Karma governs these moral deeds, and a person must "pay" in the next life if they do not act morally and spiritually in this life. Thus, karma governs more than one life, and is an important concept in the religion.
Buddhism differs from many of the world's major religions in many ways. For example, monks are the holy men of the religion, but they do not act as priests or officials of the church. In fact, many rituals, such as baptism and marriage, are considered family rituals and are not presided over by monks. They do attend funerals, because Buddhists believe death is simply the gateway to another life, and the beginning of a rebirth for another life here on Earth. A central tenet of the Buddhist religion is reincarnation and rebirth, which can occur repeatedly. A person may come back as the same person again and again, or they may come back as many different people, which is more common. However, this does not mean that a person does not have to "pay" for their sins on earth. One writer notes, "Rebirth is thought to take place among all forms of sentient life, and the worlds into which beings can be reborn include a range of heavens and hells."
If, during these many lives, a person reaches a plateau, where they live selflessly and with love for others, they can reach a state of Nirvana, or perfection. However, many of the Buddhist sects' different beliefs have blended together to form central beliefs that all sects practice, and some western customs, such as the marriage ceremony, have found their way into Buddhist culture and religion.
While these generalizations apply to most forms of Buddhism, it is important to remember there are several different sects of Buddhism, and each has small aspects they alter or do not subscribe to. Some of the diverse sects include Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Theravada Buddhism, which some call Southern Buddhism. Sometimes it is spelled "Therevada." Each of these sects shares core beliefs, but they have evolved separately, due to their location and differences in belief systems. For example, Tibetan Buddhism evolved in Tibet, and is isolated from other sects just as Tibet is isolated with the rest of the world, and Theravada Buddhism is the most popular form of the religion in Southeast Asia.
It is interesting to note that Buddhism has caught on in many aspects of American culture, even if Americans do not fully...
Another facet of the Buddhist doctrine that is often attacked is the opposing elements of helping others come to Buddhism while the rest of the religion preaches a strong support for evading society. Doing both is quite difficult, as one cannot help other people come to Buddhism and cultivate their minds if they are not even a part of society where there are people to support (Confucian Responses to
Buddhism I have admittedly led a pretty sheltered life in terms of interactions with people from other cultures. I am not a Buddhist and so I do not have any first-hand experiences with the religious practices associated with Buddhism. Before this course, and before my experience, I knew some things about Buddhism, but only as much as most people know. For example, I knew that Buddhism is primarily associated with Asian
In fact, Hindus consider their religion not as a form of religion per se, but spirituality in general. Selvanayagam (2005) discussed the Hindu concept of spirituality, which takes into account all possible ways or manner in which enlightenment can be achieved. In India, wherein the Hindu religion is the dominant and an integral part of people's lives, Hinduism is considered more than a religion -- it is also a political
In an English concept of second nature performance of an action, no thought only the action is performed. The similar concept of Wu in Daoism, which is being or the ultimate understanding of what being is, is also represented in Buddhism by Atman, the inner or greater self. Taoist thought in China had been exercised for a long time over the relation of non-being to being, (chen-ju) non-activity to activity.
Buddhism and Jainism Based on Michael Molloy's three patterns for comparing and contrasting religions, there seems to be a great deal of similarity between Buddhism and Jainism and marked differences between Hinduism and Taoism (Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, & Change, 2002.) To start with, Buddhism and Jainism both meet the definition of religion as a 'spiritual path' and Carl Jung's description of religion as meeting the need for personal fulfillment
Buddhism is one of the world's major religions -- yet many dispute whether it should be called a religion at all. Buddhism has been called a 'philosophy' as much as a faith, because of its non-theocratic nature. Although the Buddha is revered as a historical figure, and many Buddhist traditions invest his persona with a kind of miraculous power, it is not necessary to believe in a god or gods
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now