Buddhism has a rich and a very long history, a history that spans over 2000 years. Buddhism remains the religion with the largest followers in the East. In America alone there is an estimated number of over a million Buddhism believers, with an estimated following of over 300 million followers across the globe. It is a religion that has had an effect on other cultures such as the western culture and African culture with so many temples coming up across the world. Buddhism derives its principles from the lessons of an Indian prince known as Siddhartha Gautama in 500 BCE. Buddhism traditions show that the prince did not like the suffering which took place outside the palace.
The prince left the palace, abandoning all the comfort in order to seek the truth for the suffering of his people. The prince became the B
...uddha or the enlightened one in Hindu. He spent the rest of his life giving the people lessons on dharma which is a path to liberation. There are various aspects of Buddhism; there a ritual then there is meditation.
Depending on personal choices and preferences, there are those who favor meditation while others favor observation of rituals. Despite your choice, the main principle of Buddhism is to obey and pay respect to the lessons of Buddha. Buddhism is prominent in eastern world, for example in China and Japan has what is called Mahayana Buddhism. However India has the single largest population of Buddhism believers in the world constituting almost 95% of the whole population of India. Buddhism has common practices which serve the purpose of making ones spiritual journey in Buddhism smooth and bring blessings
to his or her life. For instance meditation which is done at all times.
Buddhism has scriptures and religious texts which believers of Buddhism derive their teaching and lessons. Jainism is also an Indian religion. Jainism advances the principle of not using violence and asceticism. The believers and those people who follow Jainism are known as the Jains. Worldwide estimates show that there are about 4 million followers of Jainism of which almost all hail from India. History books show that Jainism came up in 6th century BCE, by then Buddhism was established already.
Jainism is named after people who are known as the Jains who played an important role in fighting for liberation. Jainism has an important role in Indian communities which is to achieve purification and liberation. The purpose of this paper is to discover Buddhism and Jainism and explain in detail the tenets that guide believers in their day to day life. Buddhism has several basic tenets.
The tenets are the guiding principles in the life of a believer in Buddhism religion. The tenets are likened to the Ten Commandments in the bible which guide the lives of Christians. Going against these tenets in Buddhism is regarded as sin. The tenets are supposed to uphold harmony, prevent violence in the society and alleviate suffering. The following are the tenets in Buddhism; Refrain from violence and killing; that all forms of life are precious. It states that nobody has right to take the life of another.
Buddhism recognizes that human being from all races religions and continents all over the world engage in acts of killing a fact which it condemns. It says that no one has
a right to take life of another under any circumstances. If a person does not engage in violent activities, has respect for human life, does not make other people to take the lives of others than that person is living a righteous Christian life. Respecting other people’s property and not stealing; respect of other people’s property is something that Buddhism real emphasizes. It states that individuals should refrain taking what does not belong to them and what they have not been given.
Buddhism takes into consideration the widespread economic exploitation, social injustice and the suffering caused by stealing. It says people should work hard to earn their daily income. People should also work for the sake of those people that cannot work because of their conditions like the sick, the old and frail and the disabled to alleviate their suffering. Being faithful in marriage and avoiding lust; Buddhism prohibits people from engaging in sexual activities outside their formal and recognized marriages.
It says that a person shall uphold the purity of the family and community by maintaining sexual purity. A person shall show commitment to his or her marriage at all times and preserve the joy and happiness of his or her family. Making sure that children are not sexually abused and preserving their purity to marriage. Upholding the virtue of honest and being truthful; it takes into consideration the suffering that goes on around the world because of incitement and spreading of false information. It acknowledges the power of words; saying that words depending on how they are utilized can be a cause of happiness or a lot of suffering. It prohibits people of applauding or
condemning things they don’t have an idea about.
Taking good care of one’s body and mind; people have responsibility to maintain high standards of health. Avoiding consumptions of drugs and other harmful substance is one way of taking good care of one’s body. Not viewing programs that can corrupt our minds like TV programs that contain explicit images, reading books and listening to conversations that do not uphold the values of Buddhism. Buddhism is becoming popular in many part of the world and especially the western part. This is because Buddhism gives solutions to many problems affecting people in the modern life. It gives the guiding principle to life helping people to live righteous and fulfilling lives.
