There are 750 million+ Hindus in the world, most concentrated in India (pearls.org). Before elaborating on what beliefs and practices Hinduism has, perhaps it is helpful to first consider the "familiar to a Westerner" features that it doesn't have. There is no "founder" of Hinduism and no specific time it "began" (i.e. Jesus or Buddha's birth). There is not a set of scriptures that has authority over all other texts of its religion (i.e. ...

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Two of the most prominent world religions today have their origins in the Indian subcontinent of Asia. Both the Hindu and Buddhist religions can trace their creation back to this vast area. Hindu was the predecessor to Buddhism, as the latter was created as an offshoot of the central religion. This can still be seen in the doctrines of the faith, though their practices are far different from those of Hindu followers. Each has very distinct religious texts, philosophies, and stories, which are expressed through their architectural works of art. ...

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The Theravada Buddhists believe that Gautama Buddha was only a man and, by becoming a monk and following his example and teachings, one can achieve enlightenment. The Mahayana Buddhists believe in order to achieve enlightenment it is not necessary to become a monk but depends on good deeds performed during one's lifetime. ... The flowers remind them that life is temporary; the odor of the incense calls to their mind the sweet scent of moral virtue that emanates from those who are devout and the candle-flame symbolizes enlightenment. ...

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The scriptures are taught by gurus, or teachers, who are considered to have attained enlightenment through knowledge and practice. ... At the age of 29, Gautama saw suffering for the first time and decided to leave home and seek religious enlightenment. ...

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Of the many religions that originated in the Indian peninsula, Buddhism is the one that, during the last decade, has known the biggest enthusiasm and the greatest increase in interest in the West (Baumann & Prebish, p. 85). In fact, this increase in interest is reflected by the numerous stories rela...

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The world is a place where thousands of people live and interact with each other every day. Without a doubt, every person is an individual, with different feelings and beliefs over situations that they come across. Everyday in our life we are able to talk and relate with different people, we certain...

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At the age of thirty-five, Siddharta Gautama sat down beneath the shade of a tree to meditate, and stayed under it until he received enlightenment seven weeks later. He received the Great Enlightenment: the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path. ... In history, it is said that Lord Buddha Shakyamuni lectured on these noble truths during his first public speech after his enlightenment. ...

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Samurai And Religion Introduction When speaking about the history of Japanese society, the samurai is a very interesting phenomenon. Although the samurai, as a human being, disappeared at the time when Japan opened itself to the West, much of the mentality of the Japanese people could years la...

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STUDIES OF RELIGION 1 PRELIMINARY COURSE ASSESSMENT TASK THE NATURE OF RELIGION Human beings are naturally curious. Consequently, universal questions concerning the origin of man and his purpose on this earth are raised, such as the questions of life, death, evil and suffering (Lovat, McGrath, Fletcher and Follers, 2000). Questions such as these have plagued mankind for centuries, perhaps since the very beginnings of the human race. The need for meaning in life eventually led to religion, a response to the human search for ultimate meaning and purpose (Lovat, et al., 2000). ...

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Adam Ruppel Professor Stover Religion and the Modern World 4 December 2014 The After Life The afterlife and how one gets there is as diverse as the different religions explored in this research. In some form or fashion, on average, the religions explored for the purposes of this assignment, believe that something occurs after death. This is represented by the text, sacred text and word of mouth passed down from generation to generation. In Western, Eastern and Pagan religions, the concept of how to achieve a good or a bad existence after death have remained static for centuries. For examp...

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From the time of her birth in Japan, a women, will have a much different religious experience than one of her counterparts from another society. This is partly due to the rigid and strict society in which she lives, but also due to the rich and generous blend of religious traditions that make one entirely unique experience. Japan is a country without a truly native religion. The people of Japan are all members of several different traditions and each person may be more religious in one area at different times in there life. The blend is mainly made up of Shinto, Buddhism, Confucius, Taoist...

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