Religions Chart: Unit [3]
Quezada_Mike
Religion Name
Origins:
Founder, Key Figures, Historical
Development, Cosmogony, Myths
Basic Beliefs:
God, Afterlife, Humanity, Evil,
scripture/sacred writings, authority,
other unique beliefs or points of
view.
Practices:
Annual Festivals, Regular
Meetings, Rites of Passage,
Ethical Codes, Expectations of
Individual Piety
Sacred Spaces: Geographical
Locations, Special Places, Typical
worship location
[Buddhism]
Founder of Buddhism was Siddhartha Gautama. He was so
disgusted with marriage that he left his nagging old lady (and
possibly a child, there seems to be no certainty on this) and in
desperation to just get the heck out and, have nothing for his ex-
wife to take, the wise Buddha left all worldly possessions. Smart
move as by doing this he had nothing left to for his ex’s vultures
(attorney’s) to take from him. He contemplated life under a tree
and decided having been through the hell of a bad marriage, the
only way to move was up and so he arose after some time and
changed his name to “Buddha”. Another wise move, as due to
ancient India’s record keeping they could not now locate the ex-
husband formerly known as Siddhartha. Yes, this is meant to
inject a bit of jocularity into not only class but my own personal
life.
Buddhists revere the Buddha, but are also allowed to believe in
other gods. But, they must acknowledge that in order to attain
enlightenment, you must follow the path of the Buddha. This
enlightenment is called Nirvana. The belief is that the Buddha was
born of a miraculous conception.
As monks have given up all worldly possessions and do not seek to
empower themselves with worldly things, Buddhist monks are
reliant upon the local people to feed them and provide sustenance
and monies for daily living. Some of the more important Buddhist
events/festivals are; the Buddhist New Year, Vesak or Buddha Day
and, Dhamma Day. There are more celebrated days but there are
also some that are mainly noted by the country or region of that
particular sect of Buddhism.
Lumbini is a very sacred place for Buddhist as this is the place of
birth of the Buddha. The city of Bodhgaya is where the Buddha
attained his enlightenment. The city of Sarnath is where the
Buddha taught his first sermon. The city of Kushinagar is where
the Buddha died after accidentally being given tainted food.
[Jainism]
Mahariva is considered the founder of Jainism. After non-
satisfaction with his Hindu religion, he sought another way and
traveled naked and poor and begging until he found a way. The
Jains believe in the principle of “ahisma” or that no living thing
should be hurt or feel pain. Also, the Jains do not believe in sex or
any type of personal gratification, so feel free to shake the hand of
a devout Jain. The believers in Jainism believe that Mahariva’s
birth was one pronounced by visions by his mother to bear a great
child.
There are five vows in Jainism, 1) nonviolence, 2) truth, 3) do not
steal, 4) celibacy and, 5) non-possessiveness.
The sincere believer in Jainism sincerely believes in not harming
any creature of this world. Not insects, not animals and not
people. Always speak the truth, never take what is not yours.
Reading more online some take celibacy to mean that if married,
do not cheat on your partner, and if you are a monk or nun, NO sex
at all.
Some of the more important festivals of Jainism are the Mahavir
Jayanti and, the Mahamastakabhisheka festival. The latter is held
only once every 12 years. Another very important one is Diwali.
The is the festival where Jains give offering to their goddess of
wealth.
There are many places within India that are sacred to Jains. Bothe
because of the direct tie with Mahariva and because if the ancestry
of Hinduism. It is worthy to note here that my online research has
found most of the sacred sites are on hilltops or out of the areas of
cities. I’m guessing this owes to the meditation that is required of
Jains. Mount Parsvanatha, the Delwara temples on Mount Abu.
Also, Shatrunjaya is very important to the Jains as this is where the
first Tirthankara reached moksa.
References;

(n.d.). Retrieved September 01, 2017, from http://www.starsandseas.com/SAS_Mythology/Mahavira.htm

History of Jainism. (2016, November 18). Retrieved August 29, 2017, from http://www.religionfacts.com/jainism/history

(n.d.). Retrieved September 01, 2017, from http://www.kamalkapoor.com/jainism-spiritual-places/

(n.d.). Retrieved August 30, 2017, from http://www.himalayanmart.com/buddha/buddha.php

(n.d.). Retrieved September 01, 2017, from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/lumbini.htm