Islam And Buddhism Research Paper

Buddhism is the worshiping of the “enlightened one” and teaches to overcome one’s desires is to overcome pain. Islam teachings are written in a book called the Koran and was founded by Muhammad. He claimed to have a vision from God. There are two different types of Islam that are practiced: one believes the religious leader is inspired to interpret the Koran and the other believes that Modernism threatens religion (Chinatown-online- Chinese beliefs). In the United States there are hundreds of denominations and sects of religion. About 69 % of Americans belong to a church or synagogue. In the U.S. people are usually drawn to a certain religion because of social class, race and age. The most obvious classification of religion in the U.S. is race (Sociology A Down-to-Earth Approach, 1999, pg. 511). African Americas and the White population tend to separate themselves into their own churches. With so many congregations and denominations throughout the U.S. there is no dominate religion. Over the years moderilization in the U.S. has put less importance on religion. The Chinese culture is very much centered on religion (A Down-to-Earth Approach, 1999 pg. 512).

This is a prime example of how Buddhism diffused throughout Southeast Asia by being assimilated into regions after Buddhist forces conquered them. Another example of this would be that of a prince from Laos who fell in love with a Cambodian-Buddhist princess. Fa Ngoun, the prince of Laos, was exiled to Cambodia and fell in love with a Buddhist princess there, then returned to Laos with newfound political power and diffused Buddhism among his people, though not forcefully (Buddhanet, pg 1). In later periods in Cambodia's history, Cambodia was one of France's colonies while the Cambodians were strongly Theravada Buddhists. After the French left Cambodia unoccupied of their colonial ruler, Cambodians sought education about Buddhism and gained only some progress in their era of Buddhist education.

The way Hinduism and Buddhism entered Southeast Asia was not the same, as well as when it entered and its influence of Indian culture that emerged into the area. Civilizations in Southeast Asia focused on an appreciation to nature, which resulted in a harmonious and equal relationship between man and nature. Southeast Asia had been depicted and known as the “golden island.” These Southeast Asian civilizations were characteristically composed from Hindu and Buddhist ways of life that influenced its people greatly. As Buddhism processed its way into Southeast Asia, the religion became culturally grounded once the people practiced it. Hinduism and Buddhism in Southeast Asia were influenced by Indian culture, which was accepted by the rulers

Through history, religion has shaped civilizations in several aspects. In ancient Indian and Egyptian civilizations it was very strong shaping force in political structures, but both the religious beliefs and the resulting political system were different, just like pharaohs were different from rajas.

Throughout history, different civilizations have been exchanging and spreading ideas. Of these ideas, religion often spreads the most drastically, finding new roots in places throughout the world. These spreading religions can greatly affect the nations they spread to, often impacting the political, social, and economic aspects of an area. Religions such as Buddhism in Japan and Christianity in the Americas allowed their monarchies to strengthen their reign on their citizens, adapt their societies to the new theologies, and cultivate wealth through both trade and conquest.

While the Western World is largely familiar with elements surrounding the spread of Christianity, these people are inclined to ignore that Buddhism came to experience a similar progression in the East. Beginning approximately five centuries before Christianity, Buddhism emerged as an ideology contrasting harsher Hindu laws and made it possible for people to understand that it was actually necessary for them to follow a Middle Path in order to achieve Enlightenment. In spite of the fact that the religion spread rapidly through its land of birth, it generally came to receive lesser appreciation in India while more and more countries to the East began to express interest in the concepts that it put across.

Religion has played a very important role in society and the history of mankind for over thousands of years. Originally created by ancient peoples as a way to explain the unknown, religion has greatly evolved and spread across the globe. As new religions have formed and spread, the diversity and similarities between these new religions have also increased, especially due to their geographic locations. Two civilizations in particular with both similar and distinct religions are ancient China, and ancient Egypt. Ancient Chinese religion and ancient Egyptian religion share many things in common with each other, yet at the same time they are

Buddhism, as one of the three most important religions on earth, was originated from India. Later on, it was introduced to China and was widely accepted by the Chinese through a long period of hard time. Similarly, the history of the United States is also closely linked with religions. The first colonists in America were mostly puritans or pilgrims from Europe.

Every society is based on different religion. Different people follow different types of religion according to their birth or by choice. The major religions of the world are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Each religion is similar and different from one another in terms of festivals, practices and beliefs. Apart from Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are the two most widely practiced religions in the world today. They have their own traditions, beliefs and practices. These two religions are similar to some extent and differ in terms of the God they worship, religious text and the place where they offer their prayers.

In the article, “A Silk Road Legacy: The Spread of Buddhism and Islam” by Xinru Liu, the author discusses the dominance of Buddhism in Central Asia and how the religion made its way from Central Asia into China, India, and other parts of Asia. Xinru Liu also discusses how the regions in Central Asia were divided into many city-states that never unified. Because of this, no region in Central Asia ever had an official religion and there was a variety of religions practiced by the people, such as Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism. Xinru Liu also points out the Arab conquest to Central Asia and the important Silk Road trading stations that were located there that they wanted control of. Xinru Liu discusses the introduction of Islam to Central Asia during this conquest and how it was established there and then later spread to other parts of Asia, such as India. Finally, Xinru Liu discusses the influence on Central Asians from many different outsiders and what life was like for the people before, during, and after the rise of the Islamic Empire and how Central Asians have survived and thrived under the constant changing environment.

The spread of religion first began through contact with neighbouring countries which gradually expand throughout the years. Buddhism and Islam are one of the most widespread religions across Southeast Asian countries like Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Trade merchants and imperial support of the religion were major factors in the facilitation and localization of the spread of Buddhism and Islam within Southeast Asia. However, there were also limitations presented which hindered the development of each religion in within their countries as introduction of newer religions and changes to political and imperial power would have affected the progression to become fully localised pre-1800s.

Popular religion in Asia is much different than other world religions and what we have here in the United States. Popular religion in Asia is characterized by beliefs, rituals, and organizations that spread the secular life of the individual lige and the society. It is composed of theology, rituals, and organizational relations that are interrelated with other social organizations. The family is a critical source of inspiration for religious ideas and one of the most important organizations for the transmission of religious beliefs. The popular religion of Asia has rituals for continuiing the sense of community. People perform rituals that are daily, seasonally, annually, and life cycle events. Daily rituals are performed to and from work,

Islam and Christianity are the two primary religions around the world. Through religion individuals build communities, sustain local cultures and help to carry on century old traditions. In many ways religion has played a key role in establishing local governments, legal systems and influencing good law and order. Followers of

Buddhism is influenced by the existing local religions and local society greatly. When looking at Buddhism, we can see influences from Vedic religion, Jainism and the local society in Southern Asia. It is understandable as the founder of Buddhism, Buddha was raised in those lands and the people who written his religion after him, were the people of Southern Asia. Therefore, it is almost inescapable for Buddhism to not be influenced by the local customs and religions.

India is one of the main countries on the globe that has very high cultural and spiritual beliefs. Their society is based round one of the most religious cultures on the globe. They worship many different beings and gods. Their religion is made up of 80% Hindu, 11% Muslim with Sikh, Christian and Buddhist minorities. Egypt is also another religious believing country as it incorporates their past however many thousand years of history.