...What is Buddhism? General Information Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path - a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood. Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or gender. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realise and utilise its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion. There are around 350 million Buddhists and a growing number of them are Westerners. They follow many different forms of Buddhism, but all traditions are characterised by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and, usually, by the practice of meditation. Who was the Buddha? Buddhism started with the Buddha. The word 'Buddha' is a title and not...
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...Huineng was the sixth patriarch of Ch’an Buddhism and was considered one of the founders of Ch’an Buddhism, next to Bodhidharma. He lived in the seventh century and made huge contributions to Chan Buddhism. He was an illiterate kitchen monk who lived with the fifth patriarch of Chan Buddhism, Hongren. Hongren, who was significant to the development of East Mountain Schools, taught Huineng and lead him to reach enlightenment. The legend, The Platform Sutra on Meditation and Wisdom, attributes the teaching of both gradual and sudden enlightenment to Huineng; the sutra is one of the most well known in the East Asian Buddhist world. The legend shows the divergence between Northern School of Ch’an advocating gradual enlightenment and Southern...
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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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...Tamika Harrison Doug Dorman Comparative Religion March 20, 2013 Buddhism Buddhism, one of the fastest growing religions in the world, is also one of the oldest and has influenced many cultures of Asia and followers in the west (Alldritt 4). Buddhism is the fourth largest religion following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, and has over 376 million followers (Robinson). In Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan, Mongolia and Taiwan, Buddhism is the majority religion. China, which is primarily atheist, has many people that adhere to the Buddhist beliefs (Wangu, O’Brien, and Palmer 8). The percentage of Buddhism’s practice is quickly increasing in the United States population. Some estimate that up to 3 million are practicing in the US. But India, around 500 B.C.E., is where it all began and flourished (Alldritt 5). During this time, India was in a state of religious ferment which led people to experiment with meditation, deep breathing and to study with gurus (Molloy 125). Buddhism emphasizes on personal enlightenment as opposed to an eternal salvation from a higher being. The Buddha is not a god, but a human being that was acknowledged and respected for providing the knowledge on happiness within one self and concern for all living things (Robinson). In this report, I will discuss how Buddhism originated, its major forms, beliefs and teachings and the question of it being a true religion or philosophy of life. Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, or the awakened one,...
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...World Religious Report For my World Religious Report I spent time a local Buddhist Center. I chose Buddhism do to my lack of understanding of the religion, and my desire to broaden my understanding of a totally new religion. My journey first began with my visit to the Buddhist Center. The Buddhist Center was founded in 1995 by Master *****, who is said to have dedicated his life to bringing the ancient wisdom of Buddha into modern society. During my visit I was told that the purpose of Center is to enable the development of inner peace through the study and practice of Kadampa Buddhist meditation. Classes are taught by the resident teacher, American Buddhist monk and by senior students at the Center. The Center is named after Buddha of wisdom, whose function as I am told is to increase wisdom or our wisdom, compassion and inner qualities. The Center offers a variety of services: from Meditation classes, teachings and retreats. Their claim is that these classes are accessible, practical, and open to everyone. The Center from what I understand is part of the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union, an international organization with over 1,000 member Centers and branches around the world, including several in Los Angeles. During my visit I formed my own opinion of the center. During my visit to the Center I was first welcomed in by a member of the center who was leaving, I had just missed their time of worship. I was invited in and at first...
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...A Study on Violence Against Buddhism by Korean Protestantism: Centering on the Wonmyeong Temple and Bongeun Temple Incidents Introduction: Violent Attacks on Buddhism by Protestants In the past, there have been numerous incidents where extremist Korean Protestants have damaged statues of the Buddha or Buddhist temples. Such incidents pose serious risks to society as these examples of destruction do not only disregard a certain religion, but are also highly violent in nature. Many high-profile cases have been reported: Arson of the Daejeokgwangjeon of Geumsansa Temple in 1986; the destruction of a stone pagoda and lantern of Okcheonam Temple in Hongeun-dong in 1989; the damaging of the Tangible Cultural Asset No. 17 stone-carved Buddha Statue in 1989; the enclosing of a shrine and burning of a Buddha statue by an army officer in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do in 1993; the arrest of a pastor and his fellows by local police officers for destroying a Buddha statue in Thailand in 1994; a Buddhist accidently killed while he was trying to prevent a Christian from intruding into a Buddhist monastery to distribute Christian missionary materials in 1996; the destruction, damage of 750 Buddha statues in Jeju by a Christian (named Kim) in his attempt to transform Wonmyeong Temple into a church in 1998; the damaging of the Buddha statue at Dongguk University in 2000; and the frenzy over a video clip about missionary students doing a performance involving stepping on the Bongeun Temple site...
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...Buddhism & Hinduism "Buddhism, in its origin at least is an offshoot of Hinduism." (S.Rahdhakrishnan) Guatam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism was born and brought up and lived and left this materialistic world as a Hindu. And this particular evidence is enough to explain that the concept of Hinduism predates to that of Buddhism. Hinduism, better known as the 'Sanatan Dharma' to the Hindus, is believed to be the oldest religion in the history of human civilisation. Practiced majorly in the secular India, the origin of Hinduism is still a mystery! According to the historians, the origin of Hinduism dates back to 5000 or more years, whereas, the origin of Buddhism came into existence in a much later period, that is in & around 563 BC. After Lord Buddha achieved enlightenment, He preached whatever He learnt from His experiences and His teachings came to be known as Buddhism and were well received by the people. It was during the later part of the Vedic Era, when Hinduism was on the verge of decline owing to the orthodoxy, superstitions and staunch practices, prevailing in the religion, when Buddhism with lesser complexities and rituals was accepted by the common people of India. This was the time when Buddhism arose out of the atheistic strands of Hinduism. It is a fact that Buddhism evolved and developed because of the complex nature evolving in Hinduism, but still despite some differences, these two sects have a lot of things in common. Similarities between Hinduism...
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...Buddhism current issues and class handout Current Issues and Class Handout Religion can be defined as “a system of thought, feeling, and action that is shared by a group and that gives the members an object of devotion; a code of behavior by which individuals may judge the personal and social consequences of their actions; and a frame of reference by which individuals may relate to their group and their universe” (Religion, 2013). The world is made up of many different religions that share common practices and beliefs with one another and this paper will examine common characteristics that Buddhism shares with other religions as well as discuss how Buddhism has responded to challenges in the modern and what has changed about the roles of women in Buddhism over time. Buddhism Buddhism is an ancient religion that originated in India from the experiences noted by Siddhartha Gautama, a “mortal prince born miraculously to Maya who was kept from all the evil and misery of the world throughout his youth” ("Siddhartha Gautama," 1996). Siddhartha was forbidden to leave the royal grounds; however one day he disobeyed those order given by his father and visited a nearby town where he witnessed what is known as the four passing sights. The four passing sights were “an old man, crooked and toothless, a sick man, wasted by disease, and a corpse being taken for cremation. Then he saw a sannyasin (a wandering holy man, a renunciate), who had no possession but seemed to be at peace”...
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...Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of a man called Siddhartha Gauthama. He lived for about 25 centuries. Siddhartha Gauthama came to be called Buddha. In his life Buddha traveled and taught, he did not teach people what he had realized when he became enlightened. He taught people how to be come enlightened themselves. He taught them that awakening comes through your own direct experience, not through their beliefs. Buddhism spread throughout Asia to become one of the dominant religions in the continent. It is over 350 million people who practice Buddhism, which would make Buddhism the fourth largest of the world’s religions. Buddhism is different from other religions and some people question if it is really a religion. For most religions the focus is on God. For Buddhism, they are taught that believing in gods was not useful for people who were seeking enlightenment. In most religions, they are defined by their beliefs. Buddha said that we should not accept doctrines just because we read them in scripture or are taught them by priests. Buddha taught people how to realize truth for ourselves. The focus is on practice rather than belief. The foundation of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths, which are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, the truth of the path that frees us from suffering. The fourth of Buddha’s Noble Truths is The Noble Eightfold Path, it consists of eight factors, which are right view, right...
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...Buddhism vs Hinduism Hinduism and Buddhism are two religions that both originated in Asia. Together they are the most popular religions across Asia (http://spiritualityinformation.in). Buddhism is thought to have developed based on Hinduism. It is said that the creator of Buddhism liked Hinduism Theology but found it lacking in some areas and therefore created Buddhism to fill those gaps (http://spiritualityinformation.in). Since Buddhism was founded on Hinduism there are many similarities, however since it was created on the basis that Hinduism was lacking some fundamental values there are also a wealth of differences. Buddhism originated in the 5th Century B.C.E in northern India. Most historians agree that Siddhartha Gautama was the founder and the original Buddha, which means the “awakened or enlightened one.” (http://www.patheos.com). Gautama started a journey to make life better when he observed so much suffering in the world. It has been said that he meditated and achieved a state of peace, therefore putting an end to suffering and freeing his soul from rebirth. (http://www.patheos.com) Buddhism is a study and religious practice building off Hinduism and incorporating Gautama’s life teachings and living from his experiences in order to achieve divine happiness. Hinduism is a religion based out of India, there is no known founder or origin that it can be traced back to. Hinduism is understood to be built on a collection of historical traditions and beliefs...
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...Stress (Craving) (Tanha) 3. Noble Truth Of The Cessation Of The Stress (Nirvana) 4. Noble Truth Of The Way Of Practice (Noble Eightfold Path) Noble Truth Of Stress (Dukkha) Suffering is the translation of ‘Dukkha’. Buddhism explains three types of Dukkha : 1. Pain (Physical /mental) - It is the sort of feeling that you experience when you fall and hurt yourself. Or the normal headaches that you experience. 2. Dukkha Of Change – This sort of dukkha exists because according to the Buddhist tradition the system is in flux (Constantly changing- Anitya). Even Happiness and laughter are considered to be Dukkha as they are not permanent. 3. Dukkha Of Conditions- The world which we live in is conditioned and we are brought up/moulded according to the conditions. According to Buddhism Samsara is conditioned and that is why there is impermanence. Noble Truth Of The Origination Of Stress (Craving) (Tanha) Origin of Dukkha is ‘Craving’(Tanha). Craving can be of three types: 1. Craving for sensual pleasure 2. Craving for existence – It is the craving for eternal life. 3. Craving for non-existence – It is the craving for the end of the life (death/end of all the consciousness) Craving is different from ‘Want’. Craving according to the Buddhism is faulty but ‘want’ is not. ‘Want’ arises out of a rational action which can be expected to bring a result. We do not intensely desire for the result when it’s a ‘want’. ‘Want’ involves free will. While in the case of the...
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...The religious group of Buddhism has a lot of differences then other religious groups. Buddhism “is an 800 year old religion and a way of life dedicated to manifesting the endowed purpose of every human being to realize enlightenment”( Shinran Shonin, BASIC BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND EXPERIENCES). One thing that I learnt that stood out about the differences of Buddhism is that they are not concerned about labels. Buddhists don’t worship an idol, but do sometimes pay respect to images of Buddha. All though not in worship nor to ask favors, but more of a gratitude for their teaching. Some basic concepts of Buddhist teaching are the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Two differences between Buddhism and other religions are god and the concept of hell. Buddhism do not believe Buddha is a God, they say it’s more like a teacher student relationship. Buddhist concept of hell is way different than other religions. They believe in realms and Hell is the worst of the three undesirable realms, not that Hell is a place of eternal damnation. Buddhism is still new in American culture but you still see Buddhist, just not as common as other countries. The biggest thing that they have contributed to American culture is the politeness and caring not for themselves but for other human beings. They have brought to the American culture that wealth is not the way to happiness. Actually, if you look at a lot of Buddhist countries, they are poor looking because they believe that...
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...‘There is no “single” Asian past. We must always acknowledge the diversity of experiences related to class, gender, ethnicity, religion, caste, family and kinship arrangements, or other indices of social differentiation, to fully appreciate the complex history of Asia.’ The area known to us as Asia sits on the eastern side of the landmass of Eurasia and is the largest continent, encompassing a staggering 17 million square miles. Asia is home to a variety of cultures, religions, governments and mindsets, giving it a wide base for a complex history involving largely different groups of people. These different groups, or ethnicities, all formed their own histories over time, which when combined together give Asia more than one past, they arise into an intricate and comprehensive history fashioned by a diversity of experiences. Therefore, there is no ‘single’ Asian past; we must delve into each single experience to gain insight into the prolific and wide ranging history that gathers under the one banner of ‘Asia’. Each country within Asia has its own geographic links to other nations and cultures. These links were expanded on by exploration, trade routes and missionary ventures. These vital networks allowed cultural influences to travel from country to country, resulting in each nation in Asia receiving different influences from the next. In turn, this led to widespread variety amongst individual countries. These networks were invaluable to allow the able interaction of cultures...
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...Healthy Grief in the Kübler-Ross Model, the Book of Job and Buddhism Grand Canyon University HLT-310V A loss of a loved one elicits the natural reaction of grief from human beings. Such a loss is a source of psychological and emotional trauma, especially when the friend or relative who passes away does so before the expected time in the “social clock (Myers, 2011, p. 184)”—the death of a child can cause a longer and more intense period of grief than the death of an older loved one. While grief is a natural response to lost relatives and friends, it is beneficial for an individual’s psychological and emotional well-being to transition away from a state of mourning without any long-term detrimental effects to one’s well-being. Healthy grief can be described as a manner of experiencing and expressing grief that allows for this smooth transition. Grief is largely a cultural phenomenon, with different practices and rituals that vary from culture to culture with regard to overcoming grief (Lehto & Stein, 2009, p. 29). This paper will look at some of these cultural variances, with the comparison and contrast in the views of grief among the modern Western world with the Kübler-Ross model, Western theological tradition in the Book of Job and the Eastern theological tradition, with the views of Buddhism on grief. The paper will also look at the conception and role of job in relation to grief in the three views of grief tackled by this paper. The Kübler-Ross model of grief is...
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...Buddhism Eric Regenbogen Akira Shimada Ancient World 12/4/13 Buddhism is a religion based upon the idea that people are responsible for their own liberations form misapprehensions, and to gain enlightenment. Two pivotal time periods are granted acknowledgement for the development of Buddhism. These time periods are known as the Later Vedic era and the Secondary Urbanization period. In the Gangetic Valley around 500-400 BCE, Buddhism along with Jainism began to emerge as prevalent religions. The main features within these non-Vedic religions appealed to the individuals within the Gangetic valley. Buddhism as well as the Non-Vedic religions seemed to flourish in this region because of their rejections to the Vedic religions and its acceptance of Urbanization. The first time period that was mentioned was know as the Later Vedic period. This era took place around 1000-500 BCE and put an emphasis on a more settled lifestyle leaving behind the nomadic way of life previously practiced in the early Vedic era. During this time period people practiced a non-urban lifestyle in which they lived in villages (Course, Reading, “Theravāda Buddhism,”). Around 1000-800 BCE iron began to be used more frequently, allowing the intensification of plough agriculture and increasing the surplus from cultivation. Rice and barley were the main source of food grown during this era (Course, Reading, “Theravāda Buddhism,”). Long distance trade started to develop stimulating the finding of new land...
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