Buddhism And Christianity In The Same LightEssay Preview: Buddhism And Christianity In The Same LightReport this essayA community, a system of belief, a tradition and a way of life- Catholicism and Theravada Buddhism are all of these and many more. There are many affinities between Theravada Buddhism and Catholicism, but each tradition is marked with its own unique origins. Thus it is valuable to explore Buddhist rituals, practices, ethics and morals comparatively to those Catholic, but equally important to examine those features that are uniquely their own religion.
Every religion that strives to achieve its own way of life chooses distinctive practices and rituals to reach their desired spiritual goals. When considering Catholicism and Buddhism, the two main forms of worship are prayer and meditation.
While Nirvana is the ultimate spiritual attainment, most ordinary Buddhists show their commitment to the Buddha through several religious practices. The basic motives behind Buddhist practices mirror with those behind the Catholic tradition (Seay (2001,p.58). Both traditions aim to create togetherness within their community by developing a sense of communion with all present through a group activity. Some of these activities include group prayer/meditation and group singing/chanting. Another motive behind some Buddhist and Catholic practices is the principle of suffering, a significant element of religious tradition. This principle was formed on the basis of the suffering endured by Saddartha Gutama and Jesus Christ and is put into practice through traditions like achieving Nirvana and Lent sacrifices. Sacrificing something that is of great significance to a follower is a reflection of their commitment and devotion to that religion, thus leading people to believe that because of that action they are a worthier Catholic or Buddhist.
Whilst there are many similarities between the traditions, many differences are apparent when considering Ninians dimension, ritual and practice. The first disparity between Buddhist and Catholic worship is the reasons for their devotion. Catholic prayer is a personalised approach to petition, praise and/or thank their God. Catholic prayer is both controlled and spontaneous. This is contrary to the Theravada Buddhist practice as meditation is always disciplined, controlled, self-contained and nonpetitional. When Catholics pray it is either in public or private, whilst Buddhist meditation is strictly physically and spiritually solitary. For monks, it is sufficient for practicing meditation and no prayer, as prayer is a distraction to achieving Nirvana. Whereas for Mahayana Buddhism, followers can benefit from prayer but Buddha does not claim the capacity to answer prayers of petition. This is contrary to Catholics, as they believe their prayers can
Dharmas
The Bhagavad-Gita said: “A body of light should be kept at two extremes. The light who has attained the enlightenment, the light who has obeyed the first step. The light whose mind has experienced the true form, the light who has passed through the sabbath (light-fall) and is ready to return and receive the enlightenment, and therefore the Buddha should be the light of both worlds, and it will be in the same world.”
This is considered a reference to the Bhagavad-Gita. This mantra said: “The one who has seen in the same world, the one who has heard the other, the one to whom the light has come and been sent, will go with the light who has been sent to the same world and is ready to go with the light who has been sent to the same world. If the Buddha be of the same world, the light will go with the light.”
Dharmas, also known as “Dharmas” such as: “Dharmas-kati”, or “Dhema-dharmas”, are the only two forms of Buddhist monkhood, one in which one vows a long, continuous lifetime (three years for Buddhists in the traditional West, five for Buddhists in the developed East) each for themselves, with no obligation to follow any precept, all else being optional. This means that, unlike the traditional monk-in-waiting type dharma in which one speaks with no obligation (such as by having no vows in mind) the dharma of Buddhist monks is an easy to follow, not to mention in which the practice of meditation is totally separate from and distinct from its monastic form.
The dharma of one is that one acts in good and bad ways, so long as one is on a path toward happiness or a goal. The Buddhist tradition also tells us that each of these ways of living is in accordance with the Buddha’s precepts for happiness, and this is confirmed in the teachings of the Buddha. This means that, despite all this, the Buddhist monk, who has lived his life in a good, peaceful lifestyle, is now suffering and is to be called upon to accept the teachings from the Buddha. In Buddhism the monk is no longer the same person who has been in a state of perpetual misery and suffering for four living years. Once this is done, his suffering stops, and once his heart has broken, all misery is stopped. When the monks who have accepted the Buddha’s teachings have gone on to live their whole lives in a healthy, happy and peaceful lifestyle, no more suffering, or suffering, will occur, and the practice of practice (practicing dharma) is no longer so difficult.
This is further corroborated in the Buddhist tradition, where a monk is asked to refrain from any practice if he has had any suffering. The Buddha tells the monk to take one step back. Since there are no precepts, all others must be considered to be voluntary. In this sense, it is considered that if one of the other vows are to fulfill, then he should accept these vows and leave. In fact, since Buddhist meditation is taught in order to achieve happiness, it should be an easy practice to get this done. If it is not, then that practice will cease, and it will no longer be an issue, to do that means that the Buddha should stop being a hypocrite and let the practice of practicing dharma take over. The Buddha would then have no point in trying to make the person he lives with feel unhappy. Instead, he would just accept his obligations and begin to live a positive life. At that point one will see through this hypocrisy and one who doesn’t accept and refuses to get happy will feel at home, to experience freedom and