Week 4 Assignment Religious and Ethnic Groups Paper
Kevin M. Ford
ETH-125
9/22/2013
Tamira Moon

Week 4 Assignment Religious and Ethnic Groups Paper
Throughout time, individuals have been classified into distinguishable groups based on many characteristics like physical appearance, ethnicity, religious beliefs, region of origin, and economic status. The intent of this paper is to provide background on how these groups are differ from each other, how they interact with each other, and what these groups have contributed to American culture. Whatever the classification people may fall 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 Buddhists do not preach and try to convert, only explain if an explanation is sought (White & Dhammika, 1993). Some have held the view that Buddhism is a philosophy, but the Buddha did not preach mere philosophical or intellectual theories. The Dharma (Buddha’s teachings) deals with reality and truths that can be verified by personal experience.
Buddhists have long been the target of violence at the hands of other religions because in their peaceful beliefs they are viewed as easy targets. Through all this, most Buddhists remain peaceful and follow the teachings of Buddha. For the most part because of their tolerance of all other religious beliefs and teachings, Buddhists have been able to avoid much of the conflict the other religions have faced over time.
Many Buddhist concepts and terms have made their way into American culture including "Karma" which is referred to in the sense of "fate." As touched on earlier the Buddhists beliefs and concepts of materialistic processions and wealth have influenced the trend of minimalism in America. Similar to the Dharma, the minimalistic trend in America focuses on life experiences, evaluation, and value in people and environment around you. Through minimalism, you are able to achieve wealth, not only monetarily, but spiritually as well.
Since the days of Buddha's ministry over 2,500 years ago, there have been attempts by non-Buddhists to destroy the Dharma of wisdom and compassion. In the 10th century, as the result of the Muslim invasion of what is modern day Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, the Buddhist religion was viciously wiped out in an act of virtual genocide. In Tibet, the Dharma continues to be brutally oppressed since the Chinese invasion in the 1950s. In North Korea, the Dharma has been effectively exterminated since the 1950s due to the hard line communist government. In the 1990s, in South Korea, the Buddhist faith has seen intimidation, vandalism of temples and the murder of monks by Catholics. In Kampuchea during the 1970s, the Marxist Pol Pot regime exterminated most of Buddhist clergy.
Similarly, to specific religions, ethnic groups have faced the same situations and circumstances between other ethnic groups and environments they have found themselves. Building on Buddhism, which is one of the largest religions of Asians, people of Asian ethnic decent is one of the oldest groups on earth. They have experienced a great deal as an Ethnicity and have made great contributions to the American culture.
The Asian population is diverse and immense in numbers and land area. They also practice a variety of religions including the mention Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Confucianism, Islam, and Catholicism. This fact alone demonstrates that within their own ethnic group you have religions that have battle each other over beliefs, geography, and dominance.
American Asians comprise one of the fastest growing groups in North America. They are highly diverse, including dozens of ethnicities and languages; these include individuals from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Laotian, Philippine, Thai, and Vietnamese ancestry (Diversity: Understanding and Teaching Diverse Students, 2013). The first Asian immigrants found their way to America in the 1840's and were simple laborers in factories, mines, and working on railroad construction. These immigrants faced many hardships and were not granted citizenship, even if their children were born in the United States. Like many other ethnicities who immigrated to America, this exclusion forced Asians, who found comfort in, to form their own communities where they could be self-sufficient. These situations did not improve dramatically until after World War II. Even during the war, Asians and Asian Americans found themselves in isolation camps, where they were forced to live, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This was at the hands of their own American government. Asians also faced issues of maintaining their cultural heritage while assimilating into American culture. Asian culture emphasizes family above all; you commonly hear them teaching their children about not bringing shame on the family. This is slightly contrary to American ideals where respect is individualized.
Asians have made impactful contributions to American culture, from the introduction of eastern religions like Buddhism, to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Even in times of war. During World War II, the U.S. had segregated Air Force units, one of which was entirely made up from Japanese Americans who showed their patriotism for their country, even though some Japanese Americans were forced to inhabit containment camps based on their ethnicity.
In conclusion, researching other religious and ethnic groups can be an eye opening experience and it gives you a better understanding of different perspectives, points of view, and beliefs and teachings. People are always going to find a way to classify and group other people together there is no way to control that. What can be controlled is the response people have to theses classifications and treating people unequally because of this grouping. What you can take away from this enlightenment is up to you, but the general trend seems to be that new and "strange" cultures tend to take a lot of abuse until they can find a way to meld their culture into another. Once they have proven they possess something valuable to offer and contribute to another culture, only then will they begin to be treated as equals.

References
Diversity: Understanding and Teaching Diverse Students. (2013). Retrieved from http://education.byu.edu/diversity/culture.html
Minimalist Living Day to Day. (7/15/2013). Retrieved from http://minimalismissimple.com/minimalist-living-day-to-day
White, B., & Dhammika, V. S. (1993). Basic Buddhism. Retrieved from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm