Rel 110 - Moral Dilemmas

Dawson Brady Drake

REL 110 IN1

6/19/2018

Moral Dilemmas

            I have chosen three of the religions that are listed and they are Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism and the reasoning for choosing these three religions is because they have so many similarities, if you put religions in categories then I would definitely place these three in the same category. The main reason I believe these three religions is because of their peaceful perspectives of, why, and about life because these religions respect life and believe it to be the most precious and sacred thing there is in the world. Also, in all of these religions they have a profound knowledge of the present and what I mean by that is that they all seem to feel that it is wise to learn from your past, but you should always be living and focusing on the present   instead of the past or the future, one of my favorite movie philosophies is in Kong Fu Panda when Pow is eating the peaches from the heavenly peach tree and Oogway comes and say I quote “ you are to concerned with what is and what will be; there’s a saying yesterday is history tomorrow a mystery but today is a gift, that is why it is called the present;” I looked this up and there was one similar but nothing that I can confirm to be true so I guess all the credit goes to Master Oogway’s wisdom. These religions focus on the reality that we are a part of rather than the realities that may never come to be, this is one of the reasons that I chose to debrief what I have taken away from studying these three religions.

            Hinduism is what Buddhism and Jainism branched off of because Hinduism is said to possibly be the oldest religion in the world, it is not viewed as a religion because there is no set laws or rules but there is a book that they base their religion off of and it is called Vedas, the reason that I know some of this is because I have a friend who has studied multiple religions and Hinduism is one of them. Also, Hinduism is not based on the teachings of just one person because there is no record of the start of this practice that has dominated India and is the third largest religion next to Christianity and Islam. Also, in Hinduism, I feel that they tend to take care of their bodies because I have been to several yoga classes with friends and although it is a very physical activity it is also a very mental exercise. Yoga also teaches you to open your mind, when you allow yourself to do so your flexibility is increased, your breathing is enhanced, and your overall thoughts are clearer and you can just focus on what is in the present and not on the other things we Americans tend to ponder.

            Buddhism is based on the Buddha who is the founder of this religion who was alive 2500 years ago so around 500B.C. and he is said to be the enlightened one who has found the way to end all of his suffering. Buddhism does not have a set god because the only way to be enlightened is to figure your own path and you should never see anyone on your path and if you do then you are not on the right path. A major part of Buddhism is meditation which is where you can connect with yourself and other forces, there are many different types of Buddhism that view the teachings of Buddha differently. And like Hinduism Buddhism focuses on the present and what you do in it, also it is a very peaceful religion that wishes for all to be enlightened through a way of peace and not by or from force, and the goal to them is to reach nirvana.