Comparative World Religions

Compiled by Dr Glen Christie

Faith Bible College Part 2

HinduismJainism

BuddhismConfuciani

smTaoism

Reincarnation

Jainism - History According to Jain scriptures

Jainism has existed in principle from eternity

Historical and archeological evidences account Jainism at least 7000 year old

Propounded by 24th Tirthankar Mahävir Swämi (599 BC-527 BC)

Root word is Jina – means the one who has conquered inner enemies, which are anger, ego, deceit and greed

Jainism – Basic TenetsThere is no creator, sustainer or the destroyer of the universe. There is NO super powerThere is no beginning or an end of the universeUniverse runs on auto pilot on five things: Time, Inherent nature, Destiny, Karma and Self-effortThere is a life after death and it is dependent upon your KarmaEvery action of mind, speech or body results in bondage of Karma to the soul

Jainism – Basic TenetsSoul is bound with Karma from

eternityUntil a soul is free of Karma

bondage, there will be no liberation or Moksha

One must suffer or enjoy the consequences of bound Karma OR must get rid of that Karma by austerity, penance or other desirable things

Therefore, our efforts should be directed towards not getting new Karma and to get rid of already bound Karma

Jainism – Basic TenetsRoot cause of all misery is,

DESIRECurtailing and ultimately getting

rid of all desires results in attaining the ultimate, Moksha

Jainism – Path to Liberation

Jainism prescribes a simple path to Liberation.

Right Faith Right Knowledge Right Conduct

Jainism – Path to LiberationWhat is right faith?

There is a soul The soul is eternal. It

cannot be created de-novo (from the beginning), nor can be destroyed

There is Karma Soul is bound with Karma

from eternity There is Moksha (freedom

from the cycle of death and rebirth)

One can attain Moksha

Jainism – Path to LiberationWhat is right knowledge?

Desire is the root cause of all sufferings

Behind every perceived happiness there is unhappiness (absence of happiness is unhappiness)

Jina’s teaching is the true knowledge which guides us to the path to liberation

Only way to achieve everlasting peace is to free the soul from the bondage of Karma

Jainism – Path to LiberationWhat is right conduct?

Non-violence : Not to cause harm to any

living being in thoughts, by speech or by bodily actions.

Every living being, no matter how small, has a soul (Jainism has always believed that five fundamental elements (fire, air, water, earth and vegetation) are living beings.

No higher evolved living beings should be hurt and harm to five fundamental elements should be minimized to bare minimum.

Jainism – Path to LiberationWhat is right conduct?

Non-possessiveness:

Possessiveness is due to desire. Desire to have any tangible or

intangible thing is possessiveness.

Failure to gain what is desired is the root cause of unhappiness and misery.

Elimination of desire is the ultimate step in attaining liberation

Jainism – Path to LiberationWhat is right conduct?

Theory of Multi-view points:

There could always be an element of truth in any statement, depending upon how one looks at it. This helps create mutual respect, expand our knowledge and helps us understand other side of the coin.

Every living being, no matter how small, loves its existence and fears death. Respecting their view is the ultimate application of this theory among many others.

However, the whole truth and absolute truth is known only by Jina, the one who has attained omniscience and taught us the truth learned by Him.

Unique Features Of Jainism Ideals of compassion and non-

possessiveness build a strong sense of social service, mutual love and respect.

No war was ever waged to convert or coerce

Equality of woman in society and religion.

Independence from priestly domination.

The most eco friendly and peace loving religion

Rests the power in your hand not in the super power by making you responsible for your own deeds

Buddhism

Origins

• Around 530 BC a young prince named Siddhartha Gautama challenged the ideas of the Brahmin priests and created a new world religion

• Born in 563 BC into the warrior caste – He lived in luxury in his

family’s palaces and never experienced pain, suffering, or death

– He married a beautiful woman and they had a son

– One day while riding in his chariot outside the palace walls, Gautama saw a sick man, an old man, and a dead man

–He realized that life was an endless cycle of pain and that the only way to escape that cycle was to seek wisdom –He left his family when he was about 29 and

became a homeless wanderer with five other men who were also seeking wisdom

• Gautama tried to find wisdom through physical suffering and harsh discipline but instead he gained only pain

• At last, after days of meditating deeply in the shade of a tree, Gautama felt that the truth had come to him

• At this point, he became known as “The Enlightened One,” or Buddha

First Noble Truth: Everything in life is suffering and sorrow

Second Noble Truth: The cause of all this pain is people’s self-centered cravings and desires --- people seek pleasure that cannot last and that leads only to rebirth and more suffering

Four Noble Truths

Third Noble Truth: The way to end all pain is to end all desires

Fourth Noble Truth: People can overcome their desires and attain enlightenment by following the Eightfold Path

– Right knowledge, right purpose, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right mindfulness, and right meditation

–By following the Eightfold Path, anyone could attain nirvana--which was the release from all pain and suffering

Eightfold Path

• Buddha taught his followers to treat all living things (humans, animals, and even insects) with kindness and love

• The most important symbol in Buddhism is the Wheel of Life which depicts the cycle of birth and life– The eight spokes symbolize

the Eightfold Path

• Buddhist teachings & beliefs were recorded in a collection called the Tripitaka

Organizing Principles Status Age Gender