World Religions

Running Head : BUDDHISM AND CHRISTIANITY

World Religions

Buddhism and Christianity

Introduction

This roadmap of this is chiefly twofold . On the one side of the spectrum , it attempts to make a successful presentation of the fundamental nature and key teachings of Buddhism as a particular religious movement . On the other side of the spectrum , this hopes to make an equally successful juxtaposition of the salient points relative to the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Christianity . The starting point of this essay will be to firstly lay the foundational elements

and fundamental characteristics of the Buddhism faith , as a jumping board from where the succeeding discussions shall be drawn . Secondarily , in to better place the Buddhism 's teachings within the larger purview of religion as a phenomenon , its comparison with Christianity shall comprise a significant part of the discussions as well . In the process , this hopes to establish that there is in fact an array of aspects for both religions which , even when on the surface they appear to be wholly distinct , nevertheless share common strains and resemblances , as far as doctrinal beliefs and ethical norms are concerned . This is a concept of no little importance for history has been a constant witness to the divisive nature of religious pluralism . On a careful analysis , what this hopes to ultimately achieve is not to lay judgment on either the correctness or wrongfulness of any doctrine , as it merely wants to appreciate of the distinctness and uniqueness which defines both Buddhism and Christianity , and all world religions for that matter

Fundamental Tenets of Buddhism

Buddhism is a religious tradition believed to be already in place around 500 years before the coming of Christ (Griffiths , 1997 ,

. 15 The exact location of its initial inception and formation is relatively unknown , inasmuch as the exact time of its emergence remains to be fully determined . But many thinkers believe that the religious movement started from the Indian peninsula , only to be dispersed from the neighboring regions later on . An exact definition of Buddhism may be difficult to identify , as a whole array of versions of Buddhism claim origin and affinity from the force which may be called as the chief inspiration of the religion - Gautama Buddha , also known as Gautama Sakayamuni . Far from being a movement characterized by an universal bond of uniformity or structure , Buddhism is one the few religions in the world which readily embrace diversity from its adherents . In fact Griffiths would claim that one of the most notable uniqueness of Buddhism lies in its very differentiated ' character (1997 ,

.5 . To concretely cite the case in point , one may perhaps discover that the version of Buddhism being practiced in , say , South Asia , may differ distinctively from the one being observed in adjacent states , say , the countries found in South-East Asia . By inference , it is therefore not without good reasons to suppose that Buddhism is a religious movement that neither demand nor teach an adherence to a uniform...