How Did Buddhism Reach Nirvana

Christianity and Buddhism are two different religions that developed and spread contemporaneously in during the Classical Period different territories. Both of them share some similarities as well as differences. Both of these religions were founded based upon different principles taught by different people; in Buddhism’s case Gautama Buddha a thinker and in Christianity’s it is Jesus Christ who is a prophet. These two universal doctrines spread in times of chaos, in which citizens of their own territories were looking forward to achieve salvation of any kind. Although alike these two doctrines didn’t have a

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.

I want to compare the Hindu concept of moksha to the Buddhist concept of nirvana. Moksha is the main goal of Hinduism, and nirvana is the main goal of Buddhism. Moksha is viewed by Hindus as freedom from the cycle of reincarnation (Narayanan, 37). Nirvana is viewed by Buddhists as having a life that is free from all desire and suffering of the world (Taylor, 249). Both Hindus and Buddhists search to achieve these goals in their religions. They both want to be released from cycles, but they are different cycles. Hindus want to be released from the cycle of reincarnation, and Buddhists want to be released from a cycle of desire and self-interest. They want to be freed from desire because in Buddhism, desire is viewed as the main cause of suffering (Amore, 200). Once Hindus achieve moksha and Buddhists achieve nirvana, then they are truly free from these unpleasant cycles. Both Hindus and Buddhists understand moksha and nirvana as a sort of “superdeath” that ultimately ends the cycle of constant rebirth and death (Taylor, 250).

Buddhism also has the provision of the bodhisattvas who find their purpose in helping other, but only to attain nirvana. Also Buddhism has four noble truths that include: Life is basically suffering, the origin of that suffering lies in craving or grasping, the end of suffering is possible through the ending of craving. However, in Christianity our purpose in life is to have a good relationship with God. Buddhism trying to end their suffering through acts for nirvana and Christianity bonds with God to end suffering and have everlasting life with

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).

As for the suffering that comes with ones death, most religions agree upon the fact that there will only be suffering if the one who is dying has indulged him/herself in the material world or sinned as some call it, without focusing much on the hereafter. The Buddhists, similar to this, believe in karma and re-birth and that one of the conditions that leads to suffering are the ‘conditions’ that are said to be responsible for rebirth (the intentions that influence actions and bring some sort of karmic fruit). They believe that by learning the karmic causal laws we might be able to avoid those karmic causal links and receive rebirth in better circumstances. I believe that the suffering of others for one person’s death comes from a very limited understanding of

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

​This paper will analyze afterlife in Hinduism and in Catholicism. Afterlife will be considered in the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1020-1060 and in Romans 10. Afterlife will also be considered in Bhagavad Gita 2:27, Obayashi page 146 and in Rig Veda 10.14.8. This topic is intriguing because death is a part of life and it is interesting to see the different perspectives of their two religions and of what happens in the afterlife. Besides the perspectives, this topic studies the greatest mystery of life, death which is an uncommon topic since people usually shy away from talking about this because of the emotional implications that it brings to people.

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.

Buddhism believes in escaping the cycle of rebirths not through coming to an ultimate soul (it doesn't believe in this), but through Nirvana the ultimate relinquishing of attachment to materialism by transcending response to earthy feeling. In this way, one ends suffering by escaping the cycle of rebirths. and reincarnations. Karma from past life can affect the happenings in a present one according to both Hinduism and Buddhism, but Buddhism believes that one can escape this karma and cycle of rebirths by practicing the 8-fold path which culminates in Nirvana. With this Nirvana too, one gains a spirit of meditation or blissful mindfulness which is the epitome of the Hindu Moksha. (The Buddha Garden.)

The word "nirvana" is heard pretty often. For example, people might say they've achieved nirvana when they're really happy or they might talk about going to nirvana as an eternal reward after death. Then, of course, there’s the rock band who adopted the term Nirvana with a certain amount of irony. Furthermore, the word is fully imbedded in the modern vocabulary. But in reality, to most people in¬ the Western world, religious nirvana is a total mystery. Both known religious traditions Hinduism and Buddhism focus on liberation from the endless cycle of rebirth and death and the suffering that comes with that cycle – known as samsara. However, there are important distinctions in how the two traditions view this liberation. Many associate

In the western world, a dominant belief is that after life, a person’s soul is sent to a place of eternal bliss, heaven, or a place of eternal damnation, hell. To Buddhists, this concept is not the norm. Buddhists believe that a person is reincarnated into another life form, either human or animal. What life form a person is reincarnated as is determined by the person’s karma. The concept of karma not only affects reincarnation, but also what path a person’s life takes. While much of the concept of karma is believable and comprehensible by a person of any denomination, some aspects are dependant upon a belief in reincarnation and that a person will eventually be punished for his sins or rewarded

There are many religions that have different beliefs about dying. Buddhist?s do not believe in life after death meaning heaven. Buddhist?s believe that when one dies he is reborn again and this continues until the person reaches Nirvana. Nirvana is

Compassion is basically considered to be one of the most virtues in almost all religious traditions such as Buddhism and Christianity. Buddhism and Christianity are two different religions but both of them are interrelated. Both religions have hope of life after death, hope of reincarnation of Buddhists, eternal life of Christians, but live consciously. Both Buddhism and Christianity were founded by spiritual leaders and masters who tried to prove a way of salvation. Based on religious writings, this paper explores the way Buddhism and Christianity are different and in what ways they similar from the point of salvation, life after death, and love.

Many different religions around the world see the importance in life after death but these beliefs do vary a lot and each religion will believe completely different things. Two core religions in this essay that will be looked into are Islamic and Catholic. What do they believe will happen when someone dies? Is there another life after they die? Heaven? Hell? Or Paradise? Through this you will the importance in the belief of life after death, and the practices, rituals, and prayers that provide evidence and physical proof of how they show this belief. Then to go onto to discuss the wider implications holding onto these beliefs can have.