Essays on Dharma

Origin and Evolution

Buddhism emerged from the religious beliefs of Iron Age India during the 6th-4th centuries BCE. This was time of socio-cultural change, when the Upanishads contributed to the change in the historical Vedic faith and led to the appearance of Sramanic traditions (Eraly 538). Later, Buddhism spread through the territory of Asia, and after that it faced a slight decline in India in the middle age period.

The Symbol of Faith

Officially, the two symbols were adopted by the World Fellowship of Buddhists. These are the eight-spoked Dharma wheel and the five-colored flag (Freiberger).

Buddhist Canon and its Basic Teachings

The research of basic canons and teachings of Buddhism has ...

Buddhism, like all the other Eastern religions, originated from “Animism”, which is the belief that everything in the universe has an essence, a spirit or a soul. As a way of life, it is similar to the other religions in promoting morality, generosity, kindness, harmony, and respect for all living beings including mother nature. Alike Hinduism, Buddhism believes in the following: 1. Reincarnation, wherein the soul is reborn into another body based on the level of spiritual attainment from the previous life. 2. Karma, which is either the positive or the negative effects of an individual’s actions. 3. ...

Intro

Basically, the idea that the world is not a random and chaotic mass of things, but a harmoniously ordered unity exists in accordance with certain laws at the heart of the Buddhist philosophy. The Dharma is the universal and eternal order that preserves and retains the integrity of the world. That is why the Dharma is a key concept in the complex system of Buddhism. The Dharma is the way and the law at the same time. It is a way to improve and complete enlightenment. If one analyzes this concept literally and in more detail, it becomes evident ...

The Professor’s Name

Buddhism and Hinduism are 2 of the 5 religions that are most popular in the current world. Both of these religions are widely practiced and have deep roots in history. In the rating of the most popular religions, Hinduism follows Christianity and Islam and takes the 3rd place (Nandan, G. B. and Jangubhai, N. A. M., 2013). The first written documents that contain the principles of Hinduism are called Vedas. They were copied on paper in 1000 B.C., but it is evident that they appeared long before that time in an oral form. Both Buddhism and Hinduism appeared in ...

Introduction

The Bhagavad Gita is a set of sermons given by Lord Krishna to his nephew Arjuna who was caught in a mental dilemma where he was unable to decide between lifting arms and annihilating his own relatives who were against him and his brothers (Pavulraj, 2014). The sole purpose of the entire scripture was to demystify the connection between the humans and the God. Lord Krishna holds the religious value of being an incarnation of lord Vishnu who is among the three main deities in the Hinduism. Thus, although literally, the message of Bhagavad Gita was to inculcate the ...

Draupadi and Sita are two characterizations of feminity. One is more sensual and provocative, while the other is the symbol of purity. Draupadi is a princess, and the daughter of King Drupada. She is one of the main characters of Mahabharata. Sita is the wife of Rama, who is a depiction of the supreme god Vishnu. She is one of the main characters of the Ramayana. Draupadi would be the depiction of strong, controversial feminity, while Sita is the depiction of the perfect wife and woman, which would be the central traits that would make the two women very ...

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the origins of the Buddhism, how did it all start and where is its origins? The reader will retrieve an insight about its beliefs, teachings and ceremonies; what is the core of this religion? The exact rules and scriptures by which the Buddhists live with, what are the forbidden acts and the favourable ones? The paper will also answer to the most important question; what is the reason behind its spread? This paper will demonstrate the evolution of this religion throughout different centuries and the obstacles it faced during its spread. ...

The institutional affiliation

1. The question about correct or incorrect behavior has constantly worried humans. It is evident that philosophical or theological beliefs have always tried to clarify this issue. In the following essay, it will be examined the determination of how different religious worldviews see the pattern of the rightness and truth. With about one billion followers Hinduism specifies that individuals are solely responsible for their actions and the way they elect to direct their lives. It provides them an absolute freedom to act in accordance with the immanent essence and nature and to investigate their spiritual world in order to ...

Idealization is a part of every religion. To the Christian’s Jesus is the epitome of an idealized human being. His idealization is particularly apparent in the accounts of the beginnings of the church. If one is to look at the time of Jesus after His resurrection, a much idealized individual was presented to the apostles. They were frightened at first but later began to relish the splendor of Jesus. One of the first questioned Jesus asked of the apostle was that He was hungry. He wanted to eat with the apostle; Of course, He probably was not hungry ...

There are many books that leave us puzzled after reading them and “The Bhagavad-Gita” is the one. You have to be aware of all the terminology that being used in the book. Otherwise, the hidden meaning of it will remain hidden. The book talks about the understanding of life in Hindi culture. The beginning of the story about Bhagavad Gita may appear scary in light of the usage of great amount of terms that leave Dhritarashtra and Sanjaya that will be new to readers who are not knowledgeable in Hinduism. In any case, the new peruser ought to see ...