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Hinduism is a vast and profound religion. It
worships one Supreme Reality (called by many names) and teaches that all souls ultimately realize Truth. Each soul is free to find his own way,
whether by devotion, austerity, meditation (yoga) or selfless service. Stress is placed on
temple worship, scripture and the guru-disciple tradition. Hinduism explains that the
soul reincarnates until all karmas are resolved and
God Realization is attained.
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Buddhism Buddha’s teachings are capsulized in
the Four Noble Truths: 1. That suffering exists;
2. That desire is the cause of suffering; 3. That suffering may be ended by the
annihilation of desire; 4. That to end desire one must follow the Eight-Fold Path. The
primary goal of the Buddhists is nirvana, defined as the end of change, meaning
“to blow out” as one blows out a candle. Nirvana
is not a state of annihilation, but of peace and reality. As with Jainism, Buddhism has no
creator God and thus no union with Him.
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Jainism
strives for the realization of the highest
perfection of man, which in its original purity is free from all pain and the bondage of
birth and death. The term Jain is derived from
the Sanskrit jina, “conqueror”, and
implies conquest over this bondage imposed by the phenomenal world. Jainism does not consider it
necessary to recognize a God or any being higher than the perfect man.
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Sikhism stresses the importance of devotion, intense faith in the guru, the repetition of God’s name as a means of salvation, opposition to the worship of idols, the brotherhood of all men and rejection of caste differences (though certain caste attitudes persist today). The goal of Sikhism lies in moksha which is release and union with God, described as that of a lover with the beloved and resulting in self-transcendence, egolessness and enduring bliss, or ananda.
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Taoism
The Tao, or Way, has never been put down in words; rather it is left for the seeker to
discover within. Adherents of the faith are taught to see the Tao everywhere, in all
beings and in all things. He who has realized the Tao has uncovered
the layers of consciousness so that he arrives at pure consciousness and sees the inner
truth of everything.
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Confucianism
urged individuals to strive for perfection, righteousness and improvement of character.
They taught the importance of harmony in the
family, order in the state and peace in the empire, which they saw as inherently
interdependent. Teachings emphasize a code of conduct, self-cultivation and propriety
– and thus the attainment of social and national order. Stress is more on human duty
and the ideal of the “superior man” than on a divine or supramundane Reality.
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Shintoism
The primary goal of Shintoism is to achieve immortality among the ancestral beings, the Kami. Kami is understood by the
Shintoist as a supernatural, holy power living in or connected to the world of the spirit.
Stressed is placed on truthfulness and purification through which man may remove the
“dust” which conceals his inherently
divine nature and thus receive the guidance and blessings of Kami.
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Zoroastrianism
is a moral struggle, not a search for knowledge or enlightenment. He is put on the
earth to affirm and approve the world, not to deny it, not to escape from it. A central
feature of the faith is the sacred fire that is constantly
kept burning in every home, fueled by fragrant sandalwood. Fire is considered the only
worship symbol, the great purifier and sustainer, of the nature of the sun itself.
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Judaism
The Jews hold an unshakable belief in one God and one God only, whom they call Yahweh,
from whom all creation flows. The Jewish people consider themselves a chosen people, apart
from all other peoples of the earth, by virtue of their covenant with Yahweh. Much
stressed is placed on the hallowing of daily existence, worship
in the synagogue, prayer and reading of the scriptures.
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Christianity The majority of Christians adhere to the Apostles’ Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and Jesus Christ, His only Son. Stress is placed on acceptance of Jesus as God and Savior, on good conduct, service to mankind, faith and preparation for the Final Judgment. |
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Islam
teaches absolute monotheism and Mohammed’s primacy as God’s last prophet on
Earth. Stress is on the brotherhood of believers, nondifference of religious and secular
life, obedience to God’s Law, abstinence from alcohol, good conduct and the
limitation of all except Allah.
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Faiths, In search of the Divine, man has created innumerable smaller “faiths.” These spiritual paths are often charismatic or mystical in source or nature and have a powerful spiritual presence and purpose despite being numerically small. These include: • Shamanism - This broad term includes the thousands of tribal faiths which have existed on every continent since long before recorded history. Beliefs include a deep sense of the sacredness of life and of the earth, communion with spirit guides and i the ability of man to live in harmony with and influence nature. • Theosophy - Founded in the late 1800’s by Madame Blavatsky, Theosophy emphasizes mystical experience, esoteric doctrine and monism. They seek universal brotherhood and explore the unexplained laws of nature, and the powers latent in man. • Universalism - Many faiths are based on universalist principles, often seen as a conscious effort to avoid certain doctrines which are seen as narrow or sectarian, Universalism arises in all religions, whether Christian (Unitarianism), Islam (Baha’i), Jain (Rajneeshism) or Hindu (dozens of all-religious movements, such as those of Sai Baba, Krishnamurti, and Maharshi Mahesh Yogi). • New Age - The term new age was coined in the 1970’s to denote an awakening of the mass consciousness to deeper realities and the need for individual attunement with universal, higher consciousness and creative transformation. In practice, new-age thinking embraces myriad enlightenment teachings (mostly of Eastern origin). |
Dancing with Siva, by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, is available at Zarposh India, a beautiful store specializing in artifacts, antiques, books and music from India.
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