religious pluralism Flashcards
what is religious pluralism?
the belief that all religions offer equally good routes to salvation or the ultimate truth
how is there a problem with religious pluralism?
each religion has contradictory beliefs about nature of the universe and life after death
what do Mahayana’s believe about other religions?
all religions are equally good, to either reach salvation or be a happier person, it is not important whether one is right or wrong.
which illustration demonstrates that all religions are good?
the burning house in the lotus sutra teaches there are many ways to escape the burning house, which might include Christianity or islam
which illustration demonstrates that being right or wrong doesn’t matter?
the parable of the poison arrow, which encourages followers to not waste time speculating questions about the universe which can never be answered
what does king Asoka’s rock edict state about other religions?
“all religions should reside everywhere, for all of them desire self control and purity of heart”
what does the Dalai Lama state about other religions?
“there exist many fine religions which have helped their believers attain peace of minded happiness”
how did the buddha encourage respect for other religions?
the buddha encouraged respect, as he encouraged Upali who had converted to buddhism, to continue to give also to the jains
how did the buddha teach that not all religions are equally good?
when faced with other religions he challenged them in debate to show they were mistaken. he debated with Upali about whether the jains were correct in seeing bodily actions as more serious than mental actions
how is it argued that pluralistic interpretations of the buddha are mistaken?
the poison arrow doesn’t show that having different metaphysical beliefs is unimportant, rather that beliefs about the origins of the universe are of no use escaping dukkha, the buddha argues we should follow 4 noble truths
how does the buddha argue that a variety of religions is a good thing?
buddha met his former ascetic companions in the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta, it was clear that they should abandon their own religious practise and adopt the middle way
how do therevada buddhists view religious pluralism?
they oppose other religions as they view that path of the buddha is the only path to enlightenment
