Eastern and Western Religions Essay

Spirits are known as the souls of a people that are intangible and immortal. Buddhism affiliates spirits as souls of people who are in the constant cycle of reincarnation and suffering. It is a believed that the souls of people are what carry them throughout the universe in the cycle as Buddhists believe in a constant state of change and that the physical existence and identity is never permanent; thus, everyone is associated with a spirit in this cycle of reincarnation. However, some spirits in Buddhism are also seen as deities which are those who attained a level of enlightenment yet instead of enlightenment, they stay to

Not everybody has the same beliefs about certain things. The world is a big place with billions of people and a lot of them have their own beliefs. One belief about death is the way Buddhism people see it and their belief is reincarnation. Today, Buddhism is found in Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and China and in India, Sri Lanka Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, Cambodia, also in the European countries and the USA. It is believed that the Buddhist population of the world is over five hundred million. Five hundred million people believe that if you die it is not the end of your life but the beginning of a new one. Your new life would be reborn in one of six realms which are: heaven, human beings, Asura, hungry ghost, animal and hell. This all depends on the karma of your life; the better your karma is, the better your reincarnation would be, and that is called the

Arabia to Islam. All practicing Muslims accept belief in the ‘Six Articles of Faith’ and are

Buddhist believes that all people are reborn over and over again until they reach spiritual enlightenment and then Nirvana. In Buddhism good deeds are rewarded by receiving a better rebirth. Karma dictates a person’s rebirth including their financial state, appearance, class, health, species, and intelligence. Buddhist ultimate goal is to strive for Nirvana. Nirvana is the state that exists beyond the cycle of reincarnation, freedom from Karmic suffering, and provides a state of heavenly paradise.

The eastern religions that we have discussed in class are Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The western religions that we have discussed in class are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The Eastern Religions have originated in countries such as China, India, and Japan. The western religions originated in Europe and the Americas. There are few similarities between eastern religions and western religions, but many differences. The biggest difference between the two religions is that eastern religions believe in more than one god, whereas western religions believe in one God.

Buddhism differed radically about this most fundamental concept of Hinduism. Specifically, Buddhists do not believe in the existence of a permanent reality or soul. Moreover, they deny the existence of the unchanging Atman. Instead, they believe that there undergoes continuous change about our existence.

Though each religion is unique, some religions have several traits in common. For example, many religions are polytheistic, meaning that there are many gods. But, some religions only believe in one god, meaning that the religion is monotheistic. The religions also have many things that differ with each other, like the sacred text, symbol, and traditions. These qualities are what make each religion different and special.

Buddhists believe that they have no identity. That there is no constant substantial self. They believe that after death, the spirit is recycled. During this formation, the personality is disintegrated and only certain memories, personal traits, and skills would be recycled to create a new person and when death approaches, then the process starts all over again (Rivas, T., 2005).

Buddhism began in the fourth and fifth centuries before Christ by Siddhartha Gautama. The teachings of Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama, are the major beliefs of Buddhism. Buddhism is a belief and religion based on an assortment of customs, principles, and practices. The name Buddha means the awakened one. Buddha’s teachings were of the termination of suffering, attaining nirvana, and absconding from the cycle of suffering and rebirth. Buddhism has spread all across Asia and throughout the world, now with between two hundred thirty million and five hundred million followers. Buddhism is largely based around the belief of Karma. Karma is the “action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation” (Dictionary.com) or “the cosmic principle according to which each person is rewarded or punished in one incarnation according to that person’s deeds in the previous incarnation.” (Dictionary.com) In simpler words, how you live your life now determines how you will come back when your current soul expires. Buddhists live their lives in hopes of achieving to be placed in the highest state known as Heaven. The after-life stems from Karma and leads into Rebirth. Rebirth is a course of action where humans proceed within multiple lifetimes in one or more of the six states of after-life. Each lifetime begins with birth and ends with death. Buddhists believe that we should not fear death because

Whether you are of South East Asian beliefs, of western religions like Christianity or Atheist, we all believe in different outcomes after death. The Hindu belief of after afterlife and rebirth can be seen as the foundation for the Buddhists beliefs of the wheel of life and the pure land although many believe that it is the ying to Buddhist yang. In order to understand these process we need to appreciate the Buddhist nirvana and the Hindu moksha. Nirvana is a state of enlightenment in which there is no suffering, desire, nor sense of self.

Albert Einstein once said, “the religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal god, avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.”# Many great minds like Albert Einstein have converted or become Buddhists. Many people from the west are turning their attention towards Buddhism because of the Buddha’s simple way to life and the lack of worship or prayer to a divine being.

Myths are culturally accepted stories that humans have orally constructed and passed on from generation to generation to serve our larger perception of life and humanity. Further, myths help guide us in their teachings about creation, good and evil, mortality, and suffering. However, these myths contrast between Eastern and Western regions. Eastern regions depart from Western regions in terms of their religious influence. Religion in Eastern regions helps shape the importance of humans’ relationship with a higher power through the embodiment of rituals and sacrifices—much like in Native American and Shinto religious beliefs. Although Eastern regions branch from these diverse cultures, they centralize on the belief that the relationship between God and humans is universal and essential for human life.

Learning different religion and seeing what the eastern and western are like and comparing them.

Buddhism stands as a philosophy and a religion founding itself on the theory of a possible eternal soul. Until awakening is achieved, this eternal soul is locked in the vicious cycle of rebirth (Samsara). According to the Four Noble Truths preached by the Buddha, life is a perpetual suffering caused by desire and attachment, and freedom from suffering is only possible by practicing the Eightfold Path. The World is suffering in a succession of temptations and negative experiences from birth to death. Therefore Buddhism advises on searching to go beyond suffering, and only aspire to rest, nothingness, and liberation, into a final state called Nirvana. Happiness or Nirvana can eventually be achieved in a hereafter, another life, if man abandons any desire or perspective of action within his present life, in order to go past suffering.

As different as they may seem, all religions are pretty similar. Even just the small things that are just here and there can connect many religions together. That is not to say that there are also differences between them like their stances on many beliefs, gods, and followers of their religion. However the eastern and western religions are so similar and yet so different that I have decide to label the similarities and differences. That being said, I believe that the western are so similar and yet so different that they must be analyzed. After all they believe in a higher power, pray, and do other such things that are similar but still every reason they are similar is also how they're different. For example, in the religions Hinduism and