A Thumbnail Sketch of World Religions Hlndism Perhaps the oldest and most complex of all the religions in the world. Dates: Possibly roots were laid down as early as the third miilenium B.C. Founder None identified. Identified primarily with Aryan conquerors of the natives of the hidus valley although there is evidence that some gods and practices came from the pre-aryan times. (Aryan is sanskrit for the noble ones. ) Sacred Texti The Vedas (c. 15 B.C -4 B.C). There are four basic Vedic books: The Rig Veda contains the basic mythology, the Yajur-Veda contains materials to be recited during sacrifice to the gods, the Sama-Veda is a collection of verses from the basic hymns, and the Atharava-Veda (second in importance only to the Rig-VedaY contains rituals to be used in the homeandpopularprayerstothegods. f f An important related text, that is more an epic poem, the Mahabharata (9 B.C. - 2 A.D.) contains the Bhagavad-Gita. a philosophical treatise on the nature of duty and salvation conceived as a pre-battle conversation between the warrior Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna (an incarnation of the god Vishnu). Another epic, the Ramayaria (story of Rama, also an incarnation of Vishnu) is popularly illustrated in drama and the visual arts. Traditionally, all indian art was religious. Major Deities: The large pantheon of Aryan deities éventüally gave way to several major figures. A devout Hindu today usuallyworships one as the suprerre god and regards the other as secondary aspects of him. Brahma: the creator of everything, the god of gods. Actually does not play a very important role in current religious practice Vishnu the preserver Flexible and benevolent, this god has many incarnations (avátars) including Rama, Krishna and even the Buddha. - Shiva: the most complex of all Hindu gods,, Shiva is creator, preserver.and destroyer. He is the god of death and reproduction and also the god of dance. Devi: a female deity also known as the great Mother, Durga and Kali. She too has both creative and destnictive forms. Belief Systems: Underlying Hinduism is the Vedic world vision which holds that there is one true reality in the universe or Absolute. Living beings are only expressions of The Absolute. All existence is an illusion arising from ignorance of the true nature ofreality. Life is an endless cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth from which one seeks release (màkshá) in.order to reunite with the reality of the universe. Like humans the cosmosalso undergoes endless cycles of death and rebirth. In current Hindu practice life is seen as having 4 basic aims:, 1. dharrna: the pursuit of law, human righteousness, duty and cosmic order. 2. artha: the accumulation of worldly success 3. kama: the pursuit of love 4. moksha: release from cycle of death and rebirth. The paths to release are: a. to do good works and observe duties and rituals; b. intense love and devotion to a personal god; c. yoga: physical and mental exercises including meditation, for heightening states of consciousness. -
Buddhism Like Jainism a heresy of Hinduism which worked because. it offered a presaiption for achieving release from the cyde of birth, death and rebirth. It became especially important in China and Japan, while in India it eventually became reabsorbed into Hinduism with the Buddha seen as an avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. Dates: 6th century B.C. Founder. Siddhartha Gautama (56 B.C. -48 B.C.), a prince who sought o understand the reasons for the ugliness and pain of the real world. After giving up the comforts and possessions of his princely life he sought enlightenment by studying with a guru and pr:icticng extreme asceticism. When he failed through these paths, he determined to sit and rneditaw under a tree. After 7 weeks, enlightenment came and from then on he became known as the Buddha (Enlightened One). In his meditation the Buddha had a visicn of the endless cycle of birth and death that are the lot of mankind. It was revealed to hrn that mankind was bound to this cycle because of desire. When he ceased to desire, he found enlightenment and decided to teach the wisdom he had achieved. Basic Teachings: Four Noble Truths 1. Wherever mankind exists there is suffering. 2. The cause of suffering is desire, thirst or aaving. 3. One ceases to suffer when one can develop nonattachment to the things of the world and can conquer desire (which cannot be achieved by desinng this). 4. One conquers desire and finds release from suffering (Nirvana, iiter:il meaning is extinguished) by following the eightfold path laid out by the Buddha for his discipies: right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right liveiihcd, right effort, right mindfulness, right meditation. Development of Buddhism: The Buddhas followers disputed the meaning of his teachings and, in 39 B.C., this dispute resulted in a division of Buddhism into two n-aior camps: Theravada Cthe tradition of the elders as it was known to its adherents) or more cdrnrnonly Hinayana (lesser vehicle as it was known to its enemies) and Mahayana ( the larger vehicle). Hinayana is more traditional in that it holds that each one works on his or her own personal salvation through strict adherance to the teachings of the Buddha. This is now practiced in Ceylon, Burma and parts of Southeast Asia. Maha,razu Buddhism teaches that: 1) the Buddha had many secet. teachings that he did not reveal (this opens the way for all manner of new teachings to be added to Buddhism); 2) the Buddha was really a divine being who came to earth in human form; and 3) that there were other such divine beings. This made Buddhism much more appealing since one could worship these various divine beings. It also allowed for great missionary expansion since the gods of any region could be adopted as incarnations of the Buddha. There are many Mahayanist sects and hundreds of Buddhist deities and Bodhisattvas (enlightened beings who give up Nirvana in order to help mankind). Mahayana Buddhism spread north to the Himalayas, Cnina and Japan.
Chinese Traditional Religion From earliest times the Chinese have held certain religious concepts and practices that later played a part in the development of the philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism. Belief System: 1. The recognition of multiple gods and spirits. Beneficial spirits were known as Shen while evil ones were known as Kwei. In early times sacrifices were used to placate, cajole and nurture these spirits. 2 Yin and Yang The universe is understood to function the way that it does because of a balance between these two forces. The yin is the negative force found in darkness, coolness, femaleness, dampness. the earth itself, the moon and the shadows The yang is the positive force found in lightness, brightness, warmth, maleness, dryness and the sun. No value judgement is placed on the yin and yang (one is not good and the other evil) rather, evil results from the imbalance and disharmony between the two. This concept s also helpful in divination, predicting the future, and is the underlying principle used in the I Ching. (The Book of Changes) edited by Confucius and still in use today. 3 Filial Piety and Ancestor Worship old age is venerated and ancestors have to be honored, remembered, sacrifices offered to them, etc. Taoism A philosophy of nature, a religion a system of magical practices, Taoism is all of these While it began primarily as a philosophy, it soon developed a pantheon of deities and became especially identified with superstition and magical attempts to prolong life. Many of its ideas for individual moral and spiritual development are still practiced today. Date 6th century B C Founder. Although the basic philosophy of Taoism grows out of the much older traditional beliefs, Lao-tzu is credited with being the founder Legend has it that he was born approximately fifty years before Confucius He was the keeper of royal archives in the court of / the (lou Dynasty but retired from his post arid sought to leave the county. A border guard recognized him as a wise man and refused to allow him to leave until he had written down his wisdom. Whereupon Lao-tzu wrote the Tao Te Cling and left the country never to be heard from again. Sacred Text The 3]e Ching is one of the most influential books of Chinese literature. The title literally means The Classic of the Way and Its Power or Virtue. Scholars now think that the book as it is known today was developed over many centuries and evolved into its present form sometime around the 4th century B.C. Belief System: 1. The basic unity behind the universe is an unseen, mysterious force called the Tao, generally defined as The Way but actually difficult to define. 2. Life is the greatest of all possessions. This belief led Taoists to search for ways to prolong and enrich life. 3. Life is to be lived simply. Ideally one should turn one s back upon civilization and live innocently as a child content with what the Tao has ordained. Lao-tzu is remembered for saying Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish (i.e. do not overdo it). 4. Pomp and glory are to be despised.
- - -, -----,--- - -, - - Like Taoisrn this was more of a philosophical system when first developed than a religion. It has no priesthood, its sacred writings are not considered to be revelations from the gods like the or the Ouran, it has frowned upon asceticism and monasticism and it has no theory of afterlife. Confucianism consists of an ethical code for the good of society. Dates: 6th century B.C. Founder: Kung Fu-tse (551 B.C. - 479 B.C.), Confucius is the latinized version. The child of an impoverished aristocratic family, Confucius studied the inner workings of society and became interested in what constituted good government. He becamea teacher and, according to legend, he was asked to put his principles of good government into practice when he joined the government of the Duke of Lu as Its prime minister. But in spite of excellent results, he was forced out by court intrigue and spent the next twelve years of his life wandering. He was finally offered a less important position as advisor to the Duke of Al and this allowed him to compile some of the classical Chinese texts. Belief System: The central themes are represented by the word W which seems to mean the course of life as it is intended to go an outward expressionof the superior man toward others in his society and Jen, the inward expression, frequently translated as love, goodness and - humaneness, a quality that all men should seek to develop. There are five basic relationships in life: 1. father to son (kindness and filial piety) 2. elder brother to younger brother (gentility and humility) 3. husband to wife (righteousness and obedience) 4. elder to junior (consideration and deference) 5. ruler to subject (benevolence and loyalty) - - It is important to remember that in China it was possible-to be a Taoist, a Confucianist and a Buddhist all at the same time. --
Jism Dates: Roots of Judaism reach back to the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt, around 1 B.C Founder No individual identified. Sacred Texts The Jewish Bible (from Greek bibha meaning Thook ) was written over a period of 1 years, ending around 1 AD It has three sections the Torah (teaching ) includes five books believed to have beeiiwritten by Moses; thei rophetsand the Writings. The Bible provides a way to understand God and Cod s relationto humanity. The belief that Moses descended from Mt Sinai with an Oral Law as well as a Written Law has led to interpretation of the Oral Law The Talmud ( learning ) provides a compilation of the Oral Law and rabbinical commentaries on it. This reinterpretation of ancient texts, (and upon earlier commentaries,) has provided for the continued growth and aiaptation of Judaism Belief System: Judaism believes in one eternal, all-powerful, ail-loving God who created the universe. He created all people as equals, providing a base for respect, understanding and love. People were also given the ability to choose betveen good and evil allowing them to affirm God s gifts and through that, find salvation onarth. God communicates with humans through revelation and humans communicate With CO4 through prayer and meditation. Obedience to the Torah is essential, the faithful must iulflhl Cod s commandments and bear witness to His purpose. At first, ceren-ny depended upon a priesthood whoperformed sacrificial rites in the Temp1e The destruction of the Temple mjérusalem by the Ronians in 7 A.D provoked decentralization, and, over time, the synagogue replaced the Temple as the primary place for worship Likewise, the priesthood was replaced by rabbis and the sacrificial ceremony with prayer With Exodus and the divine revelation on Mt Sinai as part of their heritage, the Jewish people felt a responsibility to fulfill God s mission Prophets arose believing that they had been chosen to preach ftr the l.ord Dunng the most desperate times, under foreign domination the Jews looked forward to the corning of a human Messiah who might overthrow the oppressors and lead the people to their independent Promised Land During the Roman occupation of Palestine, many considered Jesus Christ to be the Messiah.
Cth Dates: First century A.D. Founder: The disciples of Jesus Christ distinguished him from other Jewish prophets by claiming that he was the Messiah. Jews did not believe this, since Jesus submitted to his own execution. Christians maintain that Christ s resurrection on Easter proved that he was divine. Despite persecution, Christianity spread sporadically throughout the Roman Empire until it was officially recognized by Emperor Constantine I in 313 A.D. Sacred Text Several Christians, including St. Jerome and St. Augustine are credited with having conserved and commented upon the writings of the Christian Bible. These writings were considered literal and infallible inspiration dictated by the Holy Spirit. The Christian Bible is divided into two portions, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Books included in the Old Testament correspond generally to the Jewish ibie The New Testaments consisting of 27 books, begins with 4 biographies of Christ (the Gospels) and ends with yçlatwp (also known as Apocalypse). This second collection of biblical books did not appear in its present order until 367 Al). The Apochrvpha. collected stories of Christ and the Christian saints, are an appendix to the Old Testament. Today many Christians do not consider the p ch l2ha to be holy texts. Belief System: Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, in which God assumes presences as father, son and holy spirit. Gods divine incarnation on Earth, Jesus Christ, lived and preached God s teachings in Palestine. Christians attempt to follow Christ s teachings, in the belief that such a life will assure everlasting life in Heaven after death. Christ s crucifixion was overshadowed by his resurrection and ascension to Heaven, which, in Christian thought, proved his dual nature as human and divine. Since Christians believe that humans are sinful by nature and birth, Christ s death, Gods sacrifice of his son, provided a means of atonement for human sins. Like most religions, Christianity has endured reform movements throughout its history. The monastic orders, begun in Egypt in the third and fourth centuries A.D. were reform attempts to re-direct the contemporary Church. The most decisive reform movement, the Reformation, occured in the 16th century. Perceiving that the Catholic Church had grown too worldly and corrupt, reformers like Martin Luther (1483-1546) stated that a believer could not assure his or her salvation through good works, but only through constant faith. The Reformation splintered Christianity in Catholic and Protestant sects which characterize the Religion to this day. j