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Judaism And Buddihsm Dow Defined Term Paper

It is also known as the will and finally the consciousness or vijnana which is the sense of awareness of a sensory or mental object. The human being is thus seen as a cluster of ever changing physical and mental processes with no underlying self. The five aggregates depend on becoming as they dependant on one another. Life is therefore a suffering in itself and one does not merely suffer in itself. Salvation (reconciliation of humanity with ultimate reality)

In Buddhism, salvation is believed to be through human acts. Salvation means that one has reached Nirvana which is defined as a transcendental, blissful, spiritual state of nothingness and therefore one becomes a Buddha. One attains nirvana through following the Novel Eightfold path which involves accepting the Four Nobel Truths which are the existence of suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering and the end of pain. This is also referred to as the Right Understanding. The Right Resolve means renouncing the pleasures of the body and changing one's lifestyle in order to avoid harming living creature as well as having kind thoughts for everyone. One needs to avoid gossip, lies or slandering of others which is referred to as right speech. Right action entails not killing, stealing or engaging in an unlawful sexual act. The Right occupation means avoiding work that can charm others. The Right Effort means working in a bid to eliminate evil from their lives by putting effort in developing good conduct and a clear mind. The Right Contemplation means one being self-aware of their deeds, words and thoughts so as to free themselves of desire and sorrow. Right meditation means training one's mind to focus, without wavering, on a single object. This will enable them develop a mind that is calm and capable of concentration ("Salvation in Buddhism").

According to various intellectual sources, there is a gradual transition from physical death to an afterlife whereby the body and spirit remain connected to one another through either resurrection or immortality...

The transition from life to death is believed to actually begin three days after death when the soul is believed to hover over the grave in hope of getting restored to the body. Other beliefs are that the soul maintains a temporary relationship with its body in a type of purgatory, twelve months after death. This state leads to either paradise, or Gan Eden or hell, Gehinnom. The rabbis believe that the righteous are eligible to receive salvation depending on whether they have fulfilled the seven commandments of establishing courts of justice, refraining from blaspheming the God of Israel, idolatry, sexual perversion, bloodshed, robbery, and eating meat that is cut from a living animal.
In conclusion, both Judaism and Buddhism, even with subtle differences in beliefs aim towards making man a better person spiritually. The major difference lies in the fact that Judaism is a religion where there is belief in the existence of God while Buddhism has no such thing. They both however strive to create a good relationship between man and those around him.

Works Cited

Adamson, Marilyn, Connecting with the Divine: Descriptions of the World's major religions:

Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and New Age. 9 Sept. 2003. 2 May 2010. < http://www.everystudent.com/pdf/divine.pdf

Armstrong, Karen. Buddha. New York: Penguin Books, 2001.

Day, John. Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan. Chippenham: Sheffield

Academic Press, 2000.

"Judaism." 23 June. 2001. 2 May 2010.

"Judaism Afterlife and Salvation." 6 Jan. 1998. 2 May 2010.

Katz, Lisa. God in Judaism: Jewish Beliefs about God 18 Nov. 2003. 2 May 2010.

Lewis, Bernard. The Jews of Islam. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.

"Salvation in Buddhism." 28 Oct. 2007. 2 May 2010.

Valea, Ernest. The Human Condition in World Religions. 28 March. 2009. 2 May

2010.

"What is Buddhism." 12 Feb. 2006. 2 May 2010.

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Adamson, Marilyn, Connecting with the Divine: Descriptions of the World's major religions:

Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and New Age. 9 Sept. 2003. 2 May 2010. < http://www.everystudent.com/pdf/divine.pdf

Armstrong, Karen. Buddha. New York: Penguin Books, 2001.

Day, John. Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan. Chippenham: Sheffield
<http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/judaism/bldef_judaism.htm>
<http://www.patheos.com/Library/Judaism/Beliefs/Afterlife-and-Salvation.html>
<http://judaism.about.com/od/beliefs/a/god.htm>
<http://www.evangelical.us/buddhism.html>
2010.<http://www.comparativereligion.com/man.html>
"What is Buddhism." 12 Feb. 2006. 2 May 2010.<http://fwbo.org/buddhism.html>
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