Both the Ten Commandments and the Buddhist precepts deal with how members of the religion should lead there lives. They both expect followers to refrain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying. These are all things that are necessary in being a good person. Other similarities arise in the assumptions made by both. They both assume that the reader is a follower of their religion, and that these rules are absolutely correct.
It is much easier to detect the differences in the two. The precepts are more of a moral guideline, not a strict set of rules like the commandments. Buddhism has no god or deity that could take out revenge on the members that do not adhere to the rules. The precepts are just a list of things that allow you to be a good person in this world, a path of wellness. The Ten Commandments have a few commandments that deal with worshiping God, where Buddhism has no god.
Gabe,
ReplyDeleteYou mention the fact that both lists assume the follower is a part of their religion however the words of each can help people to make morally good choices. I feel that one of the interesting aspects is the difference between the threat of god and the threat of karmic reparations. Both have an external threat that motivates the followers to do good. This raises the question of what happens to people are not followers, can they self motivate or do they need some type of external motivation?
Gabe,
ReplyDeleteYou speak about how both the Ten Commandments and the Buddhist precepts are written with the assumption that the reader is already a follower of their belief system, but I wonder if it would potentially be possible to use the readings in a more broad sense as a means to draw followers to a religion, almost like religious propaganda. I also really enjoyed what you said in regards to a threat of sorts - I personally felt that most of the Ten Commandments were stated in a sort of "...or else..." way; not to say that the Buddhist precepts aren't equally demanding. It's interesting that two religions with such completely different belief systems - one without a god, one completely dependent on a god - could both have such stringent policies on how to lead one's life as a member.
It is true that there is similarities, which I find interesting because both religions evolved in different parts of the world, yet still have basic understanding of wrong from right. It makes me wonder if other religions hold the same similarities, and what this would mean of humans morals as a whole. The difference I saw in Buddhism and the Ten Commandments is that the commandments repetitively started that there is only one god, and made the follower feel small. In Buddhism the goal is to be individually "awakened", not following god but your own path to righteousness.
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