...Activity: “Spirit Season” Spirit season is a school event that lasts 3 consecutive months. Each month will have a variety of different religions from a single geographical region participate in the event. Each month will represent a distinct geographical region. For example, each month will be: the eastern religions, the middle-eastern religions, and the western religions (aboriginal religions) respectively. Within the first month, the eastern religions, the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Sikhism, and etc. could participate. The end goal or product is to “make-over” the entire school so that it provides the cultural “feel” of the region of the month. This could be done visually, audibly, or in another way that appeals to the senses.For example, when Western religion is the region of the month, the group will decorate the school with accessories, items, or other material that is from the aboriginal culture (since the aboriginal religion is of the western hemisphere). This make-over should include all religions each region includes. Prior to the event, several visual, musical and performing arts classes could be notified of the events. They would then lend their services to making this event possible. The food prep, business, religion, history, construction classes and any student could also volunteer to help assist with the event. Once the volunteer group and the arts classes are chosen, several dates are chosen for these groups to attend and discuss ideas and form...
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...Blue Jean Buddha: Voices of Young Buddhists The book Blue Jean Buddha: Voices of Young Buddhists is a collection of testimonials from practicing young adults in North America edited by Sumi Loundon. It takes an interesting approach to Western Buddhism, divided in four parts being lessons, life stories, livelihood and personal reflections by the editor. It explains first-hand the overcoming of struggles and barriers faced by modern Buddhists on their everyday path to enlightenment. The stories of the young North American Buddhists vary from Lillian Guild’s search for a relationship with a strong religious foundation to Elijah Ary’s duty of bridging the Eastern and Western Buddhist worlds. As seen in lectures, Elijah Ary is a tulku, a reincarnation of a popular Tibetan Buddhist monk, and the only one ever born in the Western world (ever to be confirmed by the Dalai Lama). Another testimonial is entitled “I’m a Mutt” by Hanuman Goleman, a self-proclaimed “Bu-Hin-Chris-Jew”. Goleman explains his choice to focus on his Buddhist way of life, while remaining conscious and respectful of other faiths. Like Ary, Goleman was born to a Jewish father and Christian mother who later converted to a major Eastern religion (Hinduism at first, in contrast to Ary’s Buddhism). I found it interesting to see two men from such similar roots overcome great diversity and pursue the same faith with much different paths. Unlike Ary, Goleman was under no pressure to pursue his faith studies in traditional...
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...ISLAM AND BUDDIHSM There are many religions in the world among them we have three broad main religions namely: Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Christianity is the most common religion all over the world. Here, I am going to discuss about the Buddhism and Islam. Buddhism is one of the leading world religions in terms of adherents, geographical distribution, and socio-cultural influence. While largely an “Eastern” religion, it is becoming increasingly popular and influential in the Western world. It is a unique world religion in its own right, though it has much in common with Hinduism in that both teach Karma (cause-and-effect ethics), Maya (the illusory nature of the world), and Samsara (the cycle of reincarnation). Buddhists believe that the ultimate goal in life is to achieve “enlightenment” as they perceive it. Buddhists believe that Siddhartha Gautama, who lived about 2,500 years ago in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, experienced a deep realization about life and became enlightened while meditating under a bodhi tree. He became known as "the Buddha" and taught that all human beings contain the seed of enlightenment, a deep understanding about life that can be achieved in a single lifetime Islam was founded in 622 by Mohamed, a prophet of Medina. Its is a faith that was taught by prophets such as Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Noah and Jesus. Mohammed was the last prophet and his role was to formalize and clarify the faith and purify it by removing believes which...
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...The practice of meditation is central to the Buddhist tradition and is considered to be one of the essential Buddhist practices for reaching enlightenment. History tells us that meditation was a necessary component of the Buddha’s life and his search for liberation from suffering. Rahula (1978 p, 67) argues that the Buddha’s teachings on meditation had the aim of ‘producing a state of perfect mental health, equilibrium and tranquillity’. However, Rahula (1978) also states, that the Buddha’s teachings on meditation were the most misunderstood of all his teachings. Although the origins of meditation are not easy to trace, Friedlander (2002 p. 37) suggests that they may predate proto-history. There are varying methods of meditation practice found in different cultures and the western and eastern concepts of meditation vary greatly. For this reason, Friedlander (2002, p. 15) argues that ‘we may need to explore the meaning of meditation within the context that it is found’. This essay will explore the meaning of meditation and discuss the relationship between meditation, prayer and ritual. Meditation is an ancient, personal spiritual practice which has evolved from early Indian culture and it may be plausible to suggest that the practice of meditation developed from the ecstatic trances associated with shamanistic religions (Friedlander 2002). There are various techniques of meditation such as breath control, mantras and single-pointed concentration. Meditation is a practice...
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...surrounding these two groups. The Asian culture is very colorful, fascinating, and dynamic. Buddhism is a religion based on spiritualism and the development of one's spiritual growth toward enlightenment. Even though my culture is not Asian, and Buddhism is not my chosen religion, I do find the discipline, art, and the adherence to traditional values kindred to my own. I also find the Buddhist practice of meditation relaxing and very effective at calming one's mind and in refocusing your energy. Over the course of this paper, I will offer a brief insight into the religious and cultural similarities and differences between the Buddhist religion, the Asian culture, and the rest of the world, as well as the discrimination endured by both. Buddhism: Similarities, Differences, and Discrimination The Buddhist religion is unique because they do not worship a deity, as other faiths do. Buddhist followers believe that each being shall reach enlightenment without the guidance of a God or Gods (BBC Online Services, 2014). Contrary to what most people think or believe, Buddha was not a "god", but a teacher. The teachings of Buddha were merely the path toward Nirvana. The decision to make the journey toward enlightenment, being left up to each Buddhist follower. The Buddhist belief focuses on the life after death, and tolerance through love and non-violence. The Buddhist belief is that if you live a good life while on Earth, your afterlife will be even...
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...different religions, especially those of a Middle Eastern origin, can affect foreign politics in ways we may not even realize, at first. When members of the Senate, Congress, or even the President himself, visit with politicians and diplomats from the Middle East, they are first schooled on some basic rules involving such interactions. Many things that may be considered acceptable by Christian beliefs, or, by those of an American origin, could be at best, misunderstood, and, at worst, considered offensive to some Buddhists, or Middle Easterners. Even simple things such as the way you greet someone with a handshake or a hug, may be inappropriate in certain company. Also things as small as a hand gesture like a thumbs up, can me misconstrued as something else by one who is not accustomed to our traditions. When considering foreign policy, one must also remember that the roles women play in American politics may not be considered commonplace by other religious beliefs or cultures. In America, it is not uncommon for a female to hold a high government office. While those of Buddhism, Hindu, and other such beliefs may be respectful of this in American and Christian ways, it is almost unheard of by their core traditional practices and rules. Why these types of things may not be considered major issues in the grand scheme of World politics, never the less, they are things that must be remembered and respected. In terms of the societal impact of Buddhism and other Middle Eastern Religions...
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...in Eastern Religions Contemporary Issues in Eastern Religions Common Characteristics between Buddhism and Hinduism Buddhism is closely related to Hinduism, they both share some important beliefs. They both believe in reincarnation and the cycle of samsara - birth, life, death, and rebirth - and in the influence of karma on the circumstances into which you will be born in the next life. They both believe that the ultimate end is to escape from the cycle of rebirth. However, they are quite different in some very fundamental ways. For Hindus, there is an eternal soul that does not change, in essentials, from life to life. The material bodies it inhabits are like clothes. Buddhists believe that there is no core soul - that your experiences, actions, and intentions (your karma) constantly act upon you and you are constantly changing in response, so that the cycle of samsara is a long process of becoming. They also have different beliefs regarding the escape from the cycle of reincarnation. For Buddhists, achieving enlightenment, seeing the true nature of phenomenon and of oneself, eliminating all craving and desire releases you from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. For Hindus, realizing the oneness of existence, achieving mental peace or perfect unselfishness, perfect detachment from the world, or perfect knowledge of oneself, or the realization of unity with god releases you from the cycle of rebirth. As it relates to salvation, Buddhist believe...
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...Comparative Religion Final Exam 3. Compare the ways that Eastern and Western religions deal with the animal world. To what extent do these practices reflect a respect for life? Western revealed religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, human nature has a set of external checks and balances. Eastern religions, such as Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, more focus on improving the self-cultivation. Human beings should be kings upon the animals’ world in western religions. When God created the real world, God created animals, but all the animals don’t have the intelligence, but the human beings have the intelligence, so God created human, let them control the animals’ world. Because only people worship their God, only people can communicate with the God. People always use the animals to offer up a sacrifice in these three religions. In eastern religions, people are living with all the animals, and all the human beings and animals need to be focus the rule “coming again and again”. In Buddhism, Buddhists pursue nirvana and assert that Elysium is the final destination, so people cannot kill the animals, just because they are all have life, everything which was alive, that cannot be killed, should be respected. In Taoism, Lao Tzu said, “when people was born, they are so kind.” So in these three religions in eastern, people always respect the animals, and make a balance of the nature world. In eastern religions, they believe in saints’ conscientious. But in western...
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...Women Status and Eastern Religions The Eastern religions are a major part of the world religions. They have a significant influence on the women status. We will try to examine Korea’s Shamanism, Japan’s Shintoism, and India’s Buddhism and attempt to see how women status be change throughout the course of the time. Since two thousand five hundred BCE, Shamanism is an indigenous religion in Korea. Shaman is a medium between the physical and spiritual worlds. Typically, Shamans are mostly women. They are responsible to contact spirits, to obtain wisdom, guidance, future knowledge, healing cures, and good fortune. In order to becoming a Shaman, there are three steps. First, one is called to be a Shaman. One cannot be a Shaman by one’s will and need to be chosen. Second, one will first experience a lot of suffering. For example, one will have illness, madness, poverty, family issues. Third, one will experience spontaneous prophecy and trances. If the one refuse the call, one will suffer more illness and misfortune. If the one accept the call, it will lead to relief of the suffering. If the woman is in a marriage, the marriage tends to dissolve. Shaman bonds with other shaman. The young shaman will get train by the older shaman. After the initiation ceremony, prophecies will come pouring out of the new Shaman. She is able to make a living. She will provide wisdom from the spirits: great mother spirit, deceased ancestors (clan leader individual). Primary...
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...Eastern Educational Philosophies Abstract Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism are compared for historical, ideology, and epistemology, searching for Eastern Philosophy compatible to Western Philosophy. A research for possible influences on Education of Philosophy discovered that it was impossible to bring comparisons and even difficult to separate them into the key issues. Colonialism and Nationalism brings the two philosophies together. Even though the Western mindset can appreciate the fascination concepts it may be impossible to blend East and West. However, it is possible to juxtapose the very different philosophies as it may be represented in the arts. Even Western Philosopher who have been influenced by Eastern Philosophy, it is reasonable to believe it is the philosophers attempt to interpret Eastern Philosophy. However, it is impossible to replicate it. Instead the product is a hybrid and independent of either East or West. Eastern Educational Philosophies Eastern philosophy has a long and varied history. Asian ideas are among the oldest in the world. Great thinkers of the East have developed sophisticated cultural and political systems that have influenced other religions as well as western philosophy. This paper will examine ideological, epistemological, and historical differences in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Ways in which these philosophies have shaped higher education theory and practice are of major importance to educators. ...
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...The Umbrella of Buddhism The never-ending debate amongst scholars on whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy is not a debate on Buddhism – it is an artificial debate on our biases and heuristics regarding religion and philosophy. The fastidious dichotomy between religion and philosophy that we insist on today did not exist in western civilization until the around the eighteenth century, and there never existed such a dichotomy in eastern civilization [CITE]. To insist that Buddhism must be clearly defined as one thing and not the other amounts to forcing an ancient product into modern packaging. In fundamental Buddhist philosophy, this sort of conceptual categorizing is considered avidyā (state of ignorance or delusion), which is considered one of the causes of all suffering and a barrier to enlightenment (Keown and Prebish 269). Without realizing it, we use preconceived notions about ourselves and about the world around us in order to divide up and break down everything we learn and experience. The first step in the Eightfold Path, one of the most principal teachings of the Buddha, is to cast aside these divisions in our minds so that we may see the true nature of the world (Keown and Prebish 338). In the same way, we must cast aside all of our definitions, labels, and classifications surrounding Buddhism in order to see its true nature. It goes beyond being just a religion or a philosophy. It is a personal, authentic way of being in the world and it encompasses everything...
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...For as long as man has been on this earth, one of the most popular questions without a set answer has been, what happens after we die? Each culture, religion, organization, and any other group of people have had their own views about this subject. One specific answer to this question is reincarnation. The simple version of reincarnation is being re-born. When one dies, they lose their physical being, but their soul lives on into another being according to the Buddhists. The western world has traditionally been quick to dismiss the idea of reincarnation. They do not believe it is possible for someone to be reborn into a new body. The Eastern part of the world has constantly believed in reincarnation. Four million Buddhists, Hindus and other cultures have believed in reincarnation. Although the western world has had growing number of people, it is still overlooked. Reincarnation should not be disregarded so easily however. There is vast evidence of reincarnation beliefs in every period of time, so it is not some notion that was recently just made up for comfort or stability. There are many stories of people who can remember vivid details of their former lives, and even biological evidence such as birthmarks that are a result of an injury in a prior life. Reincarnation can also be a good explanation for child geniuses like Mozart, and even the current Dali Llama. After considering all the evidence and logical reasons reincarnation can be true, it would be hard to still refute it...
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...into, it is almost certain that they have faced difficult choices regarding their beliefs, culture, and well-being. They have also faced scrutiny and discrimination from other groups. How they have adapted and persevered during these times contributes to their cultural history. Buddhism is a religion practiced by nearly 300 million people around the world, but is a little known religion to westerners. It is gaining popularity in western countries because its philosophies lend to the minimalistic trends that are becoming popular in America. More than just a religion, Buddhism differs from other religions because does not worship idols or gods, instead it is designed to teach its followers a deep understanding of the human mind, and to find the path to enlightenment. Another unique characteristic of Buddhism is that it has historically been a tolerant religion, which cannot be said for most other religions. Buddhism agrees with the moral teachings of other religions but Buddhism goes further by providing a long-term purpose within our existence, through wisdom and true understanding. Real Buddhism is very tolerant and not concerned with labels like 'Christian', 'Moslem', 'Hindu' or 'Buddhist'; that is why there have never been any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why...
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...the most debated issues for thousands of years as different individuals have different views on death depending on religions, culture, personal belief and medical profession. Basically, in medical terms death is defined as the termination of all the vital functions that supports a living organism (Godbole 2009). The answer as to whether there is life after death is simply a question of faith for some individuals. Religions generally interpret death as the death of the body and not of the soul. To this day, there is no precise answer to this issue and over the centuries experts have tried to explore and unravel the mysteries of this complicated or rather confusing phenomenon but have failed to arrive at a concrete conclusion. It has long been established that the Western and Eastern society have very different views on death that have been developed over the centuries. In the Western society, death is viewed as something that is permanent and emphasized the notion of Heaven and Hell. Heaven is conceptualized as a place of eternal bliss or happiness after death and Hell is depicted as a place where souls are continuously tortured or punished by creatures of Hell called demons. The entrance to either of these places relies on the deed or sins that have been committed in one’s life. Christianity is one of the many religions that view death in this concept. The Eastern society, as an...
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...Sociology Report — Religion — Date: 3rd December 2014 Contents 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………..3 2. 3 Perspectives………………………...……………………………….4 Functionalist perspective Conflict perspective Feminist perspective 3. Muslim in Cham tribe in Vietnam…...……………………………. 4. Mahayana Buddhism...……………………………………………... Buddhism Mahayana Buddhism in Korea and Vietnam Differences in Mahayana Buddhism of Korea and Vietnam Trend towards Buddhism in Western countries 5. References………….......……………………………………………. 1. Introduction A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence. According to some estimates, there are roughly 4,200 religions in the world. The five largest religious groups by world population, estimated to account for 5 billion people, are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. There are some functions of religion. Firstly, it gives explanation for things that we do not understand such as seasons and supernatural things. So many religions have narratives, symbols, and sacred histories that are intended to explain the meaning of life and/or to explain the origin of life or the Universe. Secondly, it provides sense of morality and ethics. It sets the guideline for people to behave in right ways. Lastly, it supports people to have power to overcome. Religion often courage people and give strengths. That is why people seek religion when they are depressed...
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