Religions of the Pacific - Literature review Example

[Teacher’s Religion and theology Religions of the pacific Individuals in the pacific follow several religions depending on their individual background and location. The pacific is spread across one third of the earth’s surface and is comprised of four main indigenous groups, Polynesian, Indonesian, Melanesian and Australian. Indonesia is greatly influenced by India and has been for the previous 2 two thousand years. India is a nation of Islamic faith and has influenced such believes among the Indonesian population. However, the remaining countries have maintained international isolation in terms of religion. Their beliefs have been greatly influenced by their indigenous culture and the small communities seem to have developed their own specific rituals through out the years. The pacific area is a typical modern example of primal religions; however, a lot of criticism has been put on the amount of intrusion being instigated by the European nations. This interference from Europe has continued to increase throughout the sixteenth century right until the twenty first. The interference has led to the adoption of European cultural beliefs and lifestyle among the locals of the pacific regions. There has been a lot of biasness in the past when reporters wrote about the religious beliefs of people in the pacific. Recently however research has become more neutral and researchers are starting to use opinions of the natives in their surveys. Current research involves the analysis of indigenous beliefs and the impact European culture and religion has had on the people’s lifestyle. It also tries to compare the difference between modern times in the pacific and the way of the life in the ancient times. The three most popular religious beliefs in the pacific include Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. This paper will analyze these religions in detail and try to compare and contrast the difference between each of them. Firstly, the paper will analyze Hinduism which is a popular religion among the residents of the pacific region. This religion in the pacific comes under the influence of the Indian subcontinent. The religion is comprised of Shaivism, Srauta and Vaishnavism which are the main traditions followed, there are however numerous other smaller traditions (Flood, n.p). Hinduism is regulated by several laws within the religion which determine the lifestyle members are expected to live. The laws are centered on daily morality and include respecting social norms, dharma and karma (Flood, n.p). The religion is based on intellect and is a combination of philosophical theories. Unlike most religions, it is not based on a strict preset standard of rules. The religion does not have one single founder and was created numerous diverse ideologies. It is traced back to the historical Vedic religion of Iron Age India; hence, the general consensus is that Hinduism is the longest existing religion. The religion is estimated to have a following of approximately 1 billion followers which is the third largest congregation after Islam and Christianity. The religion is broadly classified into into four categories which are Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shundras (Flood, n.p). The Brahims are the priests and the heads and teachers in the church. The Kshatriyas are the noblemen and fighters (in war situations and protection of the land). The Vaishayas are the businessmen and the Shudras are the working class (Flood, n.p). Hinduism beliefs are a combination of many small traditions hence it is difficult classify it as a solitary religion. It believes in freedom of worship and belief and visualizes the world as a single family with one purpose. This means the religion accepts all views because labeling any religion false would symbolize a separation in identity hence oppose the primary belief that the world is one family (Flood, n.p). The religion is henotheistic, hence accepts the existence of other Gods and each individual has the right to choose the one which he/she believes in and worships. The Hindu scriptures are classified into several categories which include Sruti and Smitri. The major discussions in these scriptures include mythology, philosophy, theology, temple buildings and rituals. The main texts in the Hindi readings include Agamas, Ramayana, Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Puranas and Mahabharata (Flood, n.p). The main objectives in the religion include seeking and attaining blessings from the Gods. The religion provides a pathway and guideline for living a righteous life. Similar to Hinduism, Buddhism is a religion which originated from the Indian subcontinent. It is a culmination of numerous practices and beliefs; however the main principles of the religion are based upon the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is referred to as Buddha. Buddha is believed to have lived and educated people on his philosophies from 400-600 B.C. The followers of this religion are known as Buddhists and they perceive Buddha as an individual of enlightenment and awakening (Murti,n.p). He spread his teachings to suffering and sentient beings on ways to eliminate avidya by taking an understanding and positive approach towards pratityasamutpada. The ultimate goal of a Buddhist is to reach nirvana which is the ultimate stage of happiness and avoid tanha, which is considered a state of longing and craving. There are two main categories in Buddhism; these are Mahayana and Theravada, which are translated to the school of the Elders and the great vehicle respectively. The religion is mostly practiced in the Asian region; however, it has started to gain some following in other parts of the world. It has approximately one billion followers and is considered to be the fastest growing religion worldwide. The teachings in Buddhism vary depending on the school and practices also vary in nature and liberation. The fundamental principles of the Buddhist religion are the Buddha, the Sangha and the Dharma; these are known as the three jewels (Murti, n.p). By accepting to follow the religion, all Buddhists pledge allegiance and commitment to fulfilling the requirements of the triple gem. This is the distinguishing feature between Buddhists and non Buddhist individuals. There are also other practices carried out in Buddhism, these include supporting the monastic community, ethical perspectives, development of mindfulness and the mastering of self meditation, studying the scriptures, search and development of wisdom, Mahayana tradition and devotion to the practices and lifestyle of Buddhism (Murti, n.p). Buddhists view life and the world as a cycle consisting of life and death (Murti, n.p). They refer to this cycle as samsara, in which sentient beings are in constant search of the pleasures of the world and are hostile to feelings of pain. Humans live through this cycle, and in process induce and influence conditions that will be present in the rebirth that precedes death. This process repeats itself involuntarily after every rebirth and Buddhists try to counter these situations and conditions. The Buddhists religion follows certain teachings that are designed to eradicate this involuntary cycle utilizing the teachings by Buddha (Murti, n.p). A popular belief by Buddhists is Karma, which is a force that influences the cycle of life and determines the process of rebirths. One’s actions in his current life determine the life he or she will live after rebirth. Abstaining from wrong doings and living a righteous life is known as sila and ensures someone will have a good life after rebirth (Murti, n.p). The main teachings of Buddhism are known as the four noble truths. These are truth of cessation of dukkha, truth of dukkha, truthof the path leading to the cessation of dukkha and the origin of dukkha. Other practices of Buddhism include Yoga and meditation (Murti, n.p). Jainism is a religion whose main teachings revolve around peace and oppose any violence against living organisms (Matilal, n.p).The religion originates from ancient India and has been preached by the tirthankara, who are propagators of faith (Matilal, n.p). It emphasizes on equality and believes self control is essential in liberation. It has approximately four million followers and is considered a religious minority. The main principle and value of the religion is ahimsa which is an obligation for all the members. The religion encourages a strictly vegetarian diet excluding the consumption of onions and garlic. The religion also encourages inner development by acquiring wisdom and believes that each individual has his or her unique qualities. The members of this congregation take five main vows which are satya, ahimsa, aparigraha, asteya and brahmacharya. Jainism and Buddhism both believe in Karma and to a certain extent they share similar beliefs in reincarnation and rebirth. Jainism believes that the soul is initially pure; however, its natural qualities are obstructed by karma (Matilal, n.p).The Jain religion tries to illustrate the nature of humans using the following solutions: ajiva, jiva, bandha, asrava, nirjara, samvara and moksha (Matilal, n.p). Prominent figures in the religion include 63 beings that have lived on the earth with illustrious characters (Matilal, n.p). These include 12 cakravarti, 24 tirtharikaraa, 9 vasudeva, baladeva and prativasudeva. Navkar Mantra is the main prayer in the religion and it is mandatory to not mention any names during the prayer of worship (Matilal, n.p). Sikhism is religion mainly practiced in the Punjab region (Hawley, 91-92.). Is founder is known as Guru Nanak. The teachings and the scriptures shave continued to grow within the religion and were taught be other Sikhs. The church has 30million members, which makes it the first largest religion worldwide. The aim of the Sikhs is to emulate and follow the teachings and the values of Saint Sipahi who was a Sikh soldier. Sikhs religion is founded under the principle of faith and the followers believe in the existence of one God who controls and mediates the life people lead on earth. In order for one to follow a righteous path in Sikhism, he or she has to follow the scriptures that were created by the 10 gurus (Hawley, 91-92.). The religious members do not believe in heaven or hell but in eternal spiritual unity with God. One must live freely, which the religion refers to as Chakar Vati, and not feel obliged or oppressed by any individual (Hawley, 91-92.). The religions share similar believes in terms of life after death. They each have a belief associated with reincarnation and each religion has the main principle of maintaining peace and spreading love and kindness. However, some qualities are more emphasized in each religion. They all have a reward in different forms for living righteously on earth. Works Cited Flood, Gavin D. An introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press, 1996. Hawley, Michael. "A Review of “The A to Z of Sikhism”." Journal of Religious & Theological Information 11.1-2 (2012): 91-92. Matilal, Bimal Krishna. The Central Philosophy of Jainism (Anekanta-vada). LD Institute of Indology, 1981. Murti, Tirupattur Ramaseshayyer Venkat. The central philosophy of Buddhism: A study of the Madhyamika system. Munshiram Manoharlal, 2006. Read More