Excerpts from Religious Philosophies
By John M. Koller
Chinese Philosophy
The central problem of Chinese philosophy is how to achieve harmony with all humanity and how to achieve harmony with nature.
Chinese philosophy has been closely connected with politics, morality, and religion. It does not try to understand the world, but it tries to make people great.
Taoism is concerned with becoming great by becoming one with the inner way of the universe.
Confucianism is concerned with developing humanity by cultivating human heartedness and the social virtues.
Inner greatness is the peace and contentment of spirit in one's completeness. Outer greatness is the ability to live well practically and with social dignity. The emphasis is sageliness (wisdom) within and kingliness (nobility) without.
The emphasis on human greatness leads to ethics, spiritual life, familial virtues, and filial love. The cornerstone of Chinese morality is the great love and respect within the family. Synthesis and harmony bring tolerance, sympathy, and a completeness to life.
Some ideas of Confucius (551 B.C.). are:
Buddhism
Buddhism is a difficult religion to comprehend. It is an even more difficult religion to practice. Its main philosophy is that the place suffering stems from is craving, desiring the external objects in ones life.
Contrary to many peoples belief Buddha is not a God, but rather a man, a great philosopher. Guatama Siddhartha is the man from whom the philosophies of Buddhism stem. Guatama Siddhartha's father was determined to shelter his son and keep him safe from the suffering in the world. He gave him the best of everything, never letting him be hurt. But with suffering being as prominent as it is in this world, nothing could keep the young boy sheltered from it.
He was greatly touched and moved by the suffering of others and was determined to live a life in which he eased others sufferings. So came about the philosophies of Buddhism. There are four noble truths in Buddhism. These are
The Middle Way contains eight principles, which constitute the fourth Noble Truths. The first two principles fall into the category of wisdom. They are right views and right resolution. The next three principles fall into the category of conduct. They are right speech, right action, and right livelihood. The last three fall into the category of mental discipline. They are right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
The aim of Buddhism is to be able to achieve a "completely integrated life of the highest order". The ethical conduct of Buddhism if based on basic ideas which so many people find hard to grasp and ultimately practice. These ideas are to be loving and compassionate. The ethical conduct of Buddhism springs from wisdom or, in other words, an enlightened mind. To achieve this ethical conduct one must have abundant self-discipline. To practice Buddhism one must have self-discipline for every idea and principle of Buddhism must be put into one's life and in order to do that, one must have self-discipline. Its fine to believe in the ideas that Buddha teaches, but if one does not put them into practice, then the whole effort of believing in them is for nothing.
There is an idea in Buddhism called "Right Effort". Practicing Right Effort requires four things.
Hinduism - Philosophy of Living
FOUNDED - Hinduism, the world's oldest religion has no beginning, it predates recorded history.
FOUNDER - Hinduism has no human founder.
MAJOR SCRIPTURES - The Vedas, The Upanishads, The Agamas, The Shruti etc.
ADHERENTS - Over 695,000,000 mostly in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mauritius, Africa, Europe and North America.
SYNOPSIS - Hinduism is a vast and profound religion. It worships one supreme Reality (called by many names) and teaches that all souls ultimately realize Truth. There is no eternal hell, no damnation. It accepts all genuine spiritual paths - from pure monism ("God alone exists") to theistic dualism ("When shall I know His Grace?"). Each soul is free to find its own way, whether by devotion, austerity, meditation (yoga) or self service. Stress is placed on temple worship, scripture and the Guru/disciple tradition. Festivals, pilgrimage, chanting of holy hymns and home worship are dynamic practices. Love, nonviolence, good conduct and the law of dharma define the Hindu path. Hinduism explains that the soul reincarnates until all karmas are resolved and God.
Realization is attained. The magnificent holy temples, the peaceful piety of the Hindu home, the subtle metaphysics and the science of yoga all play their part. Hinduism is a mystical religion, leading the devotee to personally experience the Truth within, finally reaching the pinnacle of consciousness where man and God are one.
TEN MORAL PRINCIPLES FOR HINDU WAY OF LIVING
TEN KEY HINDU BELIEFS
Beliefs are the building blocks of the mind, our beliefs determine our thoughts and attitudes about life, which in turn direct our actions. By our actions we create our destiny. Beliefs about sacred matters - God, man and cosmos - are essential to one's approach to enlightenment. But beliefs are not mere matters of agreement. They are what we value and hold as true. Basically what we believe, we can achieve. Hindus believe many diverse things, but there are a few bedrock concepts on which most Hindus concur. The following ten beliefs, though not exhaustive, offer a simple summary of Hindu spirituality.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion. Christians believe in one God as manifested in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. God the Son came to earth as Jesus Christ, whose earthly father Joseph was descended from David, King of the Jews. David ruled Israel around 900 B.C. and Jesus was born in the time of Roman Empire of Caesar Augustus about 2,000 years ago.
Christians believe in a heavenly kingdom, which can be attained through faith in Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus said that we should love God and also love our neighbor as our self. So faith and love are two important requirements.
After the crucifixion of Jesus, his followers spread his teachings to the then Mediterranean world, ruled by the Romans. Most of Europe embraced Christianity and today about one fifth of the world's population is Christian. Many leaders including Martin Luther and John Calvin have reformed the original Roman Catholic doctrine. Today, many factions of Christianity exist side by side.
Islam
Islam, one of the three major world religions, along with Judaism and Christianity, that profess monotheism, or the belief in a single God. In the Arabic language, the word Islam means "surrender" or "submission"--submission to the will of God. A follower of Islam is called a Muslim, which in Arabic means "one who surrenders to God." The Arabic name for God, Allah, refers to the same God worshiped by Jews and Christians. Islam's central teaching is that there is only one all-powerful, all-knowing God, and this God created the universe. This rigorous monotheism, as well as the Islamic teaching that all Muslims are equal before God, provides the basis for a collective sense of loyalty to God that transcends class, race, nationality, and even differences in religious practice. Thus, all Muslims belong to one community, the umma, irrespective of their ethnic or national background.
Within two centuries after its rise in the 7th century, Islam spread from its original home in Arabia into Syria, Egypt, North Africa, and Spain to the west, and into Persia, India, and, by the end of the 10th century, beyond to the east. In the following centuries, Islam also spread into Anatolia and the Balkans to the north, and sub-Saharan Africa to the south. The Muslim community comprises about 1 billion followers on all five continents, and Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. The most populous Muslim country is Indonesia, followed by Pakistan and Bangladesh. Beyond the Middle East, large numbers of Muslims live in India, Nigeria, the former republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and China.
One of the reasons for the growth of the Muslim community has been its openness to new members. Children born to Muslim parents are automatically considered Muslim. At any time, a non-Muslim can convert to Islam by declaring himself or herself to be a Muslim. A person's declaration of faith is sufficient evidence of conversion to Islam and need not be confirmed by others or by religious authorities.
THE TEACHINGS OF MUHAMMAD
Around the year AD 570 Muhammad, the founding prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca, at the time the central city of the Arabian Peninsula. Some 40 years later Muhammad started preaching a new religion, Islam, which constituted a marked break from existing moral and social codes in Arabia. The new religion of Islam taught that there was one God, and that Muhammad was the last and most important in a series of prophets and messengers. Through his messengers God had sent various codes, or systems of laws for living, culminating in the Qur'an (or Qur'an (Koran)), the holy book of Islam. These messengers were mortal men, and they included among many others Moses, the Hebrew prophet and lawgiver, and Jesus, whom Christians believe to be the son of God rather than a prophet.
Islam also taught that the, the Christian Bible (which includes the Hebrew Bible as the Old Testament and an additional 27 books referred to as the New Testament), and the Qur'an were all holy books. According to the Qur'an, the two earlier Scriptures had been altered over time from their original forms given by God, while the Qur'an would remain perfect, preserved by God from such distortion. In addition to distinguishing itself from the Hebrew and Christian traditions, the new religion taught that the God of Islam had provided humanity with the means to know good from evil, through the prophets and the Qur'an. Therefore, on the Day of Judgment people will be held accountable for their actions.[1]
Chinese Philosophy
The central problem of Chinese philosophy is how to achieve harmony with all humanity and how to achieve harmony with nature.
Chinese philosophy has been closely connected with politics, morality, and religion. It does not try to understand the world, but it tries to make people great.
Taoism is concerned with becoming great by becoming one with the inner way of the universe.
Confucianism is concerned with developing humanity by cultivating human heartedness and the social virtues.
Inner greatness is the peace and contentment of spirit in one's completeness. Outer greatness is the ability to live well practically and with social dignity. The emphasis is sageliness (wisdom) within and kingliness (nobility) without.
The emphasis on human greatness leads to ethics, spiritual life, familial virtues, and filial love. The cornerstone of Chinese morality is the great love and respect within the family. Synthesis and harmony bring tolerance, sympathy, and a completeness to life.
Some ideas of Confucius (551 B.C.). are:
- Moral character (Jen) and human heartedness is what makes us moral beings.
- Emphasis is on the heart rather than on the mind.
- The core of humanity is to love other human beings.
- Man's objective is to master himself.
- Filial piety (hsiao) and brotherly respect are the roots of humanity.
- The superior person regards righteousness (yi) as the substance. of everything.
Buddhism
Buddhism is a difficult religion to comprehend. It is an even more difficult religion to practice. Its main philosophy is that the place suffering stems from is craving, desiring the external objects in ones life.
Contrary to many peoples belief Buddha is not a God, but rather a man, a great philosopher. Guatama Siddhartha is the man from whom the philosophies of Buddhism stem. Guatama Siddhartha's father was determined to shelter his son and keep him safe from the suffering in the world. He gave him the best of everything, never letting him be hurt. But with suffering being as prominent as it is in this world, nothing could keep the young boy sheltered from it.
He was greatly touched and moved by the suffering of others and was determined to live a life in which he eased others sufferings. So came about the philosophies of Buddhism. There are four noble truths in Buddhism. These are
- There is suffering
- Suffering is caused
- Suffering can be extinguished by eliminating the causes of suffering
- The way to extinguish the causes of suffering is to follow the Middle Way constituted by the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Middle Way contains eight principles, which constitute the fourth Noble Truths. The first two principles fall into the category of wisdom. They are right views and right resolution. The next three principles fall into the category of conduct. They are right speech, right action, and right livelihood. The last three fall into the category of mental discipline. They are right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
The aim of Buddhism is to be able to achieve a "completely integrated life of the highest order". The ethical conduct of Buddhism if based on basic ideas which so many people find hard to grasp and ultimately practice. These ideas are to be loving and compassionate. The ethical conduct of Buddhism springs from wisdom or, in other words, an enlightened mind. To achieve this ethical conduct one must have abundant self-discipline. To practice Buddhism one must have self-discipline for every idea and principle of Buddhism must be put into one's life and in order to do that, one must have self-discipline. Its fine to believe in the ideas that Buddha teaches, but if one does not put them into practice, then the whole effort of believing in them is for nothing.
There is an idea in Buddhism called "Right Effort". Practicing Right Effort requires four things.
- Preventing evil and unwholesome states of mind from arising.
- Getting rid of such evil and unwholesome states of mind that may already exist.
- Bringing about good and wholesome states of mind.
- Developing and perfecting good and wholesome states of mind
Hinduism - Philosophy of Living
FOUNDED - Hinduism, the world's oldest religion has no beginning, it predates recorded history.
FOUNDER - Hinduism has no human founder.
MAJOR SCRIPTURES - The Vedas, The Upanishads, The Agamas, The Shruti etc.
ADHERENTS - Over 695,000,000 mostly in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mauritius, Africa, Europe and North America.
SYNOPSIS - Hinduism is a vast and profound religion. It worships one supreme Reality (called by many names) and teaches that all souls ultimately realize Truth. There is no eternal hell, no damnation. It accepts all genuine spiritual paths - from pure monism ("God alone exists") to theistic dualism ("When shall I know His Grace?"). Each soul is free to find its own way, whether by devotion, austerity, meditation (yoga) or self service. Stress is placed on temple worship, scripture and the Guru/disciple tradition. Festivals, pilgrimage, chanting of holy hymns and home worship are dynamic practices. Love, nonviolence, good conduct and the law of dharma define the Hindu path. Hinduism explains that the soul reincarnates until all karmas are resolved and God.
Realization is attained. The magnificent holy temples, the peaceful piety of the Hindu home, the subtle metaphysics and the science of yoga all play their part. Hinduism is a mystical religion, leading the devotee to personally experience the Truth within, finally reaching the pinnacle of consciousness where man and God are one.
TEN MORAL PRINCIPLES FOR HINDU WAY OF LIVING
- AHINSA - Do not hurt others through thoughts, words and actions.
- SATYA - Truthfulness in thoughts, words and actions.
- ASTEYA - No covetousness in thoughts, words and actions.
- BRAHMACHARYA - Chastity in thoughts, words and actions.
- APARIGRAHA - No accumulation of nonessential things.
- TAPAS - Austerity.
- SWADMAYA - Intense, dedicated studies.
- SANTOSHA - Contentment arising out of knowledge of the self (Atman-Brahman) and unselfish service to others.
- SAUCHA - Cleanliness of body, mind and intellect.
- ISHWAR PRANIDRAN - Unconditional and total surrender to the lord of one's own heart.
TEN KEY HINDU BELIEFS
Beliefs are the building blocks of the mind, our beliefs determine our thoughts and attitudes about life, which in turn direct our actions. By our actions we create our destiny. Beliefs about sacred matters - God, man and cosmos - are essential to one's approach to enlightenment. But beliefs are not mere matters of agreement. They are what we value and hold as true. Basically what we believe, we can achieve. Hindus believe many diverse things, but there are a few bedrock concepts on which most Hindus concur. The following ten beliefs, though not exhaustive, offer a simple summary of Hindu spirituality.
- I believe in a one, all pervasive Supreme Being (Brahman) who is both immanent and transcendent, bath Creator and Unmanifest Reality. There is more to reality than we experience through our senses. our soul (Atman) part of Brahman and is immortal and eternal.
- I believe that all souls are evolving toward union with God and will ultimately find Moksha, spiritual knowledge and liberation from the cycle or rebirth. Not a single soul will be eternally deprived of this destiny.
- I believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved.
- I believe that all life is sacred and to be loved and revered, and in the practice of Ahimsa or non-violence.
- I believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.
- I believe in karma, the law of causes and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
- I believe in performing my duties to the best of my ability without any concerns about the results. I believe that our actions should be society-centric rather than selfish.
- I believe that major problems are primarily related to our attachments and our egoistic attitudes.
- I believe that a spiritually awakened Master of Sat Guru is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, Self-enquiry and meditation.
- I believe that no particular religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine religious paths are facets of God's pure love and light, deserving tolerance and understanding.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion. Christians believe in one God as manifested in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. God the Son came to earth as Jesus Christ, whose earthly father Joseph was descended from David, King of the Jews. David ruled Israel around 900 B.C. and Jesus was born in the time of Roman Empire of Caesar Augustus about 2,000 years ago.
Christians believe in a heavenly kingdom, which can be attained through faith in Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus said that we should love God and also love our neighbor as our self. So faith and love are two important requirements.
After the crucifixion of Jesus, his followers spread his teachings to the then Mediterranean world, ruled by the Romans. Most of Europe embraced Christianity and today about one fifth of the world's population is Christian. Many leaders including Martin Luther and John Calvin have reformed the original Roman Catholic doctrine. Today, many factions of Christianity exist side by side.
Islam
Islam, one of the three major world religions, along with Judaism and Christianity, that profess monotheism, or the belief in a single God. In the Arabic language, the word Islam means "surrender" or "submission"--submission to the will of God. A follower of Islam is called a Muslim, which in Arabic means "one who surrenders to God." The Arabic name for God, Allah, refers to the same God worshiped by Jews and Christians. Islam's central teaching is that there is only one all-powerful, all-knowing God, and this God created the universe. This rigorous monotheism, as well as the Islamic teaching that all Muslims are equal before God, provides the basis for a collective sense of loyalty to God that transcends class, race, nationality, and even differences in religious practice. Thus, all Muslims belong to one community, the umma, irrespective of their ethnic or national background.
Within two centuries after its rise in the 7th century, Islam spread from its original home in Arabia into Syria, Egypt, North Africa, and Spain to the west, and into Persia, India, and, by the end of the 10th century, beyond to the east. In the following centuries, Islam also spread into Anatolia and the Balkans to the north, and sub-Saharan Africa to the south. The Muslim community comprises about 1 billion followers on all five continents, and Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. The most populous Muslim country is Indonesia, followed by Pakistan and Bangladesh. Beyond the Middle East, large numbers of Muslims live in India, Nigeria, the former republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and China.
One of the reasons for the growth of the Muslim community has been its openness to new members. Children born to Muslim parents are automatically considered Muslim. At any time, a non-Muslim can convert to Islam by declaring himself or herself to be a Muslim. A person's declaration of faith is sufficient evidence of conversion to Islam and need not be confirmed by others or by religious authorities.
THE TEACHINGS OF MUHAMMAD
Around the year AD 570 Muhammad, the founding prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca, at the time the central city of the Arabian Peninsula. Some 40 years later Muhammad started preaching a new religion, Islam, which constituted a marked break from existing moral and social codes in Arabia. The new religion of Islam taught that there was one God, and that Muhammad was the last and most important in a series of prophets and messengers. Through his messengers God had sent various codes, or systems of laws for living, culminating in the Qur'an (or Qur'an (Koran)), the holy book of Islam. These messengers were mortal men, and they included among many others Moses, the Hebrew prophet and lawgiver, and Jesus, whom Christians believe to be the son of God rather than a prophet.
Islam also taught that the, the Christian Bible (which includes the Hebrew Bible as the Old Testament and an additional 27 books referred to as the New Testament), and the Qur'an were all holy books. According to the Qur'an, the two earlier Scriptures had been altered over time from their original forms given by God, while the Qur'an would remain perfect, preserved by God from such distortion. In addition to distinguishing itself from the Hebrew and Christian traditions, the new religion taught that the God of Islam had provided humanity with the means to know good from evil, through the prophets and the Qur'an. Therefore, on the Day of Judgment people will be held accountable for their actions.[1]