Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world, which has a variety of beliefs, practices and traditions. Buddhist religion arises from Siddhartha Gautama who was also referred to as the Buddha, meaning the awakened or enlightened one. The Buddha taught that to realize enlightenment, a person must develop two qualities: wisdom and compassion. (Barbara O'Brien, About Religion) Compassion is a feeling motivated by adoring other human beings, and the hope in relieving them from their suffering when in physical or emotional pain. Many people feel compassion when they see their family or friends in pain. “Genuine compassion is about empowering others, helping them unlock strength and courage from within their lives in order …show more content…
In the Tibetan medical tradition, the concepts of well being takes into account the full dynamics of mind, body and spirit to achieve an effective and comprehensive healing strategy. (Bonnie Pasqualoni, The Art of Healing: A Tibetan Buddhist Perspective) Tibetan medicine is also known as the ‘Art of Knowledge” (Bonnie Pasqualoni, The Art of Healing: A Tibetan Buddhist Perspective ).Buddhists use Tibetan medicine practices to gain knowledge about oneself and others. Gaining knowledge about others suffering, helps Buddhists to be more compassionate. Traditional Tibetan Medicine is different from the average medical care system. Many treatments include herbal pills, and modifications to the patient's diet and behavior. In Buddhist practices the most common form of Tibetan medicine to heal the mind is meditation. In the Buddhist religion having a clear mind is viewed as perfect, pure clear sky with a strong, beautiful shine from the sun. However, when illness is a factor in Buddhist life, it is viewed as clouds blocking the beautiful ray of the sunshine (Ven. Pende Hawter, Healing: A Tibetan Buddhist Perspective). The main goal in Buddhism is realizing that suffering is unnecessary, and once that realization occurs, it is easier for Buddhists to be compassionate towards
“Compassion is always, at its most authentic, about a shift from the cramped world of self-preoccupation into a more expansive place of fellowship, of true kinship.” These words come from the book Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, written by Gregory Boyle, an American Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries, an organization that provides employment training and support to former gang members. I was first introduced to Father Boyle’s work during my final semester at College of the Holy Cross in “Contemporary Christian Morality”, a favorite course of mine that examined the fundamental ethics of moral agency, human freedom, conscience, sin, suffering and virtue. It was a book that has continued to stay with me for
Lama starts his chapter with his meaning of compassion. He shares that most “understand it mainly in the terms of empathy- our ability to enter into and, to some extent, share others’ suffering.” (Lama, 538). He describes compassion to be somewhat natural for humans but, must be continuously worked on in order to reach “great compassion” which “causes the one who is compassionate to dedicate themselves entirely to helping others overcome both their suffering and the causes of their suffering.” ( Lama, 538). However, he explains that
Compassion has became something rare in our society, and something that a lot of people lack. The author, Barbara Lazear Ascher, explains to us that compassion is not a character trait, but rather something that we learn along the way with the help of real life situations we encounter, such as the ones she encountered herself. Ascher persuades her audience that compassion is not just something you are born with by using anecdotes, rhetorical questions, and allusions.
In a world of suffering and pain the Dalai Lama said, “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive”. The Dalai Lama has become a figurehead for Buddhism worldwide for his compassion and warm smiles. Buddhism has extended beyond meditation and even monks such as the Dalai Lama. The basic concepts of compassion and mindfulness in Buddhism are being applied in the daily lives of lay people who need it the most.
Pende Hawter, Ven (1995) Healing: A Tibetan Buddhist Perspective. Retrieved on January 17, 2013 from http://www.buddhanet.net/tib_heal.htm
Heggen, K., & Hem, M. (2004, 6 23). Is compassion essential to nursing practice?. Retrieved from http://www.researchgate.net/publication/5914942_Is_compassion_essential_to_nursing_practice/file/72e7e526f767a80e8a.pdf
In the world, there are five major world religions, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In the past few classes, I have been exposed to and absorbed a tremendous amount of information on the religion of Buddhism. According to the dictionary, Buddhism is a religion of which originated in India, was founded by the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, and teaches that life is full of suffering caused by desire and that the way to end this suffering is through enlightenment that enables one to halt the endless sequence of births and deaths to which one is otherwise subject. Buddhism is a way of finding peace within oneself. It is a religion that helps it’s believers to find the happiness and contentment us humans seek. One thing I found
Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world, which began in India. The origin of Buddhism is traced back to the experience of single man, Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. Born around 563 B.C.E., legend follows that Siddhartha was the son of a prince in a kingdom near the border of what is now India and Nepal. As such, he was sheltered from the world and lived a life of luxury and comfort. (Molloy 124) However, at age 29 Siddhartha left the royal grounds and witnessed the suffering of ordinary life for the first time. What he saw deeply affected him and caused him to question everything in his materialistic life. Siddhartha made the decision to give up his possessions and embark on a search for enlightenment, an event known as the Great Going Forth. (Molloy 125)
Buddhism is currently the fourth most popular religion in our society today, following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Its major ideologies are based on the philosophies of Siddhartha Guatama, also known as “Buddha”, who began his teachings in 598 BCE at the age of 35, according to Buddhist texts. A Buddhist’s foremost aspiration is the obtainment of Bodhi, or enlightenment through meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of the breath). Buddhism shares many ideologies with India’s Hinduism and Yoga such as non-harming, non-violence, and self-awareness. In many instances, people regard Buddhism as a way of life rather than a religion, for it has no clear belief in the idea of a God or Gods. Its structure is built upon a hierarchy much like Christianity where superior orders such as Lamas or the Dalai Lama are said to be chosen by nature through the process of reincarnation rather than by a council like Christianity’s Pope. Though these “higher level” Buddhists are rare (not everyone is a reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist “priest”), all are permitted to follow “The Middle Way” either as a Buddhist monk or the simple attendance of a weekly teaching session from time to time. Throughout the last few hundred years the Buddhist population has blossomed into a healthy 381,611,000 and over fifteen different sects including Zen, Mahayana, and Theravada.
What is compassion? It has two components. One component of compassion means to put yourself in another person’s shoes, and ask yourself, What if I were that person? How would I feel? So, compassion means to develop an awareness of the suffering in another person. Another component of compassion is self-compassion, having compassion doesn’t always have to be putting everyone else before you, sometimes compassion can mean putting yourself first. Throughout generations, compassion has played an important role in many people, it’s a natural instinct within all of us. We show compassion towards our loved ones, when confronted with someone in pain, we
middle of paper ... ... Furthermore, it is said that the enlightenment the Buddha attained is also “a state of compassion” (Brown). Therefore, compassion is viewed as a means to reach both forms of salvation in Christianity and Buddhism. The concept of sin is present in both religions, but it is regarded differently.
Buddhism is able to inform its followers on the constant changes of life and how one may take advantage of those changes for the better without telling them how to live their lives. Through the practice of meditation and other basic principles Buddhism allows its followers to take a step back from reality. Meditation allows is users to work on the mind during that drop from reality. One of the main focuses of Buddhism is the promotion of developing the mind into a more positive one. Buddhism often teaches the characteristics of calmness, and awareness of ones surroundings. Furthermore, Buddh...
Terrence, Clifford. Diamo Healing: The Buddhist Medicine and Medical Psychiatry of Tibet. Motilal Banarsidass. 2003.
Compassion cannot be confided to just a feeling or emotion of empathy, or the antidote to pleasure of peace. Compassion is a vehicle to improve one’s being, physically, mentally and emotionally. Even without the desire to reach Buddhahood, everyone can benefit from employing and expressing compassion as it is one of the few things one can do that benefits oneself as much as others.
Buddhism was founded around 520 BC by Siddharta Gautama, who was an Indian Prince. Buddhism emphasizes practice over belief. In reality, however, Buddhism centers on correct understanding of human nature and ultimate reality. The Buddha was, after all, called the "Enlightened One." He taught that the way to eliminate suffering began with understanding the true nature of the world. In Buddhism, the purpose of life is to end suffering. The Buddha taught that humans suffer because we continually strive after things that do not give lasting happiness.