Hinduism Buddhism, and Judaism - Assignment Example

Running Head: Hinduism Buddhism, and Judaism Your name Course name Professors’ name Date 1. 2. 3. Hinduism Hinduism is among the oldest religion in the world. Three lords are believed to rule the world and they include Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (Daniélou, 1991). Their respective consorts are the Goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati. The religion is based on ancient texts referred to as Vedas in addition to animistic religions during the Mohenjo Daro civilization (Fuller, 2004). Indians often refer to Hinduism by the more traditional phrase Eternal Religion. Hinduism has a variety of religious beliefs and has become the most diverse and accepting religion given that new Hindu gods and goddesses are added whilst fresh beliefs are integrated into the mainstream. This means that people may not have a common belief. Roles of Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism represent various aspects of absolute Brahman (Kinsley, 1986). Each deity is an expression of Brahman. The divine beings therefore symbolize a single aspect of Brahman. While there are approximately 330 million gods, some Hindus worship a single anthropomorphic personal chosen deity. Others have a choice to worship a couple such as Vishnu and Lakshmi, a trio including Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, or rather a quintet such as Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Surya and Devi (Swami, 1994). These different deities, male and female, acts as a source of energies for Indus thus one can easily make a choice depending on individual’s orientation. As an example, Laxmi is believed to be a source of wealth and prosperity while Saraswati carries a symbol of creativity and knowledge. In essence, God has many names and this forms a reason why most Hindus do not feel the necessity to convert people to specific chosen religion. In this context, a follower of Kali and Vishnu pray to the same Universal God but only in different forms. It is from this perspective that the spiritual practices recommended to a person correspond to spiritual competence (Pattanaik, 2003). An individual has to choose a form of Brahman that meets own spiritual cravings. This validates existence of multiplicity of gods and goddesses. Gods and Goddesses in relation to Brahman Brahman has the nature of truth, knowledge, and infinity hence is the spiritual essence underlying all reality. From this angle, infinite positive qualities and states are present in Brahman’s reality. Concisely, Brahman is described as a necessary reality, eternal, fully independent, non-contingent, and acts as the source and ground of all things (Harman, 2004). It is from this viewpoint that the gods and goddesses in Hinduism are manifestation of various aspects of absolute Brahman. Individual god and goddesses carry a single aspect of Brahman. 4. Buddhism The word Buddhism is derived from “budhi,” which means to awaken. Its origin can be traced to 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, otherwise called the Buddha, was awakened at the prime age of 35 years (Snelling, 1991). Buddhism is classified as a philosophy with a mission to lead a moral life, be attentive to thoughts and actions, and to develop wisdom and understanding. Meditation is an important aspect in Buddhism simply because it helps to develop a certain psychological state or solve a problem. Mindfulness of Breathing and Loving Kindness Meditation are the basic types that were often taught by the Buddha. These Buddhist meditations serve the purpose of enabling an individual gain an understanding of the truth, liberate man from delusion, and end ignorance and craving. Ways in which meditation in Buddhism fits in with other Buddhist concepts Mindful technique is applied in cognitive behaviour therapy, psychoanalysis, and dialectic behaviour therapy (Coomaraswamy, 2011). The approach can treat stress, depression, anxiety, drug, and drug use. In the framework of Mindful meditation, an individual places attention on the present experiences. This is done on a moment-to-moment basis where both physical and cognitive occurrences are noted in a strict non-judgemental attitude. This meditation practice aims at recognizing the distinction between the thinker and the thought. By identifying nonjudgmentally the various thought processes, emotions, and actions, an individual aims at understanding that suffering is the product of attachment formed with impermanent features of all human experiences (Huston, 1991). This indicates that the concept of suffering, which exists as man desires for thing in life can be understood after going through mindful meditation. Mindful meditation is often used by Buddhist practitioners to realize positive psychological change. It is essential to note that this meditation has the capacity to reduce displacement, regression, and projection tendencies (Austin, 1999). In a clinical setting, meditation has been effectively employed to reduce neuroticism, introversion, and drug usage. Moreover, the tool is used to assist clients recognize cognitive behaviours whilst accepting things that took place in the past. One advantage of using mindful meditation as a therapeutic measure is the fact that it can be used outside a clinical setting consequently leading to cost saving while at the same time, a person receives continuous personal therapy (Carlson, 2001). The loving kindness meditation was often used to cultivate boundless love, compassion, and happiness in life. This meditation revolves around provision of unconditional or selfless love. By using loving-kindness in a society where people are troubled emotionally, Buddha agrees that it can develop positive feelings by focusing on mental habit of selfless or altruistic love (Azeemi, 2005). Loving-kindness meditation has an immediate impact of sweetening and changing old negative patterns of thoughts. Briefly, four qualities of love are realized from this kind of mediation and they include friendliness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity. The maturity of loving kindness leads to compassion as an individual empathizes with other people’s difficulties. There is no doubt that both Buddhism concepts and meditations are useful in numerous situations. They are not only applied to an individual but also society as a whole to bring cohesiveness and harmony. 5. Significance of the Torah for Judaism The Torah is a document used to teach Jews how to think, act and feel about life and death (Scherman, 2001). This book comprise of the first five book of Moses e.g. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers Deuteronomy. Genesis narrates about creation, first human beings, their disobedience, and excommunication from Eden. The early history of man and subsequent destruction in floods is also elaborated in Genesis. Exodus accounts for delivery of Hebrews from Egypt guided by Moses. Similarly, Levitical, otherwise called the book of law elaborates cultic practices of the Yahweh. The tale of wilderness is covered in Hebrews while Deuteronomy has a recapitulations of laws assigned to the Hebrews. Jews hold a conviction that Torah was dictated to Moses by God on Mount Sinai after the exodus from slavery in Egypt (Heschel, 2005). It therefore captures how God wants the Jewish people to lead their lives hence is a guide to righteousness. The Torah mostly covers origins or creation and the role of creator in sustaining and interacting with creation. This does not imply that Torah misses to give a vivid account of events but it teaches Jews people that attention should be placed on details. It is from the Torah that man’s interaction with creator and fellow human being is defined. Specifically, the document addresses ways of God and His will for humankind. The basis is not on word for word guide for man but rather a thought for thought guide for man to implement into thoughts, actions, and into the entire community. The divide document gives an insight into how God interacts with creation and its purpose. Since man is often disconnected from interacting with God, which they cannot see his interface with creation, Torah becomes an invaluable instrument to link with God (Shaul, 2009). By consuming the Torah on a daily basis e. g studying and implementing, it is supposed to transform our minds (Landesman, 1995). Torah is embedded with wisdom and it is the discretion of an individual person to invite deep thought, contemplation, and effort to tap such wisdom. One of the pertinent questions to address when studying the document is existence of ten plagues and Ten Commandments. It is an obligation of an individual to draw relationship between passages. In relation to everything else, the Torah is meant to act as focal point of a person’s judgment. As defined in the Torah, the object of man is to match emotions, will, thought, and actions to God’s will. In doing so, man is treating words from creator as eternal without replacement or any superiority. The Torah is further viewed by Jews as a constitution, which provides a framework to create the code of laws. It is presumed that Torah did not pre-exist when Israel was given Torah. Torah, in this regard, indicates God’s ways and will in addition to man’s desired state that was being taught before Israel existed. When Israel was given the task of preserving the Torah, it subsequently became its constitution (Kantor, 1992). As a constitution for all humanity, it gives the ability to express uniqueness in a way that God created all human. There is clear indication from the discussion that the Torah is more than mere words. According to Judaism, the document has a spirit, which ought to be captured through a process of study and contemplation. This ultimately leads to wisdom, understanding, and discernment (Gunther, 1974). It enables man to become emissary for creator and subsequently become witnesses to the world. Reference Daniélou, Al. (1991). The myths and gods of India. Vermont: Inner Traditions. Fuller, C. J. (2004). The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press Harman, W. (2004). "Hindu Devotion". In: Contemporary Hinduism: Ritual, Culture, and Practice, Robin Rinehard, ed. p. 1041. Pattanaik, D. 2003). Indian mythology: tales, symbols, and rituals from the heart of the Subcontinent. Vermont: Inner Traditions / Bear & Company. Swami, B. (1994). Essentials of Hindusim. Seattle: Viveka Press. Kinsley, D. (1986). Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. Question 2 Austin, J. H. (1999). Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness, Cambridge: MIT Press. Azeemi, K. S. (2005). Muraqaba: The Art and Science of Sufi Meditation. Houston: Plato. Carlson, L., et al. (2001). The effects of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients: 6- month follow-up. Support Care Cancer, 9(2):112-23. Coomaraswamy, A. K. (2011). Hinduism and Buddhism. New York: Golden Elixir Press. Huston, S. (1991). The World's Religions. San Francisco: HarperCollins. Snelling, J. (1991). The Buddhist Handbook.  Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions. Question 3 Gunther, W. P. (1974). The Torah: A Modern Commentary. New York: Union for Reform Judaism. Heschel, A. J. et al. (2005). Heavenly Torah: As Refracted Through the Generations. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. Landesman, D.(1995). A Practical Guide to Torah Learning. New Jersey: Jason Aronson, Inc. Scherman, N. (2001). Tanakh, Vol.I, The Torah. New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. Shaul, D. B. (2009). The Torah. New York: Oxford. Kantor, M. (1992). The Jewish time line encyclopedia: A yearby-year history from Creation to the present. London: Jason Aronson Inc. Read More