...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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...關鍵詞：中國佛教會護教組、護教運動、社會運動、昭慧法師 ∗ 釋傳法，玄奘大學宗教學研究所碩士；釋性廣，中央大學哲學研究所博士候 選人。 56 玄奘佛學研究 第十一期 2009/3 Protecting Buddhism in the Wave of Social Movement : Protecting Buddhism Corps of Buddhist Association ROC as the Discussion Core Chuanfa-fa Shih, Shing-kuang Shih ∗ ABSTRACT: In Chinese traditional society, languages to smear and mock Buddhist monks and nuns were often few; the images of these monks and nuns have been misconceived. Because of that, its effect is huge and unconceivable. Nowadays, as the political situation changes in Taiwan, Buddhists now, through democratic process, may have a petition, protest, demonstration, march, and other legal and reasonable ways to express their opinions and appeal to the public and governmental organizations. Compared with monarchical China of more than thousands of years, this way to spread Buddhism and the action to protect Buddhism, “without a monarch, nothing could be done,” is quite different from the way nowadays. Among the actions to protect Buddhism in the modern political environment, the establishment and the action of Protecting Buddhism Corps of Buddhist Association ROC is the most representative. Though it has been built for only two years, it has done a lot in the de-stigmatizing the social status of Taiwan monks and nuns. It also has a great and far-reaching influence on Taiwan Buddhism and society. This article aims to retrospect historically the...
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...EALC 145 Professor Cheung 9 April 2010 Buddhism and Buddhist Characteristics of the Cave Chapels Along with Confucianism and Taoism, Buddhism is among China’s most influential religions throughout its history. Buddhism taught the Chinese to believe in the Four Noble Truths and to follow the Eightfold Path to achieve nirvana, or a state of complete understanding with the world. Buddhism’s influences stretched to all regions of the country; it became influential enough that Emperors even commissioned cave chapels to be dedicated to Buddhism and the Buddha. The cave chapels of Yungang, Longmen, and Dunhuang, although each different, are the most famous of the cave chapels and best capture the different styles and characteristics that were used throughout that time period. The Yungang caves in the Shangxi province of China are a series of caves, mostly carved into the cliffs. The Five caves of Tanyao are the most famous caved chapels in the Yingang area. Although they are each unique in their own matter, the five caves collectively are dedicated to the five previous Tabgatch rulers (Thorpe 164). The Five Caves of Tanyao (Caves 16-20), reflect the faith in a phase of reliance on lavish imperial patronage. The history of Wei, or Weishu, records that Fa Guo, the Administrator of Monks, required monks to pay homage to the emperor, declaring "the person who has the ability to advocate Buddhist faith is our sovereign. I am not paying homage to the Emperor...
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...Buddhists believed in order to reach a state of cessation, or nirvana, steps must be taken to achieve elimination of all suffering. These steps are considered to be the Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path consists of eight steps that lead to arhatship, the “state of one who has awakened” (Noss, pg. 182). These steps do not need to be completed in order, but can be obtained simultaneously. The eightfold path was created from the fourth truth of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, one of the most important teachings of Buddhism. A contemporary Buddhist would be able to live a life in our modern times, and be able to follow the eightfold path. The first step is right belief. This path simply means to believe in the Four Noble Truths, and view life in its simplicity. A modern Buddhist would simply need to have a straight- forward way of life, to be able to see the true nature of their environment. The second step is right aspiration or purpose, also called right intention. This is considered to be a commitment to self- improvement, and a commitment to understanding the path to nirvana. This includes resisting the pull of desire, resistance to ill will and bad feelings, and resistance to violence and aggression. This path can be practiced by being kind to others and not having any bad thoughts or feelings towards others. The third step is right speech. Right speech is considered not speaking ill of others, always being honest, and to be genuine with others. This is an easy step...
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...ethically or morally, as a Christian, choose not to associate with someone just because the two of you don’t share the same beliefs. Totally distinctive perspectives and convictions exist between Christians and Buddhists Worldviews, that doesn't mean you can't be friends. However, Christians and Buddhist do share some of the same morals codes. Christians and Buddhists alike don’t believe in stealing, lying, murder, and pre-marital sex. As well as, you should treat others the same way you want to be treated. There aren’t numerous similarities between these two religions, though. Christians believe in one God, whose image they were made in, and that they suffer because of their sins. Entering Heaven is their ultimate goal, but in order to make it in, a person must repent of their sins and except Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Buddhists don’t worship a God, and they believe there is an endless cycle of births and deaths, they believe desire is the cause for suffering, and in order to abolish suffering they must eliminate desire. Buddhist are trying to obtain have several goals, to earn points with Karma, to end the cycle of reincarnations and their ultimate goal is to reach nirvana. These beliefs can be an issue when trying to present the Christian gospel to a Buddhist. I don’t have any challenges presenting the gospel to anyone. I personal feel that it is my obligation to have an eternal conversation with as many people that I come in to contact...
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...inevitable part of life. I understand what the purpose of life is, and the purpose of death. I understand we are here to survive and to live, but that are time of parting can come. I can either be demised as I am crossing the street tomorrow afternoon, or of old age in bed, as I am fast asleep. I recently learned that in Buddhism, death is not feared. According to Buddhist View on Death and Rebirth by Ven. Thich Nguyen Tang, he says, “… death is not the end of life, it is merely the end of the body we inhabit in this life, but our spirit will still remain and seek out through the need of attachment, attachment to a new body and new life”. As well in his writings, he mentions that the fear of death only holds one back in life, it retains you from fulfilling. This is merely my opinion of death. Maybe I think of death in this way because I myself have never experienced death. Although this Buddhism belief is new to me, I really believe in it. Death should not be thought about, because we will not get you anywhere. And preventing it, will stop one from having a nice fulfilled life. Reference: Buddhist View on Death and Rebirth by Ven. Thich Nguyen Tang;...
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...9 注 释 10 参考文献 10 致 谢 11 摘 要 对于宗教文化中的生态哲学思想的研究正在我国哲学界逐渐深入，在研究西方生态伦理学观点的同时，把目光投入到中国传统文化中去寻求突破点是十分迫切的。生态问题已成为人类面临的重大难题，而中国佛教由对生命的持续关注以及佛教生态伦理中的“缘起论”基础、根本原则以及价值观，对于日益严重的生态危机，具有新的启示和重要的研究作用。 关键词：生态观；佛教；缘起论；众生平等；可持续发展 Abstract For the study of the religious culture of ecological philosophy is our philosophy the community gradually in depth，at the same times， studying in Western ecological ethics point of view， it is urgent to look into the traditional Chinese culture in order to seek a breakthrough point.Ecological problems has become a major problem facing mankind.Chinese Buddhism， the cause of continuing concern for life， and Buddhist ecological ethics based on the fundamental principles，origin theory and values， faced with an increasingly serious ecological crisis， which has a new revelation and significant research functions. Key words: Ecological concept; Buddhism; Origin theory; all beings are equal; sustainable development “缘起论”为基础的中国佛教生态观 前 言...
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...Meditation Have you ever seen a person sitting still, eyes closed, crossed legged with fabulous posture, and wonder what is that weird person doing? Well, that ‘weird’ person is gaining more benefits then you are standing there and staring. This person is meditating. What is meditating you ask yourself? No, it is not the ability to sleep while sitting up; it is practical, democratic, ageless, healing, it is the ability to take control of your own states of mind and develop consciousness. Meditation is one of the most beneficial and simple exercise anyone can practice. By practicing and exploring the numerous methods, benefits, and current practices of meditation, one can truly understand how important and pleasant it is to meditate. Once experienced, most people will likely join the pro athletes, astronauts, soldiers, corporate executives, celebrities and doctors in the daily practice of looking within. Meditating is extensively common in the 21st century. Meditating has gone mainstream, from young kids to celebrity actor Lindsay Lohan. Why are average 21st century people seeking refuge with meditation? Heng sure & Chin He state that there are two possible reasons. One, because people seek the “antidote to the disturbing effects of our fast-paced life styles” and two, because of “the ability to sustain concentration benefits activities from sports to studying.” (Sure & He, 2) For example, Lindsay Lohan has gone through addiction, massive amounts of stress, media attention...
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... Mindfulness training, a simple idea that sounds senseless but has significant results. All it takes is seven minutes of mediation twice a day. Before beginning I was aggravated that I had to dedicate a fragment of my day to “such a silly task”. I work practically 45 hours a week plus I’m a full time student; two jobs, four classes and a minimal social life. The time I have left is dedicated to sleep. Confiscating a few minutes of sleep, seemed illogical. But this “silly task” had effects I didn’t foresee. By the time week two had come, my body wasn’t fighting to relax itself but rather fighting for longer sessions. The initial days were routine, inflexible and problematic. They were routine in the sense that I would awake, rush to work and rush home. This left for no flexibility, in day to day actions. One issue at work or school could cripple my entire day. This left me with a problematic lifestyle. Leaving me aggravated, annoyed and depressed. However like any noble training, practice facilitates abilities to combat the issues which in my case lead to a vexatious lifestyle. Every day I progressed further into the experiment, I found myself becoming more attached to its ideology. I was capable to go longer, and deeper into a trance of emotional and physical relaxation. Initially, I would time myself to ensure I hit that “dreadful” seven minute mark; after two weeks I would effortlessly go fifteen, absent a timer. A session at the beginning of each day, drafted the mood...
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...happened in your experience. Be sure to answer the two questions below the matrix also. |Web Address (URL): |Mindfulness of Breathing |Instructions for Walking Meditation | | |http://www.wildmind.org/mindfulness |http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/articles/instructions-for-walking-medi| | | |tation/ | | |Meditation practice is widespread in the Buddhist world. In this article |Most people associate meditation with sitting quietly. In this article other methods of | | |many techniques of meditation are explained and defined such as breathing|meditation are identified besides sitting those are; walking, standing and lying down. All | | |that calms and focus the mind with a technique known as a “samatha.” And |four are valid means of cultivating a calm and clear mind. The most common meditation | | |the traditional name for meditation practice of Anapanasati, which means |posture after sitting is walking....
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...Contemporary Buddhist practices reflect the foundations of the religion by keeping the same practices that were taught by the followers of Buddha. Buddhism is founded on helping others and by being selfless. These practices have been passed down to others by those who teach others that there should be real concern for others and to teach them that we are the cause for our own problems. Buddhist teaches people that they should not bring harm to themselves or harm to others. They believe that meditation can bring you peace and help you center your feelings so that you can bring peace to others. Buddhism does not believe in material items they think that you should only use what is needed. The practice of Buddhism is not for those whom believe in a God that created all and should be preyed to for everything. What religion would you like to consider for your final project? Describe the place of worship you will visit. I would like to take the chance to interview someone on Buddhism. I have been looking for a place to interview and the one resource I have found to do so is an online forum for Buddhism. What do you already know about this topic? I do not know a lot about this religion, except for what I have learned in this weeks study. What are some sources you could use to gain more knowledge about this religion? The one source that I will be relying on the most will be the online library and the other online web sites dedicated to this religion. What type...
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...Description Treatment Focus Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a system of therapy originally developed by Marsha M. Linehan, a psychology researcher at the University of Washington, to treat people with borderline personality disorder (BPD). DBT combines standard cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation and reality testing with concepts of distress tolerance, acceptance, and mindful awareness largely derived from Buddhist meditative practice. DBT may be the first therapy that has been experimentally demonstrated to be generally effective in treating BPD. A meta-analysis found that DBT reached moderate effects. Research indicates that DBT is also effective in treating patients who present varied symptoms and behaviors associated with spectrum mood disorders, including self-injury. Recent work suggests its effectiveness with sexual abuse survivors and chemical dependency. Linehan observed "burn-out" in therapists after coping with non-motivated patients who against cooperation in successful treatment. Her first core insight was to recognize that the chronically suicidal patients she studied had been raised in profoundly invalidating environments, and, therefore, required a climate of unconditional acceptance, in which to develop a successful therapeutic alliance. Her second insight involved the need for a commensurate commitment from patients, who needed to be willing to accept their dire level of emotional dysfunction. Treatment Strategies and/or Techniques ...
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...1 All in One One in All The Nature of Interbeing hic Nha Hanh hat T hic h Nhat Hanh For Free Distribution 2 Published for Free Distribution Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery Publications, Arts & Design Department 88 Bright Hill Road, Singapore 574117. Tel : ( 65 ) 552 7426 Email : publication@kmspks.org Copyright © 2001 by Thich Nhat Hanh All Rights Reserved. 3 Content Taking Good Care of Our Habit Energies 6 All in One, One in All 31 Going to the Shore of Non – suffering 60 Overcoming the Fear of Death 92 Five Mindfulness Trainings 129 4 Dear Reader, if you wish to share in the printing cost of this and many other beautiful Dharma Books for free distribution, so that more people could be touched by the beauty of Dharma and be inspired to live a happy and meaningful life, please photocopy the Contribution Slip at the end of this books, fill in your particular and return to us. “ The gift of Dharma excels all gifts” 5 Taking Good Care of Our Habit Energies Dear friends, welcome to the Summer Opening in Plum Village. Who is three years old? Who is less than three years old? I would like to introduce to you Bao-tich who is four years old. He just celebrated his birthday two days ago. Here is Bao-tich. This is his second year in Plum Village to practice. Can you turn around? He came last year and he practiced very well. He was so happy, so this year he came again. Bao-tich is his name...
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...PSYCH 515 Week 2 DQ 6 To Buy This material Click below link http://www.uoptutors.com/PSYCH-515/PSYCH-515-Week-2-DQ-6 Avoidance, Stress, and Mindfulness In my psychotherapy practice, I often use mindfulness meditation and related methods as a therapeutic intervention to help individuals face their distressing inner and outer experiences. Mindfulness also has implications for immune system functioning. Mindfulness can be defined as “awareness of present experience, with acceptance” (Germer, 2005). To my clients, I might suggest that they pay close attention to their thoughts, feelings, and actions in order to become more aware. As the great cultural icon Yogi Berra once said, “you can see a lot by just looking”. Mindfulness involves more than present-centered awareness. It involves a certain set of attitudes such as acceptance, patience, gentleness, openness, non-judgement, and non-striving. The “non-striving” attitude is challenging for many people because most of us have been taught (i.e., “conditioned”) to believe that there is something “better” to attain. The paradox for many people is that when they “try to be at peace”, they set up an opposition to being peaceful. When facilitating select clients in mindfulness I sometimes state, “don’t try to relax…just allow yourself to be present, open, and accepting to whatever you are experiencing.” When they stop trying to relax and stay open and accepting to what they’re experiencing, many times they end up feeling deeply relaxed...
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...The most prominent practice of mindfulness is mindfulness meditation. Kabat-Zinn (1990) summarizes the principles of mindfulness meditation as: nonjudgment, patience, beginner’s mind, trusting oneself, nonstriving, letting go, and acceptance. Killackey (1998) claims that these principles are interconnected and extensions of mindfulness. The Buddhist philosophy is that the formulation of these principles diminishes the strength of negative attitudes. Mindfulness meditation is a formal practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation is a formal practice of presence. In mindfulness meditation, attention is given to what is being experienced in the moment, either in the breath or body, without judgment or interpretation. Attention is expanded to...
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