Comparison of Two Religions

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Comparison of Two Religions REL 212 November 3, 2013 Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism in the late 6th century B.C.E., it is considered to be one of the most important religions in all of the countries of Asia. Siddhartha was born in approximately 560 B.C.; he was the son of the ruler of a district near the Himalayas now called Nepal. Siddhartha Gautama didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps and become the ruler of their district; he went on a trip outside of the district and came across four things that would forever change him. Siddhartha Gautama came across and old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a beggar, these four things troubled him deeply. Seeing the suffering and death Siddhartha Gautama decided he would leave his palace life and go on a quest to find the answers to the problems of pain and human suffering. Siddhartha Gautama renounced to his wealth as a prince, and traveled the country seeking wisdom, during this time he studied Hindu scriptures under Brahmin priests, but he became disillusioned with Hinduism. This is when Siddhartha Gautama put himself through a time of extreme self-discipline, refusing to take part in any of the normal physical indulgence that people go through. During this time he was in the jungle, the legend has it that Siddhartha Gautama was able to live on one grain of rice a day. Bringing himself down to a skeleton he realized that depriving himself didn’t lead him to peace and the realization of self, it just made him weak in the mind and body. Siddhartha Gautama turned to meditation, while meditating under a Bohdi tree, which means “tree of wisdom”, or known to some as a fig tree, Siddhartha Gautama went into a deep meditative state. This meditative state is known as a God-consciousness or Nirvana. Siddhartha Gautama was then known as Buddha or the “enlightened one.” It was during that meditative state that he
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