Torah
The roots of Judaism can be traced to a covenant through which God formed a permanent relationship with the Jews. This was through the prophet Abraham who is seen as the patriarch of the Jewish people and then the prophet Moses who was given the
Torah – law on Mount Sinai by God.
The exodus from slavery in Egypt (the Passover) and the founding of their own country in Canaan established in the minds of the Jews that they were the chosen people of God. The interpretation and application of the law and what is required is found in the Talmud
Jews look forward to God’s Kingdom being established on earth, which has traditionally been connected with the coming of the Messiah.
Four Books
The man of wisdom is never in two minds about right and wrong; the man of benevolence never worries about the future; the man of courage is never afraid."
K'ung Fu Tzu (Confucius) was born in 551 BCE in the state of Lu. He lived during the Chou dynasty, an era known for its moral laxity.
Jen is something one learns rather than something one is born with. One learns morality by listening to moral precepts (hsüeh) and by thinking through them in order to determine if they are applicable to the situation you find yourself in (ssu); the key to morality in Confucius is always thinking since the world is constantly changing.
If we are to achieve a state of orderliness and peace, we need to return to traditional values of virtue. These values are based entirely on one concept: jen , which is best translated as "humaneness," but can also mean "humanity," "benevolence," "goodness," or "virtue."
Dhammapada
Siddhartha Gautama, the Indian prince born in approximately 563 BC. At the age of 29 began a 6 year quest to his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree (‘tree of wisdom’) at Bodh Gaya in Northern India.
He became known as the Buddha. He lived to the age of about 80 and when he died he had a following of approximately 500 disciples. Buddhism grew dramatically during the reign of Emperor Ashoka (268-239BCE.) He converted to Buddhism.
As his Empire covered much of India, Buddhism spread throughout it. He also sent missionaries off to other lands. It is said that his children introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka. By the 1st century AD it had spread to China, largely due to the opening of trade routes from India.
By the13th Century BC however Buddhism in India had declined. This was partly due to the destruction of the monasteries by the Muslim invaders, but also because it simply became re- absorbed into Hinduism. Buddha came to be seen as another incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu
