Breaking The Social Order
- Access To Information Technology In Developing Nations - in the exchange of information and the attainment of humane values. Current world information...
- Can Boys Do Better? - favor of girls in order to overcome some of the limitations placed upon females by...
- Juvenile Delinquency - Juvenile delinquency was not just a sociological problem (a question of understanding) but also a...
- Leviathan - egoism that is the root of all social conflict. Hobbes argues that without some kind of...
- Functionalism - the conflict theory of society has reevaluated the importance of specific institutions so that...
Submitted by janiesayavong on 06/30/2008 05:21 PM
- Category: Social Issues
- Words: 1127
- Pages: 5
- Views: 29
- Popularity Rank: 1597
Breaking The Social Order
Breaking the social order
Through almost every civilization, there were different social classes. Many religions encouraged the distinction of people through their birth, and many were labeled as royalty, merchant, serfs, etc. from their birth. Though many religions throughout history supported social distinction, there were two religions that started in India that did not. Jainism and Buddhism challenged the cultural and social order by rejecting social classes, encouraging equality, and challenging Hinduism.
To begin with, both Jainism and Buddhism rejected the social classes that were set in India. Though other religions such as Hinduism kept the caste system, Jainism and Buddhism failed to follow the caste system. The founder of Jainism came from a kshartriya family; however, according to legend he left the comforts of his life to seek salvation. To seek salvation he lived an ascetic lifestyle and passed his teachings onto others. The Janis believed that everything in the universe had a soul, whether living or inanimate physical objects. Only by cleansing their souls of selfish behavior could their souls gain a state of bliss. The ethics of Jainism all made significant social implications. Since Jainist believed that all creatures possessed souls, there was no sense to draw distinctions between humans. Therefore, Jainist did not recognize social distinctions based on the caste system. As a result of that, Jainism was enthusiastically supported by the lower classes. Jainist provided spiritual sensitivity and high moral standards. Buddhism also did not recognize the distinction between social classes. Though the founder of Buddha also came from a Kshatriya family, he gave up his inheritance and position in order to gain salvation. Buddhism had four fundamental doctrines, known as the Four Noble Truths, which were associated with the Noble Eightfold Path which called for individuals to live moderate lives. Buddhist, like the...
You must Login to view the entire paper.
If you are not a member yet, Sign Up for free!
