Native American Religions - Essay Example

Your full full October 18, Part: I Essay Answer: a The three common elements among Native American Religions are Spirit World, Animism, and Taboos. Answer: b The first common element among Native American Religions is Spirit World. All religions strongly believe in the existence of spirits. The people of those religions believe that spirits take different forms and are present around the people every time. Spirit World element is deeply rooted in the minds of the people belonging to different American religions. People also believe that the spirits of the dead do not go anywhere rather they remain in the land where their dead bodies are present. Belief in different levels of Gods is another belief of the people. Some people believe that there is a High God, who created the world and is presently detached from it. Native Americans sometimes sacrifice plants and animals in order to please the spirits. Sun Dance of some Native Americans, which takes place for more than 3 days in the summers, is an example of the Spirit World element of Native American religions. Next common element is Animism. Animists believe that spirits are present in trees, mountains, and rivers. They believe that there is some unseen force in the nature that should be worshiped by the people. Native Americans also believe that hunting is one of the most important parts of life as the hunted animals are sources of food, clothing, and shelter for the people. Native Americans are fond of agriculture. Plantation of corn in southwest by Hopi is an example of Animism element of Native American religions. Third common element is taboos. The spirituality of Native Americans has developed from belief in spirits and hunting taboos. The people belonging to these religions believe that the dead bodies not only linger around homes but also take away the families with them. That is why people perform special rituals to keep the dead bodies in the graves. Dancing and singing in order to control the spirits is an example of Taboo element of Native American religions. Answer: c Cautions that must be exercised while applying the common elements to different Native American religions include the existing differences between the religious ceremonies of different religions and knowing the differences between the intertribal ceremonies in order to protect the cultural identity of each religion. Part: II Essay: 4 Answer: a Brahman occupies the highest place in the Hinduism. People belonging to Hinduism believe that Brahman is the creator of the whole universe who has neither a beginning nor an end. Brahman has a direct link with the individual souls. In Hinduism, Brahman is the supreme power or the ultimate reality that underlies the whole world. Brahman establishes the concept that there is only one source, which created the whole universe. Brahman is a source of inspiration for the people belonging to Hinduism. The concept of Brahman illustrates the understanding of how the Sacred is transcendent by believing that Brahman is a supreme power that sustains the whole universe. Brahman is the source of inspiration for the people belonging to Hinduism. Answer: b Brahman is manifested into three main Gods, which include Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. It is believed that Brahma is the creator and sustainer of the whole universe. Brahma has four arms and four faces. Brahma produced a Goddess out of him that was in the form of half man and half woman. Brahma gave it the responsibility to produce the human race. If we talk about the worship of Brahma, we come to know that people no longer worship Brahma because they want to escape from the re-birth cycle. Only two temples are there which are dedicated to the worship of Brahma. Another God, Vishnu, is known as the preserver of the human beings. Vishnu is also known as the God of love and harmony. Vishnu promotes the act of forgiveness and mercy. He is one of the major Gods in Indian mythology. He not only looks after all matters of the world but also takes care of the whole humanity. He is dedicated to bring order to the world. There are ten avatars of Vishnu among which Buddha, the figure of peace and tranquility, comes at ninth position. The last God in the Brahman religion is Shiva, who is known as destroyer of the universe. Shiva is illustrated as a very wild cosmic dance, which possess the ability to burn the world to ashes. Hindus associate the power of destruction with Shiva. He wears a necklace of skulls, which represents his intention. He is meant to put an end to the universe. Answer: c Samsara is a belief that all people living in the world die and take birth continually in different forms. The concept of Samsara is associated with the three Gods of Brahma religion in a sense that all individuals have to go through the process of re-birth and it is the duty of the Gods to create, operate, and give death to the individuals. Brahma is meant to give another life to all individuals. Vishnu holds the responsibility to operate different matters related to the world, whereas Shiva is there to destroy the whole universe. Part: III Essay: 8 Answer: a The eight steps involved in The Eight-Fold Path include Right Understanding, Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. Answer: b The first two steps, which are Right Understanding and Right Thoughts, fall into the category of wisdom. Right Understanding is the keynote of Buddhism and is related to how a person understands himself. Right Thoughts are based on three concepts, which include kind thoughts, thoughts of denial, and thoughts of harmlessness. The next three steps, which include Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood, fall into the category of Ethical Conduct. Right Speech refers to the politeness in communication. Right Action refers to the development of a self-controlled personality. Buddhism promotes such personality, which should be able to distinguish between right and wrong actions. The third step involved in Ethical Conduct is Right Livelihood, which means that a person should earn in such a way that should not bring any kind of problem for others. In total, five ways of earning are prohibited in Buddhism, which include poison trading, intoxicants trading, animal trading for the purpose of slaughter, slave trading, and trading of weapons in order to cause destruction. Buddhism does not allow such ways of earning that cause emotional or physical harm to others. The last three steps, which include Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration, fall into the category of Mental Development. These steps are related to the psychological and emotional development of a person. Right Effort refers to the development of a mindset that should like to discard evil and promote good. In Buddhism, it is believed that development of a society depends on the individual efforts of the people living in that society. Right Effort has four basic dimensions, which include discarding unwholesome states, preventing evil that is likely to arise in the near future, developing goods that are already present in the society, and promoting such goods that are not found in the society at present. The next step, which is Right Mindfulness, refers to the mental ability of a person to judge things with clear perception. There are four foundations Right Mindfulness, which include perception about the body, perception about the feelings, perception about the mindset, and perception about the mental objects. The last step involved in The Eight-Fold Path is Right Concentration. Right Concentration or Meditation refers to the development of a mentally strong personality. In Buddhism, every person needs to be consistent about everything. Right concentration means to do everything with full concentration and without wavering. Part: IV Essay: 11 Answer: a In Theravada Buddhism, all individuals must imitate the Buddha. People should believe in the concept of right meditation. Theravada stresses on acquiring wisdom, which is a key towards success. In Mahayana Buddhism, Buddha was a perfect compassionate being who came on the earth to teach people how to reach salvation. Answer: b Theravada Buddhism is a traditional, strict, and a conservative view of Buddhism as compared to Mahayana Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism views wisdom as one of the most important elements of life. If we talk about the view of Mahayana Buddhism, we can say that it puts emphasis on devotion to deities and is more liberal as compared to Theravada Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism exhibits a more accommodating and inclusive view of Buddhism. Answer: c In Theravada Buddhism, a person who acquires wisdom and follows The Eight-Fold Path can achieve Nirvana. Whereas in Mahayana Buddhism, those enlightened beings who help other people reach salvation through intelligence can reach Nirvana. Answer: d According to the view of Theravada Buddhism, a person should go to the temples for getting instructions related to meditation. People can offer personal loyalty to the golden statues of Buddha. Tripitaka, the three baskets of Buddhist scriptures’ collection, is also available to the people. In case of Mahayana Buddhism, Tripitaka and Sutras are available. Tripitaka refers to the teachings, which Buddha told openly, whereas Sutras refers to the oral teachings of Buddha. Answer: e In Theravada Buddhism, a person who follows The Eight-Fold Path, teaches people how to reach salvation, achieves Nirvana, and waits for the death to experience Nirvana can become a saint. In case of Mahayana Buddhism, an enlightened being who meditates to attain wisdom, achieves Nirvana, and experiences Nirvana after death can become a saint. Works Cited No Outside Sources Required. Read More