The two main branches of Buddhism are the Mahayana (Big raft) which is for the layman and the Theravada, (the way of the Elders) or sometimes known as the Hinayana because of it's appeal only to a few in search of personal enlightenment.
Theravada Buddhism seems to adhere closer to the Buddha1s original teaching and uses meditation to find wisdom.
Mahayana Buddhism is more liberal with the teachings of the Buddha. The teachings of the Buddha are still prominent but in order to be more palatable to a wider range of people, local customs and beliefs such as deities and mysticism have become enmeshed with the teachings of Buddha.
HINDUISM
Hinduism is considered the world's oldest living religion. It originated in India approximately 4,000 years ago.
With Hinduism you can have whatever you want. If you want to live a crazy lifestyle Hinduism will show you a way to live it without hurting yourself or others. If you want to dedicate your life to worldly successes (money, fame, fortune) Hinduism will show you the way to do so within limitations. If all you want to do is your responsible duty to your neighbors, go ahead and do it. If what you want is liberation you can be shown the way.
Hinduism is a very complex and thought out religion that essentially gives an answer for any question that you might have about your life. With each answer Hinduism gives a reason and a possibility of strengthening your understanding of the answer. In Hinduism, the human spirit and God live in the same place but are separate. The goal is to unite the two spirits through a series of yoga that include not lying, not stealing, self control, cleanliness, contentment, self discipline and a desire to reach the goal. There are many different ways to reach the God inside you just as there are many ways to undertake any journey. Some are easy and some are difficult and take a long time to accomplish. A path is designed for each of four personality types.
Jnana yoga is for people who are reflective and seek knowledge find their divinity through rationality and spirituality.
Bhakti yoga is the path to God through love and devoted service. It insists on God's otherness and teaches love of God through adoration.
Karma yoga is the path to God through work. Be productive and strive to work towards high rewards and work unselfishly.
Raja yoga is known as the path to reintegration, a way to God through psychophysical experiments. Self-searching could be one way of describing Raja Yoga. Looking inside to see the difference between yourself and God and bring them together. It involves meditation and self discipline.
Hinduism has been practiced for thousands of years and has developed philosophies that include everybody in every walk of life.
Each category is like a roadmap to help you find the right path to God. You may be on the correct road but at the wrong time.
Islam
Islam is very similar to Judaism. Both share the common ancestry of Abraham. The main points of Islam are included in these five pillars:
The Five Pillars of Islam:
- The confession that “there is only one God, and Muhammad is His Prophet.
- Prayer. Muslims must stay constant in prayer and keep their lives in perspective. Prayer must be done five times a day.
- Charity is the third pillar of Islam. Islam understands that not everyone is financially equal and the Koran states that 2 ½ % or an annual one-fortieth of the middle and upper class' income and holdings should be given to the poor.
- Ramadan. This is the month on the Islamic calendar and it is a time for fasting during daylight hours. During evening hours food may be taken in moderation. The point behind fasting is to make you think, to teach self discipline, underscores your dependence on God, a reminder of human frailty and dependence and sensitizes compassion by allowing one to share the feeling of hunger.
- Pilgrimage. Once during his or her lifetime men and women should make the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca where God's revelation was first revealed if they are physically and financially able. The purpose is to heighten one's devotion to God. It is also a reminder of human equality. All pilgrims must dress in a sheet like garment that does not show rank or social status and allows people from all over the world to worship God without social restrictions.
The social teachings of the Koran (their religious book) are broad and encompass many aspects of Islamic life.
Christianity
JESUS CHRIST. Nearly all that is known about the life of Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, is contained in the four Gospels of the New Testament, particularly those of Mark, Matthew, and Luke. These accounts were written 60 to 100 or more years after the birth of Christ. They differ in some details but agree in all essentials. Jesus himself left no writings.
Although in most countries today time is reckoned from the birth of the founder of Christianity, a mistake occurred in fixing the date of this event. We have no record of the exact date of Jesus' birth. But we do know that the date adopted several centuries later as the beginning of the Christian Era was at least four years too late; that is, Jesus
was born in 4 BC, or earlier, according to our reckoning.
Tradition has it that Jesus, also called Jesus of Galilee or Jesus of Nazareth, was born in Bethlehem of Judea, about 9.7 kilometers from Jerusalem. Joseph was the legal father of Jesus, but according to Biblical accounts, an angel appeared to Mary, a virgin, and told her that she would bear a child who would be the Son of God. Before the birth Mary and her husband Joseph, a poor carpenter from Nazareth in the northern province of Galilee, were
required to go to Bethlehem to be taxed by the Roman governor. Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Of Jesus’ childhood years, the Bible tells only one incident. When he was 12 years old, Jesus went with his parents to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. His parents had already traveled a long distance when they suddenly noticed that young Jesus was not with them. Anxiously returning to the Temple, they found him in the midst of the doctors, who were astonished by his wisdom.
The word "Christ" had previously been a religious title meaning "Messiah," but it soon
came to be used as a proper name for Jesus himself.
In order to prepare himself for his ministry, Jesus went into the wilderness. For 40 days and 40 nights he fasted and prayed, struggling with temptation. After his return there gathered about him a group of disciples who recognized him as the Messiah. From them were chosen 12 apostles to spread his message. Jesus told them to give up all ties to family and work, in order to become "fishers of men.”
Many miracles were attributed to Jesus. In addition to his extraordinary healing powers, he was believed to have turned water into wine at a wedding feast at Cana and fed a crowd of 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes. Wherever he went he sought out the lowly, the poor, and the maimed.
On Passover Eve, he ate his last supper with his 12 disciples and retired for prayer to the Garden of Gethsemane. There he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples. He was arrested by Roman soldiers and sentenced to death. With a crown of thorns on his head and wearing a purple robe, which the soldiers put on him in mockery, because of his claim to be King of the Jews, Jesus was led to Golgotha, the place of execution.
The New Testament holds that after he had died Jesus' body was taken from the cross and placed in a tomb. Three days later, when some women came with spices to embalm the body, they found the tomb empty. An angel who kept watch told them that Christ had risen from the dead. He spent 40 days on Earth after his resurrection and then was taken up to heaven. Belief in Jesus' resurrection from the dead became the focus of Christianity, the religion that developed around his teachings. Jesus Christ has been the accepted incarnation of God to followers of the Christian faith for nearly 20 centuries.
Judaism
Around 2000 BCE, the God of the ancient Israelites established a divine covenant with Abraham, making him the father of many nations. Moses was the next leader of the ancient Israelites. He led his people out of captivity in Egypt, and received the Law (10 Commandments) from God.
The 10 Commandments
- Worship no god but me
- Don’t make yourselves images
- Don’t use my name for evil purposes
- Observe the Sabbath
- Respect your Father & Mother
- Don’t commit adultery
- Don’t Kill
- Don’t steal
- Don’t accuse anyone falsely
- Don’t desire another man’s house
After decades of wandering through wilderness, Joshua led the tribes into the promised land, driving out the Canaanites through a series of military battles.
There are currently about 18 million Jews throughout the world. They are mainly concentrated in North America (about 7 million) and Israel (about 4.5 million).