The History Of Religion: Buddhism And Judaism

For most the part of history, religion has been a main focus of human concerns. But now in large parts of the developed world, it’s become a carousal or even an immateriality. Because it’s been stated untrue by the most powerful dynamism of our age, science. Contesting if religion is true or not, may not in the end be the most important move we can make. It is also key to understand what needs have traditionally driven people to religion. So we can go on and answering these needs, even outside a supernatural structure.

In all times and places in our history, human beings have always wondered, “Where did we come from?”, “What happens to us after we die?’’. Religions are operations of belief that have developed and evolved over time in repose to eternal mysteries. Driven by the feeling that some questions can only be answered by belief and based on a hunch that there is something greater than ourselves, a higher power to we must answer to, or some origin we all rise from and to which we must return.

Hinduism means the religion of India. It’s not a single religion but rather a mixture of related faiths and spiritual beliefs. It dates back up to 5, 000 years, to the time of Krishna a man of such excellence that he became known as an avatar of Vishnu, an embodiment of the god in human form. He taught that all life abided by karma, the law of cause and effect, and our job is to do our Dharma which is their duty. When we die, it is believed we are reincarnated into a new body. Especially if we followed our Dharma and did our duty properly in our past life, in which means we earn good karma, which sends our soul upwards in the social ladder. Our rebirth into the next life is settled by what we do in this one. The wheel of rebirths is called Samsara. It’s possible for a holy person to lead a life with enough good karma to escape the wheel. This escape is called Moksha.

Hinduism instructs and demonstrates that everything is one. That the whole universe is one abstract reality called Brahman, and that there’s just one Brahman, however with having many gods within it and their roles, aspects, and forms differentiate according to various traditions. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the protector who sometimes takes on human form, and Shiva is the generator, or the Lord of the Dance. Durga is the ferociously protective divine mother, Ganesha has an elephant head and is the prudent advocate of success.

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. And although most Hindus live in India, they can be found on every continent, having one billion strong followers.

Moving west, across deserts and mountains to the fertile crescent about 4, 000 years ago. Judaism started with God calling Abraham and Sarah to leave Mesopotamia the cradle of civilization and migrate to the land of Canaan the area which roamed the Near East region which is now comply known as Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. In return for their belief in the one true God, a revolutionary approach in the agnostic world of that time, they would have land and many descendants. From this promise came the land of Israel and the chosen people, but staying in that land and keeping those people together turned out to be very difficult. The chosen people were enslaved in Egypt, but it is believed that God helped freed them, with the assistance of the prophet Moses, who received the Ten Commandments and countless more later. They managed conquer the Promised Land in which modern society calls Israel, but could only manage to keep it for a few hundred years. Israel sits at a crossroads through which countless armies marched over the centuries.

When the Romans conquered the Near East and moved into the capital, Jerusalem, they destroyed the temple in the year 70. So, the religion had transformed itself from a temple religion with sacrifices, to a religion of the book. As a result of this, Judaism has transformed its self into a faith of symbolism, reverence, and deep meanings. The many revered scriptures make up the Hebrew bible, or Tanakh, and hundreds of written discussions and interpretations are contained in an extensive abstract of deeper connotation, called the Talmud. At the Passover meal, every item on the menu illustrates an aspect of the escape from slavery. The importance of growing up is pointing out when young people reach the age of bar and bat mitzvah, ceremonies during which they acknowledge responsibility for their actions and celebrate the beginning of their own lives into the faith, history, of the Jewish people. There are 14 million Jews in the world today, 6 million of which are in Israel, which became independent following the terrors of genocide in World War 2, and 5 million of which in the United States.

Going back 2500 years and retuning to India where Buddhism began with a young prince named Siddhartha. On the night he was apprehended, his mother, Queen Maya, is said to have been visited in her sleep by a white elephant. 10 months later, Prince Siddartha was born into a life of wealth luxury. Endeavoring forth from his sheltered home as a young man, he witnessed the human suffering that had been hidden from him and immediately set out to investigate its sources. Along his journey he pondering “Why must people go through all this suffering?”. At the start he thought the problem was attachment to material possessions, so he gave up his things. He became a beggar, in which he discovered that it absolutely made him no happier. Then he overheard, “Don’t tighten the strings too much, it will break. But don’t let it go too slack, or it will not sound. ” In a flash, Siddartha came to a realization that looking for answers at the extremes was a mistake. The middle way between luxury and poverty seemed prudent. And while meditating under a tree the answers came to him. He came to understand that, all of life abounds with suffering. It’s caused by selfish wanting for one’s own needs at the expense of others. On that same day, Siddhartha became the Buddha, the enlightened one. Not the only Buddha, but the first one. The Buddhist plan is called the Eightfold Path, and although it is not easy to follow, it has pointed the direction for millions. In which is what Buddha means, a mark of compassion, insight and peace. Buddha taught people how to become enlightened. Many Buddhists believe in multiple gods, however the strongest acceptance they uphold is in that actions are more important than such beliefs. All in all there are over a one billion Buddhists in the world today, who geographically are located in South, Southeast and East Asia.

Religion has been a form of culture for as long as it has existed, and there are countless alterations of its practice. But similar to all other religions it is an appeal for meaning beyond the empty arrogance and lowly realities of existence, beyond wrong doings, beyond fear, and beyond ourselves.