Saturday, September 12, 2009

What do you believe part 2

This is the entire list of religions.

1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Secular Humanism (93%)
3. Liberal Quakers (81%)
4. Nontheist (72%)
5. Theravada Buddhism (69%)
6. Neo-Pagan (67%)
7. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (66%)
8. New Age (61%)
9. Sikhism (55%)
10. Mahayana Buddhism (50%)
11. Baha'i Faith (48%)
12. Orthodox Quaker (48%)
13. Reform Judaism (44%)
14. Taoism (44%)
15. Jainism (38%)
16. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (34%)
17. Hinduism (34%)
18. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (27%)
19. Orthodox Judaism (27%)
20. Scientology (26%)
21. Eastern Orthodox (25%)
22. Islam (25%)
23. Roman Catholic (25%)
24. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (24%)
25. New Thought (24%)
26. Seventh Day Adventist (24%)
27. Jehovah's Witness (13%)




My highest ranked eastern religion was Theravada Buddhism.

Theravada Buddhism believes in your past experiences, learning from those experiences, and common sense or reasoning, rather than following "Blind Faith." Theravada Buddhism also emphasizes listening to elders, and learning from their experiences so that you dont make the same mistakes.

In Theravada Buddhism there are four noble truths.
1. Dukkah- Dukkah mainly refers to suffering. Within Dukkah there are three catagories of suffering. The first is day-to-day suffering, this refers to suffering like aging, sadness, sickness, and death. The second category of Dukkah is suffering due change. This could mean that if you are in a happy place, or part of your life and something changes, for example a shortage of food, or work, and you have to move to a different area, that would be suffering due to change. And the third type of suffering is Sankhara Dukkha. Sankhara Dukkha is very subtle, and it can best be explained as "Beings suffer simply by not realizing that they are mere aggregates with no definite, unchanging identity."
2. Dukkha Samudaya- Dukkha Samudaya refers to the cause of suffering. This can best be explained as a attachment, craving, or bondage that then leads to suffering. Dukkha Samudaya can be divided into three subcategories. The first is Kama Tanha. Kama Tanha is the craving for any object that involves sound, taste, touch, smell, or sight. The second subcategory is Bhava Tanha. Bhava Tanha is the want, or craving for ongoing existance. And the final subcategory is Vibhava Tanha. This subcategory is the craving to end a process, or to detach oneself from a process, or the want for self annihilation.
3. Dukkha Nirodha- Dukkha Nirodha refers to the cessation of suffering. Dukkga Nirodha is best understood by this quote from the Buddah. "One cannot possibly adjust the whole world to one's taste in order to eliminate suffering and hope that it will remain so forever. This would violate the chief principle of Change. Instead, one adjusts one's own mind through detachment so that the Change, of whatever nature, has no effect on one's peace of mind." This can be more easily understood as the termination of cause terminates the result.
4. Dukkha Nirodha Gamini Patipada- Dukkha Nirodha Gamini Patipada refers to the path to enlightenment or nirvana. This can only be achieved through moral paths, and the right moral and ethical decisions.

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