Judaism And Buddhism Comparison Essay

Therefore, these similarities help show that both of these forms of Judaism essential came from the same roots and background. In conclusion, it is evident that although both of these denominations are a part of Judaism, there are many differences between them. Overall, one of the main differences between Orthodox Jews and Reform Jews is Reform Jews focus more on the ethics and moral of Judaism compared to the Orthodox who focus on strict rituals, commandments, and practices. Neither form of Judaism is better than another, they are simply meant for different people. Judaism is a religion filled with a variety of different beliefs and interpretations, but it is still a very popular belief system that is recognized

Another difference lies in the fact that Hinduism is an ethnic religion (a similarity between Hinduism and Judaism) while Buddhism is considered a universalizing religion (a similarity between Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam). Another primary difference between the two religions is that Hinduism followed a caste system in which people were born into particular castes. On the other hand, Buddhism did away with this caste system such that different subgroups were not distinguished from one another. Furthermore, Buddhism emphasizes the teachings of Buddha, who might also be referred to as the “Enlightened One.”  Following from this, Buddhism emphasized the path to enlightenment through understanding of what are called the “four noble truths.”  In my reading of the chapter, I did not find evidence of these truths being part of Hinduism. In addition, Hinduism seems to place a greater emphasis on things like ceremonies, rites, and pilgrimages, while Buddhism doesn’t seem to place as much emphasis on such rituals.

Many people believe that Buddhism is not only a religion but can also be considered as a philosophy. Reason being the Buddhist path can be summed up into three steps: to lead a moral life, to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and to develop wisdom and understanding (White). Buddhism rejected many religious believes like blood sacrifices and existence of Supreme Being. The religion believed evil was the source of man suffering. They rejected blood sacrifices because they believed man should co-exist with animals peacefully (Hagen et al, p96).

This contradicts the five precepts of the panca sila states. “Do not kill any living being”, referencing to the notion of Ahimsa which violates the idea of the first precept. As well as abortion, the buddhist teachings states that ending one’s life resulting in negative karmic consequences. This is supported by the Vinaya Pitaka stating “A monk who intentionally deprives a human being of his life, or provides the means for suicide, or praises death, or incites one to commit suicide … praises death in various ways or incites him to commit suicide, commits an offense entailing loss of monkhood,” highlighting the buddhist teaching of Samsara ( the cycle of birth, life and rebirth) enlightening the decisions and the adherent’s conscience and behaviour. In reference to the Dalai Lama, under special circumstances, euthanasia is only acceptable

Hinduism is a “conglomeration of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices,” (About Religion, 2015). Thus, Hinduism has various sects, lacking unification of systems and beliefs. For this discussion, a broad context of the faith’s answers to the worldview questions will be addressed. First of all, Brahman is the ultimate reality, and it began to exist from non-existence, an unconscious emanation from the divine; Brahman is the cause of all physical and moral realms in the universe and although many gods exist in Hinduism, they all are below the one true deity above all else, (CAFNepal, 2011). Hinduism is varied in its beliefs regarding the characteristics of Brahman; some hold that Brahman is omnipotent and omniscient with no characteristics, while others hold that Brahman is a loving deity that cares for mankind and exhibits positive characteristics.

Two major types of Judaism could be found during the Second Temple Period: common Judaism and diversified Judaism. Each group followed its own set of theological tenants, with common Judaic groups following Monotheism or Henotheism, and more diversified Judaic groups following Apocalypticism and Messianism. From a distance, both types of Judaism and their tenants appear to be incompatible with each other; however, upon closer review, it becomes evident that they are actually harmonious with one another. The core theological thought in common Judaism stems from two different beliefs in the number of divine beings: monotheism and henotheism. Monotheism refers to the belief and worship of one single God.

Summer Cyr October 13, 2015 World History Religious essay Hinduism Buddhism, and Judaism are all very different religions, but what do they have in common? Where did they comes from? Who started them? These are all questions that people might wonder everyday. Here is some background on all 3 religions.

Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which [he] would define as unconditional love, is central to a Jedi's life. And so [she] might say that [the Jedis] are encouraged to love" (36). Compassion is having concern for other people's well-being, and about putting others before yourself, which is the "ideal Buddhist attitude of devoting one's life to others without any self-interest for the pursuit of the happiness", is "a main characteristic of a Jedi and recommended as worthy of imitation", and relies on the interdependence of all things (Feichtinger 36). With this said, another Buddhist motif that is recognized in Star Wars is interdependence; meaning that everything is connected to each other.

Given the vast number of issues that Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity share, it is not contestable that there must be clear connection between them. The concern, therefore, should not focus on the existence of connection, but how the connections came into existence. Considering the religions from another point of view, they still reflect a dozen of differences. The current paper seeks to compare and contrast the three religions: Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity. Beginning with the similarities, the three religions trace their origin and early history in the Middle-East.

It began as an element forming the ancient societies, it was indistinguishable from what is known as 'mythology ' in the present day and consisted of regular rituals based on a belief in higher supernatural entities who created and continued to maintain the world and surrounding cosmos. To this very day people are confronted with many philosophical questions regarding this belief and practice. It is a confrontation between the ones who believe and the ones who do not. As rational animals, humans are seeking meaning beings and always question everything. This process of seeking is what enables us to discover numerous scientific facts, laws, and theories as well as religions.