With a nation being a terminal political community and defined by Rupert Emerson as a "community that commands ultimate loyalty, overriding claims of smaller collectivities which are included within it, and excluding claims of collectivities that are external to it, or cut across it," I identify myself as a member of the terminal political community of Americans. On the other hand, I also belong to a collectivity that lacks the terminal quality, namely the Buddhism church. Although there are similarities of the structural and psychological basis of my membership in both the Americans and the Buddhism church, the claims that Americans make of me, such as obligations, greatly exceed that of the Buddhism church's claims.
For my membership as an American, the structural basis or the system's boundaries where the membership comes from the vantage point of the system, the nation depicts an imagined community, imagined as both inherently limited and as sovereign. Although nations may have flexible boundaries, nations have boundaries nevertheless for they are particular communities. Nations can create experiences of community and commonality that people value greatly, since they aid people in making sense of who they are and build reciprocal bonds between strangers--fellow citizens who will never know each other. Therefore, the nation is "imagined" because the members of United States will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lies the image of their communion, and "limited" because encompassing perhaps a million living human beings, has finite, if elastic boundaries, beyond which lie other nations. In addition, nation symbolizes "community," because, regardless of the ...
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...e less intense by members being in the same community. As for the claims, the church puts effort in having its community socialize their children, friends, and other family members, into its religion. Also, by relying on the power of symbols, the church effectively controls its worshipper.
Via my identification of the terminal political community as an American and my membership in the collectivity of the Buddhism church that lacks the terminal quality, the structural and psychological basis of my membership in both community are similar. However, the claims that Americans make of me, like obligations, surpass that of the Buddhism church's claims. One will wonder why beliefs can be held by masses of people who do not experience them as beliefs, meaning that the beliefs serve as the "givens" of a political community, even if they are not understood as such.
This is accomplished by examining Thailand’s Theravada Buddhism through several different analytical frameworks. First, Scott examines “discourses on wealth and piety” within “specific historical and cultural contexts” in order to demonstrate “the dynamic character of Buddhist renunciation” (17). Then she provides us with a history of the Dhammakaya temple ranging from its origins in the rising economy of Thailand to the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s.
“The size of individual congregations varies. Catholic congregations, on average, have 2,400 members; Jewish congregations, 1,500; Baptist congregations, 580; Methodist congregations, 300; and fundamentalist Christian congregations, 180. About 50,000 congregations have 1,000 or more members, including about 25,000 Catholic congregations. Congregations are usually limited in size because of the practical necessity of meeting for religious services. Geographical proximity and the physical size of a church building are limiting factors, as is the desire of members to be personally known to clergy. Many congregations can co-exist in the same geographical area because of the diversity of religious beliefs in most US communities.” (Hoover’s 2008)
While the impact of religion on democracy has been well documented, it is difficult to trace the impact of democracy on religion. Nevertheless, historians like Nathan Hatch argue that democracy was a significant influence on the development of American religion. Hatch identifies three marks of democratic spirit found in early American religious movements – redefined leadership, acceptance of spiritual experience, and grand ambitions. All three are exempli...
The central theme of the article is whether or not America should have a common identity. People come from all over to be together in a land that is known for its freedom. America is known for its diversity and for its unity. So why not make it’s a common Identity? Some would argue this case.
Americans have created their own vision of Buddhism with the unique understandings of the United States, its objectives and potential. Their idea of what a good or “mindful” society should be like is influenced by their beliefs. Such beliefs include: the specific qualities that Americans should have, the practices they should engage in, their participation in politics, law, education, legal and medical systems, the military, and so on. The adoption of mindfulness to all these important aspects that are highly valued by Americans is how the believe they create a good, mindful
This paper is a comparison between two very different religions. Specifically Christianity and Buddhism. Coming from opposite sides of the globe these two religions could not be any farther apart in any aspect. I will discuss who Christ is for Christians and who Buddha is for Buddhists. I will also get into the aspects of charity, love, and compassion in both religions and I will be looking at the individual self and how christians see resurrection where the buddhists feel about the afterlife. One thing to keep in mind is that the two religions are very different but they seem to have a very similar underlying pattern. Both believe that there was a savior of their people, Buddha and Christ, and both believe that there is something good that happens to us when our time is done here on earth. This is a very generalized summarization but in order to go in to depth I need to explain the two religions more to fully convey this theory.
The United States as a country has always been an entity unique amongst the world’s myriad of nations: a conglomeration of cultures, ethnic groups and religious backgrounds from around the planet, all fused together to yield something entirely new. Since its very inception, those who dwell within its borders have attempted to ascertain the makeup of the American identity, in order to pin down how exactly one can come to be considered as an American themselves. This is inherently quite a subjective issue, but the conversation primarily boils down to three core factors that make the American people who they are: a dedication to preserving the natural rights of every human being, a belief in the importance of the individual in deciding their own
I will now examine what it means to be religious with a critical enquiry into Buddhism, Hinduism and
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.
This is because as a community, they are able to express their beliefs as well as listen to the words of the Lord. As Jesus said at his last meal with his disciples before his execution, “Do this in memory of me”. This quote is reflected in the Mass in the stage of ‘being fed’ when an adherent receives both the body and blood of Christ, called Transubstantiation. In this way, Christian adherents are able to unite in a diverse environment following the ways that our Lord has taught us.
The popularity of Buddhism in America became most pronounce in the period after World War II. It is interesting to note that the United States had just concluded the most devastating war in human history, with the first use of the atomic bomb on the Empire of Japan, yet the Japanese of style Buddhism took hold in America more than other school after the war. It could be said that the main figure head of Japanese, or more precisely, Zen Buddhism, in America was the author and intellectual Dr. D.T. Suzuki. In terms of the American expression of Buddhism, Suzuki had more influence over the interpretation of Zen philosophy than any other writer of the time.
Buddhism has answers to many problems in the materialistic societies. Buddhism includes a deep understanding of the human mind; which is why I believe that Institutionalized Buddhism can be adapt...
How can we be identified as one nation? He emphasizes the need for assimilation, "Assimilation is a bad word these days. But it's a tested method of achieving E pluribus Unum. (Bray, 4) Perhaps it need not be harshly administered in the old days, but a country that has no standards to assimilate to is a country without a core and a country deep in trouble.
230). There are two main “types” Buddhism that are practiced around the world. The first is Theravadin, and the second is Mahayana (Smith-Stoner, 2005, p. 228). Buddhism contains a “message of salvation” that considered the “Four Noble Truths” (Leming & Dickinson, 2011 p. 134). They are, the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. Leming and Dickinson (2011) describe how the combination of ethics and meditation are the eightfold path to enlightenment (Leming & Dickinson, 2011 p. 136). The author believes it is important for practitioners to recognize the increasing numbers of people practicing Buddhism in the United States in order to enhance their ability to care for end of life needs in this population. Smith-Stoner (2005) states that Buddhism is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States and that Colorado is one of the main population centers (Smith-Stoner, 2005, p. 229). In Buddhism, it is extremely important to be able to tame emotions and the mind which is done through meditation. The author thinks it is pertinent to know the
Religion is a guiding light that shines into all factors of life. It builds one’s character and personality, and affects one’s perspective on his surroundings. Religion wears many hats, as it can range from a loosely set philosophy to a strict, taxing code of conduct. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s religion was a non-traditional one which emphasized self-reliance (Rowe 5), individuality (St. John 6), and the natural goodness of man (Jue 7). He saw religion as a relative, personal set of beliefs which can change and vary widely between practitioners, and even within one person over a period of time. In fact, Emerson began his religious journey as a Calvinist in Harvard’s School of Divinity, then held a career as a minister of a Unitarian church in Boston (Leude 1). His beliefs as a Unitarian were similar to his Transcendentalist philosophies (1), discovered soon after his resignation as a minister. When analyzed from a biblical perspective, Emerson’s literary works clearly reflect the influences of eastern religion and mysticism in their depiction of nature as well as God, the human spirit, and religion.