Introduction

• Why study religion?

  • “The word “god” is the expression and product of human weakness, the bible is a collection of honorable but primitive legends which are pretty childish” Einstien

  • “If god did not exist it would be necessary to invent him” Voltaire

Defining Religion

• “A culturally entrenched pattern of behavior made up of sacred beliefs, emotional feelings accompanying the beliefs and overt conduct presumably implementing the beliefs”

• “Belief in superhuman controlling power especially in personal gods entitled to obedience and worship”

• …But why do we believe in god?

Approach to the Course

• Pluralism is a philosophy that recognizes more than one ultimate principle, our study consists of an array of independent religious suppliers

• Major Five - Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam

Ways to Alienate a Person of an Unfamiliar Faith

• Fixate too much on the whys or what is considered “Normal”

• Following the unflattering lead of the media

• Stare

• Use attacking language to describe the faith

• Stomp on toes that are already bruised

Four Major Views in Religion

• Monism - All is one

• Polytheism - Multiple Gods

• Monotheism - One God

  • Dualistic Monotheism - In addition to a supreme divine being, there also exists at least one additional supernatural being who is the source of evil

• Atheism - Dissaffims God

  • vs Theism - believe in god or gods

Another View to Consider

• Agnosticism is the philosophical view that the truth value of religious claims is unknown or, depending on the form of agnosticism, inherently unknowable

• Many types of agnosticism

Other “Isms”

• Deism - Belief that god or a supreme being created the physical universe but does not interfere with it

• Fideism - Belief that relies primarily on faith or special revelation, rather than rational interference or observation

• Pantheism - View that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent abstract god; the universe, nature, and god are equivalent

Other Important Terms and Symbols

• Theology

  • Formal study of God, emphasizing God’s nature, intentions, and demands

• Supernatural

  • Mysterious forces or entities that are beyond nature and control

• God(s)

  • Defined as supernatural being(s) having consciousness and intentions

• Hinduism

  • The “AUM” symbol (or OM – the symbol in the center) symbolizes the Universe and the ultimate reality

  • At the dawn of creation, from emptiness first emerged a syllable consisting of three letters – A-U-M (often written as OM)

• Judaism

  • The Star of David can symbolize the connection between God, Israel, and the Torah

  • It can also symbolize the relationship between God and people or the seven virtues (kindness, severity, harmony, perseverance, splendor, foundation, and royalty)

• Buddhism

  • 

  • The Dharmachakra, or Wheel of the Law represents the Buddha's first sermon in the forest at Sarnath, where he established Buddhist law

  • A symbol of the Dharma, or the teachings of The Buddha

• Christianity

  • 

    • Representing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the benefits of his death

    • The cross is also a sign of Christ and the faith of Christians

• Islam

  • The crescent represents progress, and the star signifies illumination with the light of knowledge

  • The crescent moon at the beginning of the month signifies the beginning and end of fasting during Ramadan

  • The moon also represents the guidance of God on the path through life

  • Took symbol from the Ottoman Empire

Golden Rule

• “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”

• Universally accepted, contained in every one of the world’s major religions

• “Consistency Principle”

  • Seek first to understand then to be understood

• In Ancient Egypt, Greece, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Baha’i, Taoism, Native American spirituality, Sikhism, Shinto, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.

Perspectives on God

• Biological perspective

  • Charles Darwin

    • Equated human devoted to God with a dog’s devotion to his master postulating neurological instincts

  • Pascal Boyer

    • Humans are “hardwired” to mistakenly believe in God

  • Richard Dawkins

    • Humans have been implanted with the “God meme” gene which allows us to reduce religion to a highly infectious mind parasite

• Cultural perspective

  • Herbert Spencer

    • “Culture and cultural elements better suited to human needs will survive & those less suited will tend to die out”

  • Culture spreads through the process of diffusion

    • The process by which cultural innovations spread from one society to another

  • Introduction of new ideas or “new faiths” come from religious innovators

• Mathematical perspective

  • Blaise Pascal

    • Pascal’s Gambit/Wager-->

    • Found in the Pensées 

    • Ascetic

    • Applies Decision Theory to the belief in God

    • Argued why to believe in God in a mathematical sense

• Metaphysical perspective

  • Religion attempts to answer those great existential questions

    • Why are we here? What can we hope for? Is death the end? Where do we go when we die?

  • Concept of free will

    • God asks for human consent and will not force conformity

Does God Communicate with you?

• Divine accommodation

  • God’s revelations are always limited to the current capacity of humans to comprehend

    • God has to speak in “baby talk”

  • Revelations

    • Communication believed to come from a supernatural source, usually God, or to have divinely inspired knowledge

Timeline of Religion

In the beginning…

• The universe is about 14 billion years old, theorized to have been brought about by the Big Bang from one primeval atom

• Earth is around 4.5 Billion years old

The Prehistoric Man

• Homo - Genus that includes modern humans and their close relatives estimated to be about 2.5 million years

  • 200,000 BCE to 100,000 BCE: Discovered burial sites which some included grave goods/other artifacts

• 10,000 BCE - Jericho - The oldest continually inhabited city in the world

Pre History

• Indigenous (Primitive) Religions History

  • Best known example is the Australian Aborigines dating back to 10,000 BCE believed in “The Dreaming”

    • The story indicates that there were not “two worlds” with a sharp division; Experience this world and the next as "One” while connected to every other being

• Four Characteristics of Indigenous Faith

  • Naturism - Personification of natural forces/objects and the “myths” that arise from these personifications

  • Animism - Consists of the beliefs that everything is inhabited by a spirit (animated), not only living things but inanimate objects as well

  • Ghost Theory - Addresses the question of where to people get the idea that spirits or souls exist

  • Totemism - Identifying with a particular animal species (a totem) that is held to be sacred and not to be harmed

Recorded History Begins

• Circa 5000 BCE - Beginning of civilization in Sumer (cunieform)

• Began a line of Temple religions similar to other ancient civilizations

  • Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Mayans, and Druids all followed in this tradition

General Characteristics of Ancient Civilizations

• Polytheistic belief structures and idols were thought to be alive

  • Gods were conceived as ordinary human beings having some supernatural powers and typically Immortal

• No ancient civilizations possessed a truly coherent theology like that found in the Torah, Bible, and Qur’an

• Heavily Myth Oriented

• Morality was collective

• Various afterlife beliefs

Ancient Egypt

• A unifying theme of the Egyptian empire was the nature of the pharaoh

• Dynasty spans three millennia consisting of three kingdoms

  • Old Kingdom - Great Pyramids Built

• Major Deities: Ra, Osiris, Horus, Anubis

• No single specific set of religious beliefs but rather a broad collection of practices and worship systems

• The expansion of the empire brought rituals to national prominence

• In 1400BCE, Pharaoh Akhenaton launched an effort to Acknowledge Aton as the official national god

  • Attempted to make polytheistic Egypt monotheistic

Afterlife Beliefs in Ancient Civilization

• Sumerians - descent into dismal underworld to pursue an unattractive existence

  • Accepted that the afterlife could be improved by proper preparations and burial practices

• Greeks - Believed the dead endured a drab existence in the dank halls of Hades

• Aztecs and Mayans - believed that after death the energy of the human body, especially the heart became “deified or grafted on the celestial substance of divinity”

• Egyptians - envisioned a far more pleasant afterlife, especially with sufficient ‘means’

Hinduism

• Regarded as the Oldest organized and still practiced religion

• Circa 3000 BCE - Krishna is born

  • Seen as a God, however, Krishna is simply an ‘avatar’ of the god Vishnu and one of the most powerful incarnations

• 1500-1401BCE - Rise of Vedic Hinduism for the masses

  • VEDAS - Scriptures of early Hinduism, a collection of 4 books

    • Rig Veda first sacred text

  • The caste system is instituted

  • During this period, Hindus worship at least 33 gods

Judaism

• Circa 1850 BCE - Abraham establishes a “Covenant” with Yahweh

• Circa 1285 BCE - Moses leads the Exodus from Egypt into the desert of Canaan: receives the Ten Commandments

• Circa 1000 BCE - Isreal reaches a high point under King David

• Beginning in 721 BCE - Isreal divides into 2 Kingdoms

• Diaspora follows; first by the Babylonians and then by the Romans

Axial Age

• 8th Century - 2nd Century BCE

  • Appearance of the major leaders along the axis from southern Italy to Northern China

    • Zoroaster begins a dualistic monotheism in Persia

    • Siddhartha (Buddha) founds a new faith in India

    • Mahavia perfected Jainism in India

    • Lao-Tzu wrote the Tao-Te Ching which soon resulted in Taoism

      • Wu-Wei

    • Confucius begins a movement of philosophy that quickly becomes a religion

• Also during this time, Upanishads are written in India, further enriching Hinduism

  • Focused on the concept of Samsara (reincarnation/continuous flow)

  • Introduced this “new idea” called the Atman (the soul or self)

End of the Axial Age

• 4th Century BCE - the new Hinduism still needed a “God” — Brahma written about in Bhagavad-Gita

• 300 BCE - 201 BCE - Popular Taoism arises in China; here yin and yang equate to the light and the dark

• 200 BCE - 101 BCE - Confucianism dominates the Chinese government

Ancient Rome

• Roman Empire runs from 756 BCE - 476 CE

• Religious Rituals were utilized but the meaning is still unknown

• Gods assumed attributes and mythologies similar to the Greek Gods

• In Rome, is where we first started seeing congregations

• Crucifixion of Jesus in Nazareth

Christianity

• The birth of Jesus Christ marks the beginning of the Common Era

• 30-34 CE - Jesus’ ministry occurs and then Jesus is Crucified

• 35-99 CE Christianity is beginning to Proselytize (missionaries)

• 64 CE Christians passed in Nero’s Garden, Peter was Crucified Upside Down as he was not in the same vain, and Jesus

• 249 CE - Persecution from the Roman Empire reaches it peak

• In the third Century CE, Emperor Constantine ends the Roman prosecution of Christianity

• SEPTEMBER 4TH, 476 CE - ROME FALLS

Islam

• 570 CE - Birth of Muhammad

  • central human figure of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as the messenger and prophet of god

  • 610 CE - At age 40, He receives his first Qu’ranic revelation from god and becomes a prophet of Islam

• 613 CE - Begins spreading the message of Islam and gathering followers

• 622 CE - Hijra - when Muhammad migrated to Medina to escape persecution

• 632 CE - Following his farewell pilgrimage he died in Medina; most of the Arabian peninsula converted to Islam

Hinduism - In Depth

• Basics of Hinduism

  • Hindu - means “Indian”; the oldest of all living religious traditions still practiced today

  • Not created by one specific individual; rather it is a collection of variations

  • Emphasis on attaining freedom from the perceived world, eliminating ties to the material plane (including personal identity), and encouraging to seek truth wherever it may be found

  • Truth comes through direct consciousness w/ the Ultimate Reality-BRAHMAN

  • Embrace the concept of Reincarnation - Samsara

  • Puja - Worship

  • Prasad - the consumption of sacramental food

  • Sacredness of Animals - Worship of Cows, Peacocks, Elephants, etc.

  • Worship and observances may take place in either a temple dedicated to a particular deity or an individual’s home

  • Prayers are directed towards the Deva/Devi and regarded as an honored guest

  • Chanting before an image or statue may be practiced; the sacred syllable is OM

  • Spiritual authority flows from enlightened sages called Gurus

• The Hindu Triad

  • Brahma - the creator of the world; corresponds to the creative spirit from which the universe arises

  • Vishnu - the Preserver; corresponds to the force of order that sustains the universe

  • Shiva - the Destroyer; corresponds to the force that brings the cycle to an end

  • Trimurti is the name for the sacred triad

  • Some other faces of god;

    • Krishna - the incarnation of Vishnu; he is the object and source of extraordinarily devoted and unfailing love

    • Rama - another incarceration of Vishnu; celebrates the commitments of family life and the supreme value of right living and virtue

    • Shakti - the Consort to Shiva; she represents a creative force but may take the terrifying form of destroyer-goddess

• Finding Your Innermost Self

  • Atman - our true self; our innermost, transcendental self as opposed to the material self

    • We attain true happiness only through an awareness of our Atman and the discovery of its true relationship with Brahman

  • Hindus seek MOKSHA or liberation from the long cycle of reincarnation or chain of births and deaths known as SAMSARA

    • Samsara is caused by a lack of knowledge of ATMAN

• The Law of Karma

  • Karma - the sum of a person’s actions; factoring in the past-present-future deeds

  • Understanding this interconnection helps a Hindu toward right choices, deeds, thoughts, and desires without external commandments

    • When we cause harm, we add karmic debt. When we do good, we lighten our karmic debt

• Achieving Union with Brahman

  • Yoga - Disciplines to help achieve oneness with Brahman

    • Jnana Yoga - Summons the power of the mind and emphasizes meditation. Jnana means intellectual

    • Bhakti Yoga - encourages the direction of one’s love to god

    • Karma Yoga - involves services to others; “acts as though the each thing he does is the last thing he will ever do”

    • Raja Yoga - Combines elements of all three with physical exercise of the body

    • Hatha Yoga - most common in the US, meditative movements with bodily posture

• The Caste System (in order from highest to lowest)

  • Caste system is a social hierarchy ordering (especially for marriage and social roles)

    • Brahmins - a scholarly elite associated w/ priesthood

    • Kshatriyas - the ruling and military class

    • Vaisyas - Merchants and Farmers

    • Shudras - the peasantry

    • Dalits - the untouchables; assigned the most menial jobs

• Hindu Scriptures

  • Hindu scriptures can be classified in two ways

    • Shruti - means “Heard” and may be thought of eternal truth

      • Vedas - constitute the most important body of a sacred Hindu literature; the oldest and most respected scriptures

        • Rig Veda - Oldest document of living religions; collection of 1028 hymns capturing the spirit of the period

      • Brahmanas - the ritual books; made the priestly caste indispensable for salvation insisting on exact fidelity to the written law

      • Upanishads - the commentaries; stresses the importance of each individual’s personal effort in attaining salvation

    • Smriti - means “remembered” and is comparable to tradition

      • Ramayana - Consists of about 24,000 verses and describes the life and times of Prince Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu; authored by Valmiki

      • Mahabharata - An epic story of 100,00 verses attributed to the sage Vyasa and considered the longest poem in the world

        • Bhagavad Gita - functions as a text on it’s own in Hinduism; a dramatic poem that raises the question of the acceptableness of killing people in war

    • By categorizing scriptures in this way, it allows the reform of outdated practices while remaining faithful to Hinduism’s essence

      • Where there is conflict, Shruti takes precedence

      • The Vedas constitute Shruti

• Hindu Celebration and Rituals

  • There is no formal sabbath, seeing every day as a sabbath

    • Ahishma - Hindu principle of reverence for life

    • Durga Puja - observed in early autumn, is an observance of good triumphing over evil, worships the Divine Mother

    • Rama Navami - Observed in springtime; centered on the god Rama

    • Krishna Janmashtami - marks the birthday of Krishna; celebrated in late summer

    • Shiva Ratri - is an all-night celebration of the divine as manifested in the god Shiva; occurs in the later part of winter

  • Infant Welcoming Ritual - The Point at which a child first consumes solid food; a formal “rice eating ceremony” taking place around 6-8 after birth accompanied by religious ritual

    • Hair cutting ceremony

  • Marriage - usually arranged according to tradition, a contract between two families; incorporates thirteen ceremonies and is usually held after sunset

  • Funeral - centers on the cremation ritual. After a predetermined number of days, depending on the caste of the decedent, a ceremony known as Shraddha takes place and marks the end of the family’s mourning period and the journey of the departed soul

• Hindu Funeral Ritual and Afterlife Beliefs

  • Antyesti - Hindu Funeral Rites

    • The soul of the believer departs the body through a Chakra

    • After death, the body must point towards the South - the direction of the dead

    • Oil Lamp is lit and placed at the head of the deceased; the body is bathed, dressed in new clothing, and sacred ash is applied to the head

    • Preta-Karma - a ritual that facilitates the migration of the soul

  • Cremation is the fastest way to dispose of the body

    • The cremation ground is called SHMASHANA, is typically near a river

    • Diversity in the actual rituals practiced/performed

    • Series of mourning observances: 31 days after death and one year after death

• Afterlife

  • No doctrine of Heaven or Hell, only the divine

  • Ideally aim is to avoid rebirth and attain union with the Infinite

Judaism - In Depth

• Abrahamic Religion

  • Defined as a monotheistic faith point where god is to be a transcendent Creator-figure and the source of moral law, with a shared narrative

  • The word “Abrahamic” refers to the ancient prophet Abraham, who is respected as the first prophet of God

• Fundamental Perspectives of the Faith

  • There is only one G-d, Yahweh

    • God is written this way, as it is such a sacred word

    • Sh’ma Yisrael - “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord is One”

  • God is the ultimate authority and possesses final dominion over the universe

  • “Covenant” Faith

    • Covenant w/ Abraham-God would establish a “great nation” from Abraham’s descendants for complete obedience

  • The Law - as Constituted by the Torah (or the Pentateuch)

    • Written account of God’s Revelation

    • The Torah is the First Five Books or the Bible constitute a “way of life” for Jews

      • Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

        • General Electric Lights never did

    • The Ten Commandments (Decalogue)

      • Written by god and given to moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:23)

  • Talmud - The second most important Jewish Text

    • Contain the 613 Mizvots

      • 248 Positive (what you should be doing

      • 365 Negative (Dont do these

    • Community Based Tradition

      • Rabbi - Respected teacher and leader of worship usually connected to a particular Synagogue (House of Learning and Prayer)

• Differences is Judaism

  • Orthodox Tradition

    • Must preserve ritual, exactly as revealed by God

    • Unswerving faith to the written word of God, with no Altercations

    • No interest in conforming to new social conventions

    • Distinctive clothing and firmly established social and family structures are expressions of this reverence for custom

  • Conservative Tradition

    • Emphasis on preserving and honoring appropriate traditions from the past but not all “old ways”

    • Reject the principle that there can be no contact with new societies and cultural systems encountered in daily lives but try to stay consistent with traditions

    • Try to make accommodations with social realities that appear to have nothing contrary to Judaism

    • Remain true to the “spirit of the Law” but make exceptions when sufficient reason presents itself

  • Reform Tradition

    • Most pragmatic of the three and most open to dialogue and interaction with contemporary society

    • Try to retain elements of Judaism that make the most sense in a contemporary setting

    • The torah is inspired by God but open to study and interpretation of the individual

    • See god’s relationship as an ongoing process and emphasize the broad moral messages of the Jewish tradition

    • Makes the fewest social demands on practitioner

• Dietary Laws

  • Kashrut/Kosher - Jewish law dealing with what foods we can and cannot eat and how those foods must be prepared to be eaten

  • Certain Animals may not be eaten at all. This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs, and milk of the forbidden animals

  • Animals that chew their cud and have cloven hooves. Fiah must have fins and scales

  • Of the animals that may be eaten, the birds and mammals must be killed in accordance with jewish law. Ritual Slaughter is known as Shechitah

  • All blood must be drained from meat and poultry or broiled out of it before it’s eaten

  • Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten

  • Fruits and vegetables are permitted, but must be inspected for bugs, fruit cannot be consumed from a tree less than three years old

  • Meats cannot be eaten with dairy. Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and grains can be eaten with either meat or dairy

  • Utensils (including pots and pans and other cooking surfaces) that have come in contact with meat may not be used with dairy and vice versa

  • Grape and Dairy products made by non-jews may not be consumed

• Jewish Rite

  • Basicaim of Jewish worship is to see all of life as liturgy or ritual in honor of the Creator

    • Orthodox- word for word recitation of specific prayers

    • Conservative - Less formalized but keyed to traditions

    • Reform - sees multiplicity of instruction and repitition as an obsticalse to spiritual growth rather than aid

• Jewish Sabbath

  • Shabbat

    • “Repose” that follows the six days of workweek activity

    • Begins on Friday at sundown and continues until nightfall on Saturday

    • Depending on branch of Judaism dictates how much one attends service; Orthodox attends friday night and saturday morning

• Jewish Liturgy

  • What happens during service?

    • Barchu - Blessing with a group prayer

      • Requires a Minyan - Quorum of 10 adults, (over age 13)

    • Amidah - said standing, a group of greatful salutations and prayers of praise to God

    • Sh’ma - a pledge of faith, a centerpiece of which is the all-important delcaration from Dueteronomy: “Hear O Israel, the lord is our God, the lord is One”

    • Aliyah - Public rreading from Torah - the “Five books of moses”

• Jewish Rituals and Celebration

  • General Practices

    • All Jewish Holy Days (Holidays) begin at sunset the evening before

      • Found in Genesis Chapter 1

      • Work is Prohibited

  • Major Observances

    • Rosh Hashanah - One of two highest Holy Days in the Faith

      • Jewish New Year

      • Day of Judgment

      • Day of Remembrance

      • Day of Shofar Blowing

      • Usual eat a piece of an apple dipped in honey to bring a sweet and abundant year

    • Yom Kippur

      • The holiest and most solemn day on the Jewish calendar

      • one to two weeks after Rosh Hashanah

      • 25 hour fast

      • Day of Atonement

      • Five prayers are said throughout the day

      • Sabbath of Sabbaths

      • Five Prohibitions

        • No eating or drinking

        • No wearing leather

        • No bathing

        • No perfumes, lotions, or oils

        • No marital relations

        • Vidui - public confession

  • Post Biblical

    • Chanukah - Festival of Lights; celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians in the second century BCE and the subsequent rededication of the Temple in 164 BCE

    • Purim - commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of the ancient Persian empire from destruction as recounted in the Book of Esther

  • Pilgrimage Festival

    • Sukkot - Feast of Booths or Tabernacles; 8-day holiday; had to leave Egypt quickly. It’s quite a drastic transition from one of the most solemn holidays in our year to one of the most joyous

    • Pesach (Passover) - Honors Exodus; delivery of Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, do not eat risen bread out of memory to the Israelites fleeing Egypt for 8 days of the holiday

    • Shavuot - Festival of weeks, celebrates when Moses was given the ten commandments on Mt. Sinai; also celebrates the spring harvest and god’s gift of the Torah

  • Life Rituals

    • Brit Milah - Covenant of Circumcision for baby boy in accordance with Genesis 17:10

    • Bar/Bat Mitzvah (Son/Daughter of the commandment) - marks entry for the Jewish 13 year old child into community as adult

    • Bashert - (soulmate) first marriage that is considered finding your fate or destiny; the ceremony takes place under wedding canopy known as Huppah

• Jewish Calendar

  • Know the Gregorian Months that coincide

• Funeral Customs and the Afterlife

  • Funeral Rites vary by denomination

  • Taharah - The washing of the body

  • Chevra Kadisha - The person who does the washing

  • Shmirah - The attending and watching over the deceased

  • Shomer - The watcher, prays over the body

  • Tachrichim - Burial Shroud

  • Aron - The plain wooden casket

  • K’riah - the tearing of ones garments in grief

  • K’vurah - the grave and the eburial of the deceased

  • Hesped - the eulogy

  • Shiva - 7 Days of mourning

  • Shloshim - the 30 days of mourning following the death

  • Yahrzeit - one year following the death in memory of the loved one

  • Afterlife

    • The human soul is immortal

    • the nature of that immortality is beyond conception of mankind

    • drawing conclusions about the specific nature of our relationship with God after death is not useful or helpful

Buddhism - In Depth

• Core Beliefs

  • The four noble truths

    • Life is suffering

    • Suffering has cause (craving and attachment)

    • Craving and attachment can be overcome

    • The way toward the cessation of craving and attachment is an Eightfold Path

      • Views, Intent, Speech, Conduct, Livelihood, Effort, Alertness, Concentration

  • The three pure precepts

    • To do no evil

    • To do good

    • To save all beings

  • The Three Jewels

    • We take refuge in Buddha

    • We take refuge in Dharma

    • We take refuge in Sangha

  • Karma

    • “the law of moral causation; a chain of cause and effect

    • Any kind of intentional action whether mental verbal or physical; every thought word and deed

    • Relates to motives behind an action

      • Vipaka: fruit or the result of action

  • Rebirth

    • Buddhists understand life as samsara - the process whereby beings go through a succession of lifetimes as one of many possible forms of sentient life and reject the concept of the unchanging, eternal soul; implies the soul is made flesh again

      • Takes place in one of the realms of existence

  • Nirvana

    • This is the goal of life; the highest destiny of the spirit; no more attachment to external things. Not God or Heaven, beyond our words or understanding of boundaries

• Meditation

  • The practice of attaining enlightenment/nirvana while focusing on serenity and insight. Many different forms of practice

  • Anapanasati - meaning mindfulness of breathing, emphasis on inhalation and exhalation, referred to as breath meditation. common to many schools of thought

    • Sensitive to: the entire body, the mind, or the thought process

    • Focus on: Inconsistency, dispassion, cessation, or relinquishment

    • Produce: steadiness, satisfaction, or release

• Ten Characteristics of a Buddha

  • Tathagata - the one who has thus come and gone

  • Arhat - the worthy one

  • Perfectly Self Enlightened

  • Perfected in Knowledge and Conduct

  • Well gone

  • Unsurpassed

  • Knower of the World

  • Leader of persons to be tamed

  • Teacher of the gods and humans

  • the blessed one

• Major Buddhist Schools of Thought

  • Theravada - Doctrine of the Elders

    • Views its most sacred teachings as those from the Buddha himself, emphasizes a solitary life with detachment and seclusion

    • Focuses on the Arhat (perfect sage or worthy one) remains in nirvana after death

    • Humans are emancipated by self-effort without supernatural aid; Attainment requires constant commitment

    • The key virtue is wisdom

    • Buddha is seen as a saint, a supreme teacher, and inspire

    • Minimizes metaphysics and ritual; practice centers on meditation and prayer

    • Theravada scriptures = Tipitaka - known as the PALI CANON

  • Mahayana - The Great Vehicle

    • Focuses more on benevolence and service to others

    • The ideal: Boddhisattva - One who deserves Nirvana but postpones entry to it until all sentient beings are rescued from rebirth and suffering

    • Key Virtue is Compassion

    • Buddha is seen as a savior

    • Elaborates on metaphysical and rituals

    • Most widely studied Mahayana scriptures. Lotus, Diamond, and Heart Sutra

  • Tibetan Buddhism - The Swift Practice

    • Incorporates parts of Mahayana and Theravada tradition; as an esoteric strand of Buddhism associated with Hindu practice

    • Dalai Lama - Spiritual leader of the Tibetan people; 14th recognized since 13th century CE

  • Zen Buddhism

    • Stems out of the Mahayana

    • Derived from Dhyana meaning meditation; traces its roots back to legendary figure Bodhidharma

    • Zen is Japanese, Chan is Chinese

      • Zen - Rinzai and Soto

    • Central tenet of Zen is not a particular rule, idea or stated philosophy, but rather the personal practice of various forms of meditation; Zazen - sitting meditation

      • Discovering one’s own “original minds” or authentic self

• Buddhist Celebrations

  • Everyday is a celebration

  • Buddhist New Year - Depends on country of origin

  • Nirvana Day - February 15

  • Vesak (Buddha Day) - May 1-4 (Typically the 2nd in US)

  • Bodhi Day - December 8th

• Buddhist Funeral Practices

  • Buddhist funeral is simple, solemn, and dignified

    • For the deceased, a moment of transition

    • For the living, powerful reminder or impermanence

  • For some, the washing and dressing of the body is a ceremony

    • The body is put on display during a wake, preserved by dry ice or embalming

  • The Bhante will direct the ceremony. Three components of the ceremony: sharing, the practice of good conduct, and meditation

  • Cremation is preferred but not always practiced

  • At the service, it is typical to provide a pamphlet or service bulletin with Buddhist teachings as a tribute and way to generate good energy toward the deceased’s new incarnation

Islam

• Ka’aba - the Cube

  • Cleaned only by the Saudi Arabian King

  • Prayers are directed here

• At the core of Islam…

  • Islam - “Submission” / submission to the will of god / surrender to god

    • Muslim - Practitioner of Islam

    • La ilaha illa ‘lla - Beginning of the Shahada

      • There is only one god

• The Qur’an

  • The word of god with 114 Chapters

  • Dictated to Muhammed by the Angel Gabriel over 22 years

  • A surah is a chapter in the qur’an

    • The first one begins with “Praise be to Allah”

    • Refered to as the “Seven oft repeated verses”

  • Four fundamental beliefs expressed in the qur’an

• The Story of Muhammad

  • A decendent of the line of Ishmael - Son of Abraham

  • The name Muhamad means “Praiseworthy”

  • The Last in a long line of 124000 great prophets that included: Adam, Abraham, noah, Moses and Jesus

  • AT 40, he began to have a series of mystical experiences that lead him to conclude that he was being summoned to “Proclaim the word of Allah”

  • Spent 12 years practicing Dawah — He led the Hegira

  • He is NOT the founder of Islam rather he is the Exemplar

• Hadith Literature

  • Sunnah - A supplement to the Qur’an containing a collection of traditions recounting what the prophet Muhammad “said, did, confirmed, and affirmed”

    • Like a Biography

  • Many sources pertaining to Law

    • Shariah - literally means the way to water - source of all life and signifies the way to god; a source for Islamic law

    • Principle of Ijma - means consensus, (i.e. - the belief that the majority of Muslims cannot be in error)

• The Five Pillars

  • Salaah - Prayer

  • Shahaada - Testifying to faith

  • Sawm - Fasting

  • Zakaah - Charity

  • Hajj - Pilgrimage

• Denominatinos of Islam

  • Sufi

    • The “Mystics of Islam”

    • Seek union with god through contemplation, ascenticism, and prayer; gained through communal ceremonies involving trance

    • Most are men

    • Follow the rules of order known as Tariqa

• Muslim Observances

  • Shahadah - Inition marks a muslim’s entry into the faith

  • Akika - Birth Ceremony; most Muslims do not celebrate birthdays in a westernized way since it takes away devotion to Allah

  • Weddings are straightforward services

    • Requires a contract, dowry, witnesses, consent

  • Ramadan

    • Occupies the whole ninth month of the Islamic calandar

    • Adults embark on a rigidly observed period of abstention, reflection, and purifications

    • Between sunrise to sunset, Muslims do not eat, drink, smoke, marital relations; they are encouraged to read the Qur’an from the beginning to end during the holy month

    • Muslims are expected to forgo indulgences, reflect on past deeds, reinforce basic personal discipline, and express gratitude to Allah

  • Laila ul Qadr

    • Celebrated on a night falling during the final ten days of Ramadan

    • Commemorates Muhammad’s first experience of divine revelation

  • Eid Al Fitr

    • Feast period marks the end of Ramadan

  • Eid Ul Adha - Celebrates Faithfulness and obedience of patriarch Abraham, a day of sacrifice

    • Three Months after Ramadan

  • Al-Isra Wal Miraj

    • Marks Muhammad’s divinely supported journey from Mecca

  • Maulid Al-Nabi - Celebrates birth of Muhammad (12th day of the 3rd month 570 CE)

• Muslim Afterlife Beliefs

  • Every human is accountable to God for his or her actions and intentions

    • If a Muslim fails to fight injustice, they will be called to account by god

  • A central doctrine of the Qur’an is the Last Day

    • Until Judgement, deceased souls remain in their graves awaiting resurrection (Barzakh); although they begin to immediately feel a taste of their destiny to come

    • There are two exceptions to this rule. If you die for God you are immediately ushered into heaven, and if you are an enemy of Islam, you are ushered into hell

  • Paradise - Jannah (Firdaws is the highest level)

  • Hell - Jahannam - Seven different levels of hell

  • Four Steps of Age - Age in the womb, Age of the Mortal World, Age of Barzakh, Age of the Hereafter (Day of judgement)

• Muslim Funeral Traditions

  • Embalming is not required and generally prohibited

  • Washing, shrouding, and burial should be hastened

  • The person should be allowed to face the Ka’aba

  • Cremation is NEVER acceptable

  • Al-Ghusul - Ritual washing of the body

  • Al-Kafan - ritual shroud for the body

  • Funeral rites include recitation of the Janazah

  • Al-Dafin - burial of the body on their right side facing mecca

  • Islam limits its mourning to 40 days