Buddhism’s main concept is that life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but freedom from suffering is possible by cultivating compassion and recognizing the impermanence of life. Being non-theistic, Buddhists believe in no God, but follow the teachings of The Buddha (named Siddhartha Gautama). The Buddha was an Indian prince turned wandering teacher who achieved enlightenment through meditation in the fifth or sixth century B.C.E. Dharma, or the teachings of the Buddha, is a Sanskrit word, also translated as Dhamma in Pali, the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhists. 

There are different emphases of the Buddha and his teachings. Buddhism initially rose as a reaction against the stricter social caste and impersonality of society at the time. In the time of the Buddha, he famously achieved enlightenment after meditating for six years and then finally he sat under a tree near Bodhgaya, around modern-day Northeastern India.

Theravada Buddhism is practiced generally in Southeast Asian countries like Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, as well as Sri Lanka. This lens looks at the Buddha as a historical person who was not divine but still achieved enlightenment through resilience. 

In Mahayana Buddhism, which is practiced all over Eastern Asia, the Buddha becomes more of a divine and transcendent being who is a source of compassion for all beings. Vajrayana Buddhism is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism and is affiliated with practitioners in Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan generally. Zen Buddhism is another branch of Mahayana that is practiced in Japan and is focused on meditation.

The vast majority of Buddhists aren’t monks and mainly follow the Five Precepts. These are guidelines structured for Buddhist “lay people,” while monks have many more rules and generally live in monasteries. This includes: a commitment to abstain from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication. Buddhists also follow the Eightfold Path, which guides the path toward liberation from suffering.

Khenpo Tenzin Karze is a Buddhist monk who was born in Tibet and spoke with Mr. Joy’s class on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. Dressed in the notable red monastic robes, he described running away from home when he was 13 years old as a complicated decision. He ventured through the Himalayas from Tibet to Southern India, where he would eventually study as a monk in the famous Namdroling Monastery. He speaks Tibetan, Hindi and Nepali and is working toward fluency in English through courses at Montgomery College.

He did stay in contact with his family and recalled from his time living in India that he received a letter in 1993 from his father notifying him of the passing of his older brother back home, but the letter was dated 1991. In his childhood, he and his friends would often walk through the Himalayas toward the city of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet (which has not been a sovereign country since its annexation by China in 1951), as a fun game or challenge. 

When asked if there is something he’s done that he regrets, Karze narrated a childhood story where he once used a slingshot to kill a bird while playing a game with friends. On technology, Karze highlighted the importance of being skeptical of misleading news or information, especially with the abundance of technology that is flooding us today. Karze is now with the Kunzang Palyul Choling temple in Poolesville, Maryland. 

“People in this world need to connect each other through good intention… toward all sentient beings,” Karze said. “That is the main goal Buddhism practices.”

As the father of the Abrahamic religions, Abraham embraced a life worshipping one God that revealed Himself to him, which was unheard of at the time, save for Zoroastrianism. Abraham and his family tree would then pave the way for monumentally influential biblical figures that shaped both Christianity and Islam, but first, Judaism. 

Rabbi Corey Helfand from the Ohr Kodesh Congregation in Chevy Chase visited on December 3, 2024. Unique from other speakers, Helfand gathered students by a table in the front of the classroom to look directly at the Torah scroll, posing as many questions toward us as we asked of him. 

“Part of the rich history that dates back thousands of years is a reminder of how to perpetuate holiness in the world through the words that we speak and through the deeds that we act,” Helfand said. “I think that is a really important way of understanding what it means to begin a relationship both with understanding the faith and also in bringing people of different faiths together.”

The Hebrew Patriarchs were Abraham, his son Isaac and Isaac’s son Jacob, and they are seen as the ancestors of the first Jews. Jacob’s son Joseph was a powerful leader in Egypt (as seen in the movie watched in class: “Joseph: King of Dreams), but after his death, the Israelites (an ancient tribe which Jews originate from) in Egypt became enslaved by the new Egyptian Pharaoh. After about 400 years in Egypt, and about 200 of those spent in slavery, the prophet Moses led the Israelites to escape. This story is told in the Book of Exodus, the second book of the Bible, and commemorated every year through the holiday Passover.

Passover is celebrated with a meal called a seder and was what was taking place during the famous last supper of Jesus and his disciples. Yom Kippur is the holiest holiday in Judaism because of its focus on repentance of sins. It occurs after the 10 days of repentance following Rosh Hashanah, which marks the Jewish New Year. 

Jews read and adhere to the Tanakh (also called the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament), which includes the Torah, the first Five Books of Moses and the 10 Commandments that Moses received from God on Mount Sinai. As a Rabbi, Helfand leads his congregation in readings of the Torah every week, following traditional practices: keeping the Torah in an ark, an ornate cabinet at the front of the synagogue (Jewish place of worship); and reading the Torah with a pointer called a “yad,” which protects the writing and material of the Torah, which is made from the skins of a kosher animal. 

Jews follow the laws of kashrut, which are dietary laws. Keeping kosher includes rules like prayers, cleaning before eating, and forbidding mixing meat and dairy as well as all pork. Jews also follow the Oral Torah which is a body of law and tradition passed down through rabbis, spiritual leaders who guide their Jewish communities, then compiled in written form in the Talmud. As the direct word of God, the Torah is the most important and well-studied holy book in Judaism. It advises Jews to not only love and serve God but treat others with love and compassion. 

“One of the things that people should know about being Jewish is that at its core, it’s about relationships with God and with one another through love and through kindness,” Helfand said.

To become a Muslim, one must believe in the core principles of Islam, which include the core Five Pillars. The first pillar of Islam is The Shahada, which one must sincerely recite. It is a profession of faith spoken in Arabic, which means “there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” After reciting The Shahada, one becomes a Muslim.

The second pillar of Islam is Salat, praying five times a day. Since Muhammad, all Muslims pray five times a day in the direction of the Kaaba, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The third pillar is Zakat, which is a mandatory donation (for those who can) to the poor meant to purify your heart and wealth. The fourth pillar is Sawm, the act of fasting during Ramadan, a one-month holiday that rotates around the year to cleanse the mind, body, and soul. Those who fast develop higher consciousness and mindfulness of God. Ramadan this year ended on March 29, 2025. The final pillar of Islam is the Hajj or Pilgrimage to Mecca for Muslims who can.

Muslims follow the Qur’an, which is the direct word from God that was revealed to Muhammad ﷺ, who is revered as the last prophet and messenger of God, following Abraham and Jesus before him. The word “Allah” is the Arabic word for God, and the word “Muslim” in Arabic means “one who submits” (to the will of Allah). 

Tanzila Malik and Esha Bhatti from the Bait-ur-Rahman Mosque in Silver Spring, an Ahmadiyya Muslim community, spoke on Jan. 14, 2025. Both of them being Maryland college students, they spoke on the choice to wear hijab in a country where they can have that choice and represent their faith. 

“We [humans] can’t judge anybody. At the end of the day, God is the ultimate judge… someone who is a non-hijabi could have stronger faith than I do,” Malik said. “We just teach to love each other, be forgiving [and] patient, all kinds of things.”

Ahmadiyya Islam is a minority sect within Islam that is persecuted across the world, including in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan, where the largest population of Ahmadis lives. The key belief difference in Ahmadiyya Islam is that the second coming of the Messiah has already come with the Indian religious leader Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in the late nineteenth century. 

“I would emphasize that we don’t believe only Muslims go to heaven,” Bhatti said. “If you follow Christianity or Judaism… or your moral belief system to the book, then you can also be saved or attain salvation.”

The word Sikh means “student,” coming from the Punjabi language (derived from Sanskrit) which is spoken primarily in the Northern Indian and Pakistani states of Punjab. Sikhs follow the teaching of Guru Nanak, who founded the Sikh religion around the year 1500 C.E. A monotheistic faith, Sikhs believe in the oneness of God; dedicate themselves to seva, or acts of selfless service; and live a life of integrity and honesty. Sikhs often chant the name of God, Waheguru, as a form of meditation and spiritual importance, reminding themselves of the presence of God.

While the Punjab region, both 600 years ago and today, is surrounded by large Muslim and Hindu populations (modern-day India and Pakistan), Sikhism is not derived from any other pre-existing faith, though some cultural elements may be similar. The eternal Guru of the Sikhs is the Guru Granth Sahib, which is their holy scripture and compiles the teachings of the ten human gurus who were alive from the years 1469 to 1708. 

There is no inherent meaning behind the choice of turban color that Sikh men and some women wear to cover their uncut hair, following one of the five symbols of Sikhism, which makes Sikhs externally distinguishable and internally devoted. When a Sikh boy reaches the age of 11 or 12, they have a turban-tying ceremony by an elder, then they tie their turbans after. 

The concept of uncut hair is called kesh, and Sikhs keep a comb called a kangha. Sikhs also wear an undergarment called a kachera and a steel bracelet called a kara, representing the circle of life and the eternality of God. The last item is a small sword called a kirpan, which Sikhs carry as a symbol of their duty as warriors to defend the weak and oppressed.

Another way Sikhs protect others is through the concept of seva, which is embodied in the Sikh place of worship, the gurdwara. The largest free soup kitchen in the world is a gurdwara named the Sri Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple, located in Punjab, India. Gurdwara serves langar, which is a free community meal served to anyone who needs it, especially those who are unable to find food.

One of the holidays Sikhs observe is called Vaisakhi, a harvest festival celebrated by both Hindus and Sikhs. Sikhs honor the founding of the Khalsa Panth in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh, the last Guru of the Sikhs. During the celebration of Vaisakhi, one of the vital elements is Bhangra, a traditional form of dance that is part of Punjabi culture.