The Final Destination For Buddhist And Muslims Religion Essay

The followings of Buddhism and Islam believe that each person controls their destiny in the hereafter. A Buddhist believes that life and clip are cyclical and that trusters may be reborn many times until the Torahs of Karma let them to make Nirvana the highest fate of the human spirit. The followings of Islam position clip as additive and believe that they are allowed merely one opportunity to populate a good life that will find if they are allowed into Paradise. The faiths differ significantly in their instructions, position of God, steering rules, and outlooks. This essay will compare and contrast Mahayana Buddhism and Islam and how each faith views the constructs of decease and the hereafter.

The Teacher and The Prophet

Both Buddhist and Muslims can follow the beginnings of their faiths to two singular work forces Siddhartha Gautama and Muhammad. It is through the Enlightenment of Prince Siddharta Gautama subsequently known as the Buddha that Buddhist faith was founded. Likewise Islam was started when the Prophet Muhammad was visited by Gabriel the archangel of God, and received a Revelation. Based on their personal experiences each adult male declared to the universe that they had the reply to the significance of life and the hereafter. They inspired 1000000s of people to follow their manner of thought and established two of the universe ‘s largest faiths.

Siddharta Gautama was the boy of a King and inheritor to the throne. Upon his birth his male parent sought the services of fortune tellers who declared him a most unusual kid. The besides proclaimed that he would follow one of two waies. The first way would take him to unite India and go a great vanquisher and male monarch. The 2nd way would do him a universe Jesus ( Smith 84 ) .A A Although his male parent worked diligently to maintain him on the first way by supplying him with every earthly pleasance and screening him from contact with disease, illness and decease he however became discontent one time he perceived the inevitableness of bodily hurting, decay and decease. His Great Traveling Forth required him to go forth the pleasances and distractions of his life behind in hunt for truth. His hunt was non easy and he sought foremost the Hindu Masterss, so a set of abstainers, and finally through dedication and speculations he was Enlightened and understood the enigmas of the existence and sought to give his cognition to others.

Muhammad was born in Mecca, Arabia in 570 AD his male parent died before his birth and his female parent died when he was six. He was raised foremost by a gramps who besides died and so by Abu Talib, an uncle who adopted him. Muhammad likely worked as a camel driver and traveled the Arabian Peninsula, which gave him entree to different civilizations and faiths. At age 25 he married his employer a affluent widow named Khadijah and lived in richness for many old ages. However, like Buddha he was non satisfied with the life he saw around him. During his late 30 ‘s he began on a regular basis sing a cave in Mount Hira, outside Mecca.A During one of these visits Muhammad received a Disclosure from the archangel Gabriel who commanded him to go the courier of God and to proclaim that Allah was the lone true God and he was commanded by God to distribute this truth.

Buddha and Muhammad both questioned the universe around them. Each adult male sought to understand the true significance of adult male ‘s being and intent. Both work forces sought purdah and used speculation in hunt of truth. Both work forces saw agony and societal unfairness and both hoped to rectify what they saw. One adult male looked inward and proclaimed that the end of life was to stop all agony and that each person entirely, non a God, was responsible for their ain workss and the result of those workss ( Karma ) determined one ‘s standing in the hereafter. He became the Teacher of Buddhism. The other adult male received a Disclosure from God through the archangel Gabriel that told him to proclaim that there is merely one true God, Allah. He became the Prophet of Allah and established Islam. Both work forces where responsible for the credos, philosophies, and Bibles related with their faith that are used by trusters today.

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Basic Doctrines of Buddhism and Islam

Both Buddhism and Islam have as credos or declarations of religion that include a hereafter. Both faiths have Hagiographas or Bibles that help to steer the trusters to populate a life that will ensue in a positive result in the hereafter. The Buddhist credo is called the Triranta ( Three Jewels ) . The credo provinces: “ I seek safety in the Buddha, I seek safety in the Dharma, I seek safety in the Sangham ” . ( The Buddha in the credo refers to Sidharta Guantama, the Dharma is his instructions, and the Sangham is the community or monastery of monastics. ) In add-on Buddhist follow the Four Noble Truths which are cardinal to the apprehension of life. These truths fundamentally province that life means enduring and that agony is the consequence of fond regard or desire but that you can halt agony by following the Baronial Eightfold Path. The Baronial Eightfold Path offers trusters a way to follow, through self-denial and speculation, a manner to stop desire, the cause of enduring. The Eightfold Path states that trusters should hold a Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Basically the Eightfold Path says that trusters should see things as they truly are. They should mean to better, watch their address, abstain from misconduct, take a support consistent with the instructions of Buddha, work hard to see that no negatives distractions or unwholesome ideas enter their head and to concentrate ( meditate ) on stoping enduring. It is through this procedure that Nirvana may be obtained.A Each person is responsible for populating the Eightfold way and responsible for how they fare in the hereafter. The Tripitaka ( Pali Canon ) is the holy book of Buddhism but it does non play as important function as the Qur’an in Islam.

The Islamic credo is the shahadahtain and is a declaration of religion that states, “ There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger ” ( Kamaruzaman, 2006 3 ) .A The Pillars of Faith are related to the belief in Allah, Prophetss, angels, Bibles, the afterlife, and destiny. The Pillars of Faith conveys the beliefs of Muslims while the Pillars of Islam demonstrate through action the committedness to those beliefs. The Pillars of Islam require that Muslims confess the holy credo at least one time in their life, pray five times daily toward Mecca, give money ( zarat ) to the hapless, fast on Ramadan, and travel to pilgrimage if possible. In practising these rites they affirm their religion to Allah. The Qur’an is the primary beginning of every Muslim ‘s religion and pattern. It deals with all the topics that concern all human existences: wisdom, beliefs, worship, and jurisprudence. Muslims believe that The Qur’an is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Muhammad and has ne’er been revised or changed. Muslims quotation mark and utilize the Qu’an in every facet of life.

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Being of God

One of the most blazing differences between Buddhism and Islam is how each faith trades with the construct of God and the being of a psyche. Buddhism is a faith where the belief in God as a Godhead Godhead is non-existence. In Buddhism there is no God to manus out wagess or penalties and there is no opinion day.A Buddhism is non based upon religion in a supreme-being and Buddha is non a Jesus who can salvage others. “ The focal point of Buddhism is on the individual and the nurturing of the individual into a religious being instead than on divinity and worship. ” ( Kamaruzaman, 2006 3 ) Buddhists follow the instructions of the Buddha ( Dharma ) non because they view Buddha as a God but instead because he is the ultimate instructor and usher, the Enlightened One, who can assist them in their personal hunt to stop agony ( dukkah ) and make Nirvana. Buddha preached a faith wholly barren of godly authorization as represented by his instruction, “ Be lamps unto yourselves. Those who, either now of after I am dead, shall trust upon themselves merely and non look for aid to anyone besides themselves, it is they who shall make the topmost tallness ” ( Burtt, 1955 49-50 ) . Buddhism places accent on self-government, self-discipline, and single striving.A Practicing Buddhist does non endeavor to delight a God or name upon a God for aid instead they seek counsel through the instructions of Buddha. By dependably following the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path persons can better their Karma and work to obtain Nirvana, the end of all Buddhist.A Karma is the effect of every action, whether good or bad, and determines how a Buddhist advancements in the hereafter. The basicss of Buddhism topographic points accent on single battle to make good in order to be released from the agonies of life in a corporeal organic structure. Karma entirely determines if a individual must be reborn to seek once more or if a individual has lived a good life and can make Nirvana. Buddhism teaches that most people will be re-born many times before their Karma will let them to make Nirvana. It is this deficiency of belief in a godly authorization that causes some to propose that Buddhism is an unbelieving doctrine instead than a faith.

In add-on Buddhism denies the being of a lasting psyche because in Buddhism nil is lasting. The Buddha told the monastics in one of his last reference to them, “ Behold, O monks, this is my last advice to you. All component things in the universe are mutable. They are non enduring. Work hard to derive your ain redemption. ” Rather than a lasting psyche, Buddhist believe that there are five elements which come together at birth and separate at the decease and these elements are called Skandas. The Buddha taught that our self-importances, personalities and the sense that the “ ego ” is something typical and lasting enclosed within our organic structures, are merely illusive effects of the skandhas. Skandas are defined as the organic structure, feelings/senses, perceptual experiences, wonts and dispositions, and consciousness.A Mahayana, Buddhism considers all physical signifiers to be nothingness of intrinsic ego ( a instruction called shunyata, which means “ emptiness ” ) . The ideal in Mahayana is to enable all existences to be enlightened together, non merely out of a sense of compassion, but because we are non truly separate, independent existences. Therefore metempsychosis is non similar reincarnation where an person ‘s psyche is transferred from one organic structure to another. Rather metempsychosis is a new beginning.

In contrast Islam is a monotheistic faith and perfectly everything in Islam revolves around God, Allah, the Godhead of everything, who has authorization over everything and everybody.A Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last courier of Allah and there will be no other couriers or Prophetss to follow.A The basis of Islam is, “ there is no God but God. “ A The foundation of Islam is faith in Allah and entry to the will of Allah.A The Qur’an provinces about Allah,

“ Say, ‘He is Allah, the One ;

Allah, the Eternal, Absolute ;

He begets non, and neither is He begotten ;

And there is nil that can be compared to Him. ”

Qur’an 112:1-4

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A A A A A A A A A A A A A Muslims believe strongly in an hereafter. They believe that you have one time opportunity to make the will of Allah and that when you die Allah will judge your actions. The end of an person is to obtain an hereafter in one of the celestial spheres described in the Qur’an and to avoid one of the legion snake pits. The Qur’an is considered the actual word of Allah as given to the Prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel.A Islam does non keep that the actions of God will take to salvation but instead that subjecting to God, following his counsel, and retrieving God in every facet of day-to-day life is of import because God will judge every action and that the entirety of a individuals life both good and immorality will find if they are allowed into Paradise or doomed to Hell.A Islam teaches that each person has complete duty over their actions and attitudes and that on opinion twenty-four hours every adult male will account for what he has done and his ageless being will be determined on that footing: “ Every adult male ‘s actions have we hung around his cervix, and on the last twenty-four hours shall be laid before him a wide-open book ” ( 17.13 ) .

A A A A A A A A A A A A A Islam preaches a philosophy of predestination in that Allah has cognition of everything in his creative activity and that nil exists outside the will of Allah.A The Qur’an says this, “ ‘Nothing will go on to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our defender ‘ : and on Allah let the Believers put their trust ” ( 9:51 ) . In this regard Muslims believe that Allah will steer who he pleases and direct off people as he pleases. This philosophy is controversial because it seems to intend that free will does non truly be in Islam. If God chooses who to steer and who to direct away so what of free will? The best account is that God created everything and that everything happens with His will and Knowledge. Even though work forces have free will God knows in progress the picks that work forces will do and that what will go on has been recorded in a book called Al-Lawl Al Mahfud ( the Book of Decree ) .A Islam Teachs that each person has a lasting psyche and that this psyche survives decease and will be allowed into Paradise or doomed to one of the Hells.

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Afterlife

Followings of both Buddhism and Islam believe in the being of life after decease. For Buddhist the end is to populate a right life following the Eightfold Path and obtain Nirvana a province of void. Buddhists hold that the retaliatory procedure of Karma will find the finish of followings after death.A They do non populate their lives in fright of God ‘s requital or in expectancy of his wagess. They seek to merely discontinue to be and thereby stop all agony and enter Nirvana. However, along the manner to the hereafter they may hold to reiterate agony over and over and in several kingdoms until they get it right.

Moslems have on life and one opportunity to delight Allah. The inducement for populating a good life and non making immorality is the wagess or requitals of Allah. Allah entirely will find if the individual has lived a good life and delight Allah. Allah is merciful and it His because of his clemency that trusters may come in Heaven and it is because of his opinion that psyches will be sent to hell. If a psyche is sentenced to Hell than it is non because of Allah but because of picks made during a life-time. Muslims desire to delight Allah in all things that they may come in Paradise.

I wonder if Allah was to direct a Buddhist to hell for being a non-believer would the Buddhist merely shrug and state its bad Karma and delay for the following clip?

Buddhanet. Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc. Web. 15 May 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.buddhanet.net/ & gt ; .

Burtt, E.A. The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha. NewYork: Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1955. Print

Hooker, Richard. “ About Islam. ” Washington State University. 6 June 1999. Web. 15 May 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.wsu.edu/~dee/ISLAM/ISLAM1.HTM & gt ; .

Kamaruzman, Kamar Oniah ( ph.D ) . Associate Professor of Comparative Religion International Islamic University Malaysia. 23rd June 2006

Smith, Huston. The World ‘s Religions. New York: Harper Collins. 1991. Print

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