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Teachings of Buddha

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Submitted By tamchen24
Words 1322
Pages 6
Tammy Chen
Theology 279 - Teachings of the Buddha
March 14, 2014
The Sage
People who are wise go beyond the negativity, to be calm you have to go beyond the negativity, “Do not grieve for what is lost or be controlled by desire.”
This passage could play a positive role in everyone’s lives. If people follow this passage they will be able to control their mind and their emotions.
Dhammapada
This passage discusses how your thoughts are always in your control and if you can control your thoughts you can control your actions and if we can control our thoughts and actions we can control our own happiness.
Harmlessness
This passage discusses how people who seek happiness by hurting others will never find happiness and I think this is not so much a religious passage but a passage of advice to help those who are negative along with those who are positive to help the negative.
Great Discourse on Blessings
This passage tells us all of the great things we should be to make us happy and good individuals. It also tells us what to stay away from such as intoxicants, have an unshaken mind. If we can fulfill all of the supreme blessings, there will be well-being everywhere.
Hatred never dispels hate
The only way to get rid of hate is to love. Everyone passes away, so why waste your life hating and being angry.
Joy
Live in joy, in love even among those who hate because how can someone hate someone who is full of love.
Be free from fear and attachment because that is what brings you down in life.
Sickness, Old Age, and Death
Everyone lives to die; no one can escape decay.
Everyone gets sick, and no one can escape it
A monk beholds all physical phenomena, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and states of consciousness.
These all appear empty, void and without self to the monk.
Inclination of the Mind
This passage discusses how others may be bad, but “we” will not be bad. We may be directed towards Buddhist people, but I think this passage could help all of the evil people in this world.
Inner peace
Discusses how the middle of the ocean is still and so are practitioners. In order to find peace within ourselves we have to look into the center of ourselves and nothing else
Songs of the Nun
Nuns have self-possession and integrity and find peace that nourishes. Nuns have to get rid of judging themselves above, below or equal to others.
This should play a role to all women, not just nuns.
If all women could act and think this way, the world would be at peace.

Criticism and Praise
People who criticize should not be angry with the Buddha but you should find out what is false or true.
Buddha does not want people to see his way, but the truth
The Woman at the Well
The women went to the blessed one saying she loved the man of kindness and Buddha said she loved his kindness, not the man.
Buddha advises her to address the kindness the man gave her towards others.
This will spread kindness
The Five Percepts
1. refrain from taking life
2. refrain from taking what is not given
3. refrain from sexual misconduct
4. refrain from false speech
5. refrain from intoxicants which can lead to carelessness
This is the vehicle to happiness, good fortune, and liberation.
On knowing Karma
“A person is destroyed by holding judgments about others”
Judging others makes you insecure. I really like this quote of the passage because I feel (some) other religions judge others that are not of their religion, but Buddha is saying to judge no one
Bodhichitta
Is like a seed because it grows from all truths of Buddhism
It is like space because it spreads goodness.
Bodhichitta is all the good and the positive of Buddhism combined into one passage.

The passages of “The Teachings of Buddha” teach people about the Buddhist religion, about the people of Buddha, and how life should consist of peace within oneself. Buddha does not preach and tell us what we should and should not do, he does not set rules for us to follow, and he does not punish those who do not follow what he advices. Buddha lets our own actions determine our own fate using the term karma. He believes we can teach ourselves through experience and parables that he has experienced himself. Nothing in the passages of “The Teachings of Buddha” worships a being or a tangible item. Nothing is being worshipped. What is taught throughout the book is what is right, what is wrong, what is false, and what is the truth. We all have to do what is true to ourselves in order to reach happiness. There are similarities between Buddhism and the other religions I have learned. There are the five percepts which refrain from taking life, refrain what taking what is not given, refrain from sexual misconduct, refrain from false speech, and refrain from intoxicants that can lead to carelessness. Many other religions share these rules in order to achieve happiness, good fortune and liberation such as Islam and their belief to not intake intoxicants that can lead to carelessness. What I enjoyed about the passages of “The Teachings of Buddha” is it teaches to not criticize and judge others or you will never live your own life since you are judging to live in someone else’s life. It does not judge other religions and their beliefs. The Buddhist religion teaches to find the truth and one can only do that for oneself not for God or any other supreme being other religions believe in. I feel in some religions, they teach to only love your own religion and not others and they teach to separate themselves from anything outside of the teachings of their own religion, which can lead to hateful activities. Theocratic countries all over the world are at war due to religion and their beliefs and who should rule and who is right and wrong. In the passage “Hate never dispels hate,” Buddha tells us to get rid of hate and love. In order to rid ourselves of war and of hatred and evil doings, we have to love. Everyone will eventually die so why is the world fighting against one another and taking lives when we should be fighting to keep our lives in peace. Is taking someone else’s life and their peace going to put one’s own life at peace? Hatred only causes more hatred and love only causes more love so I think the people of Buddha along with everyone else in this world should follow the passage Buddha provided us: the only way to get rid of hate it love. Buddhism is not a religion, but a way of life. Buddha teaches us to make the right decisions; to take the right paths for one’s well-being. Everyone’s life is based on Karma. Whatever you do that is good, good will find you in this life or next lives, and when you do bad, bad will find you in this life or the next lives. Your life is based on your actions and what you do controls what will happen to you. Praying to a supreme being for forgiveness of your sins will not erase the actions you have performed. That way of teaching is teaching there is an easy way out of everything. Although Buddha does not punish those who do wrong himself, and does not advise others to punish others for wrong-doing, your own self will punish you eventually because you are in control of your own conscience. Buddhism helps people find themselves and realize who they are as a person and what their purpose in life is in order to achieve happiness for yourself and no one else.

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