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World Religions
Sam Elder
Suzanne Jacobs
The Same
But Different
Many religions have similarities but there are differences in how and what they
worship and believe. Before the semester started, I thought that all religions were
different and I failed to realize how similar they really were. As we have studied the
various religions in class, I have come to understand the many similar beliefs in each
religion. The three religions I am going to compare with one another are Buddhism,
Hinduism and Christianity.
Religion plays an extremely important role in society today. Many people
throughout the world base their lives from a religious view. Even morality is considered
to be a religious belief by most people throughout the world. A god or supreme being is
at the center of these religions and influences people’s lives every day. Some consider
religion to be a vital part in their lives while many believe otherwise. Warren Matthews,
the author of “World Religions” defines religion as “a response that a person of a social
group makes to what she experiences as the highest power of the known universe that
controls significant events in her life, determines her destiny, and sustains any
consciousness after her death.” I personally believe religion is essential in my life and
completely agree with Matthew’s definition.
Every person ponders three distinct questions throughout their life: Where did we
come from? Why are we here? And last of all, where are we going? One of the reasons
religion exists is to answer these questions and provide a sense of belonging and security.
Scripture in religion is the tool to provide knowledge to each member about a church’s
beliefs, customs, traditions and commandments. Being in a nation dominated by Christian
beliefs we are bound to know “The Bible” as a source of scripture. We know that the
bible is a sacred text and answers specific questions of why we are here, how we should
live our lives and where we are going after this life. But do Hinduism and Buddhism also
have scripture? The answer is yes!
Sacred writings also have a major impact in both Hinduism and Buddhism. There
are two types of literature in the Hindu sacred writings, the Shruti and the Smriti. The
Shruti comprises of literature considered to be “that what is heard” and is referred to as
revelation. The Shruti is scripture which has been recited and chanted by priests and
Brahmins since the ancient times and labeled to be the oldest scripture in texts history.
The Shruti consists of the Vedas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads.
The Smriti on the other hand refers to as “that which is remembered”. The Smriti
includes the myths and folklore of Hinduism and are able to be expounded upon even
today. Some examples of literature in the Smriti are; The Laws of Manu, the Ramayana,
the Mahabharata and the Puranas.
In Buddhism, the main scripture is called the Tipitaka and is separated into three
different sections. The Tipitaka is regarded as the journals of Buddha which have been
passed down by Buddha’s disciples throughout history. Buddhists believe the Tipitaka to
contain the complete teachings of Buddha. The Tipitaka consists of rules and regulations
for Buddhist monks and nuns, documentations of Buddha’s experiences, myths and
legends, and doctrines of absence of self and suffering. We can see that scripture has a
significant impact on what a religion believes and also tries to answer any lingering
question man might have.
Gods and prophets are central in many religions. Christianity is full of prophets
and a God that lead the religion today. In the bible, we know that many different
prophets wrote what they considered to be the word of God. At the Catholic Cathedral,
the Christians would read the Bible out loud and study the words of the Prophets in order
to understand them more thoroughly. Prophets are respected as leaders and holy men by
Christians and believe they are called by God to guide them back to heaven. Without
prophets being instruments in God’s hands to lead and guide his people, Christianity
wouldn’t exist today. God is the main reason religion exists as I stated before, but is God
necessary in all religions?
Buddhism doesn’t actually have what others claim as a God. Some people
believe that Buddha was a God, or Prophet but Buddha never claimed he was either one
and neither do any scriptures. During their worship at the temple, they never actually
referred to a God, but rather talked about how they could improve the quality of their
lives and find peace within. This is a significant difference from both Hinduism and
Christianity which center their religions on a God or many Gods. Hindus believe in a
concept called Henotheism which means there is one God above all other Gods.
Hinduism accepts many gods and goddesses. Popular Hinduism today concentrates on
the worship of a trinity. The trinity includes God Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva which each
contribute in different ways. Brahma specifically represents creation, Vishnu represents
preservation and Shiva represents destruction in one cycle of being. After going to the
Hindu temple, I saw that Hindus would center their worship around God himself. They
had a statue of one of the Gods and was washing it, feeding it, and also treating it like a
guest with the utmost respect. This was a key point in how they showed their faith in a
God, or multiple Gods. Henotheism allows a Hindu to be flexible in how and what they
worship, making it a very diverse religion. A lot of people disagree that Christianity
follows this same belief system but many sects of Christianity believe in Henotheism or
that there is multiple Gods but only one supreme and just God. Before taking this class I
would have never thought Christianity and Hinduism could be so similar and would have
never guessed that Buddhism was a religion without a belief in God.
Reincarnation is a centralized topic in both Hinduism and Buddhism. They
believe that they will continue in the life cycle forever. Once they die, they are
reincarnated into a different person, animal, or plant. Hinduism works off a caste system
that determines which cycle of reincarnation a person is in and why they are in that
specific cycle of reincarnation. The caste system originated from four different castes;
Brahmins (priests and teachers), Kshatriya (Warriors and Administrators), Vaisya
(Skilled workers), and Shudras (Slaves and Laborers). Hinduism believes that how you
live your life during the life cycle you are currently in will effect your future
reincarnation. People who were in the Shudras class were considered to be deserving of
the labor and treatment given to them as slaves. The Brahmins, the highest class, were
well respected and truly felt the reverence shown to them was a sign of their greatness in
the life before. This process was based on Kharma, the famous saying, “What goes
around comes around”.
In Buddhism, Kharma is psychological and carries over in reincarnation. Not
only does the reincarnation affect what you become physically but also mentally. Some
people continue to have mental illnesses because of Kharma from their life before. Thich
Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist, said, "Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I
vow to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect lives of people, animals, plants,
and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any
killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life." He truly believes that if he
were not to do these things, it would affect his reincarnation in the next life. In
Hinduism, Kharma is understood as some type of physical energy that controls your life.
De, Soumen, the author of “The Historical Context of The Bhagavad Gita and Its
Relation to Indian Religious Doctrines”, expressed, “your business is with the deed and
not with the result.” This statement proves that Hindus look at Kharma as more of a
physical energy than psychological view. Kharma in Hinduism differs from Kharma in
Buddhism in that they believe Kharma only affects reincarnation in a physical form and
that the past doesn’t play a role in the next life. It is as though their slate of Kharma is
swiped clean and they can prove themselves in this life.
Christianity believes in something very similar except for the fact their body is
not reincarnated into a different physical form. Christians believe that all humans must
die but they will rise from the grave, or be resurrected, just as Jesus Christ did on the
third day after his death. Christians believe that what they do in this life will affect where
they go in the next life. They can relate to the same principle of Kharma because
Christians believe in what they call the “Golden Rule” which means to do unto others as
you would want done unto yourself. They truly believe that what they do on earth will
affect what kind of benefits or blessings they will receive in the life to come.
Reincarnation and Resurrection are essential in all three religions in order to
receive Nirvana or Eternal Life. In Hinduism and Buddhism they believe that at some
point they will achieve a state of rest. Buddhist and Hindu’s goal is to overcome the
cycle of reincarnation and become free from the troubles they encountered here on earth.
Although their understanding of Nirvana is slightly different, their goal is to reach this
state. Buddhist feel that when they reach a state of Nirvana they will inherit freedom
from greed, hate and ignorance that hold them back in this life. In order to achieve
Nirvana a person must show love for others, be compassionate, sympathetic and show
patience in everything they do. They must follow five main principles which prohibit
killing, stealing, foul language, sexual immorality and the use of intoxications. When
these main principles are followed, one is able to receive Nirvana no matter what Caste
class they are placed in. Buddhist also believe once they have obtained Nirvana in this
life, their death releases them from Samsara and they achieve eternal existence or
Parinirvana.
Hinduism has similar beliefs in that they are stuck in this continuous cycle of
rebirth moving from one body to another. The goal of a person’s existence is to reach
liberation from the cycle of rebirth and death and enter into an enlightened state. Once
you have obtained this state of existence you are no longer jammed in the cycle of rebirth
and receive moksha or liberation. To overcome the reincarnation in Hinduism, a person
must complete the process of yoga. Yoga, means to yoke or harness. By practicing yoga,
one can overcome physical, mental and spiritual states. They then begin to become at
one with their God and can receive peace within. But, one distinct difference between
Hinduism and Buddhism is not everyone can receive Enlightenment or Nirvana during
every life cycle. You must be specifically assigned to a certain Caste class in order to
achieve Nirvana.
Christianity is similar in their beliefs in order to obtain Eternal Life. The goal for
all Christians is to overcome the sins and mistakes of mankind through Christ and return
to the mansions of God. Christians follow the Ten Commandments which are
comparable to the five main principles of Buddhism in order to be rewarded Eternal Life.
They assume that they are incompatible to enter into the kingdom of God without
accepting Christ and that the natural man is an enemy to God and must look to a Savior to
overcome their sins. They believe that when man looks to the Savior and partakes of the
sacrament, they are qualified to return back to the presence of God. The goal of
Christians is the same as both Hindus and Buddhists which is to obtain freedom from the
troubles, trials, difficulties and hardships endured during this life.
After attending each of these religious gathering places, I found it difficult to
comprehend how their rituals of worship reflected their beliefs. I assume I am not able to
see the relation because of my Christian background. I could see some Buddhist or
Hindu join the congregation in my church and be completely lost, just like I was in theirs.
But, I am sure there are many different types of worship in sacred places and during
special occasions where these religions express more of their beliefs. Although, I thought
it was difficult to see how other’s rituals, customs, traditions and worship reflected their
beliefs, I was still able manage to comprehend some. Buddhist showed their beliefs in
understanding the humans’ role in life and how they can free themselves from pain and
suffering. It was represented in the decorations in the building, the people’s dress and
also the actions of the people. Hindus were able to show their reverence to their deities
and dedication to following exact rituals from the past. They had many different statues
and representations of their Gods and Goddesses throughout their temple. You could see
their deep respect and reverence for their “God above all other Gods” by the way they
decorated His platform. Christians displayed their faith in the artwork throughout the
Cathedral. They had paintings and images of Jesus Christ performing miracles and the
atonement almost everywhere you looked. It was extremely symbolical and represented
the Savior’s life in the New Testament very well. I wish I was able to study these
specific religions more thoroughly in order to comprehend how each act of worship
reflected some belief.
Religion is an extraordinary topic to study and has many more important topics
that could be covered. It sincerely controls what we do on a daily basis whether we are
part of a specific religion or not. We are born into a world filled with different religions
and beliefs but yet share the same basic foundations. I believe it is vital to understand
different religions so we can choose for ourselves what to believe and to better
understand how and why people live their lives the way they do.
Citations
De, Soumen. "The Historical Context of The Bhagavad Gita and Its Relation to Indian
Religious Doctrines." Exploring Ancient World Cultures: Essays on Ancient India, 1996.
Accessed on 8/23/2010 from: http://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/de.htm
Rev. Hozan Alan Senauke, "Cultivating Peace, Dismantling War: Inner and Outer
Disarmament," The Buddhist Channel, at: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/
Matthews, Alfred Warren. World Religions. St. Paul, MN: West Pub., 1991. Print.
Reflection
This class was a good opportunity to enhance my understanding of where
people’s religious views come from. It also helped me to better relate to why people act a
certain way. I thought this class was taught very well and increased my knowledge
immensely in the religions of the world. I would recommend taking this course to help
each person understand culture, customs, traditions and acts of worship that affect us on a
daily basis. It was a fun and well presented class which has encouraged me to keep
studying the diversity of religions and to be more accepting of others’ point of views.