[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on Religion: Eastern Traditions
Over the past several thousand years, many faiths have arisen and developed all over the globe. All of these faiths are unique and seem to be quite different from each other, at least on the surface. However, when one starts to investigate more closely he realizes that there are oftentimes some startling similarities. A good example of this would be the religious traditions of the Middle East and Asia. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism, for example, have very similar philosophies and practices while they all have different origins.
Upon examination of these faiths one will be able to more clearly see the relationship between the traditions of the Middle East. In Christianity, we bind our selves to the truth unveiled through scripture, myths, tradition, and the church’s teachings. Hinduism however has a much different interpretation of the idea of binding oneself to the truth. Like many religions Hindus have the basic belief that we all came from God and we must return to God. According to the Hindu faith, the way to accomplishing this is through freeing oneself from the material possessions and pleasures and thus obtaining Moksha. Moksha, for Hindus, would be the point of freedom and the attachment to Brahman. The goal of a Hindu is to release themselves, but also to gain a complete understanding of life.
By doing this, they are freed from the continuous cycle of reincarnation. The yogas are the specific direction taken to unleash the human potential of Moksha. The goal of the yogas is to come in to and remain in touch with Brahman. The first way to God is through knowledge. The three steps taken on this path is learning, thinking, and the third, a little more complex, consists of separating one’s material ego form one’s Atman. The second way to God is through love.....
