“Windows To Spirituality”
Guru Granth Sahib Guru Granth Sahib ji (ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ) is the central religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal living Guru following the lineage of the ten human Gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth, its first rendition, was compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1606). Guru...
Five Precepts The five precepts or five rules of training is the most important system of morality for Buddhist lay people. They constitute the basic code of ethics undertaken by lay followers of Buddhism. The precepts are commitments to abstain from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication. Within the Buddhist...
Guru Guru (गुरु, guru) is a Sanskrit term for a “teacher, guide, expert, or master” of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, guru is more than a teacher, in Sanskrit guru means the one who dispels the darkness and takes towards light, traditionally a reverential figure to the student, with the guru serving as a “counselor, who helps mold values,...
Hinduism And Sikhism Hinduism and Sikhism are both Dharmic religions that originated in the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is an older religion, while Sikhism was founded in the 15th-century by Guru Nanak. Both religions share many philosophical concepts such as Karma, Dharma, Mukti, Maya and Saṃsāra. In the days of the Mughal Empire,...
Islam And Sikhism Islam is an Abrahamic religion founded in the Arabian peninsula, while Sikhism is a Dharmic religion founded in the Indian subcontinent. Islam means “submission” (to the will of God). The word Sikh is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning ‘disciple’, or one who learns. Both religions are monotheistic. Sufi Muslims and Sikhs believe...
Sikhism Sikhism is a religion that began in sixteenth-century Northern India with the life and teachings of Guru Nanak and nine successive human gurus. Etymolgically, the word Sikhism derives from the Sanskrit root śiṣya meaning “disciple” or “learner.” Adherents of Sikhism are known as “Sikhs” (students or disciples) and number...
Trikaya The Trikaya or Trikāya doctrine (literally “three bodies”; 三身; sānshēn; sanjin, sanshin; samsin; tam thân, སྐུ་གསུམ, sku gsum) is a Mahayana Buddhist teaching on both the nature of reality and the nature of Buddhahood. Definition The doctrine says that a Buddha has three kāyas or bodies: The Dharmakāya, Buddha nature, law and order, or Truth body which embodies...
Three In One: A Buddhist Trinity This article covers the Buddhist Trinity. The “three bodies of the Buddha” may seem like a remote construct, says Reginald Ray, but they are the ground of existence and present in every moment of our experience. It is said that the Buddha is defined...
Buddhahood In Buddhism, buddhahood (buddhatva, buddhatta or buddhabhāva; 佛果) is the condition or rank of a buddha “awakened one”. The goal of Mahayana‘s bodhisattva path is Samyaksambuddhahood, so that one may benefit all sentient beings by teaching them the path of cessation of dukkha. Mahayana theory contrasts this with the goal of the Theravada path, where the goal is...
Faith In Buddhism In Buddhism, faith refers to a serene commitment to the practice of the Buddha‘s teaching and trust in enlightened or highly developed beings, such as Buddhas or bodhisattvas (those aiming to become a Buddha). Buddhists usually recognize multiple objects of faith, but many are especially devoted to one in particular,...
What Is Yoga? This article covers the answer to the question: “What Is Yoga?“ Yoga (“to yoke”) refers to a series of interrelated ancient Hindu spiritual practices that originated in India, where it remains a vibrant living tradition. Yoga is one of the six orthodox systems (darshans) of Indian philosophy....
Hindu Mythology Hindu mythology are narratives found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana, the Puranas, the regional literatures like Periya Puranam. Hindu mythology is also found in widely translated popular texts such as the Panchatantra and Hitopadesha, as well as Southeast Asian texts. Hindu mythology does not often have a consistent, monolithic structure....
Salakapurusa According to the Jain cosmology, the Salakapurusa (शलाकपुरूष) “illustrious or worthy persons” are 63 illustrious beings who appear during each half-time cycle. They are also known as the triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣa (63 illustrious persons). The Jain universal or legendary history is a compilation of the deeds of these illustrious persons. Their life...
Chinese Buddhism Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, medicine and material culture. The translation of a large body of Indian Buddhist scriptures into Chinese and the inclusion of these translations together with works composed in China into a...
Buddhism And Hinduism Buddhism and Hinduism have common origins in the Ganges culture of northern India during the so-called “second urbanisation” around 500 BCE. They have shared parallel beliefs that have existed side by side, but also pronounced differences. Buddhism attained prominence in the Indian subcontinent as it was supported...
East Asian Buddhism East Asian Buddhism or East Asian Mahayana is a collective term for the schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in East Asia and follow the Chinese Buddhist canon. These include the various forms of Chinese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism, Vietnamese Buddhism, and Korean Buddhism. Besides being a major religion in...
Buddhism And Science Buddhism and science have increasingly been discussed as compatible, and Buddhism has entered into the science and religion dialogue. The case is made that the philosophic and psychological teachings within Buddhism share commonalities with modern scientific and philosophic thought. For example, Buddhism encourages the impartial investigation of Nature (an activity referred to...
Problem Of Evil In Hinduism This article covers the Problem of Evil in Hinduism in detail. The standard problem of evil found in monotheistic religions does not apply to almost all traditions of Hinduism because it does not posit an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent creator. Scholars have proposed alternate forms of the problem...
Jain Literature Jain literature comprises Jain Agamas and subsequent commentaries on them by various Jain ascetics. Jain literature is primarily divided between Digambara literature and Svetambara literature. Jain literature exists mainly in Magadhi Prakrit, Sanskrit, Marathi, Tamil, Rajasthani, Dhundari, Marwari, Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu and more recently in English. See: Jain Philosophy and Jainism...
Jain Rituals Jain rituals play an everyday part in Jainism. Rituals take place daily or more often. Rituals include obligations followed by Jains and various forms of idol worships. Jains rituals can be separated broadly in two parts: Karya (Obligations which are followed) and Kriya (Worships which are performed). See: Jain Philosophy Six essential duties In Jainism,...
