivation and self-indulgence. Contrary to Judaism who has the Old Testament of the Bible as their religious text, the Buddhists have no specific central text to which they make their religions reference. Most of their teachings are based on a more scholastic approach not spiritual&but a consensus is on the offing to synchronize the message in all the Buddhist available texts so that out of them a single text can be formed to unify the religion (Pascal 2001).

Another notable difference between the Buddhists and Jews features in the belief in reincarnation, a concept that Jews wholly refute. Buddhists believe that once a person dies he is reborn several cycles; where he may reappear in entities different to the former self, thus there is no permanent extinction. In this context, Judaism holds it that the true believers who are righteous will resurrect and live an eternal life when the Messiah comes, while the evil will burn in hell. Some other divergent views by the two religious groups are as follows; To the Buddhists, there is no such thing as the Garden of Eden, the Flood during Noah times, and the end of the world&contrary to Judaism. Further, it is revealed that the Buddhist teachings are Non-Theists unlike the teachings of all other religious practices, including Judaism that teaches the belief in one Supreme God. Questions have been raised to this effect on whether Buddhism is really a religion or just a group of individuals seeking enlightenment. These teachings by the Buddha are also not based on the doctrines as with Judaism, but are focused on deeds and practice&they teach only what is seen executable by man, while Judaism stress on belief and mastery of the Ten Commandments.

Conclusion

This paper has conclusively illustrated that regardless of the religious inclination of an individual, all human beings are the same and they are seeking a common thing in religion. That is to try to find a balance point between natures sharp point definition of matters and the several meaningless generalities in life. All religious groups, particularly the ones that have just been discussed above are geared to monitor the behavior, values, and morals of their members through a set of religious laws/doctrines. From the revelations of this research paper, it can also be deriver that the sole reason that drove people to start religions was the belief that there exists some life after death so as to justify the benefit of good actions.

References

Brodd Jefferey. (2003). World Religions. Winona, MN: Saint Marys Press.

Judaism 101: an online encyclopedia of Judaism, covering Jewish beliefs, people, places, things, language, scripture, holidays, practices and customs. (2009). Web.

Pascal Boyer. (2001). Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought. Basic Books.

Stewart McFarlane in Peter Harvey, ed. (2001). Buddhism. Continuum.

The teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. (2009). Web.

Buddhism monastic orders are the oldest types of institutionalized monasticism and Buddhisms essential organizations. Buddhist religious organizations began thousands of years ago, during the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, in the Indus Valley culture. As they were known, the nuns and nuns-sangha were traveling knights-errant, as this was the livelihood of spiritual workers at the time. Following the Buddhas death, the number of monasteries increased dramatically. Textual and archaeological evidence suggests the establishment of multiple monasteries in the Rajagriha region and the ultimate creation of vast monastic institutions in northern India that accommodated hundreds of permanent monks. This article was written with the help of the book called Life as a Buddhist Nun.

There is no centralized entity in Buddhism, and various types of practice and theory have evolved. Theravada in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, Dharmaguptaka in East Asia, Mulasarvastivada in Tibet, and the Himalayan area are the surviving Vinaya systems that regulate monastery life today. Worshipers are required to serve in various roles within the community of believers. First of all and foremost, they are required to uphold the teaching and practice that has come to be recognized as Buddhism. They are also intended to provide a cheerful illustration for the public and act as an area of virtue for lay adherents, enabling men and females to acquire merit by donating gifts and assistance to the monks. Monks and nuns are supposed to live an uncompromising life centered on the study of Buddhist theory, mindfulness, and adherence to the excellent moral character in exchange for the laitys assistance. The Buddhist society has frequently questioned the relative merits of concentration versus study. Many people maintained contact with their biological families.

Monastic activities differ greatly depending on where they are practiced. This can be traced in part to variances in scriptural and doctrinal traditions obtained in various regions of the Buddhist world. Furthermore, most monastic organizations have made local adjustments to cultural, geographical, and climatic constraints to facilitate monks assimilation into surrounding people and guarantee that monks live securely and appropriately. Monks, for example, are authorized to possess and use additional garments not stipulated in the scripture in frigid areas. Monks more typically hire a culinary crew of nuns or lay adherents who are accountable for providing lunches for the community in regions where begging rounds are impractical. For example, monks of the Theravada tradition continue to perform the ancient practice of asking for alms whenever feasible. Confucian beliefs forbade beggars in East Asia, leading to many institutions cultivating their food and hiring monks as cooks.

The second book, called Buddhist Vow, complements well the narrative of the book about the life of Buddhists and tells about the rules of their life. This work tells about how Buddhist monks lived and how their religion was born. Throughout the narrative, the reader is immersed in the daily life of a monk and, little by little gets to know their way of life and how they developed the rules of the monks. Buddhist religious orders are the earliest kinds of organized monasticism and essential Buddhist institutions. Most monastic institutions have developed local adaptations to cultural, geographical, and climatic limits to assist monks absorption into surrounding populations and ensure that monks live safely and responsibly. This work allowed me to get acquainted with another culture in such a way that I could feel their way of life and imagine how this faith was born. I want to recommend everyone get acquainted with this culture, as it might be of interest to many people.

Abstract

This paper outlines an explicit view on the following diverse faiths in regard to healthcare provision: Native American spirituality, Buddhism, and Sikhism. It also elaborates on the spiritual perspective on healing as presented by the three faiths. The various ways of healing are also elaborated. These include meditating, trusting on healers, and praying among others. The perceptions of the healthcare providers and those that are cared for in reference to their diverse faiths are also addressed. The paper addresses the concerns of those cared for whether faith or healing is important. Secondary sources of data played a vital role in the extraction of information based on the Christian philosophy of faith compared to these three diverse faiths.

Introduction

Healthcare providers encounter different people with diverse faiths when providing health care to patients. Therefore, they need to understand the roles of religion in providing healthcare services. It is evident that the diversity of faith in different people should be appreciated by all practitioners. The patients should also appreciate the religious background of the practitioners attending them. After analyzing the teachings of these faiths, the healthcare providers should be able to handle patients during the entire career.

Native American spirituality

The Native Americans do not consider spirituality as a religion even though they believe in spirits. They believe in spiritual healing. These people believe that their healing processes depend on the animal offerings, the use of herbs, the power of prayer, and the spirits that live among them. This conviction is different from many faiths in the world.

On their spiritual healing, these people believe that a person is healed physically only when his/her spirit is healed. In this light, they have special people who perform the function of a medicine-person. They argue that healing arises from ones harmony with his/her body and the entire soul and mind. Healing is not effective until one believes that it is possible to be healed. This means that anybody who seeks physical healing must be attended by the spiritual healer prior to the physical healing. This shows how their belief in spiritual healing plays a great role in their physical treatment (Prieto, 2008).

The Native Americans also believe in prayers before they use herbs to cure diseases. They have spiritual helpers who intercede for them. This means that the spiritual helpers provide them with guidance and wisdom. Their totems provide energy, courage and wisdom to their spirits.

In the Native American, all these aspects of healing are clearly seen as contrary to those of other faiths including Christianity as they turn to God in all matters pertaining to health. Consequently, Native Americans give the healthcare providers a hard time during the treatment. This is due to their strong belief in spiritual cleansing before physical healing.

Buddhism

Buddhism is not only based on doctrines but also on spiritual practice. There are several fundamentals beliefs that are acceptable by the Buddhists. They are referred to as the Four Noble Truths (Side & Thupten, 1997). According to Side and Thupten (1997), these noble truths touch on the existence and the cause of suffering. The two notable truths are meditation and care about any living creature. Some Buddhists believe that people who become ill are those who are not focused. They believe that whenever diseases attack them, they can only be cured through meditation and use of herbs. Buddhists work harder in times of illness since they believe that their spiritual growth comes through struggle. Birth control measures are acceptable, but abortion is regarded as killing. They criticize modernization of the health systems, such as the use of modern Intensive Care Units (ICUs), and believe that these systems are ill-suited for their patients.

Since Buddhists believe in meditation (Ospina, 2009) and herbs as the only cure to their diseases, a Christian care provider will have a difficult time handling such patients. Prescription of western medicines to them is unacceptable since they believe that the drugs will weaken their immune systems. Sick believers require a quiet place to meditate. This means that a health provider taking care of the patients should avoid noise and harsh lights.

Buddhists believe that peace of mind to meditate and administering herbs to boost their immunity are the most important aspects during healthcare services. This implies that they only value the work of healthcare providers from a religion giving them what is acceptable. Since Buddhists believe that sickness and death are inherited in life itself, they appreciate the truth about any diagnosis conducted by healthcare providers. Therefore, they accept all the medical examination results, prognosis, and treatment effects.

The healthcare providers who attend to patients irrespective of faith have received numerous criticisms from various religions. Some patients appreciate the work of such people while others perceive them as hypocrites. It is upon the healthcare providers from different religions, such as Christianity, to accept such patients.

Sikhs

This faith was founded by Guru Nanak Dev of India and believes in God alone. The fundamental beliefs of Sikhism are sincerity, sharing with the poor, helping others, independence and meditation (Grant & Mansell, 2008). They believe that one can become very close to God through reincarnation. Sikhs believe that having uncut hair is a clear indication of spirituality.

They value Western medicine as well as herbs. They are against the use of illegal drugs, alcohol and cigarettes (Grant & Mansell, 2008). Sikhs believe that these drugs will make them live a different life rather than that of Gods way.

Sikhs strongly believe in prayers. They know that Gods will is the key thing in their healing. This is a similar belief to that of Christians who also believe in prayers to God in times of illness.

The Sikhs have a different approach on how they are served by the healthcare providers. A Sikh avoids any cure that requires the elimination of body hair (Grant & Mansell, 2008). Sikhs also share some beliefs with the Christians. They both allow blood transfusion. Any attempt by the healthcare providers to get any information concerning sexual issues of a patient may not be possible among Sikh believers. They consider such issues as very private to be shared with anyone. Abortion, which is considered evil by Buddhists, is permitted in Sikhism during incidents of medical requirement.

The food that Sikhs should eat is also a factor to be considered by the practitioners (Grant & Mansell, 2008). The healthcare providers should also know the importance of the three books of prayer. For instance, the books should not be placed near a dustbin or under other material placed on it.

The nurses should understand the Sikhs 5 Ks which are; Kesh-uncut hair, Kara-a steel bracelet, Kanga-a wooden comb, Kaccha-cotton small, and the Kirpan-a steel sword. This will enable them attend to Sikhs with ease. Surprisingly, Sikhs prefer healthcare providers based in hospitals recognized by Guru Nanaks as their faith will be recognized in such hospitals. However, this does not imply that they will not accept medical practitioners from other faiths.

Conclusion

This analysis depicts a strong belief that healthcare providers have experienced difficulties when ensuring proper performance of their duties. However, the roles of religion in societies must be appreciated. Their most important attribute is that all advocate for healthy living. Therefore, the healthcare providers should be trained in all aspects of religion before they start practicing.

References

Grant, N., & Mansell, D. (2008). A guidebook to religious and spiritual practices for people who work with people. New York: I Universe.

Ospina, M. (2009). Meditation practices for health: State of the research. Darby, PA: Diane Publishing.

Prieto, E. (2008). Home health care provider: A guide to essential skills. New York: Springer Pub. Co.

Side, D., & Thupten, G. (1997). The four noble truths: fundamentals of the Buddhist teachings. London: Thorsons.

Comparison of Kübler-Ross, Job, and Buddhist stages of grieving

According to Kübler-Ross (1969), there are five phases of grieving and they include; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The author indicates that grieving occurs as a result of loss and it is an inevitable phase in life (Kübler-Ross, 1969). The author also recognizes the fact that the five phases of grieving do not necessarily manifest in the same order in everyone. The denial stage is temporary and characterized by doubt and shock after learning that a loved one is dead. Specifically, people try to deviate from the reality of the situation. In the ‘anger’ stage, people begin to comprehend the reality of the situation. The anger can be aimed at God, objects, family, friends, or strangers. Emotionally, the bereaved members may also be angry at the dead person for leaving them. The bargaining stage involves feelings of hopelessness and despair. Specifically, the bereaved wish that the disease could have been diagnosed sooner or better care could have been provided for their loved one when they fell ill. The depression phase can either be characterized by sadness and regret or psychological preparation to separate from a loved one after burial. Lastly, the acceptance stage encompasses preparing to move on without the presence of a loved one. In some instances, the bereaved can take years to finally accept the loss of a family or friend.

The story of job is found in the old testament in the bible. Job was wise and devoted to God (Verhey, 2011). He lost his property and all his children in one day following a natural calamity. He refused to be angry at God and chose to worship and accept his loss. Based on this story, Job did not go through the bargaining phase as he understood that God had better things in store for him. In Buddhism, followers do not view death as the end of an individual’s life (Kowalski, 2005). It is believed to be the end of the physical body and beginning of a new spiritual life. The Kisa Gautami parable in Buddhism presents a good example of how the followers should deal with grief. Kisa Gautami was a wealth woman whose son died following an illness. When she went to Buddha for assistance on how to deal with the grief, Buddha told her to go borrow five mustard seeds from families that had not been affected by death in the past. However, she discovered that all the families she visited had experienced loss at some point. She then accepted death as an unavoidable part of life and stopped grieving. Therefore, she went through denial and anger before she could accept that her son was dead.

Compare the relationship between job and the above grieving models and examples

Most of the stages described by Kübler-Ross did not manifest in Job’s case. After the loss, Job accepted the situation as true and began lamenting over what had happened (Verhey, 2011). He did not go through the denial phase as he kept on praising God for the loss. The second stage involved praise and Worship to God. This was contrary to Kübler-Ross’s view that people often blame God for their loss. Later, Job displayed silence in an effort to contemplate on the loss and wait upon God. However, the silence was not characterized by anger. Moreover, he never questioned God for taking his possessions away. His last stage in grieving was enlightenment where Job understood the meaning of his grief. He learnt that God is the giver of life and death was in His hands. Later, God gave Job new possessions and family as a reward for his perseverance. Generally, Job’s story is an example of how Christians should deal with grief. The Buddhist point of view of grief is closely related to Job’s experience. In both religions, followers believe that there is a higher power that controls life and death.

Preferred method of handling grief

Grieving is a difficult part of life that everyone has to go through in life. I believe that the stages of grief are dependent on the circumstances surrounding the loss of a loved one. Based on my personal view, there should be four stages of grief that are different from Kübler-Ross’s model. First, a bereaved person should face their feelings and try to accept the reality. However, this can only be possible through adequate counseling by other family members or professional staff. Second, an individual should express their feelings in a constructive way. Kübler-Ross (1969) indicates that people tend to direct their anger to others during the grieving process. Having a supportive network of family members and friends is vital in promoting positive actions after the death of a loved one. Third, a bereaving person should remember to look after his or her physical health during the process. This is due to the fact that life has to continue after a loved one is dead and buried. Lastly, a person has to analyze the situations that may trigger the feeling of loss in the future. The current research has not changed my view of grief as different people experience it differently. Moreover Kübler-Ross does not seem to recognize the impact of counseling in dealing with grief.

References

Kowalski, K. (2005). Death and Grief: A Personal, Psychological, and Buddhist Perspective. Web.

Kübler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying. New York: Scribner.

Verhey, A. (2011). The Christian art of dying: Learning from Jesus. Michigan: William B. Eardmans Publishers.

Religion is very important in the cultural system of every society. It is said to be a well built faith in a mystical power occurring in the supernatural state.

Every person is supposed to adhere with the beliefs and the customs involved in his or her faith on the spiritual base. There are different types of religions but this discussion focuses on just two: Buddhism and Hinduism. These two religions happened to originate in one region in that they share some terminologies which are alike.

Their goals are however different on their practices even though they share a lot on the faith (Eliot 15). The following discussion therefore, is inclusive of the comparisons and contractions between these two religions with their differences during their childhoods and the way they were raised.

To start with the two religions share many things in their beliefs in that they both believe in rebirth which is determined by the actions one does in the daily life.

This is where there is rebirth of the individual’s soul into any life form. They both believe that it is individual’s responsibility to work out on his salvation which is dependent on his good actions (Eliot 9). Basing on enlightenment they both believe that it is possible to attain it through rising above individual’s way of thinking and the desires as well as controlling individual’s six senses.

It is a common belief on the pain one achieves through too much attachment to people and the worldly things, both therefore advocate in freeing oneself out of the fantasies of the worldly desires. Meditation is a common emphasis to both faiths which liberates an individual; enhance concentration in life and enlightenment .They also practices the tantric practices (Georg and Peter 731).

There are contradictions on their beliefs such that in Buddhism godly figures are not involved in their belief basing on the original doctrinal principles even though there is some introduction of Godly figures by the later believers. On the other hand in Hinduism there are 300,000 Gods which are believed in.

These two religions are also different on their foundations which are referred as their childhood state. On Hinduism there is no complete certainty of on who started it and where. It is also believed that this religion originated from the Vedas which were written at about 1000 years Before Christ even though they were still on existence for a long period but in oral form.

In Buddhism there is complete certainty of who founded it- the Siddartha Gautama who is known as Buddha. At first he did not intend to create any new religion as he had left for the meditation to modify Hinduism where he became Buddha as his answer thus the foundation of Buddhism (Bhaskar 5).

There are complex rituals performed in Hinduism from the day one is born till death where priests play a very significant role when carrying these roles. On the other hand Buddhism practices these rituals in worship forms without involvement of the priest. Hinduism follows the caste system and believes in excessive asceticism but Buddhism does not pursue caste system and rejects the excessive asceticism.

In Buddhism there are no stages that one has to go through in life where one is given freedom to join any depending on the preparedness while in Hinduism there are four stages that one must go through in life which follow in this order: student, family, leaving of the worldly wishes and meditation stage awaiting truth and death. Finally, despite all these differences the two religions play important roles on them that practice them in their way of life (Williams 523).

Work Cited

Bhaskar, V. S. Faith & philosophy of Buddhism. New York: Gyan Publishing House, 2009.

Eliot, Charles. Hinduism and Buddhism, Vol I. (of 3). New York: Echo Library, 2007.

Eliot, Charles. Hinduism and Buddhism, Volume . New York: BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2008.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Peter C. Hodgson. Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion: Determinate Religion. New York: University of California Press, 1996.

Williams, Monier. Buddhism – In Its Connexion with Brahmanism and Hinduism and in Its Contrast with Christianity. New York: READ BOOKS, 2007.

Comprehension of an interfaith dialogue as well as its relevance is the first point that should be considered before answering the question.

In understanding this, we will all be able to have a clue on what the topic of argument is all about. We will consider Buru Dede’s perspective as the leader of our discussion. According to Buru Dede, all the discussions whose major intention is to encourage joint considerate between two or more religions can only attain his intention by only tackling his or her own religion.

As long as we all concentrate on the scope of our spiritual mores, we will not be capable of articulating in a language that can be interpreted by the participants in our discussion. We are all obliged to reveal to the fullest the genuine theology only by exceeding the customary teachings and policies.

In this case, there will be higher chances of occurrence of an interfaith dialogue. For a victorious interfaith discussion, there must be an individuals tackling using his personal religious conviction. In addition to this, the participants’ religion should also be tackled. The interfaith discussion will thus be satisfactory and successful too. The joint disclosure of each person’s religion encourages mutual understanding among the participants.

To begin with Tom’s idea on the existence of the sharing of certain perspectives among both the Christians and the Buddhists, I think the outlook is true. Assuming that you all know Pope John Paul II, he was a great Christian who also took part in publishing work. During his ‘Crossing the Threshold of Hope and His Holiness’ he emerged with some annotations on a Christian perspective.

As stated in (Cobb 50), The Holy Father reminded us all, that “what unites us is much greater than what separates us … It is necessary … to rid ourselves of stereotypes, of old habits and above all, it is necessary to recognize the unity that already exists.” This is acceptable too among the Buddhists.

Given that, you are well informed about the account of inter-religious discussions, I don’t intend to tire you by repeating its review. I think it is better to make ourselves remember certain aspects of the interreligious discussion. First the term ‘step back’ as it has been used in the context refers to reminding oneself the far one has gone some few decades back. A proof that identifies a Pope’s perspective is ‘unity that already exists’ is quite heartening.

While I was busy searching for some information on the guidelines when an individual is writing a dialogue in a WCCs booklet. The author to this book put up a suggestion as cited in (Sernett 27), “it is easy to discuss religions and even ideologies as though they existed in some realm of calm quite separate from the sharp divisions, conflicts and sufferings of humankind”.

Nearly all the Christians agree to this statement. However, the reverse is true to the Buddhists. The Buddhists claim that they could only agree to the statement if “religions and ideologies often contribute to the disruption of communities and the suffering of those whose community life is broken” (Sernett 27).

These differences in perspectives concerning religious doctrines have entrenched into other peoples activities. However, it is probable that individuals from the Buddhist will with time regret why they don’t do what is expected.

The Christians have a holy book that is written the Holy Father in which the features are given in some kind of sequence and also emphasizes on some topics which the Buddhist can find it rough on disagreeing. The book also has opinions on which the dialogue can proceed: “….there is basis for dialogue and for the growth of unity, a growth that should occur at the same rate at which we are able to overcome our divisions — divisions that to a great degree result from the idea that one can have a monopoly on truth (Smith 37).

However, the faith of the Buddhist does not correspond to the dialogue the way other religions do towards the dialogue. Buddhism is not a doctrine that has salvation. Buddhists were discouraged from blind fellowship in faith matters. He advised his followers to be listening to teachings keenly and assessing personally whether they are convinced if it is the truth or not.

I think Megan has a point. On building on it, I can say Buddha offers knowledge in academics as well as spiritually so that this proficiency can be applied in all fields of life both individually as well as in a group. In spite of the fact that most of the spiritual teachings offered are anticipated to be the same in other religions, it is extra ordinary in this case.

According to Buddha as cited in (Smith 37), “One is indeed, one’s own savior, for what other savior could there be? When one is in control of oneself, one obtains a savior difficult to find”. According to Buddhists perspective, one has to move into the spiritual world for his own benefit.

We may also consider another aspect which is eclecticism. This may be viewed in two outcomes. Firstly, the dissimilarity between faiths should never be rejoined where it has ceased existing. The Pope in most books exemplifies the Buddhists attitude towards salvation as being completely negative.

The following is what he explains, “We do not free ourselves from evil through the good which comes from God; we liberate ourselves only through detachment from the world, which is bad.

The fullness of such a detachment is not union with God, but what is called nirvana, a state of perfect indifference with regard to the world. To save oneself means, above all, to free oneself from evil by becoming indifferent to the world, this is the source of evil. This is the culmination of the spiritual process.”

The Pope’s assurance is what unites all the people and its superior than what isolates people. This can help in creation of a strong foundation of faith in ones heart.

Buddhism is concerned with day to day sufferings that human beings experience. According to Buddha, “it is suffering I teach and the cessation of suffering”. Christians also talk about suffering. According to Pope’s perception, “The cross remains constant while the world turns.” Buddhist is only concerned amount the reality of evil and suffering.

I would like to complete by looking at the suggestion made towards Buddhism, “the Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. The Church has a high regard for their conduct and way of life, for those precepts and doctrines which, although differing on many points from that which the Church believes and propounds, often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men”.

The Buddhist should thus be given a chance to be wished with a happy feast of Vesakh as we are not only taught to be tolerant but also to love one another.

Works Cited

Cobb, John. Beyond Dialogue: Toward a Mutual Transformation of Buddhism and Christianity. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1982. Print.

Sernett, Milton. “Religion and Group Identity: Believers as Behavers,” in Introduction to the Study of Religion. New York: Harper and Row, 1978. Print.

Smith, Huston. “Accents of the World’s Religions,”: Introduction to the Study of Religion. New York: Harper and Row, 1978. Print.

Introduction

Both Hinduism and Buddhism religions share their origin from the Indian subcontinent. They are known to share long but rather strange and uneasy relationship in many ways. The Buddha was born in a Hindu family and many believe it gained huge number of followers since it released people from the oppression of Hindu caste system.

The religion brought on board salvation hope as well as freedom of preference in the society. Hinduism may not be entirely regarded as a religion but a collection of sectarian and religious associations united by some fundamentally comparable beliefs, origin, and custom of their descendants (Jayaram 1).

The Different Ways the Hindus and Buddhis Meditate

Meditation involves developing a faith in something else other than oneself. This means being able to give applause for little things and above all express gratitude for having been born as a human. Both religions meditate differently.

Hinduism

According to the Hinduism teachings, each and every living being is filled with an everlasting soul. They hold the belief that Brahma (the creator spirit) is intertwined with an individual’s soul.

Thus it is each individuals role to return the soul but this is not possible because of the sins and impurities one becomes exposed to once living in this world and since the process of becoming pure again is very difficult no one can accomplish the fete in one lifetime thus the soul is forced to live after life till the purity can be achieved and then the soul returns to the maker. Thus, one has to go through rebirths until fully cleansed.

Hinduism is a religion made of numerous gods and the followers are at liberty to choose among the many. In order to become a Hindu there are things you must believe in and promise to live by among them includes believing in karma and reincarnation.

The Hindu society is divided into castes and the different castes do not mingle. The divisions are largely exhibited by the belief in Karma and Dharma that expresses the idea that if someone is born into a specific caste they must stay there until death (White 1).

Meditation among the Hindus commonly known as the Yoga in Hindu is the path of salvation. Hindu meditation is a state of relaxed contemplation of the present moment it is the freedom from all thought. It is classified according to its focus.

Among the types of Hindu meditation are Vedanta and Raja Yoga. To cover one of the types, Verdanta means culmination of the knowledge and deals with reality nature while raja yoga is concerned with primarily cultivating the mind through meditation

Buddhism

This is a version of Hinduism and based on the four noble truths which make the foundation of the Buddhism as a religion. In order to escape reincarnation Buddhists believe it can be done by passing through the eight fold which says to practice moderation by having the right mind set, not lying nor insulting if these are practiced among others then one can reach the Brahma in one lifetime (White 1).

One is not a Buddhist until he has taken refuge in the triple gem. The triple gem in which one takes refuge in consists of getting refuge to the Buddha, refuge to Dharma, and refuge to Sangha. This is repeated twice or more. The going to take refuge in the triple Gems entails pure surrender of oneself, acceptance of discipleship among others.

Though surrender is delusional it is the hardest sacrifice which until made, enlightenment remains a dream (Yorke 8).

Then once a day a few minutes should be devoted to the compassionate meditation. This entails developing in the heart the feelings of love and kindness to oneself. This helps in keeping the follower within the religion framework. Before coming into meditation one has to clear the air by saying what it is not.

According to Buddhists the only person you surrender to is your meditation master. There are no prayers to God or anything you are your own except from the help of your teachers and fellow disciples. As research shows mindfulness is in the core of Buddhist meditation and it entails clear and single minded awareness of what happens to us.

Similarities in both Religions

The two traces their roots on the Indian soil. Furthermore, Buddhism was initiated by a Hindu and as a result they share origin. The two religions share karma. This is the belief in law of consequences. It simply states your actions revolve around you either as blessings of good deeds or curses of evil deeds.

They could take several lifetimes to be enacted depending on your actions while in this world. The revolution or the rebirth is either to reward or punish a person for his actions while he was in this world (Woinarowicz 1).

The two religions believe in the existence of several hells and heavens or higher and lower worlds (Anon 1). They hold the belief that one deeds determines how one will reincarnate after death

The two religions also believe in the existence of gods or deities. What really differ are the powers they place to these gods.

Both believe in certain spiritual practices like meditation concentration which helps them to try and discover their own selves and how they relate to their gods and themselves. In order to join the next world a believer in either of the two religions has to detach and forget everything about the worldly life in order to enter the spiritual life.

Contrasting the Two

Unlike Buddhism whose founder was a telepathist, Hinduism initiator was never a prophet. Hinduism believes in the worth and preeminence of the VEDAS (scripture) whereas the Buddhist does not believe in any religious scripture. In addition they (Buddhism) do not accept as true the idea of soul existence.

Hinduism recognizes that Buddha reincarnated from one of the religion’s gods (MAHAVISHNU) whereas Buddhists do not buy the idea that there could be a superior god fro their known (Buddha). Buddhists hold the view that the earth is a place of distress and believes that man is in the world with the sole aim of fighting the unhappiness whereas Hindus posit that there are four main objectives that man fights to accomplish in this world.

In Hinduism the four phases of life must be followed to the latter whereas there is no set condition in Buddhism. Buddhists stay in groups. Hinduism is basically a religion of individualism

Hinduism believes in Mayaism while Buddhists do not deny or support Mayaism which states that anything seen in this world is illusion. This dissimilar perception could mean no objective reality but subjective that is found in the perceiver mind but because everyone views the object differently then it qualifies not to be an illusion.

They argue if it was an illusion then the perception could be similar. The Maya nature is a practice in Hinduism but Buddhists do not hold any belief on the same. Dharma another aspect of Hinduism which is translated as obligation is another concept not shared by the two religions. Hindus must live by their castes while in Buddhism one can belong to any group just because you were born in an upper caste it does not mean you cannot intermingle with the people of the lower caste

The two religions are almost similar but there are differences in the attempt to make the world a better place; the Buddhists have beliefs going beyond and even contradicting those of the Hindus. Buddhism advocates equal love the populace and upholds the caste system, a thing that Hindus never practice.

Acceptance of god is another factor that differentiates the two religions. The Hindus have many gods including Brahman the super creator but Buddhists refute their existence. Not that Buddhists preach that there is no god rather they refute the need to search for one. They say one should concentrate in what you can know rather not on what you cannot know.

Conclusion

We can conclude that religion plays a vital role on how we behave and relate to one another. Thus we should always take the best in our religion and compromise what might not be ethical to others in order to avoid conflicts that may arise due to religion affiliation.

Works Cited

Anon. Buddhism and Hinduism. 2007. Web.

Jayaram V. Hinduism and Buddhism. 2010. Web.

White, Sharon. Hinduism. 2006. Web.

Woinarowicz. Jessica. The use of Hinduism and Buddhism. 2007. Web.

York. G. J. Buddhist meditation. 1968. Web.

Introduction

Various communities have emerged from religions each with its own beliefs, practices, and purpose. Examples of these communities are the Zen Buddhism and Oneida community. These two communities share certain beliefs and differ in others.

Zen community and Oneida community were formed with the objective of creating a community where people would live on earth without suffering. The founders of these two communities established the cause of suffering, and then found ways of eliminating it.

Oneida community practices and beliefs

The Oneida community was established by John Humphrey Noyes in the name of “free love.” Love was expressed through sexuality. Noyes was against the normal marriage because of two reasons, marriage made a woman a productive drudge and secondly, it was an obstacle to true Christian community because of the issue of staying as couples.

To solve this issue, Noyes created a method where men would restrain themselves as a method of birth control and members of Oneida community had liberty to have sexual relations with the opposite gender. In addition, monogamous marriage was not allowed.

Noyes stated that his teachings came from the bible. From the book of Genesis 1-3, sexuality served the purpose of expressing love and also that of recreation. However, after the fall, harmony between human beings was no more and this resulted to sufferings.

As a result of this fall, human beings experienced financial struggles in catering for their families while women suffered in giving birth. Men separated from their wives in such of support for their families.

The purpose of the Oneida community was to bring back the love that was lost between man and wife. People worked as a community for short hours, therefore reducing the burden of working. The path taken to live a life without suffering was, first, eliminating sin, shame, and then the burden of child birth.

Zen Buddhism practices and beliefs

The Zen community followed Buddha’s teachings. They had many practices such as zazen, where a person sat in meditation. Through this process of meditation a person experienced harmony. During meditation, thoughts passed through the mind but did not remain there. In this state of mind, everything that a person did came from natural impulses. A person was able to fully concentrate in his actions without interactions.

Koan was another practice done in Zen tradition. Koan used a question that puzzled the brain of a person. One was made to view the world in its original form. To understand a koan, one focused on it without reflecting on it, interacting directly with it. The significance of koan was to bring the understanding that every person was an interdependent whole of the world.

The purpose of Zen practice was enlightenment, or satori. One felt the harmony of all beings by realizing that everything was whole. Every living thing became valuable and at the same time invaluable. This enigma was understood only with consciousness rather than intellectuality.

Comparison and contrasts

The founders of both communities were human beings. The initiator of Buddhism was Shakyamuni. He was fully enlightened through meditation and opened ways of spirituality and liberty. The initiator of Oneida was known as John Noyes. He formed Oneida community in the name of love. They two founders had one main objective of reducing suffering in human beings.

Though Zen Buddhism and Oneida community shared common values, they also differed in some beliefs. Buddhism believed in no supreme power. Furthermore, they did not worship Buddha. Buddhism was not a religion of God; instead it was of wisdom, insight, and kindness. Oneida community believed in God, who was the creator of the universe.

Oneida community believed that salvation came through confession of sin; however, Buddhists believed that salvation and enlightenment came through meditation and taking away of defilements and illusion. Oneida community believed that there God lived separately; while Buddhists believed that Buddha was inherent in them.

The Buddha did not pay attention to aspects such as the soul, life after death, or how the earth was formed. Buddhists focused on the things that existed such as birth, aging, death, suffering and how they could be eliminated from people.

The teachings of Buddha were facts of existence and the way to freedom; nirvana. The Oneida community believed in life after death, where they stated that the kingdom of heaven would come to earth.

According to Buddha, life was about suffering which came from the desires of humans, and could end through the Noble Eightfold Path. Therefore, Buddha was neither negative nor positive about life.

Buddha outlined ways that would liberate people from suffering. The Eightfold Path gave procedures to eliminate past mistakes, abstain from keeping any wrongs, and forming values for a good rebirth. One step in this path was to know reality perfectly. This was done through knowing the four noble truths. Every action was controlled by the mind.

Therefore, the actions of people could either produce happiness or suffering. The second aspect was to have the right intention, then right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, and right mindfulness, and the eighth factor right meditation.

According to John Noyes, suffering began with the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. From that time onwards, women suffered during child birth, while men had to toil hard to support their families. This separated men and their wives, and the love that existed before ceased.

To stop this suffering, Noyes formed a community of “free love.” People worked as one, therefore reducing working hours. Men restrained themselves as a method of birth control, therefore reducing the suffering of women in child birth.

Zen Buddhism and Oneida community differed in their view of birth and death. In Buddhism, a changing form of being provoked another into motion. Every good or evil deed created another personality with time which was realized after death. For freedom to occur even after death, people had to live a life without desires. A liberated person experienced an eternal, calm, and permanent state. Oneida believed in eternity which would be on earth.

Conclusion

Zen community and Oneida community shared common values and differed in others. Both were formed with the intention of reducing suffering in human beings. Buddha gave teachings to its followers that acted as guidelines to a liberal life.

The main idea of these teachings was to flee from desires, which was the main cause of sufferings. On the other hand, John Noyes who was the founder of Oneida community stated that suffering began with the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and this suffering would end through birth control and a complex marriage.

However, the Zen and Oneida community differed in various aspects. The Zen community was non-theists, while Oneida community believed in God. The Oneida community followed biblical teachings while Zen community followed Buddha’s teachings.

Some monks have come up with belief that obstructions like lust and sensual pleasures cannot obstruct anyone from practicing their religion.

This is however a misrepresentation because these obstructions only lead to self-gratification which lead to perpetual suffering. Because of the debates that have clouded the sexuality of the monks many have had to believe that monks can marry. This is a misconception because monks must remain celibate.

Clear line has to be drawn between those who dress like monks and marry and the actual monks. Those who put on monks and have wives should never be mistaken for monks. Whoever feels like abandoning the monk’s way of life if free to go because it is their individual right.

But once they have given up their vows they must stop putting on like monks. Buddhism gives a lot of credence to scholarship that is anchored on the practitioner’s investigation and his experience.

This scholarship is not in essence a textual tradition. The scholarship is intended to enlighten someone under the Bodhi tree. Many people have mistaken Buddhism to be a religion.

In actual sense it is a philosophy of life. That there is god in Buddhism is a misrepresentation because the original scriptures do not talk of any conscious higher being in the world. The scriptures regarded nature as the highest being.

The Indian who started Buddhism died some time back and is not immortal (Nakamura, 1990). The fact that his followers called him Buddha simplify imply that he is enlightened but does not render him immortal.

Buddhism is against praying to idols but encourages individuals to think. The scriptures encourage people who practice Buddhism to challenge the existing teachings. This is meant to encourage thinking while discouraging blind following. Individuals must no what the verses in the scriptures actually mean. Scriptures tend to discourage offering of prayers to idols and statues.

One must not just go to the temple to pray but to think. It is likely that people who pray to idols do not engage in constructive thinking and tend to leave everything to Buddha and assume that things will resultantly be well with them. Individual is called upon to understand the ultimate source of suffering by engaging in thinking.

One can only fully understand how the world works when he or she is enlightened. Unless one is enlightened it is very difficult for them to attain happiness.

Buddhism calls upon its adherents to be compassionate towards everything, plants and animals included. This compassion makes one to attain higher level of enlightenment. This kind of enlightenment compels a man never to run but offer himself as food to the lion. The lion will be converted to a vegetarian by this higher enlightenment.

Scriptural teaching on retribution has up to today been misconceived because of the theories that have been advanced from the original scriptural teachings. Many stories have been told about the 18 levels of hell. Good and bad in Buddhism context is relative. Quite often whatever is perceived to be good or bad depends on how one was brought up, the state of their mind, and their level of education.

Because Buddhism is practiced not only in India but also widespread in Japan, and China it is practiced differently in these countries. The faithful have varying intellectual capacity hence the different ways in which these people understand Buddhism. Clever people and the greedy people practice Buddhism.

This call upon believers to be independent minded and interrogates the teachings of the Buddha so that they get enlightened. Because these people practice different cultures and have different social and economic background, it is possible that their understanding of Buddhism has to be divergent from those popular beliefs held by other faithful.

Christian’s perception of Buddhism

Buddhist practice denial of a self. They believe that human existence is characterized by impermanence. The impermanence is devoid of abiding principle.

Christians are tempted to ask that if there is no self then what it that reincarnates from one existence to the next is. Their view of rebirth has inherent potential problems with some of their texts alluding to continuity of personal existence. The scriptures are categorical that Yama will judge the dead.

Yama is the god of death. The dead will be sent to hell where they will suffer because of the sins they committed while living. If indeed there is no self why did Buddha have to say that ‘’this is my last birth, I will have no further existence’’. Whose last birth was this supposed to be if there is no self to be reborn. Various texts also refer to Buddha previous life (Masih, 2000).

Buddhist term for liberation literally means blowing out of candle and on getting liberated the five aggregates are scattered forever at death hence extinction of ontological elements that defines existentialism and the agents who experiences things like hatred. A Buddhist will not consider this horrifying because this spells death of illusion. As opposed to Christian’s belief in almighty God, Buddhists do not believe in existence of almighty God.

As opposed to Christianity where the Bible states that man cannot be good and needs a savior Buddhism stresses that works alleviate suffering and makes one to get enlightened (Wynne, 2007). All followers of Buddha are students as opposed to Christianity Jesus Christ are the lord through whom God reveals himself to humankind.

Misconceptions about Buddhism are common

Misconceptions about Buddhism are common because you are likely to encounter one who dismisses Buddhism on grounds that it teaches that nothing exists. This is attributed to teachings from anatta and shunyatta which in essence are not doctrines of non-existence but rather a teaching that gives limited scope to existence.

All and sundry do make a joke on a Buddhist monk telling a hot dog vendor to make him one with everything implying that Buddhism teaches that we are all one.

Buddha himself taught that it is wrong for a faithful to think that self is finite. He added that it is also wrong for someone to think that self is infinite. Buddha emphasizes that individuals are
component part of one thing and that for one to fully understand self he or she has to go beyond concepts and ideas (Wynne, 2007).

Because school facilities attended by Buddhists insist on vegetarianism, many people have taken to believe that Buddhists are vegetarians, however, to be or not to be a vegetarian is a personal choice that is not forced on someone.

The ancient scriptures on Buddhism say that Buddha was not a vegetarian. Ancient monks used to beg for their food and if they were given meat they made it upon themselves to interrogate that the meat was strictly meant for monks. If the meat was not specifically for monks then they were not supposed to eat it.

Step to be taken to minimize misconception about Buddhism

To dispel the misconceptions that many people have had about Buddhism it is only practical that a deeper understanding of what Buddhism is all about be developed. This can only be achieved when people take to reading scriptures that throw light on what it is all about.

Reference List

Masih, Y. (2000). A Comparative Study of Religions. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.

Nakamura, H. (1990). A History of Early Vedānta Philosophy: Part One. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.

Wynne, A. (2007). The origin of Buddhist meditation. New York: Routledge