Comparative Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam & Judaism

• The text summarizes key aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.

Siddhartha's Story (Buddhism)

• Prince Siddhartha was born in Nepal in the 6th Century BC.
• His father tried to shield him from suffering due to a prophecy that he would become a religious leader.
• Siddhartha lived a privileged life with fancy food, fine clothing, and a beautiful bride, and his father removed the sick and old from his presence.
• Siddhartha felt unfulfilled.
• On his 20th birthday, he ventured outside the castle and encountered old men, sick people, and a corpse, leading to existential crisis.
• Siddhartha encountered a happy homeless monk and joined him to find a way to end human suffering.
• After 6 years of training and meditation, he realized that enlightenment lies between extreme indulgence and deprivation.
• Human suffering comes from wanting things to be a certain way that they are not.
• Siddhartha became the Buddha, the awakened one, under the Bodhi Tree.
• After his death at the age of 80, his followers spread his teachings across Asia.

Key Ideas (Buddhism)

• The Four Noble Truths are core to Buddhist teachings.
• Dukkha: Life is characterized by dissatisfaction, stemming from clinging to temporary things and experiences such as old age, unrealized expectations, sickness and change.
• Dukkha arises from desire and clinging to people, power, and other impermanent things.
• Suffering can be ended by stopping desire, as it is human-caused.
• The Eightfold Path is a means to end dukkha.

The Eightfold Path

• Right View: Accepting the Four Noble Truths and believing in Buddhism
• Right Thought: Cultivating thoughts free from greed, fear, and anxiety, and instead filled with kindness and love.
• Right Speech: Avoiding gossip and lies.
• Right Action: Practicing non-violence, showing endless love for all life, Ahimsa, meanness with generosity, hate with love, and abstaining from killing and sexual misconduct.
• Right Livelihood: Avoiding jobs that exploit, such as those involving drugs or killing; being honest in relationships.
• Right Effort: Extending right thought.
• Right Mindfulness: Living in the present moment, observing what causes happiness and unhappiness.
• Right Concentration: Focusing on one thing during meditation to gain insight. Concentration leads to precision.
• Happiness is not found by clinging to the world.

Karma

• Karma means action and its consequences.
• Good actions lead to good outcomes, and bad actions lead to bad outcomes, in this life or the next.
• Karma functions like a natural law of cause and effect rather than as a judgmental system, "you reap what you sow".
• "If you want to know about your past life, look at your present body", "If you want to know about your future life, look at your present body.”
• Karma is not destiny, it can be influenced for the better.
• Intention matters, there is no karma from accidental actions.
• Karma affects rebirth.

Rebirth

• Life is a cycle of birth and death.
• One must become enlightened, the Buddha, to exit the cycle.
• Desire and karma drive the cycle, but there is no memory of past lives.

Nirvana

• Nirvana is not a place, but a state of mind.
• Buddha lived for 45 years after achieving Nirvana.
• Heaven and hell are part of the Samsara cycle, in some denominations.

Rules

• The Noble Truths and Eightfold Path are not strict rules with punishments for violations.
• There is no 'God' in Buddhism.
• Gods exist, but are also trapped in the Samsara cycle.
• One can become like a god through sufficient good karma.
• The most important thing is to use the teachings to the best of our abilities to escape suffering and reach Nirvana.

Buddhist Branches

• Theravada is the oldest branch of Buddhism.
• Heavily focused on religious texts, specifically the Suttas (oral teachings of Buddha written in Pali).
• Features fewer religious rituals.
• Views Buddha as more of a human figure, with Siddhartha being the only Buddha of our time.
• Mahayana is a younger tradition, primarily found in East Asia.
• Involves more texts and teachings.
• Features Bodhisattva, enlightened beings who stay in the cycle to help others.
• Deities, saints, or figures of prayer.
• Practiced in Korea, Japan, Nepal, Mongolia, and Taiwan.
• Tibetan Buddhism employs secret rituals and incantations.
• Lamas (teachers) aid in enlightenment.
• there is a head figure.

Quotes

• "If you find that the teachings suit you, apply them to your life as much as you can, If they don't suit you, just leave them be” - Dalai Lama

Connections

• Focus on the bigger picture and don't punish yourself for breaking smaller rules.
• Nirvana

Hinduism

• Hinduism is considered the world's oldest religion.
• Known as "The Eternal Tradition".

Key Ideas

• Practices range from strict dedication to prayer to doing nothing.
• There are 7 core beliefs.
• There are no prophets.
• There is no single holy scripture.
• There are many sacred texts, primarily the four Vedas.
• After the Upanishads, texts are less divine but still important.

Texts

• The Bhagavad Gita, or Gita is an important text
• Set on a battlefield where Arjuna refuses to fight.
• Lord Krishna convinces Arjuna to fight, discussing Dharma and life. Arjuna fights, fulfilling his dharma as a warrior.
• Highlights that everyone faces difficult choices and must act upon their dharma, regardless of the cost.
• Ramayana is an epic about Prince Rama
• Features a 14-year exile, his wife's abduction, a duel with a demon, and a monkey sidekick.
• Mahabharata is the longest poem in the world
• Length equivalent to 5 Bible + 8 Iliad, Odyssey.
• Features betrayal, murder, love, and epic fights.
• Stresses that Dharma is essential for society.

Goals

• Each Hindu has 4 goals.
• Dharma (righteousness, ethics).
• Artha (prosperity and reputation).
• Kama (pleasure, mind and body).
• Moksha (liberation).
• Artha and Kama should be practiced with Dharma to achieve Moksha.

Temptations

• There are 6 Temptations
• Kama: Lust and materialism.
• Krodha: Anger.
• Lodha: Greed.
• Moha: Unrealistic attachment to people, power, and things.
• Mada: Pride.
• Matsakya: Jealousy.
• Practice Artha and Kama with Dharma while avoiding the six temptations for Moksha.

Gods

• There are thousands of Gods other than Brahman.
• Brahma creates everything but not the universe.
• Has four heads, each representing a Veda and a Yuga, for directions.
• Saraswati is the goddess of learning.
• Vishnu is the second member of the Trinity who preserves the world created by Brahman from Shiva.
• Known as the defender and preserver of Dharma.
• Krishna and Rama defend Dharma on Earth.
• Rides Eagle.
• Shiva is the destroyer and the last member of the Hindu Trinity
• Destroys the world for the next cycle.
• Performs a dance at the end of the age that erases it.

Vedas

• Rig Veda is a collection of songs praising Gods.
• Discusses the universe, truth, reality, wars, marriage, and rituals.
• Yajur Veda covers sacrificial rites and rituals.
• Sama Veda focuses on praise gods via "sweet song that destroys sorrow".
• Atharva Veda covers magic, curses, and charms.

Upanishads

• Written between 800 BC - 500 BC.
• They are a sequel to the Vedas that make more sense.
• They were written beacuse some Hindus questioned the Vedas.
• They are like philosophy, like Plato, finding answers
• A key theme is that a person is not mind, ego, or body, but Atman.
• Only Atman matters; everything else is temporary.

Theology

• Brahman is the Universal Soul.
• Formless, genderless and the source of all reality.
• It is the universe and the material that makes the universe.
• Like an ocean, in which the world is like droplets.
• Atman is the belief in an immortal individual soul.
• It will reincarnate to the next life or body.
• Your next life and body is determined by karma
• Karma refers to good or bad actions that affect society.
• Past karma determines the present; present karma determines the future.
• Moksha is the Hindu life goal of getting back to Brahman.
• If a Hindu can do it, they will be freed from the cycle.
• It can be achieved by oneness with Brahman, different for everyone.
• Some people pray, "lead me from the unreal to the real"

the Vedas

• The Vedas are sacred books of knowledge.
• There are four of them.
• People believe they were revealed to the sages

cyclical time

• Hinduism involves Belief in cyclical time.
• There are no beginnings or endings.
• Time is a series of cycles Each cycle has four stages/ages/yugas:
• Krita
• Treta
• Dwapara
• Kali
• They sum up to 4.32 Million years.
• At the end of each cycle, declining human morality leads to defamation of reality.
• Right now we are in the final cycle.

Dharma

• Dharma means 'proper behavior'.
• Dharma maintains balance in the universe.
• Things are good as long as all creatures follow their dharma.
• If we don't, ooopsie.
• Everyone has a dharma, for a lion, they eat other animals & kings rule.
• For humans, it is based on their age and caste.
• An old priest's dharma is different from a young merchant.

Lore (Hinduism)

• Hinduism resulted from the merging of the Indus Valley civilization and nomads in 1500 BC.
• Dates are controversial, but known to be old.
• Hindu is largely associated with India.

Denominations (Hinduism)

• There are four major Hindu denominations, each with their own subdivision.
• Vaishnavas worship Vishnu.
• Shavias Worship Shiva and his sons.
• Smartas primarily follow sacred texts rather than Vedas, worshiping Ganesha, Durga, and three others.
• Shaktas worship Devi, the feminine Brahman.
• Basic Core beliefs remain the same across denominations.
• Dharma is very important to maintain balance.
• If balance starts tipping toward evil, something needs to intervene.
• They are the Avatars! (Gods descend to intervene).

Caste System

• The Caste system is seen as an oppressive system.
• There are 4 classes that may have been based on abilities Brahmins (Priests) Kshatriyas (Warriors) Vaishyas (traders) Shudras (laborers)
• There were harsh rules for Hindu life.
• Movement between classes was forbidden
• There were people that were considered untouchables, and they aren't even a part of the caste system.

Core Beliefs (Islam)

• Belief in one God.
• Muslims, Christians, and Jews all worship the same God.
• Allah is the Arabic word for God.
• Worshiping other things is a significant sin.
• No priests are needed, since you need a direct personal connection with God.
• God created the world in 6 days.
• There was Adam and Eve

Islam texts

• Belief in prophets and divine books.
• Muhammad claimed he was just the prophet and that his words already existed.
• Accept Christian and Jew prophets such as Moses and Jesus.
• They are all human, but they carry the same message. Accept the Torah and Bible as holy texts, also known as the People of the Book.
• The key difference is that they believe Muhammad is the last prophet.

Beliefs Islam

• Belief in the Day of Judgement.
  • The world has an expiration date; everyone will be brought back to life and judged.
  • If you move over a bridge towards heaven, below is hell.
  • Hell is scary, so heaven is a good place to be.
  • People can move into heaven from hell
• The Quran is the Holy book of Islam.
  • It's meaning to recite, the direct word of God spoken via Muhammad
  • It has 600 pages and 114 pages that are divided into Ayat (line).
  • Its just a lot of sayings; it does include narrative.
  • Organized from the longest verses in the beginning and the shortest in the end.
• The Hadith is the saying and actions of Muhammad. There are strong and weak hadith.

Shahada (Islam)

• Five Pillars of Islam
• Shahada
  • Only a statement
    • There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God

Salat

• Five Pillars of Islam Salat
  • Means prayer
    • Five prayers; must perform wudu before prayer.
    • Wudu is the washing of feet, face, and arms.
    • Say something along the lines of God is great
    • Have to face Mecca, Qibla; All mosques have a Qibla wall, pointing towards Mecca

Zakat

Five Pillars of Islam

• Zakat
  • Charitable tax on wealth
  • 2.5% of current wealth
  • Give money cheerfully to the orphans, needy, and stuff
  • Accumulate wealth leads to greed, so outlawed interest, money can only come from labor and fair trade

Sawm

• Five Pillars of Islam
• Sawm
  • Fasting
    • Ramadan
    • Muslims fast from dawn to sunset
    • No eating, no drinking, no smoke
• The sick, pregnant women, and the disabled can be excluded So does pregnant women Used to understand the poor and meditate Eid Five Pillars of Islam Hajj
• Pilgrimage to Mecca and Kaba
  • At least once in their life if able to do so
  • For over 1000 years Muslims came to Mecca.

Islam

Women

• Hijab is mostly common; other masking is more conservative.
• Very controversial within Islam
• Connected with cultural identity
• Muslims should be humble, and an extension of it is masking
• Muhammad supported women's education
• Has rights to work, divorce, and own property
• HalalArabic word for permissible Islamic Muslims can do it without worrying it is a sin.
• For food it includes:
  • Pork, donkey, predators like lions, wolves, cats and dogs, eels, lizards, rats, birds with talons.
  • No blood
  • Alcohol
  • For meat to be halal, the animal would not have been suffered
  • Animal cruelty is outlawed in the Quran. Sharai Law
• The way Muslims should live to
  • Please God
    • Bring order to society
    • Get into heaven

Judaism

Covers personal matters and contracts

How to marry and divorce

• How to treat neighbors
• Not much laws in Muslim in general

Muslim scholars interpretation of Sharia

• The protection of life
• Property
• Family
• Faith
• Intellect
• Story

Judaism Core Beliefs

• The Tanak (Old Testament) has 3 sections
• Torah is most sacred.

Books

A covenant with Abraham to make you a great nation and give you the land of Cannan.

To seal this, your descendants should be circumcized

God

Built monotheism

• They really respect God, barely saying the name.
• He interacts with humans, immanent God
• They can develop a personal relationship, have freewill, and they can wrestle with God, and find and relate to God.