Eastern religion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eastern religion refers to religions that are mostly either Indian or Chinese in origin: The Dharma faiths of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism; and the Chinese religious philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism. This grouping also includes other religions, most notably Shinto, the traditional religion of Japan.
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[edit] Hinduism
Hinduism (सनातन धर्म; also known as Sanātana Dharma and Vaidika-Dharma) encompasses many different philosophies. 'Hinduism' is the name given by the muslims and later the Europeans to denote all the indigenous faiths, from ancestor worship, totemism and animism to advaita, Buddhism and Jainism. The latter two are now recognized as separate religions in their own right; however, in India, before the advent of Islam, there was never a sharp distinction between the followers of various thoughts, and no Indian school of thought ever made exclusivist claims. Hence, the Indians, like the Japanese, do not follow the Western concept of various religions as watertight compartments fighting each other for supremacy. Hinduism does not have a founder or prophet in the West Asian sense. However, its sacred books are the oldest extant religious texts in the world. It is the third largest religion, with approximately 940 million followers worldwide, 96 percent of whom live in the Indian subcontinent. The only official Hindu state in the world was Nepal. Unlike Buddhism, Hinduism has remained mainly in the Indian subcontinent.
Hinduism, or Jainism, or Buddhism, is unlike the Abrahamic religions; it is quite interesting to note the fundamental differences between them. Jains are atheistic, as are Buddhists. The six orthodox schools of Hinduism vary in opinion, from monism and dualism, to pantheism and atheism. In Smartism, a denomination of Hinduism, the gods are all representations of one supreme energy.
Hinduism teaches its followers the value of pure and right actions, to give up bad or wrong actions, to meditate on God, or your own self, in order to escape out of the cycle of life and death and obtain moksha. However, the common Hindu more readily identifies his religion with the numerous rituals he has to undergo from birth to death, than with the philosophical speculations of the six vedic schools.
The term Hindu derives from the name of the river Sindhu. See also Hindu people.
[edit] Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 563 and 483 BC. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually spread throughout Asia to Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Southeast Asia, as well as the East Asian countries of China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
With approximately 350 million followers, Buddhism is considered a major world religion.
Buddhism teaches that there are Four Noble Truths: that this world is full of misery, and we are caught in the cycle of birth and death; that the cause of misery is neurotic attachment; that by getting rid of such attachment one can escape from the cycle of birth and death and the resultant misery; and that this could be achieved by following the Eight-Fold Path. It teaches to avoid bad and harmful actions, and to purify and train the mind. The aim of these practices is to end the suffering of cyclic existence, samsara, by awakening the practitioner to the realization of true reality, the achievement of nirvana and Buddhahood.
Buddhist morality is underpinned by the principles of compassion, harmlessness and moderation. Mental training focuses on moral discipline (sila), meditative concentration (samadhi), and wisdom (prajñā).
While Buddhism does not deny the existence of supernatural beings (indeed, many are discussed in Buddhist scripture), it does not ascribe power for creation, salvation or judgement to them. Like humans, they are regarded as having the power to affect worldly events. Some Buddhist schools associate with them through rituals.
[edit] Jainism
Jainism is the religion of the followers of Vardhaman Mahavir. He is said to be the 24th tirthankara (ford-makers). He preached that the cycle of birth and death can be broken by the Three Gems: Right Knowledge, Right Conduct and Right Faith. In the past, Jainism had a more extensive following; its numbers shrank due to the onslaught of the Bhakti faiths. Its mythology is very intertwined with the Hindu mythology, to the point of being inseparable. Many Jains do not pay any attention to the debate whether they constitute a separate religion or not.
