Judaism and Buddhism: major concepts, beliefs, and historical contexts

World Religions

Compare and contrast 2 different religions

World's Religions: Judaism and Buddhism

For over centuries, the term religion has been used interchangeably in close relations with faith, set of duties, system or set of beliefs. In 2012, a global poll reported that approximately 62% of the world's population relies on religious beliefs while 38% are not religious (does not belong to any religion), including 10% who are atheists. Religion is a collection of organized cultural systems, beliefs, and views of the contemporary world, which relate humanity to the order of existence. A number of religions encompass symbols, sacred histories and symbols, which intend to expound the meaning of life and/or clarify the origin of the Universe, as well as the existing life in it. Every religion may have an organized set of behaviors and clergy, as well as the description of what constitutes membership or adherence, the scriptures and holy places. According to the 2012 report on religion by the global poll, there are approximately 4,000 diverse religions on the entire globe. However, this paper explores two religions-Judaism and Buddhism. It covers the major concepts and aspects of these religions, possible differences, beliefs and life perception, as well as their historical contexts.

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion of approximately 350 million individuals across the entire globe. This religion draws its title from the term "Budhi," which literally means "to awaken." It traces its origin about 2,500 years ago when Gotama Siddhartha- known as Buddha, awakened himself (got enlightenment) at the age of 35 years. Several religious records reveal Buddhism to go beyond the limits of a religion hence becoming more of a philosophy, idea, viewpoint or way of life than a religion. Elaborately, philosophy means the love of wisdom, and its path can be summed up as "to lead a moral life, be aware and mindful of human thoughts and actions, and develop understanding and wisdom. Siddhartha Gotama was born and raised in a royal family within Lumbini- currently located in Nepal, during 563 BC. At the age of 30, Siddhartha realized that luxury and wealth could not guarantee happiness in human life. He thereby sacrificed a significant part of his life exploring teachings from the diverse world religions, which existed by then in order to find the basics of human happiness. Upon seven years of meditation and study, Siddhartha finally got enlightened and achieved his success in tracing the middle path of his study. Thereafter enlightenment, Siddhartha / Buddha spent the remaining part of his life in teaching and spreading the principles of his outcomes- known as Buddhism (called the Truth, or Dhamma) until his death at 80 years of age.

As opposed to Judaism, Buddhists neither believe that Siddhartha Gotama was a God, nor do they claim him to be. They have certainty that he was just a man who sacrificed a precious part of his life to teach the path of human life, thereby gaining enlightenment from his personal experience. At times, Buddhists pay respect to idols and images of Buddha, neither in worship of him nor to ask for any favor. Esposito (2008) elicits that bowing to the statue of Buddha simply implies the expression of gratitude for his wise and knowledgeable teachings.The statue of Buddha gently rests his (its) hands on the lap and gives a compassionate smile, which simply reminds Buddhists to strive for developing love and peace amongst themselves.

According to Esposito (2008), Buddhism firmly holds its roots to a spiritual tradition, which focuses on an individual's spiritual development, as well as the attainment of a deeper insight into the actual nature of life. Buddhists believe that life is endless and is a subject to impermanence, uncertainty and suffering. This state of life refers to as the three signs of existence, or tilakhana. Therefore, existence is endless due to individuals' habitual reincarnations over and over, thereby experiencing suffering throughout human life. There is no belief in a personal god. Buddhism is built on four noble teachings contained within the teachings of Buddha who declared that suffering, its path, cessation, and origin to be part and parcel of human life (Esposito, 2008). It was upon the principles of these four noble truths that Buddha created a concrete understanding during his introspection under the Bodhi tree: (i) Dukkha- the truth of suffering, (ii) Samudaya- the truth of the foundation of suffering, (iii) Nirodha- the truth of cessation of suffering, and (iv) Magga -- the truth of the path towards cessation of suffering. Buddhists regularly compare Buddha to a physician. Within the first two noble truths, Buddha diagnosed the suffering problem and recognized its cause. In the third noble truth, he realized that there is at least a cure for every suffering, and finally in the fourth noble truth, he set out the eightfold path, which is the perception on the possible ways of achieving and releasing suffering.

Among the Buddhists, Karma is a teaching a concept which explains that the past actions of humans, do affect them either negatively or positively and that their present actions may affect them in the future. Unlike other religions, Buddhism has no particular central text for universal reference on its traditions. Their scriptures alongside other texts exist in great diversity. Nonetheless, some Buddhist scholars commonly refer to VinayaPitaka together with the first four Nikayas from the SuttaPitaka as the most commonly referred core of all Buddhists' traditions (Van Voorst, 2007). Uniquely enough, Buddhists do not have a particular day of worship or Sabbath. However, there are several holy days or special days held all through the year by the Buddhists. A number of these days are celebrations of the birthdays of Bodhisattvas amongst the Mahayana traditions, and other special dates within the Buddhist calendar. One of the most significant and active celebrations happen annually in the month of May- the night of the full moon, when all Buddhists rejoice the enlightenment, birth and the death of Buddha that occurred about 2,500 years ago. They commonly refer this day as the Buddha Day.

Similarities

Regarding the commonality between Judaism and Buddhism, there exists a single similarity pertaining to what the human mind may pursue to be right or wrong. The eightfold path of Buddhism in several aspects resembles the Mosaic teachings of the Ten Commandments, which directs the human mind and thoughts in doing good or evil. The directives observed by the followers of the eightfold path include the right intention, wright speech, wright mind, right action, honest livelihood, right concentration, right mindfulness, and right effort. These aspects are also the core pillars within the Ten Commandments since it takes the human mindedness for Judaists to observe the directives given within the Ten Commandments. Wrong is comparable to evil while "right" is comparable to "good," and this is what Buddhists observe in the eightfold path just as the Judaists believe in the Ten Commandments as the veracious path of humanity. It is thereby the human mind that forbids or allows them to perform what they are to do. By these examples, it is clear to establish that what is right or wrong depends on what individuals learn or believe within a community or religion. It is feasible to assume that the human mind is the greatest entity, which conducts both 'wrong' and 'right' concepts for both the Buddhist and Jewish religions.

In conclusion, every religion has an organized set of behaviors and clergy, as well as the description of what constitutes membership or adherence, the scriptures and holy places. In this context, Buddhism and Judaism are diverse religions, which elicit a number of religious differences, but with a narrow scope of similarities. While Judaists believe in a solitary God who has control over humans' lives and revealed his commandments and laws through Moses on the Sinai Mountain to guide his followers, Buddhists do not believe in any God or gods. They observe the teachings of Siddhartha Gotama, which aim at enlightenment and provision of knowledge. However, there exists a similarity between Judaism and Buddhism in that the human mind is the only tool in human life that is useful in pursuing what is right or what is wrong as contained within the eightfold path of Buddhists and Judaism's Ten Commandments.