keehah
25th April 2012, 10:01 PM
Not copied here is the side by side comparision.
Contemporary » Vedic and Abrahamic Thoughts
http://veda.wikidot.com/vedic-and-abrahamic-thought
There are two world traditions which have formed the cultural and ethical basis of the world as we know it. Both have an unbroken history going back thousands of years. Judaism with a 5000 year old tradition is the mother of the western civilization through its offshoot Christianity. Hinduism is the older of the two with a literature going back to the beginning of recorded history.
Hindu civilization originated in the Gangetic and Indus valleys and from there spread out over the entire region of southeast Asia. Its offshoot — Buddhism, shaped and molded the civilizations of Japan, China, Tibet and the rest of Asia. The Ancient pre-biblical kingdom of the Mittani in Asia minor was ruled by Hindu Kings with Sanskrit names! The Sumerians and the Hittites were both Indo-European people said to have originating in the Gangetic Basin. Hindu philosophy / theology influenced the ancient Greeks since the time Alexander the Great conquered parts of north India. A remarkable similarity has also been demonstrated between the religion and mythology of the ancient Scandinavian people and that of the people of India. The ancient civilizations such as the Roman, the Greek, the Egyptian, the Sumerian, and the Babylonian have all passed away. Even the Jewish culture has undergone many radical changes since its inception 5000 years ago — yet the Hindu civilization continues as a vibrant and living vector, and has remained virtually unchanged for over 6000 years. Today, Hindu communities are to be found in almost every country on earth.
These two streams of tradition have shaped two different thought systems that can be broadly classified as Vedic (or also known as Indic) and Abrahamic (or also known as Semitic). Believe it or not, any one person, consciously or unconsciously, must either belong or been influenced by one of the two thought systems. Vedic is a stream of thought belongs to the Hindu or Indian schools of thought. Whereas, Abrahamic thought was grown from the Middle East and later widely practiced in the West. Therefore, the main differences between Vedic and Abrahamic are typical of the differences between Eastern and Western religions in general in contemporary terms.
Overview
The Vedic tradition or also termed Dharmic tradition are a family of religions that have originated from the Indian subcontinent. They encompass Hinduism and three other religions that have spawned from it—namely Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The category of Abrahamic religions or the Judeo-Christian religions consists of the three major religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, which claim Abraham (Hebrew Avraham; Arabic Ibrahim) as a part of their sacred history. These two streams represent two very different world views (spiritual, religious or philosophical). Their respective thought systems are fundamentally different at almost every point.
In general, the concepts espoused by a religion cannot be judged by merely observing the practice of its followers as it is quite common for the followers of many religions to be ignorant of the concepts of the philosophy or teachings in their scriptures. At the same time the behavior and practices of a person could also been shaped by the very concept and doctrine of the respective faith.
Vedic and Abrahamic Views
We can see immediately that there is a vast difference between Vedic and Abrahamic religions, with the Vedic goals being unitive and introspective and the Abrahamic goals being dualistic and extroverted. The Vedic mind tends to see God everywhere, in all things, and to see everything as sacred. The Abrahamic mind considers it heresy to believe that God pervades all things, and makes a strong difference between what is sacred and what is profane. In general we notice the Vedic holding to karma, samsara (reincarnation), atman (the Self) and moksha (liberation), the Abrahamic postulating a single life for the soul, followed by reward or punishment.
Keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive comparison, as it does not take into account the East Asia religions — Taoism, Confucianism and Shinto. Naturally there are important exceptions to the views expressed (for example, Buddhism does not believe in a Personal God). Nevertheless these broad generalities are useful, as they give a scholarly window into the East and the West.
Discover Your Own Thought Patterns
Most sources of confusion and complexities arise due to the failure to comprehend these two main streams of thought that had shaped ones world view. Even in instances where people who proclaim to be a free thinkers, open minded, secular or an atheist, may find it hard to accept that, their thoughts and observations are indeed not independent or free as they are in one or more ways shaped by these two streams of thoughts. For example, an atheist in the West may claim to be a non-believer in Christianity, yet their world view or thought patterns are most likely been shaped by the Abrahamic or Judeo-Christian thoughts. All roots of expressions, views, analysis, and perspectives are derived within the framework of Abrahamic concepts, categories and terms. Difficulty also arises if one tends to mix or try to interpret a perspective from the viewpoint of another.
The reason why this is so important is because it influences the way in which a person views the world and lives his life. For example, if we get the wrong impression about a person when we first meet him or her, it will affect the way we relate to him later on. Similarly, if we get the wrong view about the world from the outset, we can hardly get anything else right in life. This is why there is so much confusion in the world today, in particular when it comes to religious and secular matters...
Contemporary » Vedic and Abrahamic Thoughts
http://veda.wikidot.com/vedic-and-abrahamic-thought
There are two world traditions which have formed the cultural and ethical basis of the world as we know it. Both have an unbroken history going back thousands of years. Judaism with a 5000 year old tradition is the mother of the western civilization through its offshoot Christianity. Hinduism is the older of the two with a literature going back to the beginning of recorded history.
Hindu civilization originated in the Gangetic and Indus valleys and from there spread out over the entire region of southeast Asia. Its offshoot — Buddhism, shaped and molded the civilizations of Japan, China, Tibet and the rest of Asia. The Ancient pre-biblical kingdom of the Mittani in Asia minor was ruled by Hindu Kings with Sanskrit names! The Sumerians and the Hittites were both Indo-European people said to have originating in the Gangetic Basin. Hindu philosophy / theology influenced the ancient Greeks since the time Alexander the Great conquered parts of north India. A remarkable similarity has also been demonstrated between the religion and mythology of the ancient Scandinavian people and that of the people of India. The ancient civilizations such as the Roman, the Greek, the Egyptian, the Sumerian, and the Babylonian have all passed away. Even the Jewish culture has undergone many radical changes since its inception 5000 years ago — yet the Hindu civilization continues as a vibrant and living vector, and has remained virtually unchanged for over 6000 years. Today, Hindu communities are to be found in almost every country on earth.
These two streams of tradition have shaped two different thought systems that can be broadly classified as Vedic (or also known as Indic) and Abrahamic (or also known as Semitic). Believe it or not, any one person, consciously or unconsciously, must either belong or been influenced by one of the two thought systems. Vedic is a stream of thought belongs to the Hindu or Indian schools of thought. Whereas, Abrahamic thought was grown from the Middle East and later widely practiced in the West. Therefore, the main differences between Vedic and Abrahamic are typical of the differences between Eastern and Western religions in general in contemporary terms.
Overview
The Vedic tradition or also termed Dharmic tradition are a family of religions that have originated from the Indian subcontinent. They encompass Hinduism and three other religions that have spawned from it—namely Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The category of Abrahamic religions or the Judeo-Christian religions consists of the three major religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, which claim Abraham (Hebrew Avraham; Arabic Ibrahim) as a part of their sacred history. These two streams represent two very different world views (spiritual, religious or philosophical). Their respective thought systems are fundamentally different at almost every point.
In general, the concepts espoused by a religion cannot be judged by merely observing the practice of its followers as it is quite common for the followers of many religions to be ignorant of the concepts of the philosophy or teachings in their scriptures. At the same time the behavior and practices of a person could also been shaped by the very concept and doctrine of the respective faith.
Vedic and Abrahamic Views
We can see immediately that there is a vast difference between Vedic and Abrahamic religions, with the Vedic goals being unitive and introspective and the Abrahamic goals being dualistic and extroverted. The Vedic mind tends to see God everywhere, in all things, and to see everything as sacred. The Abrahamic mind considers it heresy to believe that God pervades all things, and makes a strong difference between what is sacred and what is profane. In general we notice the Vedic holding to karma, samsara (reincarnation), atman (the Self) and moksha (liberation), the Abrahamic postulating a single life for the soul, followed by reward or punishment.
Keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive comparison, as it does not take into account the East Asia religions — Taoism, Confucianism and Shinto. Naturally there are important exceptions to the views expressed (for example, Buddhism does not believe in a Personal God). Nevertheless these broad generalities are useful, as they give a scholarly window into the East and the West.
Discover Your Own Thought Patterns
Most sources of confusion and complexities arise due to the failure to comprehend these two main streams of thought that had shaped ones world view. Even in instances where people who proclaim to be a free thinkers, open minded, secular or an atheist, may find it hard to accept that, their thoughts and observations are indeed not independent or free as they are in one or more ways shaped by these two streams of thoughts. For example, an atheist in the West may claim to be a non-believer in Christianity, yet their world view or thought patterns are most likely been shaped by the Abrahamic or Judeo-Christian thoughts. All roots of expressions, views, analysis, and perspectives are derived within the framework of Abrahamic concepts, categories and terms. Difficulty also arises if one tends to mix or try to interpret a perspective from the viewpoint of another.
The reason why this is so important is because it influences the way in which a person views the world and lives his life. For example, if we get the wrong impression about a person when we first meet him or her, it will affect the way we relate to him later on. Similarly, if we get the wrong view about the world from the outset, we can hardly get anything else right in life. This is why there is so much confusion in the world today, in particular when it comes to religious and secular matters...