Religion Is a Practice - Essay Example

Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism Religion is a practice that s back to the existence of man. Religion is considered to give meaning to the lives of the followers as it explains whatever happens in the surrounding. Human are social beings, and the need to associate and socialize is seen to have contributed to the development of certain religions. Religion also brings a group of people together and communities draw their codes of ethics that govern them from the religion they uphold. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism are among the many religions across the world that have majority of common factors. However, there are particular aspects that make the three religions distinct. Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism all originated from India though at different times in history. Buddhism is a form of religion that is based on virtues such as wisdom, freedom from greed, compassion, and love. The term Buddha was the name of an individual who is believed by the Buddhists to have attained the listed virtues. It is believed that Buddhism is 2500 years old. Buddhists view life as a process of change, where an individual develops systematically towards attaining the good personality. Buddhists believe that the mind is the channel through which an individual can change for the better and therefore meditation is an important practice among the Buddhists. Buddhists believe that meditation is the cure to problems of the mind such as lack of sleep, confusion, anxiety, and hatred among others. Festivals are considered important in Buddhism religion as it brings the followers together. The Buddha has various festivities around the year. For instance, the Buddha day marks the celebration of the full moon when the followers celebrate enlightenment by reviewing their lives and works. Dharma day is another festivity in Buddhism that marks the full moon and followers commemorate how Buddha shared his experience with the first disciple. Other celebrations include, Sangha day which the community celebrate spiritual community and the Parinirvana which symbolized the death of Buddha. Hinduism is a religion characterized by religious traditions and philosophy. The Hindu religion is also believed to have originated in India. The noble people who lived in India and recorded their ideas, beliefs, and practices on books founded it. The key teaching in Hindu religion is that human nature is not confined in the mind or the body. The Hindus believe that there exist spirits in the human souls all other things that are visible. Hinduism believe on wisdom, joy and peace among the things that make be considered good. Hindus believe in the existence of god in all creation and that god can incarnate is something. Hinduism also believes that god is infinite and manifests in different ways by which he can be contacted or prayed to. The behavior of Hindus is determined by the position an individual hold in life and the responsibilities attached to it. The religion also believes that human beings undergo development stages in life. Hinduism have many festivities around the year. These festivals are marked with prayers, worships, magic, and processions among others. The rituals are meant to cleanse the society, expel bad omen, and revive the power of nature. Some of the Hindu festivities include, celebrations of birthday for the gods, bonding festivals, celebration of victories among others. Sikhism is a form of religion that was founded by a man called Guru Nanak in India approximately five hundred years ago. The Sikhs believe that there is only one god and that all people are equal before god. The Sikhs also believe that before the soul becomes human form, it undergoes a cycle of development. Another aspect of Sikhism is the practice of leading a virtuous life while balancing between temporal and spiritual obligations. Sikhism religion does not believe in some rituals such as fasting, superstitions, and idol worshiping. In the ritual dimension on religion, it is evident that all these three religions perform certain rituals to commemorate or cleansing purposes. The festivities performed by each of these religions are a good illustration of practical dimension in religion. All these religious practices have a story of how they were founded and the followers have emotional connections with founders, which are seen in the commemorations among others practices. It is quite evident from the above discussions that each of these religious groups have doctrines that give meaning to life and are geared towards attaining a better personality. Whereas the Buddhists encourage meditation to develop the right mind, Hindus and Sikhs also believe on good personality. In addition, all the three religious practices have some ethics in common such as believing in a better personality. The social aspect of religion is quite evident on these three religions, for instance Hinduism and Buddhism have festivals meant to bring people together. Sikhs also come together to pray and socialize among other activities. The Hinduism and Buddhism both lay emphasis on compassion and peaceful coexisting. Although there are similarities in the three religions discussed, there also exist some differences in ideas beliefs and practices. For instance, the doctrine of Buddhists is more philosophical and god is not mentioned at any point. The Hinduism and the Sikhism both believe that god exist even though Hinduism religion recognize various gods in their practices (Molloy 27-44). Another quite distinct aspect in these religions is that Hindus and Buddhists believe in some rituals such as pilgrimage to certain places whereas Sikhs do not believe or encourage such practices. Sikhism and Buddhism differ in practices. Buddhism considers training people to be wise and good, on the other hand Sikhs prays on a daily basis supported by its pillars. A particular person did not start the Hinduism religion whereas Buddha founded Buddhism and Guru founded Sikhism; this is a difference between these two religions. In summary, religion determines the how people conduct themselves, believe, and lead their lives daily. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism like other forms of religion have some things in common. For instance, good personality is an underlying factor in all these three religions. The social aspect in religion is also seen in these forms of religions where people come together to worship or celebrate in various festivities. However, some aspects make these three forms of religion distinct. For instance, as seen earlier, some believe in god whereas other does not pay much attention on the existence of god. Works Cited Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. Boston: McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2008. Print. Read More