Exploring the Moral Teachings and Life Goals Within...

Buddhism and Judaism are both rich with moral and ethical instructions that direct their followers on how to live and act. These teachings not only guide mankind in proper behavior, but also offer obedient believers a manner in which to end strife and suffering by achieving Nirvana which brings the end to the circle of rebirth in Buddhism, and in Judaism reaching the ultimate goal of deliverance and eternal salvation. This paper will explore the similarities and differences between Buddhist and Jewish moral teachings and compare both the Ten Commandments which were presented to Moses, and the Noble Eightfold Path that was taught by Buddha. While Buddhism does not worship any particular Deity, and is not a theistic religion in the same†¦show more content†¦God and Abraham made an agreement that Abraham would go forth and create what is now Judaism. Later with the exodus of the Jews from captivity in Egypt, God appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai and gave him the Ten Commandments which were the laws for his chosen people, the Jews. Unlike Buddhism, where the path is created by a man, the Ten Commandments were divinely given and became the laws of the people of Israel. While these two beliefs seem completely different on the surface, one natural and one divine, underneath they have very similar moral and ethical teachings that offer the hope of an end to earthly displeasures and an eternity without pain and suffering following a life of faithful service here on earth. These teachings come in many forms in the various writings and scriptures of each creed, but the two teachings mentioned previously will be the center of comparison in the following pages. The first four of the Ten Commandments are, â€Å"You shall have no other Gods before me†, â€Å"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , â€Å"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , and â€Å"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.† (Exodus 20:3-8, TNIV) It would outwardly seem by these four commandments as if there was no similarity to be compared with the Eight Fold Path, these commandments talk of loyalty and obedience to God the creator, and honoring God and the seventh day when he rested following creation.Show MoreRelatedEssay about Exploring the Hindu Religion1627 Words   |  7 PagesExploring the Hindu Religion The statement everyone is a Hindu is an extremely broad one that is open to much interpretation. This owes partly to the fact that Hinduism itself is a broad and vast religion with many ways of following. In this paper I seek to explain that the statement everyone is a Hindu is a worthy one because Hindus have a sense of interconnectedness in all organisms and life on earth, and that the ultimate goal of a person is to join the rest of the universe in mokshaRead MoreBranches of Philosophy8343 Words   |  34 PagesEpistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge, and whether knowledge is possible. Among its central concerns has been the challenge posed by skepticism and the relationships between truth, belief, and justification. †¢ Ethics, or moral philosophy, is concerned with questions of how persons ought to act or if such questions are answerable. The main branches of ethics are meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Meta-ethics concerns the nature of ethical thought, comparisonRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 PagesLumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Sà £o Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Copyright  © 2003 by Ennis Barrington Edmonds The moral rights of the authors have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior