Concepts of reincarnation and Nirvana Both Buddhism and Hinduism have their ultimate goal the perfection of the individual. (Smith, 1958, 22)
Like Hinduism, Christianity aims to create a balance between its religious teachings and its application to the people's realities. Thus, Hindus being secular because of the multi-faceted nature of their religion, Christians have similarly tried to achieve secularism as an integral and inevitable part of what is called the 'dialogue in Christology' (Bhakiaraj, 2006:280)
Moreover, it is sympathetic to the African-American male, whatever his socio-economic level is, because Buddhism primarily teaches the individual to deprive himself of worldliness in ideals and materialism, two criteria that makes the African-American male more oppressed when compared to the white American or the non-African-American male. It is through Buddhism that the black American male realizes the triviality of the world he lives in, and achieves satisfaction and anticipation of enlightenment by becoming contented of what he is -- being an African-American male discriminated against or prejudiced because of his race or status in the society (Elmore, 2006)
In Christianity, the soul represents the individual as he reaches the next stage, the eternal life, after death. In Buddhism, the soul functions as part of the "karma" cycle, in which the individual becomes another entity in the next stage of his life, and the kind of entity the karma will take is dependent on the kind of life the individual lived while he was still a human (Fair, 2005:73)
In Buddhism, enlightenment is experienced individually, while Muslims believed that enlightenment can be experienced collectively and concretely. For the latter, enlightenment is said to happen when human society is able to progress in its ultimate modern state, a society so progressive it has achieved enlightenment not just in its religious experience, but in its existence in the world, most importantly (Jeffrey, 2005:55)
Islam and Hinduism share similar teachings when it comes to describing the concept of self-realization, called "jnana" in the Sanskrit language. Like the Islam objective of achieving self-realization by discovering the truth in human existence, which is through the establishment of a society wherein the political structure is guided by the teachings of Islam and thoroughly learning the teachings of the prophet Muhammad (Shahi, 2006:16)
Unlike most other religions, it cannot be linked to a single founder as it is formed from diverse traditions. It is a predominant religion in the Indian subcontinent and is one of its indigenous religions (Sen, 2005) Due to the fact that it cannot be clearly defined and does not have rigid guidelines various forms of religious expressions coexist in Hinduism
Beliefs Within Hinduism there is the belief of a supreme God whose qualities are represented by deities which emanate from him. The Supreme Being is all-pervasive that is both immanent and transcendent and is also the creator and un-manifest reality (Kumar, 2003
Hinduism is against suicide since they view it as assisting death and this brings about bad karma since it violates the non-violence principle. Hinduism includes teachings that condemn violence and war and promote moral duty through teaching (Hebbar,2009) Hinduism also opposes capital punishment since it is not in line with the non-violence code of Hinduism
For millions of people in India (because of Hinduism) the system of medicine is called "Ayruveda" ("knowledge of life"); more than "eighty percent of people in India rely on herbal remedies" as opposed to traditional medicine practiced in Western societies (Baylor University). The desire for liberation from earthly existence: this desire is based on the ultimate goal of karma, which is not just about the good or bad in a person's life, but about "…a clean escape from the karma-run wheel of birth, death, and rebirth (samsara)," which takes place over many weary lifetimes, hence, the desire for liberation (Fisher, 1997)
It did not however develop in isolation, and many cultural and social elements influenced it over its years of evolution. At the beginning of the eighth century for example, Muslims entered and took over several areas of the country, and sixteenth and seventeenth centuries brought Buddhism and Jainism (Fisher, 2005, p
" She took breath and demanded, "Banish Rama to the forests for fourteen years; and crown Bharatha and celebrate his enthronement with the arrangements you have already made." (Narayan 1995) After some thinking, Dasaratha, unwillingly, sends Rama to the forests
The philosophical schools of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism share a general set of beliefs regarding the interrelated notions of karma, rebirth, bondage, and liberation, as well as the concept of lesyas or colors (Skoog pp). The theological view of all the religions consider man to be caught in an endless cycle of rebirths, "where each life is inevitably sunk in suffering due to the transient nature of the world" (Chandran pp)
Jainists accumulate merit through charity, good works, and in occasional monastic retreat (Jainism pp). The philosophical schools of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism share a general set of beliefs regarding the interrelated notions of karma, rebirth, bondage, and liberation, as well as the concept of lesyas or colors (Skoog pp)
Both religions emphasize that people should shape their lives and mould their personalities according to the rules of single God. They unanimously believe that there should be a strong connection between an individual and God (Hoskins)
The Christian Trinity and the ancient Vedic trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in Hinduism portray the same belief among Christians and Hindus. Christians use the sign of the cross and Hindus also use a cross known as "anganyasa" (Knapp)
His teachings explain an ordinary person the truth of philosophy and wisdom. Jesus Christ is loved, esteemed and cherished by innumerable Hindus though they have different mentality levels and attitudes (Machado)
The Caste System, as delineated in the Vedas 1, serves to stratify society and eventually leads to discrimination and social strife. The Four Permissible Goals of the Hindu Religion "recognize that men naturally and therefore legitimately seek, in the course of many rebirths, four aims in life" (Noss, 178)
The Caste System, as delineated in the Vedas 1, serves to stratify society and eventually leads to discrimination and social strife. The Four Permissible Goals of the Hindu Religion "recognize that men naturally and therefore legitimately seek, in the course of many rebirths, four aims in life" (Noss, 178)
Hindu belief is that every being is exactly what he should be, given his life experiences and actions in his former life. "It commits the Hindu who understands it to complete personal responsibility" (Smith, 64)