Religion

• Theravada Buddhism


  A branch of Buddhism that seeks nirvana, a state of perfect enlightenment, by realizing that the ego is not real and causes suffering
• Stages to achieve nirvana

  1. Sotapanna (one who enters the stream)

  2. Sakadagamin (one who returns once)

  3. Anagami (one who never returns)

  4. Arhat (one who is worthy, enlightened and will never be reborn)
• Buddhists


  • Believe human life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but that achieving enlightenment (nirvana) can escape this cycle forever
  • Siddhartha Gautama was the first to reach enlightenment and is known as the Buddha
• Principles of the Noble Eightfold Path

  • Right Thought
  • Right Speech
  • Right Action
  • Right Livelihood
• Right Thought


  Thinking in a positive way, free from harmful desires or intentions
• Right Action


  Behaving morally and ethically, not stealing, not hurting others physically, and avoiding actions that cause harm
• Right Livelihood


  Earning a living in a way that doesn't harm others or oneself, not engaging in jobs that involve cheating, exploiting others, or causing suffering
• Practices of Theravada Buddhism

  • Sila (cultivation of ethical conduct)
  • Samadhi (concentration)
  • Panna (wisdom)
• Sila


  A code of conduct that embraces a commitment to harmony and self-restraint, primarily motivated by nonviolence or freedom from causing harm
• Samadhi


  Unifying the mind and placing its awareness upon a particular object
• Panna


  Wisdom, intelligence, or understanding
• Some related issues in Theravada Buddhism include the interpretation and application of teachings, the role of monasticism, the relationship between lay practitioners and monks, meditation practices, the preservation of Buddhist scriptures, and engagement with modernity and globalization
• Hinduism


  An Indian religion or dharma, a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. The word Hindu is an exonym.
• Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world
• Sanātana dharma


  Another term used to describe Hinduism
• Most scholars believe Hinduism started somewhere between these dates in the Indus Valley, near modern-day Pakistan


  2300 B.C. and 1500 B.C.
• Many Hindus argue that their faith is timeless and has always existed
• Hinduism has no one founder but is instead a fusion of various beliefs
• Four goals in human life

  • Kama (pursuit of pleasure)
  • Artha (pursuit of material success)
  • Dharma (leading a just and good life)
  • Moksha (enlightenment, which frees a person from suffering and unites the individual soul with Brahman)
• Hindu view of the universe

  The entire universe is God's and everything in the universe is God
• Hindu belief about human beings

  Each person is intrinsically divine and the purpose of life is to seek and realize the divinity within all of us
• The Hindu belief is totally non-exclusive and accepts all other faiths and religious paths
• Absolute Divine in Hinduism


  There is only one Absolute Divine, a singular force that joins all facets of existence together known as the Absolute OM (sometimes spelled AUM)
• All human beings are divine according to the Hindu religion
• Ethical and moral behavior is considered the most prized pursuit of human life
• The most basic natural law is to remain in harmony with its fellow creatures and the universal
• Seekers' aim in Hinduism

  To be at-oneness with God, not as separate individuals (oneness of self), but rather a closer connection (at-one-ness) with God
• The three Gs in Hinduism

  • Ganges (the sacred river in India where the cleansing of sins occurs)
  • Gita (the sacred script of the Bhagavad-Gita)
  • Gayatri (a revered, sacred mantra found in the Rig Veda, and also a poem/intonement in the same specific meter)
• Devotion (Bhakti)


  A practice and a path towards salvation, entailing total and unconditional surrender and selfless love towards a personal or chosen deity
• Worship (Pūjā)


  One of the most central practices in Hinduism, consisting of making offerings and receiving blessings, from elaborate temple rituals to simple home practices
• Fire Sacrifice (Yajña or Homa)

  A ritual sacrifice wherein symbolic materials such as ghee, grains and incense are thrown into a special fire pit
• Mantra


  Sentences, phrases or words (typically in Sanskrit) that are composed in verse or prose, chanted or recited, usually as part of a ritual
• Grace (Prasāda or Prasad)


  A returned portion of a worshipper's offering, believed to be blessed after the deity's intangible consumption
• Service (Sevā)


  The respectful and regular attention of the needs of someone or something, in acknowledgement of the divine (related to the concepts of brahman and ātman)
• Astrology (Jyotiṣa)


  A common practice in Hinduism to help determine auspicious dates and times for festivals, weddings, pilgrimages and the installation of images (mūrti). Astrology also plays a vital role in determining marriage partners and names of children.
• Life Cycle Rites (Saṃskāra)


  Important life-cycle rites, beginning with one's conception and ending with one's cremation
• Christianity is considered the most popular religion in the world with the greatest number of adherents among all religions
• The most common symbol for Christianity

  The cross, for Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross to save humanity from their sins and to restore people's relationship with God the Father
• Christianity is considered one of the first monotheistic religions in the world and shares many similarities with Judaism in terms of belief in prophets, angels, judgment day, among others
• Christianity is considered one of the world religions which traces its origins to the patriarch Abraham