The Dalai Lama And The World 's Oldest Religion

In the Dalai Lama’s writing of The Role of Religion of Modern Society, I agree with him on how each religion can be true and help people to respect one another no matter the religion they practice. While growing up most humans are taught to practice one religion, in which they inherited from their parents and most of the time both parents practice the same religion. So children are taught to follow and believe that their religion is the most valid and true. In my case I disagree with these types of people and agree with The Dalai Lama, because I grew up both Jewish and Christian. Being able to learn and practice both religions, I noticed the similarities and differences and learned to believe each religion is true.

Most  religious  leaders  come  to  power  through  elections  or  appointment.          However,  the  leader  of  the  Gelug  school  of  Tibetan  Buddhism,  the  Dalai  Lama,  is  simply  found.          Buddhists  believe  in    reincarnation,    the  idea  that  a  person’s  soul  never  dies  and  is  instead  born  into  a  new  body.          Additionally,    the  death  of  one  Dalai  Lama  spurs  the  quest  for  a  young  person  born  with  that  special  soul. The  search  for  the  fourteenth 

Hinduism is considered one of the oldest surviving religion on Earth. With over one billion people following its traditions, values, and customs, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world currently, the first two being Christianity and Islam. The roots of this religion lie mainly in the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism seems narrow to most people, but in reality, it is very broad. It consists of many different languages and traditions, but most of the beliefs remain constant throughout the surface.

Hinduism is one of the largest religions in the world following Christianity and Islam. Hinduism is a faith and way of life for most people in India. It is unknown where Hinduism started and by whom. Hinduism is based on a set of believes that thing such as reincarnation, dharma, and three gods.

Hinduism is an incredibly complex polytheistic religion, with its roots in the Indus River Valley Civilization over 8000 years ago and is still practiced today. Hinduism is typically practiced by the citizens of places such as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. As indicated by its wide reaching influences, Hinduism does not have one single founder, but started a shift into its more modern form when Aryan invaders brought the Vedas into India around 1500 B.C.E. At its core Hinduism believes in entities called the Brahman, the source of everything in the universe, from these Brahman emerged over 330 million gods, all of which are different manifestations of the Brahman. The most important gods in Hinduism are Vishnu,

In a culturally diverse world, it is difficult for individuals and communities to express thoughts and opinions to one another well. It is especially difficult when it comes to disagreements and differences regarding religion. To overcome this struggle, it is important to be open-minded, accepting, understanding, and respectful of everyone – whether they have the same or different beliefs. Each religion has its own set of traditions, practices, and beliefs. Because of this, individuals of different religions may not agree with one another, often resulting in conflicts.

Did you know only fourteen men have been given the title Dalai Lama in the entire history of Buddhism? (BBC, 2009). The word Dalai Lama means “Ocean of Wisdom” and according to Buddhists, he is a reincarnation of a past lama who has decided to be reborn. (BBC, 2009). The current Dalai Lama is named Tenzin Gyasto and he is eighty-two years old (BBC, 2009). Gyasto has the role of being the political and religious leader of Tibet, a tradition that has been practiced since the fourteenth century (World Biography).

In the article “The Good of religious pluralism” written by Peter L. Berger, the paper outlines four ways that pluralism benefits religions rather than being a threat that its often seen as today to individual religions and their beliefs. The first benefit that he lists is that “it becomes more difficult to take a religious tradition for granted” (Berger 41), he believes this is a benefit because pluralism allows other people to hold different beliefs and values and gives people a sense of doubt which allows people to wonder about other beliefs and hold true to their own. Secondly, “pluralism opens freedom to the individual, and freedom is a gift that should be allowed to all.” (Berger 40) Berger believes that religious freedom is a fundamental right for humans to pursue whatever

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. It has billions of followers not only in India, but all over the world. Hindus have many beliefs and worship many deities. Brahma is said to be the Absolute god, the Universal Being, he is above all and deities are its many forms. There is considered to be a trinity in

Hindu is the oldest religion on earth. Hinduism doesn’t have a single founder, a single holy text, or a central religious authority. Most forms of Hinduism view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations or aspects of that supreme God or Goddess. About 14% of the world’s population is Hindu. According to the yearbook of “American and Canadian churches” they were about 1.5 million Hindus in the US during 1999.

Pluralism is a worldview in which the society members structure their culture based on acceptance and diversity. These common traits all strive for the common good of all and also realize there is some truth in other beliefs (Pluralism, 2015). This worldview stresses the importance of tolerance of other religions but does not however deviate from their own beliefs.

The understanding of the concept “Pluralism” is when different people from different class, religions, race, culture, organizations, etc., are living together in a society and they continue to practice their different traditions or interest, rather than just one group or culture determining how things go. Pluralism recognized the fact that different religious or cultures have equal right to voice their ideas or opinions. No one particular religion or worldview is privileged over others, therefore the truth is beyond the ability of one group to capture.

The expression and development of the Buddhist Religious Traditions has been significantly affect by the life teachings and direction of the XIV Dalai Lama. The expression of the faith has been advanced not only by the Dalai Lama’s writings and establishments of Buddhist places of knowledge but perhaps most importantly by the living witness of the man to the teachings of the tradition. This example has allowed for the development and impact on the teachings and worship on individuals. This has also allowed for the development of the faith through the Dalai Lama’s ability to connect Buddhism to the Western world and by him taking the role of representing to the world, The Buddhist tradition and his talks to religious leaders around the world

Pluralism is the idea that in the world we have a free market of many ideas, religion, and philosophies. It also mean that there is not just one certain idea, religion, philosophy, or interpretation. Pluralism can be seen throughout the 1st century. In the 1st century there were various religions with all different beliefs, that can be observed in the New Testament. These religions can be generalized into five groups. There are the Graeco-Roman Pantheon, philosophies, worship of the occult, mystery religion, and emperor worship. I found it interesting to learn about different kinds of religions.

The story of the Dalai Lama has been told and repeated innumerable times and usually leans toward the personality, ideas and teachings of the current Dalai Lama who is the 14th incarnation named – Tenzin Gyatso. This paper, instead, revolves around the position and concept of the role of the Dalai Lama. The conception of the Dalai Lama originated in Tibetan Buddhism and comes from a line of learned preachers, known as tulkus, that are considered to be the incarnations of the Boddhisattva of compassion, Avalokitesvara. This idea of reincarnation of a soul is uncommon in other forms and schools of Buddhism which, accordingly, sets Tibetan Buddhism apart and establishes the foundation upon which the Dalai Lama exists. I will be discussing the role of the Dalai Lama through the exploration of Tibetan Buddhism and the previously mentioned terms – Avalokitesvara, Boddhisattva, tulkus and more. I will also consider the Dalai Lama’s role as both a spiritual and secular head of the Tibetan State.