Comparative Religions Unit Final Paper 2011
Festivals of Hinduism and Buddhism - JF
Two of the main religions of the world are Hinduism and Buddhism. Festivals are a big part of what makes a religion a religion. Divali is the festival of light and the main holiday of Hinduism. Wesak is a time of fellowship friendship and study and also the main holiday of Buddhism. They are both times of being together with family and friends in joy and excitement.
The one major holiday of Hinduism is Divali also known as Diwali depending on what part of India you are from. In short words, Divali is the festival of light; it is usually celebrated in October or November. In one of the ancient Hindu calendars Divali is allegedly the start of the New Year. The word Divali is derived from the word Deepavali meaning “rows of lights.” During Divali Hindus remember the story of Rama and his wife, Sita told in the Ramayana. Also at Divali Hindus worship Lakshmi who is the goddess of wealth and good fortune. The history of Divali includes the story of Rama which in a brief synopsis is that Rama was born and was the son of the king. Rama then became prince but Rama’s stepmother wanted her son to be prince so Rama and his wife, Sita were sent to live in the forest for fourteen years. Sita then got captured by a ten headed demon named Ravana who then took Sita to the island of Lanka. Rama then called his friend Hanuman who is the monkey god and told him to bring many monkey fighters to battle Ravana. A huge battle raged and Ravana was killed by a golden arrow said to be sent from the gods. Rama then returned to the thrown and resumes his rightful place as prince. There are five days in Divali first being Dhanteras, second, Choti Diwali, third, Puja on Diwali, fourth, Padwa and Govardhan Puja, and last Bhai Duj.
The main holiday of Buddhism is Wesak. Buddhists don’t celebrate many holidays because they believe that every second of every day should be cherished but there is Wesak which is a very important holiday in Buddhism. Wesak takes place on the first full moon of the sixth lunar month which usually falls around May but sometimes falls in June. Also know as Buddha day, Wesak commemorates three important moments in Buddha’s life, Buddha’s lbirthday, his enlightenment, and his death. This is a very joyful time of fellowship and study. In the time of Wesak Buddhists renew their vows to follow Buddha’s guidance by chanting three short fraises or the Three Jewels, “I go to Buddha for refuge, I go to the Dharma (meaning teaching) and I go to the Sangha (the Buddhist community) for refuge. Another holiday that is celebrated by Buddhists is Loi Krathong. Loi Krathong is like the Buddhist Divali. It is the Thai festival of light.
These three holidays are related, because Divali and Loi Krathong have the same base principles. They are both the famed festivals of light however, but Wesak and Divali are related because they both celebrate joyful times and being happy with friends and family, celebrating important parts of these two cultures. These holidays aren’t very related principle wise but they are both about keeping spirits high and being thankful for what you and the great gifts in life.
The main holidays of these two religions and cultures are obviously Wesak and Divali. Most religions have one or two holidays that they cherish and value. Hinduism and Buddhism celebrate these holidays because it is ingrained in their religion and has been a tradition for thousands of years. As you can see, these two holidays are very important to these two religions and they will be cherished and celebrated for years and years to come.
Nirvana and Moksha - JY
Although Buddhist Nirvana and Hindu Moksha are two completely different topics, they still have many similarities and histories. Nirvana and Moksha are like identical twins. They look alike, but they have their own personality that shows off who they really are. Moksha and Nirvana are hard to achieve, but if you truly believe strongly with your heart then someday you will be there. Each idea of heaven is unbelievably unique and different in many ways.
In Buddhism, Nirvana resembles the “end of the world,” not in an unfavorable or atrocious way. There is really nothing more to worry about in life anymore, it is like a dream. You have just reached the highest level in the game of happiness. How you can reach Nirvana is to have very good karma. Karma is a concept that Buddhists and Hindus believe in. If you do something good, then something good happens to you. If you do something bad, then something bad will happen to you. Karma is like a boomerang, when you throw it, it comes right back at you, whether it’s good or bad. In this case you would want to be hit with good karma as much as possible if you wish to achieve Nirvana. Let’s say in one lifetime you killed an innocent bystander, then you would have to face severe consequences in another lifetime. You would enter samsara, which is the never ending cycle of reincarnation, again and again until you reach Nirvana. It may take tens, hundreds, or maybe even thousands of lifetimes to reach Nirvana, depending on the person. These are the basic steps to go and to reach Nirvana and be enlightened.
In Hinduism, Moksha is liberation from samsara and distress that is in the beginning and end of samsara. Atma-Jnana (Self-realization) is the key to achieving Moksha. You may think that yoga is just a vigorous stretching exercise, but no, it is much more than that. Some ways that a small fraction of Hindus use to try to achieve Moksha is by doing yoga. Yoga helps calm the mind and connect with oneself. Plus Hinduism also implicates the concept of reincarnation, also known as samsara. You go into an everlasting cycle of lives until you finally achieve self-realization and go to Moksha. If you had very horrific karma, then you would be born as one of the “untouchables.” Untouchables are part of the Caste system, they are the worst you can be. The Caste system is a structure that shows how bad you have been in your past life and what you will be reincarnated into. The Caste system is made up of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and the Untouchables. The lucky scholars who are at the top of the class are called Brahmins. Brahmins are the most successful of all of the others. Untouchables are generally the ones who dispose of corpses and clean up the streets. The best of the best are called the Brahmins. You are very auspicious if you are born into one of these. These are what every Hindu has to go through to finally achieve eternal bliss, also known as Moksha.
Even though Hinduism originated before Buddhism, there are only slight nuances between the two religions. Nirvana and Moksha have many of the same concepts such as Karma, samsara, and far more. Each theory of “heaven” helps enlighten people every day and it shall continue to do so. The goal is to reach the cessation of samsara. As you can see, Buddhism and Nirvana are very alike and different in many ways, and both religions are very intriguing, fascinating, and stimulating. Every day many people go into the process of reincarnation and become new people who go upon this majestic earth today.