Religious Response to the Tsunami

1
Religious Response to the Tsunami

• The December 2004 Tsunami affected people of
  many religious backgrounds. How did the
  followers of these diverse religions of Buddhism,
  Islam, and Hinduism respond to such a
  catastrophic event?

2
Buddhism

• Siddhartha Gautama, the Enlightened One, started
  the religion in 5th Century BCE India.
• Until nirvana, enlightenment, is attained, the
  soul of the person goes through reincarnation
  while the body is cremated.
• To the Buddhist, life on Earth is a temporary
  existence in which suffering is accepted as a
  part of it. True existence is in the Afterlife,
  once nirvana is achieved.

3
Islam

• In the 6th Century CE, Muhammad received the
  Quran and began to preach the Islamic faith.
• Muslims believe that death is the inevitable
  instance when the human soul will be rejoined and
  judged by Allah.
• Upon death, the Muslim confesses his or her sins,
  recites the shahada and is washed and buried once
  he or she has passed.

4
Hinduism

• In the ancient tradition of Hinduism, death is
  seen as part of the journey to the Afterlife.
• Places such as Heaven and Hell do not exist in
  the Afterlife, they exist in the soul, which is
  reincarnated until it has achieved reattachment
  to the Divine.

5
Southeast Asian Religious Response

• After the tsunami disaster, I know my faith is
  getting stronger, because I see all disaster,
  its a sign of the power of God. -Rully, a
  student in Banda Aceh
• To us it seems very big, but when people sweep
  their driveway they kill hundreds of ants without
  calling it a tsunami. That kind of suffering and
  turbulence are happening all the time, and
  Buddha's explanation is purification of negative
  karma. It is not the karma of those individuals
  or punishment by a super-being."
  -Buddhist leader Venerable Lama Choedak Rinpoche
• "From the Hindu point of view, our soul is
  eternal and through its many lives on Earth
  undergoes a variety of experiences, many joyful
  others sorrowful, but benefits spiritually from
  all experience, whether seemingly good or bad."
  -Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

6
Global Religious Response

• Catholic Relief Services has established a five
  year, 188 million plan to continue emergency
  services in areas affected by the Southeast Asia
  Tsunami of 2004. They have provided shelter and
  reconstruction emergency assistance restoration
  of livelihoods education and child protection
  water and sanitation and health.
• After the Southeast Asia Tsunami, the Union for
  Reform Judaism established a Disaster Relief Fund
  that has sent over 1 Million to help in relief
  efforts. This same fund also provides monetary
  sustenance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
• The Church of Scientology has sent members of
  their Emergency Response Team to the region to
  assist people in refugee camps who sustained
  injuries from the Tsunami.

7
Conclusions

• Each of the major three religions of Southeast
  Asia have different beliefs concerning death and
  dying. These beliefs, however, are connected by
  the need to mourn loss and realize that death is
  not finite, but is a different existence.
• The Tsunami prompted a world-wide response from
  people of many different faiths. Money and
  relief workers were sent from many different
  religious organizations from all parts of the
  world to assist those affected by such a profound
  loss.

8
Sources

• http//www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/bodhinat
  ha/talks/tsunami_2004_response.shtml
• http//www.crs.org/about_us/newsroom/press_release
  s/releases.cfm?ID327
• http//urj.org/give/
• http//religionnewsblog.com
• http//csmonitor.com
• http//chrenkoff.blogspot.com/2005/01/tuesday-tsun
  ami-update.html