about the world within

When it comes to the connection between Buddhism and wisdom, it would not be accurate to say that the path to wisdom is found exclusively through Buddhism. However, it would be accurate to say that a life spent practicing Buddhism would make you a wiser person. You would definitely achieve such wisdom to a far greater degree than a lifetime of idle pursuits. That is because many of the processes in Buddhism are found in rather earthen and common thought processes. Namely, Buddhism combines basic logic and common sense with a spiritual dimension.

Some may wonder how such an assessment can be made. They might look at the common icons such as the Buddha statue or the ‘New Age” practice of meditation and assume that Buddhism is far removed from a humanist concept such as logic. This is certainly not an accurate assessment and a closer study of Buddhism will reveal the logical underpinnings of Buddhist theory. Such concepts of wisdom can be found quite clearly in the koans designed to teach Buddhist thought and practice.

Here is an example of how a koan may yield insight into wisdom-based thinking:

There are those that might be familiar with the koan of the greedy artist. This koan deals with an artist that was enormously talented and charged a great deal of money for his artwork. People began to resent him because they assumed he was greedy and horded all his money. He lived a lonely life as a result but carried on charging great fees for his artwork. Then, one day and without warning, he retired. Upon retiring people discovered the cause of his greed – he was using all his money to feed the local poor and sick and kept little of his earning for himself. Upon his departure, people realized that their initial impressions of the man were not correct.

Such a tale truly does spell out much of the great essence of wisdom as taught through the theory and practice of Buddhism. Yes, you could discuss such a concept along the lines of ‘do not judge a book by its cover’ but the wisdom presented in such a tale is much deeper than that. It shows the folly people may develop in their creation of impressions. Additionally, it shows the limitations of such impression. As a result, the wisdom of Buddhism seeks its practitioners to be free of bondage and constraint and not attach oneself to preconceived notions and ideas. This can aid in achieving a life free of suffering which brings is to our next point…

One of the main points in Buddhism is found in the Four Noble Truths. In particular, it would be the first noble truth which is that life is suffering. On the surface, many would assume this means that life is terrible and that a cynical outlook on life is necessary. This really is not a form of Buddhist wisdom since possessing a cynical outlook could be considered a form of attachment. No, what life is suffering means is that things sometimes do not go as we planned and the outcomes we desire are not possible all the time. As such, we need to accept and prepare for such occurrences. This will allow us to remain calm in the face of adversity and live a proper life. Again, such wisdom is a form of logic that often escapes us. It is also a type of logic that we cannot arrive at overnight. That is why Buddhism is something that we all must practice daily in order to get the most out of it.

This remains a common theme in the realm of Buddhist wisdom. Just as it may take a lifetime to become enlightened, it may take a lifetime to become completely wise. However, this is a process and not a product. In other words, your wisdom grows through the daily learning of experience. A person that is older and wiser knows not to be too judgmental or that bad things happen in life. But, some people may go through their entire life without ever coming to such basic common sense conclusions. This is because their awareness levels are not where they should be as far as being in tune with themselves and the world. One of the goals of Buddhism is to promote a complete process of wisdom throughout one’s life. Then, there really is no beginning or end. Rather, it is the totality of life experience that will lead to the eventual goal of being a wise person.

This is why philosophical guides such as the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path are so vital. They do provide the needed structure and philosophical process that can aid in becoming a wise person. Processes such as meditation can aid in cultivating the mind to understand such processes on a deeper level. All of this will aid in living a life that results in enhancing wisdom. They will not give you the product of wisdom but they definitely lay the strong foundation for the proper process to follow. That alone may prove to be the missing link for success.

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Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is noted as the month of fasting. During this month, most Muslims fast everyday from dawn till dusk. This fast includes abstinence from food, drink, smoking, and sexual relations. Furthermore, foul talk, lustful thoughts, and vain speech is even more discouraged than normal.

The religion of Islam is based on five pillars. These pillars include:

• Testifying there is no deity worthy of worship besides Allah, and that Muhammad is His messenger.
• Prayer five times a day at the appointed times.
• Fasting during the month of Ramadan.
• Giving a portion of one’s wealth in charity to the poor and needy.
• Making a pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca at least once in a lifetime.

Fasting is the third pillar and has a very important role in Islam. While Muslims may fast throughout the year, fasting during the month of Ramadan is an obligatory action just like praying and giving charity. However, some people are exempt from this obligation. This is discussed further below.

Muslims are commanded to fast in the Koran. In Chapter 2, verse 183, Allah tells us: You who believe, fasting is prescribed on you as it was prescribed on those before you, so that you may learn self-restraint.

When Allah says ‘those who came before you,’ He is referring to Jews and Christians since they follow books and prophets that came before the Koran and Muhammad. Therefore, Allah is telling us that Jews and Christians were ordered to fast as well. There is ample evidence of this statement in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

• Moses fasted while on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
• In order to avoid punishment from God as prophesied by Jonah, the people of Nineveh fasted.
• Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights in the desert.

We can see that fasting was practiced well before the time of Prophet Muhammad and the establishment of the religion of Islam. Jews still fast on certain days of the year, and some sects of Christianity, most notably Catholics and Orthodox Christians, also fast on certain days. However, very few Protestant denominations mandate fasting, though many do encourage it among their faithful.

The Islamic fast has many benefits. For example, since most fasting is done during a certain month, there is a sense of community and belonging. It is nothing short of amazing that over a billion people the world over are all fasting at the same time.

Furthermore, even though both rich and poor must fast, the wealthy amongst us have the opportunity to feel some of the hardship experienced by those less fortunate. In addition to this, since Ramadan is also known as the month of charity, the poor also have the chance to gain from the enhanced benevolence of the wealthy during this time.

Some people are exempt from fasting.

• Muslims who are traveling do not have to fast.
• Pregnant and nursing women do not have to fast.
• Muslims who are sick do not have to fast.
• Menstruating women do not have to fast, though it must be made up later.

The month of Ramadan begins and ends with the sighting of the new moon. When the month ends, Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with Eid ul Fitr, one of only two Islamic holidays.

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Similar to Christianity, Buddhism has many branches. The original doctrine that the Buddha taught his monks is called the Theravada or the Teaching of the Elders, but this very deep teaching may be too strange and frightening for everyday Americans.

This unpopularity is not unusual when we consider the deeper teachings of many religions, such as Kabbalah in Judaism and Orison in Christianity. People usually talk a good story about God, but don’t want to really go there, opting instead for earthly glories such as sex, money, power, security and entertainment. Familiar things.

For exactly these reasons, some Buddhist branches, for example, Zen, Tibetan, and many other divisions of Buddhism have split off from the original, strict Theravada, making their particular brand of Buddhism more user-friendly, and have thus enjoyed great success in attracting followers, while the Theravada remains somewhat obscure in most of the world.

Theravada is called (Hinayana) the “small vehicle” because it appealed originally to a limited number of people who were very serious in their practice, i.e., the Buddha’s Sangha of monks or disciples, who had only one desire in mind: Enlightenment. In modern times, Theravada has evolved into a mainly social religion where ceremony and practices of generosity, harmlessness, and loving kindness have generally replaced the austere practices of the Buddha and his disciples. However, these austere teachings are still practiced by dedicated Buddhist monks in the remote forests of Sri Lanka, Thailand and other Southeastern Asian countries, a practice relatively unchanged from the Buddha’s times; teachings that I was fortunate enough to participate in while living in forests of Northeast Thailand.

Zen, Tibetan, and the other branches are called Mahayana, the “large vehicle,” which is more sociable and where multitudes can easily fit into the boat. Mahayana adjusts the original teachings so that they are palatable for the wider audience. A blend of Buddhism, German Romanticism, new age, and light and love seems to work well in the U.S.

Hinayana, or the original Buddhism, never altered the Buddha’s original teachings in order to attract more followers because this method has proven, over 2600 years, to be the fast and sure road to enlightenment. Being fully cognizant that this adherence to the strict doctrine limited its popularity, Hinayana never altered its course and has thus survived for many centuries, mostly under the radar, because it is the place one goes to get the original, profound Buddhist teachings that work.

Even though only a handful of people ever get a hankering to go this far, enough throughout history have recognized the Theravada as the real deal. The numbers, even today, that have become enlightened by practicing as the Buddha originally taught is a testament to its effectiveness. Thailand remains steady at about 93% Theravada Buddhist, and Sri Lanka about 70%, with large Theravada populations in Cambodia, Viet Nam, and Laos. There are about 100 million Theravada Buddhist worldwide, and about 2 billion Mahayana Buddhists globally counting China.

Buddhism is relatively new to America, coming here only about fifty years ago through intellectual channels and Asian immigration. Also, Buddhist texts have only been relatively recently translated into English since the early 1900s, so Buddhism is in its infancy in America. Zen Buddhism arrived here generally in the 50s, Tibetan Buddhism in the 60s, and Theravada Buddhism only in the 70s.

After Buddhism arrived, it appealed to westerners because of its logical approach – why should you believe what someone else tells you unless you can prove it true for yourself? (Which is actually what the Buddha said). And the proven methods of Buddhist practice appealed to westerners, practices designed to free one psychologically so that one can live a peaceful, contented life, rather than being a “work in progress” where there is seldom any work… or progress!

What the Buddha taught, when applied, leads to personal freedom from stress, and a profound understanding of life, opposed to second hand understanding that is not the result of personal insight, but the result of what someone else or some books tell you.

This scientific approach of experimenting and then experiencing insight for yourself, including enlightenment, immediately appealed to America’s ideal of self reliance and the inherent tendency to be cautious about what others say (show me instead) which perhaps is a backlash of media advertising and a growing disdain of organized, authoritative religions

Interestingly enough, the practice of meditation, when practiced correctly, results in enhanced insight reflecting an awareness of many good values, some of which are just now just coming to the forefront on college campuses, such as taking care of our earth, (not polluting and deforesting just to make money), caring for all living beings, honesty and peace.

But alas, when it comes right down to it, when the deepest aspects of Theravada are looked into and it comes down to the truth of matters, many westerners run away and seek shelter in familiar surroundings. You could say that Asians are a bit tougher in this regard.

The Theravada Buddhist teachings run contrary to the world – against the world so to speak; against the stream of everyday consciousness. Therefore, Theravada will never be popular in the world, as the world presently exists.

The Buddha said that the world’s way is the way of desire, of wanting and thirst, and as such necessarily saddles us with negative drives such as selfishness, blind ambition, hatred, cruelty, and meanness, and eventually violence and wars.

He said that worldling run after their thirsts, thinking that the objects of their desires, when obtained, will make them happy. But instead of happiness, this craving for desires and the resulting clinging to them after they are achieved them become the prime causes of our stress.

He gets it right down to the nitty-gritty of human experience, which goes against the grain of our minds that really believe that we can be happy by desiring and obtaining things. It goes against all present logic and what we believe to be true.

He declared that when we stop this craving and clinging to our objects of desire, only then can the mind become happy and totally free. But who would believe that?

He doesn’t get into God or heaven because he suggested that those things are merely thoughts and imaginations, the very things that keep us from seeing with intuitive insight, and will not help pull out the arrow of discontent. And that imaginings and thoughts only veil our true discontent by a psychological transference of responsibility. Only by solving discontent up front in the realm of reality can the mind then advance into super-mundane states. Otherwise, super-mundane states are only imagined and not really experienced or achieved. It is these super mundane states that make Buddhism a religion rather than merely a philosophy.

As an example, the Buddha suggested looking into this body of ours, looking into the reality of it that we hide from, instead of looking outside to gods or heavens. He said that this is the only place that we can be released by the truth.

I believe that this is good advice, because if we can’t face the truth of our own body, which is right here in front of us to see, how can we ever hope to ferret out the truth of other things more complicated and distant? Plus, when we do see the truth of this body and mind of ours, the truth of everything outside becomes almost magically clear as well.

Of course, few have the courage to even attempt this seemingly simple investigation into reality because we are so accustomed to living in images and illusions, and glancing past what we don’t want to admit. We like to substitute fairy tales for reality, but in the meantime our discontent remains, even though we try to rationalize and justify it by our beliefs.

Buddhist monks who aren’t particularly worried about popularity or a following will frankly suggest to you the truth about these things. They might suggest that when you study the body, you will discover that it has a number of holes, all of which secrete something; eye gunk, phlegm, mucous, feces, urine, sweat, snot, just to mention a few. And if you took all of these secretions and spread them out on your coffee table, this would be closer to the truth of the body than a body deodorized, made up, dressed up and ordained with jewelry and trinkets. Then he might suggest that the next time you have friends over, show them your coffee table – as a conversation starter.

When one does this study of the body from the standpoint of what the body really is, it is at first quite depressing and disgusting, but like all of the Buddha’s teachings, this becomes in time a tremendous freedom as one lets go of the body and all the perceived responsibilities for it’s survival. The body then becomes just the body, to be carefully maintained like a automobile, with no attachment or aversion.

This is an example of the deeper teachings that eventually free us from our attachment and clinging to our bodies, an attachment which causes untold worry and heartaches. But who has the courage to look at the truth of life? Who has the courage to even look at their bodies?

In other words, the Theravada teachings are tough, but according to the Buddha, the only way to become free. Otherwise we go through life kidding ourselves and wondering why we are always in a state of discontent. Of course, many times we don’t even see that we are discontented, that’s how mixed up we are. We don’t see that our entire existence consists of nothing more than the constant stress of trying to satisfy our endless desires. If we aren’t even aware of how we suffer every moment in life, and how we then spend an entire lifetime trying to escape this suffering, there is probably little hope for release.

One day the Buddha held up a handful of leaves and asked his monks which was greater; the few leaves in his hand, or the leaves on all the trees in the forest behind him. The monks answered that the leaves in the forest were of course more. Then the Buddha said; that which he teaches is as the few leaves in his hand. Why do I only teach the few leaves in my hand? Because they are the only ones that can free you; all the other leaves in the forest cannot.

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Love of life and the desire to find a field of activity are so strong in most Europeans that it might be supposed that a theory offering an endless vista of new activities and new chances would be acceptable. But as a rule Europeans who discuss the question say that they do not relish this prospect. They may be willing to struggle until death, but they wish for repose-conscious repose of course-afterwards. The idea that one just dead has not entered into his rest, but is beginning another life with similar struggles and fleeting successes, similar sorrows and disappointments, is not satisfying and is almost shocking. We do not like it, and not to like any particular view about the destinies of the soul is generally, but most illogically, considered a reason for rejecting it.

It must not however be supposed that Hindus like the prospect of transmigration. On the contrary from the time of the Upanishads and the Buddha to the present day their religious ideal corresponding to salvation is emancipation and deliverance, deliverance from rebirth and from the bondage of desire which brings about rebirth. Now all Indian theories as to the nature of transmigration are in some way connected with the idea of Karma, that is the power of deeds done in past existences to condition or even to create future existences. Every deed done, whether good or bad, affects the character of the doer for a long while, so that to use a metaphor, the soul awaiting rebirth has a special shape, which is of its own making, and it can find re-embodiment only in a form into which that shape can squeeze.

These views of rebirth and karma have a moral value, for they teach that what a man gets depends on what he is or makes himself to be, and they avoid the difficulty of supposing that a benevolent creator can have given his creatures only one life with such strange and unmerited disproportion in their lots. Ordinary folk in the East hope that a life of virtue will secure them another life as happy beings on earth or perhaps in some heaven which, though not eternal, will still be long. But for many the higher ideal is renunciation of the world and a life of contemplative asceticism which will accumulate no karma so that after death the soul will pass not to another birth but to some higher and more mysterious state which is beyond birth and death. It is the prevalence of views like this which has given both Hinduism and Buddhism the reputation of being pessimistic and unpractical.

It is generally assumed that these are bad epithets, but are they not applicable to Christian teaching? Modern and medieval Christianity-as witness many popular hymns-regards this world as vain and transitory, a vale of tears and tribulation, a troubled sea through whose waves we must pass before we reach our rest. And choirs sing, though without much conviction, that it is weary waiting here. This language seems justified by the Gospels and Epistles. It is true that some utterances of Christ suggest that happiness is to be found in a simple and natural life of friendliness and love, but on the whole both he and St Paul teach that the world is evil or at least spoiled and distorted: to become a happy world it must be somehow remade and transfigured by the second coming of Christ. The desires and ambitions which are the motive power of modern Europe are, if not wrong, at least vain and do not even seek for true peace and happiness. Like Indian teachers, the early Christians tried to create a right temper rather than to change social institutions. They bade masters and slaves treat one another with kindness and respect, but they did not attempt to abolish slavery.

Indian thought does not really go much further in pessimism than Christianity, but its pessimism is intellectual rather than emotional. He who understands the nature of the soul and its successive lives cannot regard any single life as of great importance in itself, though its consequences for the future may be momentous, and though he will not say that life is not worth living. Reiterated declarations that all existence is suffering do, it is true, seem to destroy all prospect of happiness and all motive for effort, but the more accurate statement is, in the words of the Buddha himself, that all clinging to physical existence involves suffering. The earliest Buddhist texts teach that when this clinging and craving cease, a feeling of freedom and happiness takes their place and later Buddhism treated itself to visions of paradise as freely as Christianity. Many forms of Hinduism teach that the soul released from the body can enjoy eternal bliss in the presence of God and even those severer philosophers who do not admit that the released soul is a personality in any human sense have no doubt of its happiness.

These mystical states are commonly described as meditation but they include not merely peaceful contemplation but ecstatic rapture. They are sometimes explained as union with Brahman, the absorption of the soul in God, or its feeling that it is one with him.

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One of the most popular spiritual paths that is in the news today is Buddhism – practiced by everyone from teenagers to celebrities – but just what is Tibetan Buddhism?

The answer to “What is Tibetan Buddhism?” is not something that can be explained in a word, or even a paragraph. Buddhism is a very broad spiritual practice, with all branches and types of Buddhism having the same goal – to reach Nirvana. This is the state of being completely free of all obstructions to enlightenment, meaning you are free of all hateful thoughts, desires, worldly obsessions and negativity. At this time, you will enter a state of bliss that is beyond explanation – attaining Nirvana.

In Tibetan Buddhism, three types of Buddhist devotions are taught in order to practice the rules and rituals that will help you attain this ultimate state of bliss. They are Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana – but primarily, Tibetan Buddhism is considered to be Mahayana Buddhism. This means that the ultimate goal of all practices and meditations is to attain the state of Buddhahood, and then to help other living beings also reach this state. The name for the motivation of this practice of Buddhism is “Bodhichitta”, which means “mind of enlightenment”.

Another way to define what is Tibetan Buddhism is to explain the four schools of Buddhism taught in this country. The first is Nyingma (The Ancient Ones) – the oldest school of Buddhism, which is primarily focused on the practice of meditation. The second is Kagyu (Oral Tradition) – there are a few subsects in this school, which deals with meditation as an experience and ritual to test one’s self. The Sakya (Grey Earth) represents the most scholarly tradition of any of the schools, and the Geluk (Yellow Hats) is perhaps the most well known Tibetan Buddhist sect, headed by the Dalai Lama.

The popularity of Buddhism in Tibet was greatly increased by a number of monasteries that were started in the country during the 16th century. It is estimated that during the time period between the 16th century and 1959, when Tibet was invaded, over 25% of the population of Tibet were monks. The most important monastery today, at least by Western standards, is the Drepung Monastery, home to the Dalai Lama.

What is Tibetan Buddhism? While Buddhism itself is already a complicated idea to grasp, the Tibetan form is even more detailed and intricate, taking years of study to fully understand.

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List of interesting links.

World Religions

Religious Quotes

Religious Festivals & Events

History’s Major Religious Leaders

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The root of the motives for rituals of cleansing one’s soul, in both Christianity and Hinduism, is purification from sin and evil, in preparation for the love of God. In both religions, water is almost always used. In Christianity, there are many examples of cleansing. Baptism is a Christian sacrament involving the use of water, which is either sprinkled on the head of the recipient, or into which he or she is fully or partially submerged (Britannica). There is holy water at every entrance in Christian churches as well, to bless oneself with the love of God and be cleansed before entering or leaving the Church. In Hinduism, cleansing plays an even more prominent role in everyday life. Worshippers cleanse themselves in communal baths before entering temples to pray, and all Hindus bath several times every day to be certain they are always clean for respect of oneself and of Gods. The most prominent example of Hindu cleansing, however, is the Ganges river, a “great river of the plains of northern India [...] From time immemorial it has been the holy river of the Hindus” (Britannica). Hindu myth holds that the river was poured down from heaven, and is now a sacred body, which holds the power to wash away sins. Therefore in both religions, cleansing plays a central role, in the interest of purifying the body mind and soul, in order to find God as such and in oneself.

Hinduism’s concept of Gods as a force in everyday life has been so influential throughout its history that even many non-Hindus have come to greatly respect and admire the Gods, even though they do not worship them. Statues and paintings of many Hindu Gods, even outside of India, are dearly regarded symbols of peace and harmony for their cities, merely in their own existence. Hindu Gods are all represented in human form, save for Brahman, which has no form. Furthermore, many Hindu Gods have come to Earth themselves. Such are known as avatars: “An avatar is the incarnation of a god or goddess who has descended from the heavenly world to rid the world of evil” (Clemmons). The role of Gods in Hinduism as facets of everyday life has grown to such extent that Gods seem almost to be considered companions and friends. Many families choose a specific God, which composes many of their beliefs and desires, and pray to that God from their home. Christianity’s belief of Gods is no less prevalent, though possibly far more subtle. Christians believe in an omniscient God that permeates everyone and everything, every thought and emotion of the world, as a friend, as a guide, and as a parent – to love and to guide, to hold and console, and to raise those who have fallen in life that they may live and love again. This was exemplified with Jesus’ descent to Earth, to be with the men and women of sin that God created, to teach them and to show them how to love. Every Christian mass closes with a reminder that God lives within everyone and this, in subtle truth, is the most primal Christian doctrine.

Religions are complex bodies of contradiction, disagreement and often fallacy, bringing about hatred and indignant pride. Such is the result of the faiths and dogmas, with elusive stories to convey a specific point and elucidate a specific goal to its followers, resulting in casting out and ignoring those who are not official integrated, e.g. by baptism, and those who do not follow or believe in the mere stories, regardless of their belief in the ends they serve to convey.

What is overlooked by all persons of all religions is that in ignorance and closed-mindedness, the doctrines have been lost in obsessions and preoccupations with the stories that serve to convey them. Hinduism and Christianity, two religions so distant in times and places, and means of understanding the world, are yet identical in their teachings at their core. All religions teach the same thing. “All religions,” in Mahatma Ghandi’s most brilliant words, “are true.”

The greatest argument against all religions is their hypocritical arrogance. They proclaim God to be all-powerful and all-knowing. But they then assume the very role they state that only God can play. The humans in charge of the Catholic faith (i.e. pope and clergy) for instance, imply to know sinner from saint, and almost decide who goes to heaven, and whom to hell. They condemn persons for their sins, and give penances therefor. And they do not let non-believers of the religion into the church, even for sacraments of marriage, despite that all people are children of God, and all are supposedly equal. Perhaps some are just more equal than others.

My prejudices and disdains were overwhelming to all religions, including, at times, my own. My contempt lives on, but now in different and enlightened form. It no longer is based upon perceived inadequacies of religions I did not even fathom, nor upon apparent shortcomings in finding purpose or love or God. Such, all religions attempt and in such, all succeed. My prejudice and far deeper contempt now are toward all persons who compose the religions as such. Most, despite the immensely demanding concept of open-mindedness of the religion, fail in all regards to think outside the bounds of their own religion to search for a truth more objective than that merely appropriated by their predecessors.

It is in the ignorance of the existence of a higher truth than one’s own that all wars are waged, that all lives are lost, and that all evil prevails.

I am a Catholic. I participate in Catholic community, go to Catholic church, and respect Catholic ideals and doctrines. But Catholicism is my means, not my end. My truth is not one learned, or read in books; it is one discovered and found in life. Religion, aforementioned as such, is comprised in my belief not of contradicting, but complementing religions. Religion is one, and eternal. It is a body of knowledge, from Buddhism to Islam, from Judaism to Sikhism, from Christianity to Hinduism, in which all virtues and all truths are born. To seek therefore the truth of only one religion is to ignore that of all others and thereby disregard the complete and actual truth.

In religion, pluralism is the only term that designates unity. All religions differ, but all are the same. And in their abundant presence, they compose, as a whole, the only thing that can truly be considered a religion. That is, the totality of human existence: all thought and love, and hopes and desires, all perceptions of afterlife and governance of the present, all fears and hatred bound as one with love and trust and death. It is in this perpetual conflict and undying war that alongside past and future and chaotic present, we so slowly ebb our lives. And lest we go in vain, let knowledge rein and pride fast perish; to believe in all, and believe in One.

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Hinduism and Christianity are different in their specific beliefs, but their fundamentals are essentially the same. That is, the stories, teachings and means to their goals may radically differ, but the goals themselves, such as concepts of afterlife, heaven, and human goodness, are alike. Spiritual perfection is found in Hinduism’s moksha and Christianity’s Heaven. Hinduism teaches Karma and Christianity holds Jesus Christ’s teachings of goodness as means whereby humans can measure right and wrong conduct. Hinduism and Christianity edify cleanings of the soul, both with great focus on water. Hinduism believes in the role of its many Gods in everyday life. It has three primary Gods, which some Hindus believe act as one in Brahman. “Most Hindus [...] hold that all gods and goddesses are the Ultimate Reality or Absolute Reality [...] called Brahman” (Clemmons). Christianity also believes in the role of God in everyday life, and similarly, has only one God, composed of three figures: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to which all are referred, “God.” It is for these reasons to be elaborated herein, that Christianity and Hinduism, despite superficial variation, are the same at their cores.

Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions at approximately 3 500 years old, beginning approximately 1 500 BCE. Its origins trace back to the Indus Valley region (Jayaram). “Hinduism derived richly from the Indus People, the Vedic People, from Dravidian cultures, from folk religions and also from the foreign traditions of Mesopotamia, Greece, Arabia, China and central Russia” (Jayaram). Its highest concentration is in India, and the majority of the population of India is Hindu. Followers of Hinduism, however, exist worldwide, numbering an approximate total of 800 million. Furthermore, Hindu philosophy and literature have become worldly influential even to those who do not follow the religion (White). Such is the wisdom behind them. Hindu scriptures do not come from a single book; Hinduism rather has many sacred writings, all of which have in some way contributed to its doctrines. The Vedas, the Puranas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Manu Smriti are the most important (White).

Christianity, known as such, began approximately 2 000 years ago after the death of Jesus Christ, who taught about human values of Goodness, God’s unconditional love for all humans, and His perpetual will to forgive all repenting sinners from their wrongdoings. Christianity has become the largest of world religions with over 2 billion followers. Furthermore, of all religions, Christianity spans the greatest geographic area (Britannica). Christianity has many denominations, sprouting from numerous discrepancies in the opinions and biblical interpretations of its followers. Christian doctrines are derived almost in totality from interpretations of the bible, which was written by followers of Jesus throughout a period following his death, during the formation of the Church. Still today, many separations within the church exist, but its fundamentals about right and wrong, good and evil, and necessary human love for God and each other stand steadfast.

Both Hinduism and Christianity have central beliefs in Heaven. “In Hinduism there are many and varied concepts of heaven. Worshippers of Vishnu, the Preserver, for example, believe that they will go to a heaven in which there is no suffering, fear, or death and that they will be able to live in the glory of Vishnu’s eternal light” (Britannica). Christianity’s view of heaven is more uniform among its believers. It holds that heaven is a place of peace and salvation in which to dwell eternally with Jesus, the Son, God, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

The core belief of Hinduism is that humans and all living beings contain souls, which must achieve spiritual perfection. When it is achieved, the soul permanently enters a higher level of existence, called moksha. This entry is the purpose of living. Reincarnation is the rebirth of a soul into a new Earthly existence. It takes place redundantly over extraordinary numbers of years, until moksha is achieved (White). The concept of perfection, though elucidated differently in Hinduism, is similar to Christianity’s beliefs that a human soul goes to heaven after achieving subjective perfection; not true perfection, as implied in Hinduism, because such was only possible by the Christian saviour, Jesus Christ. The cyclic death and rebirth process in Christianity is a metaphoric rather than an actual one. In Hinduism, a soul is actually dead and then reborn. Whereas, in Christianity, the soul, within the same physical Earthly body goes through a series of deaths and births, so to speak, within the lifespan of that one body only. The birth and death in Christianity are caused by sin and repentance. In sinning, the soul is wounded, and a part of it dies. In repenting one’s sins, that dead part of the soul is reborn even stronger than before. Hence, the process of achieving perfection in both Hinduism and Christianity is through failure and death, and resultant rebirth, in order to try again to achieve sufficient perfection for Heaven or moksha.

In Hinduism, “the law of karma states that every action influences how the soul will be born in the next reincarnation. If a person lives a good life, the soul will be born into a higher state, perhaps into the body of a brahmin. If a person leads an evil life, the soul will be born into a lower state, perhaps into the body of a worm” (White). The conclusion, therefore, is that virtue yields reward, and evil yields penalty. This is true in Christianity as well, although endorsement of punishment throughout the years, especially after Vatican II, has somewhat ceased. In Christianity, doers of good find reward in heaven, while doers of evil do not. In both Christianity and Hinduism, blissful ends promote living for the glory of God, and doing what is, by human and divine standards, morally right. Furthermore, both religions promote similar standards of what such righteousness is, focusing of communal values, loving one’s neighbours, and in trust, obeying when asked to obey, as with parents, respected peers, and God.

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Everywhere. In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Muslim world has been growing by leaps and bounds simply through immigration and obnoxious birth rates. The Catholic Church recently admitted the number of Muslims has surpassed their own numbers. It has been reported there are now over 9 million Muslims in the European Union alone which will likely double by 2020. In the United States it is estimated there are now approximately 8 million Muslims, which is up substantially since 2000 when there was just 1.5 million reported. Such an influx would normally go unnoticed, but due to the War on Terror and the role played by Islamic extremists, alarms have been sounded and there is growing concern about the impact of the expanding Muslim world.

I am normally a very tolerant person when it comes to religion. Back in the 1990′s I conducted an extended consulting assignment in Saudi Arabia. I cannot say I was mistreated, nor was I considered an infidel. In fact, I was warmly received and frequently engaged in long discussions about politics and religion, among other things. There was considerable interest in what was going on in the rest of the world. The only subject which seemed taboo was Saudi/Israeli relations which they dismissed out of hand. Other than that, we openly talked about everything else. It was a very enlightening experience for me and I hope for them as well.

Many believe Muslims are fanatics. This was not my experience. They respected my religion and I respected theirs. Regardless, the belief in the western world is that all followers of Islam are extremists commanded to kill all nonbelievers. It’s no small wonder why Westerners cast a suspicious eye on those devoted to Islam.

If the Muslims conquer the world it will likely be through infiltration as opposed to violence. Western governments are alarmed by their growing Islamic citizenry, and frankly are at a loss as to what to do about it. This presents an interesting conundrum for the west, particularly the United States who believes in freedom of speech and religion. It is not at all unreasonable to assume the Muslims will eventually surpass the Christian majority and take over state governments, both houses of Congress, the Presidency, and finally the Supreme Court. For a moment, let’s assume they are successful under this scenario. Now the question becomes, would they abrogate the American Constitution? Obviously, this would mean a change to the America we know today.

Currently, America is most definitely not a religious state. It respects and allows all religions assuming they conform to the laws of the land, e.g., no sacrifices or polygamy. However, the followers of Islam believe theirs is the only true religion and therein lies the rub. Would a U.S. government dominated by Muslims uphold the Constitution or change it thereby aligning their loyalties to their religion? If they did, one has to wonder who would then be establishing policy for the country, ourselves or someone from the Middle East. If the latter, this would be viewed as an intolerable situation and the Christian minority would revolt (assuming they were still in possession of their weapons). As an aside, this is a key reason why the framers of the Constitution gave the citizens the right to bear arms, for just such an occasion.

For now, Muslims understand public opinion is against them and their chances of gaining any substantial control over the government is unlikely. They’re not worried though and are just biding their time. If left unchecked, their numbers will grow and will eventually gain political influence. In all likelihood, this will not happen in my lifetime, but 2050 isn’t that far away, the date when their numbers will have finally risen to a point where they can exercise political clout. Let’s hope cooler heads prevail before then.

This is why our mission in Iraq is so important. It is very strategic we plant the seeds of democracy and freedom in the Middle East now because it will not be allowed to happen later when the Muslims have taken over in this country. If freedom and democracy takes hold, this will undoubtedly influence other Islamic countries who may very well want to follow suit.

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