Mahavira, Vardhamana The Great Hero

Mahavira (which means "great hero") is the name commonly used for the Vardhamana Jain, the main character of their religious development.
Vardhamana was born around 599 BC in India's northeast, in the same area with Gautama Buddha was born, although first generation. Surprisingly, both the livelihoods of many interesting similarities.
Vardhamana youngest child of a leader, and as well as Gautama gelimang raised in luxury. At the age of thirty, he was away wealth, relatives (he had a wife and a daughter), leaving a comfortable environment, and decided to seek the truth and spiritual fulfillment.

Vardhamana became pastor flow Parsvanatha discipline that although a small but very hard rules. For twelve years he was conducting meditation and thought himself, and during the conduct of moral boundaries and live in poverty papaan. Often fasting, no personal property in any form, not a cup or plate for a sip of water and collect a bite of rice given to me. Although initially there was her dress, but then dicampakkannya and walk around in a state of full body naked. He let his body and crawling insects diusirnya not bite even if the animal's skin. India is where the holy men wandering around, entered the village out of the village, jumped the gutter and the gutter, far more than his compatriots in the West. Although the appearance and behavior of Mahavira often cause people temptations, insults, humiliation and gamparan, yet all been swallowed up and diendapnya and no replies.

When reaching age forty-two years, Mahavira decided that he finally has reached the spiritual brightness. He spent the rest of the age of thirty years of preaching and teaching the spiritual deepening the already achieved. When he closed his eyes in the year 527 BC, he had gained many followers.

In some cases the doctrine of Mahavira is very similar to Buddhism and Hinduism. The Jain believes that if the human body dies, the soul is not me-too die with the body but the switch (reincarnation) to another entity (the human body does not need) The doctrine of this migration is one of the basic schools of thought Jainist. Jains also believe in karma, the doctrine of the ethical consequences of a deed will happen to him also in the future. To reduce the increasing burden of sin from the soul thing, that is purified, is the main goal of the Jain religion. Some of Mahavira taught, this can be achieved by way of the fun away. Special for Jain priests, are encouraged to live with the simplicity of implementing strict. It is a glory if someone let him die of hunger keranting dry!

Aspect, Jain religion is very important is the emphasis on the doctrine of ahimsa or non-violence. Jain confirmed that ahimsa non-violence, including attitudes toward animals and humans. As a result of this belief, they are "vegetarian" or just eat plants, including grass and weeds, when hooked. But, faithful adherents to the Jain religion is to do any further than that: mosquitoes that bite the skin is left at will; let hungry, not going to want to eat in the dark. Is not that dark lest can kemasukkan swallowed a fly or a scorpion? So, if you want to sweep the Jain followers he has a street or yard, he'll reach for the bag to do the wages of others, fear of who knows nginjak insects or worms.

Beliefs of this kind, it is clear Jain adherents are expected difficult moved to hoe the ground. On the ground a lot of ants, gasir, crickets and assorted small animals, is not it? Kegencet they could die that! So the fact is the people of Jain was not engaged in agriculture. And much more hand work that is prohibited by their religion. As a result, the Jain religion can serve as an example of how far things can affect the trust's behavior and way of life for citizens. Although they live in the area of agricultural land, the majority of the centuries old Jain adherents engaged in trade. Jain religious attitudes to encourage them to work diligently. As a result, it is not surprising when people are classified Jain and their participation in the arts and intellectual activities of India and prominent enough.

Origin, religion Jain has no caste system. But, thanks to the interaction constant with the Hindu religion, this system was also developed in Jainism, though not as extreme as Hindus. Similarly, although Mahavira himself did not talk about God or the gods, through such contacts that the worship of the gods appear as well. Because no material written by Mahavira, permeation of Hinduism to Jainism can not be avoided. From the other direction there is also influence the entry, namely the influence of Hinduism Jainism. For example, the rejection of Jainism and killing animals to eat meat appear to affect the Hindu religion. Furthermore, the Jain doctrine of "no violence" has become a sustainable impact in the minds of Indians, even down to modern times. For example, very strong Gandhi influenced by the teachings of Shrimad Rajachandra Jain philosopher (1867 - 1900), which he considered one of his teachers or teacher spirituilnya.

Jain religion did not have followers in large numbers. Now all of them in India is only about 2,600,000. This taste is not a large amount in relation to the world population. But, if the combined number of them in the period between the year 2500, of a large number as well. In this setting the significance of Mahavira, one must take into account the Jain religion, which perhaps more than other religions, had a lasting influence on the lives of adherents.
Michael H. Hart,One hundred most influential figures in the history.

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Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

Gautama Buddha Prince Siddhartha's real name founder of Buddhism, one of the largest religions in the world. Kapilavastu king's son, northeast India. borders with Nepal. Siddhartha himself (Gautama clan of the tribe of Sakya) was born in Lumbini, now including the territory of Nepal. Married at the age of sixteen years with his cousin the same age. Brought up in luxury in the palace, Prince Siddhartha no taste for good living berleha-inattentive, and heavy-feeling extremely dissatisfied. From the glittering palace window he looked into the outside and saw the poor lying in the streets, not the afternoon breakfast, or not able to eat at all. Day after day after the necessities of life which never reached as a bundle of wheat in the ass hanging in the nose. Tarolah that the trash. While the haves were often kehinggapan discontent, anxious anxious, upset and depressed because of all diseases that plagued every time dragged him to the grave. Siddhartha thought, this situation must change. Should manifest the meaning of life in the real sense of the word, and not just temporary pleasure that is always overshadowed by the suffering and death.

When twenty-nine years old, shortly after their first son was born, Gautama decided he must leave palace life and mengharnbakan themselves to the search for truth is not gilding. Thinking is not merely think, but act. With merry way he left the palace, without a well-bini children, without bringing the goods and property of any kind, and became homeless with no penny in my pocket. The first step, for a while, she demanded knowledge of the wise men in those days and after pocketing enough knowledge, he came to the conclusion the problem solving human discontent.

General assumes that recluse true path to wisdom. On the basis of the assumption that Gautama tried to become a hermit, so many years of fasting and abstinence as good-great. Eventually he realized that conduct torture yourself just edges blur the mind, and instead leads closer to the real truth. Think a thought, he decided it better to eat like a normal human being and stop all kinds of ascetic because the action was not only useless but can make a skinny body, sluggish, firefly eyes, sleepy, rheumatic pain, not even close to stupid.

In a quiet peaceful solitude he wrestled with the life of a human problem. Finally one night, when he was sitting under a broad-leaf trees and fruit of pear shape semacarn laden seeds of all kinds, then the puzzle berdatanganlah life problems like falling on him. Siddhartha pondered the whole night through and when the sun broke the eastern horizon, and he gasped in unison was convinced that solved complex problems, and she began at that time called himself the Buddha "who were given the information."

At that age stepped three-five years. Time age of forty-five years wandering along dipergunakannya northern India, spreading his new philosophy in front of the audience who was willing to listen. When he died, 483 years BC, had hundreds of thousands of followers of his teachings. Although his words were not written but memorized petuahnya advice-by many followers in his head, passed on from one generation to the next generation through the mouth alone.

Basic Buddhism can be summed up in what the term adherents "Four virtues of truth:" First, that human life is basically not happy; second, the cause of this unhappiness is to think of self-interest, and bound by lust; third, thoughts of self-interest own and can be pressed out of lust when all passions and desires can be eliminated, the teachings of the Buddha called nirvana; fourth, weighing right, think right, talk right, do right, make a living right, trying to correct, given the right, right meditation. Can ditarnbahkan Buddhism was open for anyone, regardless of whatever race he is, (this is what distinguishes it from Hinduism).

Some time after the death of Gautama the new religion spread slowly. In the 3rd century BC, a great Indian emperor named Asoka's power became followers of Buddhism. Thanks to its support, the spread of Buddhism racing torrent, not just in India but also in Burma. From here agarna it spread throughout Southeast Asia, to Malaysia and Indonesia.

The wind spread the influence was not just blowing to the south but also to the north, broke in Tibet, to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Not until there. He grabbed mengambah influence of China and not made with the amount and from there crossed over to Japan and Korea.

While in India itself the new religion began to decrease its influence after about 500 AD in fact almost extinct in the year 1200. By contrast, in China and in Japan, Buddhism remains a subject of religion. Similarly, in Tibet and Southeast Asia is experiencing religious heyday centuries.

Buddhist teachings are not written until many centuries after the death of Gautama. Because it is easy understandable why religion is fragmented into various sects. Two major branches of Buddhism are Theravada branch-effects, especially in Southeast Asia and the assumption by most Western scholars is the branch closest to the teachings of the Buddha-original. Another branch of Mahayana, the weight of his influence lies in Tibet, China and also in Southeast Asia in general.

Buddha, as founder of one of the largest religions in the world, certainly worthy ranked almost top levels in this book list. Because the number of followers of Buddhism lived 200 million compared with Islamic believers who number 500 million and one billion adherents of Christianity, its influence is smaller than the Buddha or Muhammad Isa. However, different number of adherents, if a measure is exceedingly tight, can also be misleading. For example, the demise or decline of Buddhism in India was not any drop down but because Hinduism has absorbed many teachings and Buddhist principles into his body. In China too, a large number of people who no longer openly calls himself a Buddhist in the practice of everyday life was very influenced by the philosophy of religion.

Buddhism, far surpasses both Islam and Christianity, has elements pacifis very prominent. Proceed from the view that without this violence plays an important role in the political history of countries berpenganut Buddha.

Many people say if one day Jesus came back down to earth he would stare shocked at all what people are doing on their behalf, and will be anxious for the bloodshed that occurred in the conflict between different sects of each opinion equally claim to be followers. So was going to happen to the Buddha. He could not be gaping gaping seen so many sects of Buddhism that grew everywhere, each different from each other even though they claim to Buddhists. Narnun, however semrawutnya sects which differ from each other is not sarnpai cause bloody religious wars such as occurred in the Christian world of Europe. In this connection, at least means the Buddha's teachings was far deeper than its followers lived by the teachings of Jesus, the same connection dalarn.

Buddha and Kong Hu-Cu have approximately equal influence on the world. Both lived in the period about the same time, and the number of his followers were not much different. My choice of putting the Buddha's name ahead of Hu-Cu Kong in the order was based on two considerations: first, the development of Communism in China was almost wiped out the influence of Hu-Cu Kong, while the future seems more Buddhist still gaps and influence than in Kong Hu - Cu; second, the failure of the teaching-Kong Hu Cu spread beyond China to show how closely link teaching bertautnya-Kong Hu Cu manner and procedure of the old Chinese era. In contrast, Buddhism no test or statements containing chewing on the previous Indian philosophy and Buddhism spread stepped yard line-Indian country-leaning ideas and genuine Gautama wide range philosophy. by Michael H. Hart,One hundred most influential figures in the history.

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