I.

Defining Globalization
Globalization and Economics
Globalization and Culture
Globalization and Technology
Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalization
Different Kinds of Globalization

Theory of Liberalism
Theory of Political Realism
Theory of Marxism
Theory of Constructivism
Theory of Postmodernism
Theory of Feminism
Theory of Trans-formalism
Theory of Electicism

History of Global Market Integration

Napoleonic War and World War I
The Bretton Woods System
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
World Trade Organization (WTO)
International Financial Institution
International / Regional Alliance

Defining Regionalization and Regionalism

Regionalization in Asia
ASEAN as a Model of Regionalism
Aims and Purposes of ASEAN
Asian Regionalism
Regionalism and Globalization?

Definition of Media
Role of Media
Evolution of Media and Globalization
Periods Usually Capture the Student of Globalization and Media
Local and Global Culture Production
Positive and Negative Effect of Cultural Production
Conclusion

Defining Globalization and Religion

Main Religions in the World
Relationship Between Religion and Globalization
Religion and Globalization One With Possibilities
Religion and Globalization One With Challenges
Conclusion

What Makes a City Global?

Global City
Characteristics of Global City
How is the Power of Global City Measured?
Top 10 Most Powerful Cities in the World
The Downside of Global City
 GLOBALIZATION
By: Guardiario, Marie Niel B.

GLOBALIZATION

is a term that came into popular usage in 1980’s to describe the increased
movement of people, knowledge, ideas, goods and money across national
borders that has led to the increased in interconnectedness among the world
population economically, politically,socially and culturally.

GLOBALIZATION IN ECONOMICS

-Multinational corporations operate on a global scale,with satellite offices and

branches in numerous locations.
-Outsourcing can add to the economic development of a struggling country,
bringing much needed jobs.
-Some automobiles use parts from other countries,as in a car being assembled
in the united states with the parts coming from japan, Germany, or Korea.
- One shirt sold in the United states could have been made from Chinese
cotton by workers in Thailand..Then it could have been shipped on a French
Freighter that had a Spanish crew.

GLOBALIZATION IN THE BLENDING OF CULTURES

The silk Road was a trade route between china and the Mediterranean sea
area and it allowed the exchange of not only goods, but culture and
knowledge.
- Christian missionaries from Europe added to the Globalization of Christianity.
-Food is one factor of Globalization.
-Satellite television allows shows from one country’s TV shows to be broadcast
in many others.

GLOBALIZATION IN TECHNOLOGY

-The internet is a major contributor to Globalization,not only technologically but

in other areas as well, like in cultural exchanges of the arts.
-Global news networks,like CNN, contribute to the spread of knowledge..

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-Cellphones connect people all over the world like never before. Around 60
percent of all people in the world use cellphones.
-Greater international travel and tourism, greater immigration including illegal
immigration.

ADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

 Peaceful Relations- Most of the countries have resorted to trade relations

with each other in order to boost their economy, leaving behind any bitter
past experiences if any.

 Employment- Considered as one of the most crucial advantages,

globalization has led to the generation of numerous employment
opportunities. Companies are moving towards the developing countries to
acquire labor force.

 Education- With numerous educational institutions around the globe,one

can move out from the home country for better opportunities elsewhere.

 Product Quality- The product quality has been enhanced so as to retain

the customers. Today the customers may compromise with the price range
but not with the quality of the product. Low or poor quality can be adversely
affect consumer satisfaction.

 Cheaper Price- Globalization has brought in fierce competition in the

market.

 Communication- Circulation of information is no longer a tedious task,

and can happen in seconds. The internet has significantly affected the
global economy, thereby providing direct access to information and
products.

 Travel and Tourism- Globalization has promoted tourism to great heights.

International trade among different countries also helps in increasing the
number of tourists that visit different places around the world.

 External Borrowing- With the help of globalization, there is opportunity for

corporate, national and sub-national borrowers to have better access to
external finance, with facilities such as external commercial borrowing and
syndicated loans.

DISADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

 Loss of Culture- With large number of people moving into and out of a
country, the culture takes a backseat. People may adapt to the culture of

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 the resident country. They tend to follow the foreign culture more,
forgetting their own roots. This van give rise to cultural conflicts.

 Uneven wealth Distribution- it is said that the rich are getting richer while
the poor are getting poorer. In the real sense, globalization has not been
able to reduce poverty.

 Environmental Degradation- The industrial revolution has changed the

outlook of the economy. Industries are using natural resources by means
of mining, drilling, etc. Which puts a burden on the environment.

 Disparity- though globalization has opened new avenues like wider

markets and employment,there still exists a disparity in the development of
the economies. Structural unemployment owes to the disparity created.

 Conflicts- It has given to terrorism and other forms of violence. Such acts
not only cause loss of human life but also huge economic losses.

 Cut-throat Competition- Opening the doors of international trade has

given birth to intense competition. This has affected the local markets
dramatically. The local players thereby suffer huge losses as they lack the
potential to advertise or export their products on a large scale. Therefore
the domestic markets shrink.

ARJUN APPADURAI

Appadurai is a cultural theorist and anthropologist. He is the person who came

up with the scapes theory. Here are some quick facts about him: Born in
Mumbai, India in 1949; Professor at the University of Chicago; Major
Publications:Modernity at large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization (1996)
and Disfuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy(1990). For
Anthropologist Arjun Appadurai, different kinds of Globalization occur on
multiple and interesting dimensions of integration that he calls “scapes”

 An “Ethnoscape”
-refers to the global movement of people
 “Mediascape”
-is about the flow of culture
 A “Technoscape”
- refers to the circulation of mechanical
goods and software
 Financescape
` denotes the global circulation of money
 Ideoscape
` is the realm where political ideas move
around

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 THEORIES OF GLOBALIZATION
By: Lagunero, Anna Jane B.

All theories of globalization have been put hereunder in eight categories:

liberalism,political realism, Marxism, constructivism, postmodernism,
feminism , trans-formationalism and eclecticism. Each one of them carries
several variations.Liberalism sees the process of globalization as market-led
extension of modernization. At the most elementary level, it is a result of
‘natural’ human desires for economic welfare and political liberty. As such,
transplanetary connectivity is derived from human drives to maximize material
well-being and to exercise basic freedoms. These forces eventually interlink
humanity across the planet.

1. THEORY OF LIBERALISM

Liberalism sees the process of globalization as market-led extension of

modernization. At the most elementary level, it is a result of ‘natural’ human
desires for economic welfare and political liberty. As such, transplanetary
connectivity is derived from human drives to maximize material well-being and
to exercise basic freedoms. These forces eventually interlink humanity across
the planet.

2. THEORY OF POLITICAL REALISM

Advocates of this theory are interested in questions of state power, the

pursuit of national interest, and conflict between states. According to them
states are inherently acquisitive and self-serving, and heading for inevitable
competition of power. Some of the scholars stand for a balance of power,
where any attempt by one state to achieve world dominance is countered by
collective resistance from other states.

3. THEORY OF MARXISM

Marxism is principally concerned with modes of production, social

exploitation through unjust distribution, and social emancipation through the
transcendence of capitalism. Marx himself anticipated the growth of globality
that ‘capital by its nature drives beyond every spatial barrier to conquer the
whole earth for its market’. Accordingly, to Marxists, globalization happens
because trans-world connectivity enhances opportunities of profit-making and
surplus accumulation.

4. THEORY OF CONSTRUCTIVISM

Globalization has also arisen because of the way that people have
mentally constructed the social world with particular symbols, language,
images and interpretation. It is the result of particular forms and dynamics of
consciousness. Patterns of production and governance are second-order
structures that derive from deeper cultural and socio-psychological forces.
Such accounts of globalization have come from the fields of Anthropology,
Humanities, Media of Studies and Sociology

5. THEORY OF POSTMODERNISM

Some other ideational perspectives of globalization highlight the

significance of structural power in the construction of identities, norms and
knowledge. They all are grouped under the label of ‘postmodernism’. They too,
as Michel Foucault does strive to understand society in terms of knowledge
power: power structures shape knowledge. Certain knowledge structures
support certain power hierarchies

6. THEORY OF FEMINISM

It puts emphasis on social construction of masculinity and femininity. All other

theories have identified the dynamics behind the rise of trans-planetary and
supra-territorial connectivity in technology, state, capital, identity and the like.

7. THEORY OF TRANS-FORMALISM

This theory has been expounded by David Held and his colleagues.
Accordingly, the term ‘globalization’ reflects increased interconnectedness in
political, economic and cultural matters across the world creating a “shared
social space”. Given this interconnectedness, globalization may be defined as
“a process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial
organization of social relations and transactions.”

8. THEORY OF ELECTICISM

Each one of the above six ideal-type of social theories of globalisation

highlights certain forces that contribute to its growth. They put emphasis on
technology and institution building, national interest and inter-state competition,
capital accumulation and class struggle, identity and knowledge construction,
rationalism and cultural imperialism, and masculinize and subordination of
women.

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 MARKET INTEGRATION
By: Jaluag, Nica Jilomi B.

Lets define first what is market intergration it is a term used to identify a

phenomenon in which markets of goods and services that are related to one
another is experiencing similar pattern of increase and decrease in terms of
prices of those products.

HISTORY OF GLOBAL MARKET INTEGRATION

Roman Period and Early Voyages

 The history of economic globalization can be traced back to the early years
of Roman Empire.
As evidence by their extensive transportation networks and the existence of
everyday language, the legal system and currency.

 During early 15th century, the different voyages of Vasco da Gama,

Columbos, Magellan and others proved that technological advances was
made possible.

They have ships that could sail against the wind over the other constituents
and facilitate intercontinental trade.

 Global powers such as Spain, Portugal, Britain and Italy.

These countries have controlled international trade which further their territory
and sovereignty. The international trade expanded and growth of economic
globalization was vividly experienced by different countries.

NAPOLEONIC WARS IN 1815 AND THE BEGINNING OF WW1

 International trade expanded

Due to cross-border flows of financial capital and labour.

 Technological advancement
In this year can be seen the replacement of the sail and railroads by the steam
power. The opening of the Suez Canal has benefits to reduce travel times
between Asia and Europe.

6
1
 Trade expanded the variety of available goods both Europe and
Elsewhere.

The trade monopolies of earlier times were replaced by intensive competition,

prices converged globally for wider range of commodities including spices,
wheat, cotton etc. In general, the government policies were favorable to the
openness of trade capital mobility and migration.

THE BRETTON WOODS SYSTEM

The major economies in the world had suffered because of world war 1 of the
recurrence of lack of cooperation among nation states, political stability and
economic turmoil, reduction of barriers to trade and free flow of money among
nations become the focus to restructure the world economy and ensure global
stability. These consist the background for the establishment of the Bretton
Woods System.

 This agreement was enacted during the Post World wars.

 United States of America who was at the time owned the two-third of
worlds Gold has led this conference in July 1944 with delegates from 44
countries at Bretton Woods, Hamspire.

The goal of this agreement was to create an efficient exchange system prevent
competition devaluation of currencies and promote international economic
growth.

 Established the fixed exchange rate with the US dollar to be pegged to the
value of Gold.
 During those time the exchange rate applied at the time set the price of
Gold at 35 dollar an ounce.

For instance, a 35 US dollar pegged by the United States per ounce of gold is
the same as 175 Nicaraguan Cordobas per ounce of gold. The exchange rate
therefore would be 5 cordobas for 1 dollar.

THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND AND THE

WORLD BANK

IMF and World Bank has founded after the world war II. Their establishment
was mainly because of peace advocacy after the war. These institutions aimed
to help economic stability of the world.

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 THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF)

 This institution was created to oversee the worlds monetary system

stability.
 IMF has compromised of 189 member countries that cooperate and
collaborative towards goal of fostering global monetary cooperation,
establishing financial stability, maintaining international trade and promote
growth in the economy.

IMF main goal was to help countries which were in trouble at that time and who
could not obtain money by any means perhaps, their economy collapsed and
the currency was threatened. IMF in this case, served as a lender or last resort
for countries which needed financial assistance. For instance, Yemen loaned
93 million dollar from IMF on April 5, 2021 to address its struggle with
terrorism.

WORLD BANK

 This institution was established to provide financial assistance and

strategic active to nation profoundly affected by the previous world wars.
 The two main goals of the world bank are to end extreme poverty and
increase overall prosperity.

The world bank, in comparison had more long-term approach its main goals to
resolved around eradication of poverty and it funded specific projects that
helped them reach their goals, specially in poor countries. An example such is
the investment in education since 1962 ine developing nations like Bangladesh,
Chad and Afghanistan.

GENERAL AGREEMENTS ON TARIFFS AND TRADE

(GATT)

 The agreement was signed into law on January 1, 1948 with 23 countries
after world war II to monitor trade that may lead to economic recovery.

This is a legal agreement minimizing barriers to international trade by

eliminating or reducing quotas, tariffs and subsidies to boost economic
recovery after world war II and to make international trade easier. For example,
if the US were to trade with the other members of the GATT, it would eliminate
any tariffs that normally would have been impose prior to the formation of the
trade agreement. Developed countries agree to eliminate tariffs on imports
from developing countries to boost economies and benefits the developed
countries as well.

8
 WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO)

 The world trade organization is a global organization made up of 164

member countries that deals with the rules of trade between nation.
 Born out of the GATT which was established in 1947
 Resolve trade disputes between and among member countries.

For example, the WTO has lowered trade barriers and increased trade among
member countries. On the other hand, it has also maintained trade barrier
when it makes sense to do so in the global context. Therefore, the WTO
attempts to provide negotiation mediation that benefits the global economy. If
a trade dispute occurs, the WTO works to resolve it ensures that trade flows as
smoothly and predictably as possible.

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTION

 Founded by group of countries to promote public and private investment to

foster economic and social development in developing and transitioning
countries.

These institutions are World bank and IMF as mentioned beforehand these
institutions are established to alleviate and help the economy of each member
country through financial assistance and advisory assistance in the
implementation of large scale infrastructure projects in emerging market.

INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL
ORGANIZATIONAL AND ALLIANCES

(OECD) Organization for economic co-cooperation and development

 37 member countries that discuss and develop economic and social policy
 Their goal is to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity
and well being for all.

(ASEAN) Association of South East Nation

 Formed in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and

Thailand to promote political and economic cooperation and regional
stability.

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 The economic, Political-security and Socio-Cultural are the three pillars of
ASEAN community.

The purpose of ASEAN is to promote economic and cultural exchange among

its member countries maintain peace and stability in Southeast Asia and
established relationships with foreign powers with similar aims. ASEAN formed
during Cold War to promote stability and cooperation in politically turbulent
region.

(APEC) ASEAN Pacific Economic Cooperation

 The APEC was established in 1989, currently APEC has a twenty-one

member over the four continents.
 APEC member economies works together to sustain economic growth
through commitment to open trade.

The economic growth usually accomplished through the reduction of barrier

such as tarrifs and imports of quotas. This organization seeks to promote free
trade and economic cooperation through the Asia Pacific region.

(EU) European Union

 Made up of 28 member states

 Adheres to the economic and political union where its member countries
have a single currency, Euro
 Through its harmonization of its political and economic policy, EU was able
to deliver peace, prosperity and stability for more than fifty years by which
it increases the standard living of its people.

The EU remained focused on making it’s governing institutions more

transparent and democratic. Decisions are taken as openly as possible and as
close as possible to the citizen. The European Union is a large block in the
world. The EU is one of the largest exporters of goods and services and
considered to be biggest major market for a hundred countries.

(NAFTA North America Free Trade Agreement

 Formed 1994 by Canada, Mexico and America for the reason of

elimination of barriers when it comes to trade and investment and other
services are some of the economics sectors where tariffs and eliminated.

The importance of the organization also given to the protection of intellectual

property right, environment and rights of workers and laborers. Small business
were among those that were expected to benefit most from the lowering of
trade barrier since it would make the business in Mexico and Canada less
expensive and would reduce the red tape needed to import or exports goods.
Market integration provides a number of social benefits, including broadening
the range of financial services and investment opportunities available to
consumers and increasing competition in the provision of those services.

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 ASIAN REGIONALISM
By: Kadusale, Diamae M.

REGIONALIZATION AND REGIONALISM

Regionalization defined as an increase in the cross-border flow of capital,

goods and people within a specific geographical are. On the other hand,
regionalism is defined as a political will to create a formal arrangement
among state on a geographically restricted basis.

REGIONALIZATION IN ASIA

Asian Regionalization is a result of economic activities such as trade, financial

tones actions, investments, technologies, labor, and tourist plows that connect
Asian countries together.

ASEAN AS A MOTEL OF REGIONALISM

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8

August 1907 Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration
(Bangkok Declaration) by the founding Father of ASEAN, namely Indonesia,
Malaysia Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam,
Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia making up the ten members of ASEAN

AIMS AND PURPOSES OF ASEAN

Be set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the aims and purposes of ASEAN are:
 To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural
development in the region through joint endeavors in the spirit of equality
and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and
peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations.
 To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice
and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and
adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter
 To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in matters of
common interests in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and
administrative fields.

11
 To provides assistance to each other in the form of training and research
facilitate in the educational, profession, technical, and administrative
spheres.
 To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilization of their agriculture
and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the
problems of international commodity trade, the improvement.
 To promote southeast Asian Studies

THE CHALLENGES OF ASIAN REGIONALISM

 Exclusion of countries that do not belong in the region. • A threat to

strategic partnership with countries from other regions.
 Compromised financial stability that may result in a developing credit crisis,
and a wide currency country.
 Expensive and difficult flow of goods because of the threats on and
security of a country.
 Environmental damages may result in radical changes in economic
politics.

DEFINITION OF GLOBALIZATION

Globalization is a process of interactions and integration among the people.

companies, and governments of different nations around the world a process
driven by international trade and investment and aided by information
technology.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN REGIONALIZATION AND

GLOBALIZATION

Globalization
Countries across the world help each other for their own development.

Regionalization
Countries from a specific region help each other for their development.

12
 GLOBAL CULTURE
By: Laroa, Pamela G.

GLOBAL MEDIA CULTURE

This presents how media influences the economic, political , cultural, and
social aspects of people’s lives and how globalization affects economic
growth.

MEDIA DEFINED

According to Lule (2014), the world media are tools used to store and deliver
information or data. The term is often used synonymously with mass media,
but it can also refer to a single medium used to communicate any data for any
purpose.

ROLE OF MEDIA

Economic, political, cultural, and social changes and needs technology. It

influenced and shaped human life through generations. The mass media are
today seen as playing a key role in enhancing globalization and facilitating
cultural exchange and flows of information and images.

EVOLUTION OF MEDIA AND GLOBALIZATION

In the study of globalization , there are five time periods that usefully capture
the study of globalization and Media such as Oral, Script, print, electronic and
digital.

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 ORAL COMMUNICATION

Speech is often the most overlooked medium in the history of globalization.

Yet oral medium- human speech – is the oldest and most enduring of all
media.In our primitive lives, language and communication is a very important
tool in enriching knowledge, experiences, and skills in surviving everyday life.

SCRIPT

This is a stage that explores the brief transition from the oral form of
communication to printing. As communication travels on distant places and
over different periods of time, problems and difficulties emerge because
language relies on the capacity of our memory. It refers to the very first writing
that enables human beings to record information across distances for a longer
time.

THE PRINTING PRESS

Prior to the printing press, the production of written documents was slow,
cumbersome, and expensive. The printing press however encouraged the
literacy of the public and the growth of schools . It helped to foster globalization
and knowledge of globalization.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA

Electronic Media is an efficient way to communicate with one another either by

the use of media devices or social media sources such as radio, television,
telephone, and etc.

DIGITAL MEDIA

Digital Media are the most often electronic media that rely on digital codes.
The long arcane combinations of OS and 1s that represents
information.Commonly used software, websites, and social media but the
computer,cellular phone and the internet are the usual representations of it. It
is currently the most significant media of influence to globalization.

14
 MEDIA AND GLOBALIZATION

Economy

E-commerce is becoming a major form of business Amazon, Lazada, and

Zalora are some examples of start-up companies that have grown into
successful global e-commerce platforms. Micro -Entrepreneurs like farmers,
fishermen, and starts ups are now able to access micro-financing using mobile
phones or computers. The media have made it possible by creating the
conditions for global capitalism and by promoting the conceptual foundation of
the world’s market economy.

Politics

Globalization had transformed world politics in profound ways. Media is able to

spark collective public opinion and action toward politics.Even during election
campaigns, various forms of Media have used by candidates to appeal for
public votes and by people to assert their support to candidates.

Culture

We use adopt and create a culture in different ways in our everyday living
though we may not consciousness of it

Examples
 The way we dress
 The way we communicate
 The way we Interact with others

Though ,media is a great help to exchange and fusion of Culture around the
world. There are also conflicting views on the impact of globalization on
cultural Production.

NEGATIVE EFFECT

It is threat to the local economy and it has disadvantages for poor countries
and Small business. It can also destroy traditional Culture, beliefs, and value
systems and may results in a loss of cultural identity.

POSITIVE EFFECT

It expands global market opportunities and it drives economic growth in the

poor parts of the world.

15
Globalization has grown due to the advancement of media and technology.
With the increased global interaction comes the growth of international trade,
ideas, and culture. There are positive and negative points of view and these
are not opposites but inherently interdependent.

16
 GLOBALIZATION OF RELIGION
By: Godinez, Kizzha G.

GLOBALIZATION

Globalization is defined as the process of interconnectedness,

interdependence and integration of economics and societies. It also refers to
integration between people, companies, and governments. Most noteworthy,
this integration occurs on a global scale. Furthermore, it is the process of
expanding the business all over the world. In Globalization, many businesses
expand globally and assume an international image. Consequently, there is a
requirement for huge investment to develop international companies.
Globalization is a very visible phenomenon currently. Most noteworthy, it is
continuously increasing. Above all, it is a great blessing to trade. This is
because it brings a lot of economic and social benefits to it.

RELIGION

According to Encyclopedia Britannica

(2020), religion is a human being’s relation
to that which they regard as holy, sacred,
absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of
special reverence.

Religion is a social-cultural system of

designated behaviors and practices,
morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts,
sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or
organizations, that relates humanity to
supernatural, transcendental, and spiritual
elements.

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J
MAIN RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD

Christianity, the most widely distributed of the world religions, having

substantial representation in all the populated continents of the globe. Its total
membership may exceed 1.7 billion people. It is the major religion stemming
from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of Nazareth (the Christ, or the
Anointed One of God) in the 1st century CE. It has become the largest of the
world’s religions and, geographically, the most widely diffused of all faiths. It
has a constituency of more than two billion believers. Its largest groups are
the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and
the Protestant churches. The Oriental Orthodox churches constitute one of the
oldest branches of the tradition but had been out of contact with Western
Christianity and Eastern Orthodoxy from the middle of the 5th century until the
late 20th century because of a dispute over Christology (the doctrine of Jesus
Christ’s nature and significance). Significant movements within the broader
Christian world and sometimes transcending denominational boundaries
are Pentecostalism, Charismatic Christianity, Evangelicalism,
and fundamentalism. In addition, there are numerous independent churches
throughout the world.

 The most widely practiced religion in the world

 This religion dominates the Americas, Europe, and the
Southern half of Africa.
 Christians are monotheistic
 The Christian Bible is a collection of 66 books written in various
authors. It’s divided into two parts: The Old Testament and The
New Testament

1
18
Islam means submission to the will of God. A follower of Islam
is called a Muslim, which means "one who". This rigorous
monotheism, as well as the Islamic teaching that all Muslims
are equal. The Muslim community comprises about 1 billion
followers on all five continents.

 This is the top religion in countries located in northern

Africa, Middle East, and Indonesia.
 This religion is considered to be the second-largest
religion in the world after Christianity
 Muslims are monotheistic and worship one, all-knowing
God, who in Arabic is known as Allah
 The Quran (or Koran) is the major holy text of Islam

The Teachings of
Muhammad

Around the year AD 570

Muhammad, the founding
prophet of Islam, was born in
Mecca. 40 years later.
Muhammad started preaching
a new religion, Islam. The new
religion taught that there was
one God, and that Muhammad
was the last and most
important in a series of
prophets.

19
The five pillars are thus the most central rituals of Islam and constitute the core
practices of the Islamic faith.

A. The Profession of Faith

There are no formal community, a person has to profess and act upon this
belief in the oneness of God and that Muhammad is his prophet. The
profession of faith, or witness to faith (shahada) is therefore the prerequisite for
membership in the Muslim profession.

B. Five Daily Prayers

The call to prayer, or adhan, is repeated five times a day by a muezzin from a
mosque. The opening chapter of the Qur'an is recited in each unit in a prayer
sequence. The greeting "may the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon
you" is said at the end of each prayer.

C. Almsgiving

The third pillar of Islam, zakat, or almsgiving, is considered an expression of

devotion to God. Zakat represents the attempt to provide for the poorer sectors
of society. It also offers a means for a Muslim to purify his wealth and attain
salvation.

D. Fastening

The month of Ramadan is sacred because the first revelation of the Qur'an is
said to have occurred during this month. Muslims must fast from daybreak to
sunset by refraining from eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse.

20
Pilgrimage to Mecca

Pilgrimage rituals take place over a period of several days in the city of Mecca.
Many men shave their heads, and most women wear seamless white sheets
for protection from the elements. Pilgrimage rituals include the slaughter of an
animal (sheep, goat, cow, or camel) This is a symbolic reenactment of God's
command to Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail. The ritual sacrifice ends the
hajj and starts the festival of the sacrifice, 'id aladha.

Jihad

The word jihad means "to struggle" or "to exhaust one's effort," in order to
please God. Within the faith of Islam, this effort can be individual or collective,
and can apply to leading a virtuous life or helping other Muslims. Western
media tend to focus on militant interpretations of the concept of jihad.

Mosque

Mosques are mentioned in the Qur'an, and the earliest model for a mosque
was the residence that the prophet Muhammad built when he moved to
Medina. The mosque is a place where Muslims foster a collective identity
through prayer and attend to their common concerns. Mosques usually have
one or more minarets, or towers, from which the muezzin calls Muslims to
prayer five times a day. Minarets have the effect of tempering the
magnificence. of domed structures by conveying to the viewer the elevation of
divinity.

The god of Islam

Islamic doctrine emphasizes the oneness, uniqueness, transcendence, and

utter otherness of God. The God of Islam encompasses all creation, but no
mind can fully encompass or grasp him. Through reflection humankind can
easily discern the wisdom and power behind the creation of the world. Any
attitude of worship toward images and icons is strictly forbidden by Islam.

Islamic Monotheism

Before Islam, many Arabs believed in a supreme, all-powerful God

responsible for creation; however, they also believed in lesser gods. With the
coming of Islam, the Arab concept of God was purged of elements of
polytheism and turned into uncompromising belief in one God. Islam's
self-perceived mission has been to restore what Muslims believe is the original
monotheistic teaching. According to Muslim belief, God sent Muhammad with
the last and perfect legal code. The Islamic code, called Sharia, is the final
code that will continue to address the needs of humanity. For the Muslim,
Islamic history unfolds a divine scheme from the beginning of creation to the
end of time. God is just, and his justice requires informing people, through
prophets, of how to act and what to believe. But God's justice also means that
he will punish those who do wrong or do not believe and reward those whose
do believe.

21
 THE QU'RAN

Islam is a religion founded on the singular miracle of Muhammad and the

ultimate proof of the truthfulness of his message. Muslims believe that the
Qur'an is the timeless word of God, "the like of which no human can produce."
This trait of the scripture, called i'jaz, is based on belief in its divine authorship.

A. The Format of the Holy Book

The Qur'an is made up of 114 chapters, called suras, which are roughly
organized. Each chapter is divided into verses called ayat(singular aya,
meaning "sign" or "proof") With few exceptions the verses are randomly
organized without a coherent narrative thread.

B. The Qur’an and the Bible

The Islamic faith rejects the idea that God was never born, as opposed to
Christian belief that Jesus was born the son of God. The Qur'an maintains that
God intervened to save Jesus from torture and humiliation by replacing him on
the cross with someone who looked him.

C. The Preservation of the Qur’an

Islamic doctrine gave priority to the preservation of the scripture. One of the
earliest expressions of religiosity focused on studying, reciting, and writing
down the Qur'an. Scholars agree that the Uthmanic text genuinely reflects the
message that Muhammad preached.

D. Translations of the Qur’an

Many words in the Qur'an can be interpreted in equally valid ways. According
to Muslim scholars, there are some 40 possible readings of the Bible. The
legitimacy of different possible interpretations is supported by a statement in
the Quran that describes verses as either unambiguously clear, or as
ambiguous.

The Presence of Islam in the 20th Century

Many of the accepted Islamic religious and cultural traditions were established
between the 7th and 10th centuries. The 19th-century occupation of most
Muslim lands by European colonial powers was a main turning point in Muslim
history. Nation-states with independent governments divided the Muslim
community along new ethnic and political lines

22
 Judaism is the religion, philosophy and way of life of the Jewish people.
Judaism is a monotheistic religion or7iginating in the Hebrew Bible (also
known as the Tanakh ) and explored in later texts, such as the Talmud .
Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the
covenantal relationship God established with the Children of Israel.

Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning more than 3,000 years.

Judaism has its roots as a structured religion in the Middle East during the
Bronze Age. Of the major world religions, Judaism is considered one of the
oldest monotheistic religions. The Hebrews / Israelites were already referred to
as “Jews” in later books of the Tanakh such as the Book of Esther, with the
term Jews replacing the title “Children of Israel”. Judaism’s texts, traditions and
values strongly influenced later Abrahamic religions, including Christianity,
Islam and the Baha’i Faith. Many aspects of Judaism have also directly or
indirectly influenced secular Western ethics and civil law.

23
24
25
Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots
and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Today, with about 900 million
followers, Hinduism is the third-largest religion behind Christianity and Islam.
Roughly 95 percent of the world’s Hindus live in India. Because the religion
has no specific founder, it’s difficult to trace its origins and history. Hinduism is
unique in that it’s not a single religion but a compilation of many traditions and
philosophies.

 This religion is the third-largest behind Christianity and Islam.

 The majority of the population in India is affiliated with this religion
 Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic
 This is about the search for liberation that can be achieved through
meditation, yoga, and prayer

HISTORY OF HINDUISM

Most scholars believe Hinduism started somewhere between 2300 B.C. and
1500 B.C. in the Indus Valley, near modern-day Pakistan. But many Hindus
argue that their faith is timeless and has always existed.Unlike other religions,
Hinduism has no one founder but is instead a fusion of various beliefs.Around
1500 B.C., the Indo-Aryan people migrated to the Indus Valley, and their
language and culture blended with that of the indigenous people living in the
region. There’s some debate over who influenced who more during this
time.The period when the Vedas were composed became known as the “Vedic
Period” and lasted from about 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C. Rituals, such as sacrifices
and chanting, were common in the Vedic Period.The Epic, Puranic and Classic
Periods took place between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D. Hindus began to
emphasize the worship of deities, especially Vishnu, Shiva and Devi.The
concept of dharma was introduced in new texts, and other faiths, such as
Buddhism and Jainism, spread rapidly.

26
1

HINDU GODS

27
BELIEFS

Some basic Hindu concepts include:

 Hinduism embraces many religious ideas. For this reason, it’s sometimes
referred to as a “way of life” or a “family of religions,” as opposed to a
single, organized religion.

 Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic, which means they worship a

single deity, known as “Brahman,” but still recognize other gods and
goddesses. Followers believe there are multiple paths to reaching their
god.

 Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara (the continuous cycle of life,

death, and reincarnation) and karma (the universal law of cause and
effect).

 One of the key thoughts of Hinduism is “atman,” or the belief in soul. This
philosophy holds that living creatures have a soul, and they’re all part of
the supreme soul. The goal is to achieve “moksha,” or salvation, which
ends the cycle of rebirths to become part of the absolute soul.

 One fundamental principle of the religion is the idea that people’s actions
and thoughts directly determine their current life and future lives.

 Hindus strive to achieve dharma, which is a code of living that emphasizes

good conduct and morality.

 Hindus revere all living creatures and consider the cow a sacred animal.
 Food is an important part of life for Hindus. Most don’t eat beef or pork,
and many are vegetarians.

 Hinduism is closely related to other Indian religions, including Buddhism,

Sikhism and Jainism.

HOLY BOOKS

Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book.The primary
sacred texts, known as the Vedas, were composed around 1500 B.C. This
collection of verses and hymns was written in Sanskrit and contains
revelations received by ancient saints and sages.

28
 THE VEDAS ARE MADE UP OF :

The Rig Veda

The Rigveda or RigVeda (Sanskrit: ṛigveda,from ṛc "praise"and veda "kno

wledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (sūktas). It is
one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (śruti) known as
the Vedas.The Rigveda is the oldest known Vedic Sanskrit text. Its early
layers are among the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language.The
sounds and texts of the Rigveda have been orally transmitted since the 2nd
millennium BCE.The philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the bulk
of the Rigveda Samhita was composed in the northwestern region (see of
the Indian subcontinent, most likely between c. 1500 and 1000 BCE,although
a wider approximation of c. 1900–1200 BCE has also been given.

The text is layered consisting of

the Samhita, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. The Rigveda
Samhita is the core text, and is a collection of 10 books (maṇḍalas) with
1,028 hymns (sūktas) in about 10,600 verses (called ṛc, eponymous of the
name Rigveda). In the eight books – Books 2 through 9 – that were
composed the earliest, the hymns predominantly discuss cosmology, rites,
rituals and praise deities.The more recent books (Books 1 and 10) in part also
deal with philosophical or speculative questions, virtues such as dāna (charity)
in society, questions about the origin of the universe and the nature of the
divine, and other metaphysical issues in their hymns.Some of its verses
continue to be recited during Hindu rites of passage celebrations (such as
weddings) and prayers, making it probably the world's oldest religious text in
continued use.

The Samaveda

The Samaveda (Sanskrit: sāmaveda, from sāman "song"

and veda "knowledge"), is the Veda of melodies and chants.It is an ancient
Vedic Sanskrit text, and part of the scriptures of Hinduism. One of the
four Vedas, it is a liturgical text which consists of 1,875 verses. All but 75
verses have been taken from the Rigveda. Three recensions of the Samaveda
have survived, and variant manuscripts of the Veda have been found in
various parts of India.While its earliest parts are believed to date from as early
as the Rigvedic period, the existing compilation dates from the post-Rigvedic
Mantra period of Vedic Sanskrit, between c. 1200 and 1000 BCE or "slightly
rather later," roughly contemporary with the Atharvaveda and the Yajurveda.
Embedded inside the Samaveda is the widely studied Chandogya
Upanishad and Kena Upanishad, considered as primary Upanishads and as
influential on the six schools of Hindu philosophy, particularly
the Vedanta school.The Samaveda set important foundations for the
subsequent Indian music.

29
Yajurveda

The Yajurveda (Sanskrit: yajurveda, from yajus meaning

"worship",and veda meaning "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose
mantras for worship rituals.An ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, it is a compilation of
ritual-offering formulas that were said by a priest while an individual performed
ritual actions such as those before the yajna fire. Yajurveda is one of the
four Vedas, and one of the scriptures of Hinduism. The exact century of
Yajurveda's composition is unknown, and estimated by Witzel to be between
1200 and 800 BCE, contemporaneous with Samaveda and Atharvaveda.The
Yajurveda is broadly grouped into two – the "black" or "dark" (Krishna)
Yajurveda and the "white" or "bright" (Shukla) Yajurveda. The term "black"
implies "the un-arranged, unclear, motley collection" of verses in Yajurveda, in
contrast to the "white" which implies the "well arranged, clear" Yajurveda. The
black Yajurveda has survived in four recensions, while two recensions of white
Yajurveda have survived into the modern times.

The earliest and most ancient layer of Yajurveda samhita includes about
1,875 verses, that are distinct yet borrow and build upon the foundation of
verses in Rigveda. The middle layer includes the Satapatha Brahmana, one of
the largest Brahmana texts in the Vedic collection. The youngest layer of
Yajurveda text includes the largest collection of primary Upanishads, influential
to various schools of Hindu philosophy. These include the Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad, the Isha Upanishad, the Taittiriya Upanishad, the Katha
Upanishad, the Shvetashvatara Upanishad and the Maitri Upanishad.Two of
the oldest surviving manuscript copies of the Shukla Yajurveda sections have
been discovered in Nepal and Western Tibet, and these are dated to the
12th-century CE.

Atharvaveda

The Atharva Veda (Sanskrit: Atharvavedaḥ from atharvāṇas and veda,

meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of atharvāṇas, the
procedures for everyday life". The text is the fourth Veda, but has been a late
addition to the Vedic scriptures of Hinduism.The language of the Atharvaveda
is different from Vedic Sanskrit, preserving pre-Vedic Indo-European
archaisms. It is a collection of 730 hymns with about 6,000 mantras, divided
into 20 books. About a sixth of the Atharvaveda texts adapts verses from
the Rigveda, and except for Books 15 and 16, the text is mainly in verse
deploying a diversity of Vedic meters. Two different recensions of the text –
the Paippalāda and the Śaunakīya – have survived into modern times.Reliable
manuscripts of the Paippalada edition were believed to have been lost, but a
well-preserved version was discovered among a collection of palm leaf
manuscripts in Odisha in 1957.

The Atharvaveda is sometimes called the "Veda of magical formulas", a

description considered incorrect by other scholars. In contrast to the 'hieratic
religion' of the other three Vedas, the Atharvaveda is said to represent a
'popular religion', incorporating not only formulas for magic, but also the daily

30
rituals for initiation into learning (upanayana), marriage and funerals. Royal
rituals and the duties of the court priests are also included in the Atharvaveda.
The Atharvaveda was likely compiled as a Veda contemporaneously
with Samaveda and Yajurveda, or about 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE. Along with
the Samhita layer of text, the Atharvaveda includes a Brahmana text, and a
final layer of the text that covers philosophical speculations. The latter layer of
Atharvaveda text includes three primary Upanishads, influential to various
schools of Hindu philosophy. These include the Mundaka Upanishad,
the Mandukya Upanishad and the Prashna Upanishad

Hindus believe that the Vedas transcend all time and don’t have a beginning or
an end.The Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, 18 Puranas, Ramayana and
Mahabharata are also considered important texts in Hinduism.

HINDUISM VS BUDDHISM

Hinduism and Buddhism have many similarities. Buddhism, in fact, arose out
of Hinduism, and both believe in reincarnation, karma and that a life of
devotion and honor is a path to salvation and enlightenment. But some key
differences exist between the two religions: Buddhism rejects the caste system
of Hinduism, and does away with the rituals, the priesthood and the gods that
are integral to the Hindu faith.

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ORIGINS OF BUDDHISM

 This is the major religion across South East Asia and Japan
 It is a faith that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
 Followers of Buddhism don’t acknowledge a supreme god or deity.
 They instead focus on achieving enlightenment- a state of inner peace and
wisdom

Buddhism is one of the world’s major religions. It originated in India in

563–483 B.C.E. with Siddhartha Gautama, and over the next millennia it
spread across Asia and the rest of the world. Buddhists believe that human life
is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but that if one achieves a state of
enlightenment (nirvana), it is possible to escape this cycle forever. Siddhartha
Gautama was the first person to reach this state of enlightenment and was,
and is still today, known as the Buddha. Buddhists do not believe in any kind of
deity or god, although there are supernatural figures who can help or hinder
people on the path towards enlightenment.

FOUNDER OF BUDDHISM

Siddhartha Gautama was an Indian prince

in the fifth century B.C.E. who, upon seeing
people poor and dying, realized that human
life is suffering. He renounced his wealth and
spent time as a poor beggar, meditating and
travelling but ultimately, remaining unsatisfied,
settling on something called “the Middle Way.”
This idea meant that neither
extreme asceticism or extreme wealth were
the path to enlightenment, but rather, a way of
life between the two extremes. Eventually, in a
state of deep meditation, he achieved
enlightenment, or nirvana underneath the
Bodhi tree (the tree of awakening). The
Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar, India—the site of
his enlightenment—is now a major
Buddhist pilgrimage site.

32
The Buddha taught about Four Noble Truths. The first truth is called “Suffering
(dukkha),” which teaches that everyone in life is suffering in some way. The
second truth is “Origin of suffering (samudāya).” This states that all suffering
comes from desire (tanhā). The third truth is “Cessation of suffering (nirodha),”
and it says that it is possible to stop suffering and achieve enlightenment. The
fourth truth, “Path to the cessation of suffering (magga)” is about the Middle
Way, which are the steps to achieve enlightenment.

Within the fourth noble truth is found the guide to the end of
suffering: the noble eightfold path. The eight parts of the path to
liberation are grouped into three essential elements of Buddhist
practice—moral conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom. The
Buddha taught the eightfold path in virtually all his discourses, and
his directions are as clear and practical to his followers today as
they were when he first gave them.

33
]

THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

 Right understanding (Samma ditthi)

 Right thought (Samma sankappa)
 Right speech (Samma vaca)
 Right action (Samma kammanta)
 Right livelihood (Samma ajiva)
 Right effort (Samma vayama)
 Right mindfulness (Samma sati)
 Right concentration (Samma samadhi)

Practically the whole teaching of the Buddha, to which he devoted himself

during 45 years, deals in some way or other with this path. He explained it in
different ways and in different words to different people, according to the stage
of their development and their capacity to understand and follow him. But the
essence of those many thousand discourses scattered in the Buddhist
scriptures is found in the noble eightfold path.It should not be thought that the
eight categories or divisions of the path should be followed and practiced one
after the other in the numerical order as given in the usual list above. But they
are to be developed more or less simultaneously, as far as possible according
to the capacity of each individual. They are all linked together and each helps
the cultivation of the others.

These eight factors aim at promoting and perfecting the three essentials of
Buddhist training and discipline: namely: (a) ethical conduct (sila), (b) mental
discipline (samadhi) and (c) wisdom (panna). It will therefore be more helpful
for a coherent and better understanding of the eight divisions of the path if we
group them and explain them according to these three heads.

ETHICAL CONDUCT

Ethical conduct (sila) is built on the vast conception of universal love and
compassion for all living beings, on which the Buddha’s teaching is based. It is
regrettable that many scholars forget this great ideal of the Buddha’s teaching,
and indulge in only dry philosophical and metaphysical divagations when they
talk and write about Buddhism. The Buddha gave his teaching “for the good of
the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world.”
Related: The Buddha’s guidelines for simplifying life

According to Buddhism, for a man to be perfect there are two qualities that
he should develop equally: compassion (karuna) on one side, and wisdom
(panna) on the other. Here compassion represents love, charity, kindness,
tolerance, and such noble qualities on the emotional side, or qualities of the

34
heart, while wisdom would stand for the intellectual side or the qualities of the
mind. If one develops only the emotional, neglecting the intellectual, one may
become a good-hearted fool; while to develop only the intellectual side [and]
neglecting the emotional may turn one into a hard-hearted intellect without
feeling for others. Therefore, to be perfect one has to develop both equally.
That is the aim of the Buddhist way of life: in it wisdom and compassion are
inseparably linked together, as we shall see later. Now, in ethical conduct (sila),
based on love and compassion, are included three factors of the noble
eightfold path: namely, right speech, right action, and right livelihood.

RIGHT SPEECH

Right speech means abstention (1) from telling lies, (2) from backbiting
and slander and talk that may bring about hatred, enmity, disunity, and
disharmony among individuals or groups of people, (3) from harsh, rude,
impolite, malicious, and abusive language, and (4) from idle, useless, and
foolish babble and gossip. When one abstains from these forms of wrong and
harmful speech one naturally has to speak the truth, has to use words that are
friendly and benevolent, pleasant and gentle, meaningful, and useful. One
should not speak carelessly: speech should be at the right time and place. If
one cannot say something useful, one should keep “noble silence.”

RIGHT ACTION

Right action aims at promoting moral, honorable, and peaceful conduct. It

admonishes us that we should abstain from destroying life, from stealing, from
dishonest dealings, from illegitimate sexual intercourse, and that we should
also help others to lead a peaceful and honorable life in the right way.

RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

Right livelihood means that one should abstain from making one’s living
through a profession that brings harm to others, such as trading in arms and
lethal weapons, intoxicating drinks or poisons, killing animals, cheating, etc.,
and should live by a profession which is honorable, blameless, and innocent of
harm to others. One can clearly see here that Buddhism is strongly opposed to
any kind of war, when it lays down that trade in arms and lethal weapons is an
evil and unjust means of livelihood.

These three factors (right speech, right action, and right livelihood) of the
eightfold path constitute ethical conduct. It should be realized that the Buddhist
ethical and moral conduct aims at promoting a happy and harmonious life both
for the individual and for society. This moral conduct is considered as the
indispensable foundation for all higher spiritual attainments. No spiritual
development is possible without this moral basis.

35
MENTAL DISCIPLINE

Next comes mental discipline, in which are included three other factors of the
eightfold path: namely, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
(Nos. 6, 7 and 8 in the list).

RIGHT EFFORT

Right effort is the energetic will (1) to prevent evil and unwholesome states
of mind from arising, and (2) to get rid of such evil and unwholesome states
that have already arisen within a man, and also (3) to produce, to cause to
arise, good, and wholesome states of mind not yet arisen, and (4) to develop
and bring to perfection the good and wholesome states of mind already
present in a man
.
RIGHT MINDFULNESS

Right mindfulness is to be diligently aware, mindful, and attentive with regard

to (1) the activities of the body (kaya), (2) sensations or feelings (vedana), (3)
the activities of the mind (citta) and (4) ideas, thoughts, conceptions, and
things (dhamma).

The practice of concentration on breathing (anapanasati) is one of the

well-known exercises, connected with the body, for mental development.
There are several other ways of developing attentiveness in relation to the
body as modes of meditation.With regard to sensations and feelings, one
should be clearly aware of all forms of feelings and sensations, pleasant,
unpleasant and neutral, of how they appear and disappear within
oneself. Concerning the activities of mind, one should be aware whether one’s
mind is lustful or not, given to hatred or not, deluded or not, distracted or
concentrated, etc. In this way one should be aware of all movements of mind,
how they arise and disappear. As regards ideas, thoughts, conceptions and
things, one should know their nature, how they appear and disappear, how
they are developed, how they are suppressed, destroyed, and so on.These
four forms of mental culture or meditation are treated in detail in
the Satipatthana Sutta (Setting-up of Mindfulness).

RIGHT CONCENTRATION

The third and last factor of mental discipline is right concentration, leading
to the four stages of Dhyana, generally called trance or recueillement. In the
first stage of Dhyana, passionate desires and certain unwholesome thoughts
like sensuous lust, ill-will, languor, worry, restlessness, and skeptical doubt are
discarded, and feelings of joy and happiness are maintained, along with
certain mental activities. Then, in the second stage, all intellectual activities are
suppressed, tranquillity, and “one-pointedness” of mind developed, and the
feelings of joy and happiness are still retained. In the third stage, the feeling of
joy, which is an active sensation, also disappears, while the disposition of
happiness still remains in addition to mindful equanimity. Finally, in the fourth

36
stage of Dhyana, all sensations, even of happiness and unhappiness, of joy
and sorrow, disappear, only pure equanimity and awareness remaining.
Thus the mind is trained and disciplined and developed through right effort,
right mindfulness, and right concentration.

WISDOM

The remaining two factors, namely right thought and right understanding,
constitute wisdom in the noble eightfold path.

RIGHT THOUGHT

Right thought denotes the thoughts of selfless renunciation or detachment,

thoughts of love and thoughts of non-violence, which are extended to all
beings. It is very interesting and important to note here that thoughts of selfless
detachment, love and non-violence are grouped on the side of wisdom. This
clearly shows that true wisdom is endowed with these noble qualities, and that
all thoughts of selfish desire, ill-will, hatred, and violence are the result of a lack
of wisdom in all spheres of life whether individual, social, or political.

RIGHT UNDERSTANDING

Right understanding is the understanding of things as they are, and it is the

four noble truths that explain things as they really are. Right understanding
therefore is ultimately reduced to the understanding of the four noble truths.
This understanding is the highest wisdom which sees the Ultimate Reality.
According to Buddhism there are two sorts of understanding. What we
generally call “understanding” is knowledge, an accumulated memory, an
intellectual grasping of a subject according to certain given data. This is called
“knowing accordingly” (anubodha). It is not very deep. Real deep
understanding or “penetration” (pativedha) is seeing a thing in its true nature,
without name and label. This penetration is possible only when the mind is free
from all impurities and is fully developed through meditation.

From this brief account of the noble eightfold path, one may see that it is a
way of life to be followed, practiced and developed by each individual. It is
self-discipline in body, word, and mind, self-development, and self-purification.
It has nothing to do with belief, prayer, worship, or ceremony. In that sense, it
has nothing which may popularly be called “religious.” It is a Path leading to
the realization of Ultimate Reality, to complete freedom, happiness, and peace
through moral, spiritual, and intellectual perfection.

37
 Buddhists believe in a wheel of rebirth, where souls are born again into
different bodies depending on how they conducted themselves in their
previous lives. This is connected to “karma,” which refers to how a person’s
good or bad actions in the past or in their past lives can impact them in the
future.There are two main groups of Buddhism: Mahayana Buddhism and
Theravada Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is common in Tibet, China,
Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. It emphasizes the role models
of bodhisattvas (beings that have achieved enlightenment but return to teach
humans). Theravada Buddhism is common in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand,
Laos, and Burma (Myanmar). It emphasizes a monastic lifestyle and
meditation as the way to enlightenment.

Buddhism has been a controversial religion. The head of the Tibetan

school of Buddhism and traditional leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, fled from
China-controlled Tibet in 1959 to India in fear of his life. Many Tibetan
Buddhists actively resist Chinese control of the region. Recently, the current
Dalai Lama, who is understood to be the fourteenth reincarnation of the first
Dalai Lama, has raised questions over whether and where he will choose to
reincarnate.

38
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GLOBALIZATION AND RELIGION

Religion and globalization

persistently engage in a
flexible relationship in which
the former relies on the latter in
order to thrive and flourish
while at the same time
challenging it’s (globalization’s)
hybridizing effects. (Monaim El
Azzouzi, 2013)

39
 GLOBALIZATION AND RELIGION ONE WITH POSSIBILITIES

1.Globalization helps to increase greater religious tolerance and

acceptance of other culture and religion that enhances our mind,
knowledge etc.

With globalization religion becomes a culture of pluralism that teach us to

respect of other religions. In one country, people from different religions live in
harmony and peace and also respect one another. Media and technology play
an important role to spread the ideas of every religion so that people can know
about every religion and can choose the right path of their life. For example-
websites provides opportunities to contact with others worldwide and gives
information and explanations about different religions regardless of his or her
geographical location so that religious ideas can be spread everywhere.
Through various TV channels, radio, internet etc, religious ideas are
disseminated. Such as, we find various TV channels as Iqrae, Ennass, Majd,
El Houda, Erahma, peace TV etc. as purely religious channels created for the
strengthening and the fortification of Islam. Through media, we can learn about
every religion that enhances and broadens our mind and knowledge. We can
say that globalization increases the capacity to strength, tolerate and respect
for every religion.

2. As globalization brings economic marginalization, many various

religious organizations play an important social role

Such as Catholic Relief Services, World Vision International, and Islamic

Relief Worldwide etc serve many disadvantage areas such as- poverty relief,
health care, the HIV/AIDs crisis, and environment problems etc that draws
massive followers while strengthening religious values and ideas. For
example- In face of political chaos, and crushing poverty, the Africans find the
church is the place they can go for assistance and relief. The Winner’s Church
in Nigeria is one of Africa’s fastest growing churches that help the members
who come for salvation from economic hardship. In this way, many religious
organizations are working in favour of the poor and needy people.

3. Globalization also brings global political forums that try to diminish

cultural, ethnic, ideological and religious differences

While discussing issues such as international peace and security, health,

poverty, environment etc., the UN, WHO, EU, AU, OIC etc organization also
shares basic commitments of religious tradition such as peace, human dignity
and equality, religious freedom, conflict resolution etc. With these political
organizations various religious communities such as the world council of
churches, the Jewish Diaspora, Roman Catholic Church also take part in
international affairs. For example, they have participated in Jubilee 2000 that
was an international effort advocating for canceling third world debt by the
year 2000. They also participated in world faiths development dialogue that

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was an effort of international faith leaders along with the World Bank to support
development agendas corresponding to the UN’s Millennium Development
Goals. Besides this, various religious organizations were involved in interfaith
dialogues such as the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions that provide
an opportunity for assembly members to come to know other spiritual and
religious leaders in ways which could support future collaboration and action
together for peace, the relief of suffering, and the preservation of the planet.In
this way, globalization opens a new door for religion that enhances
cooperation, tolerance and brings new opportunities and possibilities.

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 GLOBALIZATION AND RELIGION FURTHERING CHALLENGES

1. Breaking traditional beliefs as people are more connected with the

world that sometimes weakens their own religious belief.

A survey shows that British people’s religious beliefs are changing. For
example, when they are asked if they believe in God, in response 77% people
answered ‘yes’ in 1968 and 44% said ‘yes’ in 2004. This evidences shows that
religious beliefs are becoming less in Britain.

2. As religious and traditional beliefs are decreasing, the explosion of

new religions is another prominent religious phenomenon in this
globalized world
.
New religions separate themselves from the conventional ones and
develop their own identities. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia,
there are 900 distinct religions and 2 or 3 new religions created every day.
Some study estimated that there are more than 10,000 new religions. In Japan,
estimated number of new religions varies from 800 to a few thousands. Rapid
changes of society escalated by globalization, paves the way for weakening
conventional religion that gave birth of new religion and makes it difficult for
establishing institutes to adjust themselves.

3. Globalization with its consumerism culture brings changes on

women’s dress that sometimes impact negatively.

For example, veil is now becoming popular and is even sought by highly
educated women and those in hi-society circle. In Indonesia, expensive veils
designed by prominent artists, which is influenced by fashion designers in New
York or Paris, can be found in luxurious department stores and has become
the symbol of high social status. In other word, expensive veils and Islamic
dress have been transformed into commodities for consumption by middle
class, in similar fashion as branded names. This is undoubtedly the effect of
consumerism which is conveyed through globalisation. Here, we can see that
veil is used for fashion that weakens its religious beliefs. Because religion is
regarded as a spiritual matter while consumerism is about materialism.

4. Globalization causes Mental Stress

In this globalised world, under the influence of consumer culture,

achievement and material prosperity has become the aim of life while inner
peace is ignored. Here, globalisation causes mental stress because as it
favours material prosperity, sometimes individuals focus on attaining some
material possession such as a house, car, wealth, or simply any object that
hamper their inner peace by undermining religious ideas and perspectives.

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5. Religious Terrorism

It is a terrorism that is carried out based on motivations and goals that

have a predominantly religious character or influence. As world is connected
because of globalization, people can spread their ideas and beliefs on
everywhere and often by inspiring those ideas, people come up together in
order to fulfil their purpose in the name of religion that often causes terrorist
activities. Terrorism activities worldwide are supported through not only the
organised systems that teach holy war as the highest calling, but also through
the legal, illegal, and often indirect methods financing these systems. These
sometimes use organisations, including charities in order to mobilize or
channel sources of funds.

Charities can involve the provision of aid to those in needs and charitable
offerings are fundamental to nearly all religious systems, with sacrifice as a
furtherance of the custom. After the 9/ 11 attacks, terrorism becomes one of
the major challenges in this globalised world. As a result, U.S. President
George W. Bush first used the term “War on Terror” on 20 September 2001 in
order to counter the terrorism. In recent time, we see emergence of ISIS,
whose aim is to protect Islam. This group continues killing on purely religious
grounds but Islam or other religion not permit anyone for such types of killing
and terrorist attack. Here, religion is used negatively.

In this way, globalisation brings challenges and negative impacts on

religion. With the advancement of technology, media and the free flow of
information, people are losing their own religious values and terror groups
have used their political agendas by using religion as a tool to fulfil their
political gains.

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CONCLUSION

Finally, we can see that the relationship between globalization and religion
is a complex issue as it has brought both new possibilities and furthering
challenges. So, from the above analysis we can see that globalization
enhances both positive and negative aspects of religion. As media and
technology in one hand spread religious ideas and teach to respect other
religions, they also cause breaking religious ties that give birth to new religions
or sometimes makes people ‘infidel’ or ‘irreligious’ and also causes terrorist
activities in the name of protecting their own religion, values and beliefs. Every
religion has its own beliefs, values, perspectives and ideas in order to make
human life better, to choose the right path, to enrich our knowledge, to give
courage, to avoid wrong activities etc. Though the differences among various
religion, we should remember that every religions teaches the common thing
that non-violence, harmony and peace among every people, no discrimination
with each other, to respect every religion, behave cordially, to help not fight, to
bring unity and justice, to bring equality and freedom, human dignity etc. We
should take good always and avoid bad. In this way, we can minimize the
challenges of religion and globalization and can bring the culture of peace and
harmony.

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 GLOBAL CITY
By: Kadusale Mary Grace C.

THE GLOBAL CITY

Globalization occurs in places where a mass of people work live in cities.

However, for a city to achieve the title of being global, it must have values and
ideas that will have are impact on the rest of the world.
Global City has wealth, power, and influence to other countries as well as
hosts the largest capital markets.
 A city that has wealthy multinational companies, good infrastructure, as
well as good political structure that are linked to the other parts of world
like nowhere else, is considered to be global.
 A city is also the world’s most important and influential city that covers the
dimensions of globalization.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GLOBAL CITY

 A global city refers to diversified and open society.

 It is a harmonious and tolerant society that shows respect to the other
cultures.
 With a large flow of information, citizens may have access to all
information across the world.

HOW IS THE POWER OF GLOBAL CITY MEASURED?

 Economy

 Research and Development

 Cultural Interaction

 Livability

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 Environment

 Accessibility

TOP 10 MOST COUNTRIES CITIES IN THE WORLD (2018 GPCI)

 London

 New York

 Tokyo

 Paris

 Singapore

 Amsterdam

 Seoul

 Berlin

 Hongkong

 Sydney

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 THE DOWNSIDE OF GLOBAL CITIES

 The high cost of housing

 Long working hours

 Competitive and precarious labor market

 Residential hyper-mobility

 Long commuting times and

 Multiculturalism due to diversity of neighbors

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