Essay Example on Mahayana Buddhism: Ritualism, Ethics, Metaphysics & Cosmology

Introduction

Mahayana Buddhism is a religious movement that begun in North India and spread to other regions. It is composed of several schools and reinterpretation of the fundamental beliefs of human beings. Ideas and values which are not only of the Buddhist culture. It is characterized by elaborate ritualism, universal ethics, a paradox metaphysics, and a grandiose cosmology. It follows Buddhist scriptures, which are believed to have been written and preached by monks soon after the death of Buddha.

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What is the essential sacred, profane, main problem in the religion, cause of the problem, human means to solving the problem

The primary function of religion is a dedication to the performance of the rituals, which need a lot of time and concentration. It also requires that the person working in the temples be pure and clean. This explains the reason for their controversial view of marriage. They encourage that the person would work in the temple practice celibacy. Marriage to them is impeded spiritual progress because marriage has so many responsibilities that a person may not have enough time for the gods. The human intervention that has been applied is the designation of particular people, mainly monks and priests who would work in the temples. These priests and monks practice celibacy so that all their concentration is on religious activities.

Identity, morality, relationship with surrounding society

The morality of the Mahayana Buddhists, which guides how they relate in society, is constituted in the doctrine of Bodhisattva. This doctrine explains the presence of self in a person as the true nature of reality, which contrasted the non-Mahayana. The believes explains that a real thing is dependent on the other stuff, referred to as shunyata. This reality is sought through wisdom referred to as prajna and would be actualized through compassion known as Karuna. Since no one has a self, there is, therefore, no difference between individuals and people needed to treat others equally without discrimination. They do not also believe in the existence of two dualities of things, like good and evil, wisdom and folly, but rather absolute and conventional measures.

Describe the relationship between this religion and another religion

The relationship between Buddhism and Hinduism is the fact that both have one supreme being. Hinduism, however, does not have one distinct origin since it has been evolving over the years. Hinduism was not a religion at first. It was just a term used to describe people on the other side of the river, in this case, the Indus river. Over time, it was recognized as a religion, with the several gods they worship. Just as the Buddhist have Buddha as the supreme, the Hindus have Braham as the supreme god. They, however, recognize the existence of other deities' gods and goddesses.

Buddhists are more similar to Christians and Judaism in that these religions have one supreme god, and there is no recognition of other deities. They also have a very distinct origin, which can be traced, with the supreme figures being the founders. Buddhists also utilize several of the Hindu vocabularies in their religions, for example, Dharma, which explains the existence of things and their significance. Just like all the other religions, Buddhists believe I salvation, which comes not as a result of the unification of the soul with Brahman because there is no detached self. The Hindu thinks the soul of an individual is the same as the universal soul. The Hindu faith on salvation is almost similar to that of Christians and Judaism in that the soul would be reunited with the supreme being. Heart and core of the religion

Just like other world religions, humans would always have a belief in a supreme being. Buddhism is not an exception, and despite the flaws in some of the believes, they are entitled to the beliefs. As long as the opinions suit them and do not have potential harm on other people or disregard others. This belief, in most cases, is what keeps them going and guides the social interactions in society. It also governs their decision making. One of the new doctrines of the Buddhists is the Bodhisattva, which discourages discrimination and advocates for equality in humanity. These are some of the teachings that are most helpful in the current world where corruption, greed, and selfishness are taking the lead. Therefore Buddhists, just like any other religion, forms a vital role in world society.