Significance of Buddhism to Other Religions and the Modern Society - Essay Example

The paper “Significance of Buddhism to Other Religions and the Modern Society" is a thrilling example of a term paper on religion and theology. This chapter is about Buddhism and the path taken by Buddha, the miraculous prince. Buddha took a long path before he had any insight into events happening around him. In this path, the elements and the virtues of Buddhism that are accepted by modern society are apparent. These elements are also present in other religions such as Christianity and Islam as this paper will show.

This essay will illustrate the similarities of the elements of Buddhism to other religions and the applications of these virtues to modern society. Buddha was a miraculous son. Maya’s conception was without defilement (Novak 44). She had a dream where she saw an elephant enter her without pain and the newborn came out of the mother’s side without causing pain or injury (Novak 45), implying Buddha was holy and pure. There are similarities between his miraculous birth and the rise of other key figures in the two most popular religions in the world.

For example, Jesus Christ was conceived by a virgin while Ishmael was born in a desert but God provided them with food. The birth of Jesus without defilement led to a belief that he was a savior and God’s voice spoke confirmed the belief. In this context, after Buddha was born, he spoke about his future, he said, “For enlightenment, I was born, for the good of all that lives. This was the last time that I have been born into this world of becoming.”(Novak 45). Jesus too, spoke about his future several times.

In both religions, this shows the greatness of these two miraculous children who are believed to be the foundation of each religion. Then the great seer Asita, who perceived miraculous signs following the birth of Buddha the prince, came to the palace and told the king about the greatness that was in him (Novak 45). There is a similarity between the concept here and that reflected by the bible. For example, after Jesus was born, the three wise men came bearing gifts to the infant and claimed they were guided to the newborn by a star.

Both Buddha and Jesus had supreme beatitudes. When the king was told about Buddha’s supreme virtues that would help him attain his goals, he decided to disrupt him from his calling by selecting a maiden and providing him with all the pleasure for all seasons (Novak 46). However, after some time, he became enlightened after he went out of the palace witnessed the suffering of the people. He decided to do away with all these pleasures that had been offered to him, claiming in the absence of the triad of old age, illness, and death, he would enjoy these pleasures (Novak 47).

Eventually, this helped him defeat Mara, her sons, and daughters (Novak 49). In modern society, there are many evil pleasures being discouraged. For example, bad virtues like promiscuity, alcoholism and drug abuse interrupt people from finding their true purpose in this world either productively or mentally. In the Bible, Jesus overcame temptations. The lesson in both texts is on the importance of faith, a divine element and discipline in the quest for personal fulfillment. Meditation was very important for Buddha.

Buddha gained more insight as he was alone under the rose apple tree (Novak 47). He sat down, reflected on all the death, and adjusted his mind to a point of mental stability and concentration. The state of peace obtained in this state is often induced by the process of meditation, even in contemporary times. Buddha defeated Mara because of the great sage derived from the state; leading to the implication that personal fulfillment is reliant on peace of mind. Therefore, the incidence of many people isolating themselves when they are in crises to clarify the thought process resonates with the principles of Buddhism.

Buddha believed everyone suffers from birth, to aging, to illness and finally to death (Novak56). In addition, Buddha believed in fasting just like Christians and Muslims. In conclusion, most of the Buddhism religious practices are present in other religions. These virtues show the ability of man to fulfill his full potential if he follows a divine path, one followed by the pioneers of that particular religion. These virtues encourage social cohesion and discourage selfishness because they have an implication that man is meant to help the people around him to realize his full potential.

These practices are therefore applicable in modern societies since they help people relate well with others and their environment. The art of meditation allows one to have a serene mind, calmness and helps in self-realization in order to reach full potential. Therefore, there are similarities between Buddhism and other religions because all religions advocate for similar virtues and they have similar basis.