What is Religion? Religion can be described as a system of thought that has its roots in ancient civilizations around the world. Over time, various people have formulated different religions as they have evolved from being simple customs to an organized set of beliefs and practices. There are several types of religious organizations in the world including Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and other faiths. According to a dictionary, a religion is a "formal, rationalistic system of belief in which divine beings like a supreme god, a cosmic mind, and an ensemble of persons in continuous interaction seek to understand and improve life." Hinduism, Buddhism, Christian and Islam are the four most prevalent religions in the world today. About 900 million of the 6.5 billion human population are Buddhists, making Hinduism the third-most prevalent religion in the globe. Current estimates range from about 1.1 million to more than one billion. Most Hindus are natives with their own unique cultural and religious practices largely influenced by their respective place of their place of origin... (Source: UNESCO). The Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment while seated under a tree, just a few steps from the Ganges. The Buddha then walked up the Ganges and reached Paruru, a holy town on the banks of the sacred river. Here he shared his teachings with other ascetics who followed him to achieve unsurpassed wisdom and power. Some of these teachers included the Elder Mahanarayan, Nanda, Ajit, Siddartha, and Gautama Buddha. Hinduism and Buddhism are the two world religions with the most number of followers in the entire world. Hinduism is the most prolific ancient religion and is practiced in almost all the sub-continent of India. All other Hindu tribes practice or believe in some version of Hinduism. There are approximately 1.6 billion Hindu people in the world who follow Hinduism as their religion or at least have an interest in it. Buddhism is also very widespread, with about a billion Buddhists in the whole world who follow Buddhism as their religion. Buddhism is a religion that started in India some five thousand years ago as a movement for social change. The teachings of Buddha started with the four noble truths which were meant to guide all conduct, thought, language and behavior. The basic premise of Buddhism is that the suffering caused by others can be eliminated through inner awareness, which is a form of nonviolence. The teachings of the Buddha contain some references to karma, which is the principle that bad deeds create bad consequences in the future and good deeds produce good blessings in the future. Buddhism is closely associated with Hinduism and also has similarities with Jainism and Sikhism. In India, the largest part of Buddhism is derived from the Buddha's teachings, but in other countries, the language and customs of Buddhism differ greatly from those of India. Some scholars suggest that the most important feature of Buddhism is its ethical code, which is called the bodhisattva. The first four precepts of the bodhisattva are: Giving up all evil, abstaining from taking intoxicating drugs and having absolute faith in the Gita, hoping for enlightened mind, having no desires other than the happiness of others and loving the body as is. There is no concept of heaven, hell or hell in the bodhisattva. Buddhism was started by monks in India and spread to other countries like China and Europe. Christianity is a religion that entered in India through Christian missionaries. The fundamental teachings of Christianity are mostly from the Bible and the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. The word "Christian" is sometimes used in a generic sense. There are many Christian sects, including Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Church, Protestant Church and Baptist Church. Hinduism is one of the three most popular religions in India and is followed by a majority of Indians. Some other forms of Hinduisms include Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Although these four forms of Hinduism are similar in many respects, there are some major differences like the worship of the Hindu gods, the practice of the Brahma-rites and the common features of the castes. All the three have been enriched by the concept of Oneness and the idea that all beings are one. There is also the concept of Bhakti, which involves divine worship of a lord by a devotee.
