Janille Erika M. Jamias May 05, 2014
Hi16 C Navarro
IN SEARCH FOR A CURE TO SUFFERING
Buddhism, a dharmic tradition, seeks to relieve people from suffering. Buddha discovered the problem with the world is that it is full of suffering and seeks to bring an end to the endless suffering and succeed in the search for lasting happiness. In other words, we can say that suffering is what inspired Buddhism. Furthermore dharma in Buddhism would be the universal truth or law as a result Buddha came up with The Four Noble Truths to support and sum up his teachings.
To answer the question as to why Buddhism is being linked closely to social justice, we must further define social justice. Beginning with social that would be referring to the society and further to the ranks and status in society. Justice would be in reference to the equality of treatments given to people and from one individual to another. Social justice would then represent the equality of treatments given to people of different ranks and statuses in society.
To connect social justice with Buddhism would be the relation of social justice to suffering. Social justice would be the goal for Buddhism in ending suffering. In line with this, ranks and statuses would be disregarded in the actions between individuals. If social justice cannot be achieved, social inequality will be rampant and people would not mind the consequences of their own actions towards other people hence suffering. On the other hand, if social justice can be attained then people would treat each ot...
... middle of paper ...
... a problem within or something that was established long ago that no ever dared to change the way society was constructed. Justice should be given for everyone to be closer in equals, unlike equality wherein everyone receives the same amount. In justice people are given what they lack to live a life free from suffering.
Buddhism seeks to relieve people from suffering. To be able to realize a cure we must first be able to know and understand suffering. In the search in knowledge and information about suffering then we are able to achieve a solution to it. Study the disease, its causes and effects in search for a cure. That way we can brighten not only some people’s days, but everyone’s days.
SOURCES:
"The Four Noble Truths." BBC News. BBC, 17 Nov. 2009. Web. 15 May 2014. .
My definition of social justice in the field of education is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child and the British-Colombia School Act that state that every child has a right to a proper education (UNICEF, n.d.; School Act, RSBC 1996, c. 412). A proper education to me is based on opportunity. I believe that in order to have a proper education, children should all be entitled to equal opportunity in their learning process. Children should have equal opportunity to obtain the supports that will assist them in achieving their potential.
Everyone regarding social justice should feel this way because we are all born with morals that allow us to feel bad when others are hurt, so we should act on that feeling that it is bad. As humans, we need to act on these morals in order to do our duty to help others and to be good to them. Socratic Questions 2.
In addition, Buddhism places emphasis on the Four Noble Truths, which is the teaching of Buddha, a guide to enlightenment. These are a set of guidance that basically teaches the followers of Buddha the essence of...
Buddhism is considered as one of the three most widespread very important world religions. Buddhism was founded by the historical Buddha Gautama, in the 5th century B.C.E. Buddhism begun around 2,500 years ago by a young prince named Siddharthe Gautama. Living as a prince, he went on a religious endeavor seeking to improve human suffering. Gautama earned the title Buddha meaning “The Enlightened One”, when he found the answers to life's suffering. Buddhism rotates around the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. The Buddha addresses that if these beliefs are followed, Buddhists will reach enlightenment called nirvana, and thus freed from the worries of the physical world.
Institutions that affect our social justice views can include religions, schools, our government, social networking and media. Our own identity of ourselves is highly impacted by the restrictions and judgments that come along with these institutions. Whether you believe in it or not, you are impacted directly by the views from these institutions. The views of these institutions can be a determining factor in your decisions, because if you decide the rebel against these views you can look like an outsider. Social justice defines what should be done in order the live the perfect American Dream, be socially acceptable, fulfill life to the fullest and be an active member of society.
Buddhist follow, along with karma, follow an idea called the eightfold path. These 8 steps are: right understanding, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. These steps are another process Buddhist take to get to their revelations to enlightenment. It is the last of the very first of Buddha’s teachings, The Four Noble Truths. These truths are the basic guidelines of what Buddha wants to teach. They work in tandem with each other to explain the suffering of life, what causes it, and what one must do to eliminate
People need religion because it gives there lives purpose. A religion gives its followers meaning for their lives, something that the lost souls of our modern world are otherwise lacking. Buddhism allows people to be completely independent of any laws other than the ones they create for themselves. Thus taking away from the mundane and constricting aspects that many religions relate too. Religion can provide many great things that are beneficial to society. One great thing Buddhism provides to its followers is a sense of fulfillment within ones self. Offering many great techniques that involve meditation that have been proven to release immense amounts of stress. On famous Buddhism center in the UK says that “The reason the mind needs to be this strong and this focused is so that the meditator can fully develop a number of social skills and intellectual understandings that will propel her along the path to enlightenment .” - Jaymang Buddhist Center. Even though Buddhism is a less popular religion, Buddhism is the future of American society because Buddhism offers a less constricting option and a major stress relief to its followers.
Defined by the NASW (2016), social justice is the idea that everyone is entitled to equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities. This is one of the main goals social workers aim to achieve. There are many injustices occurring in the world today, such as wage inequalities, institutional racism, and the amount of people living in poverty. Fighting for social justice is fighting for equality in all of these
The concept of social justice means finding justice for all genders and races that have been mistreated whether it is physical, mentally, or verbally by others. Social justice is stopping inequality within society and helping others that fall from injustice towards society. With social justice provided, it helps make the world a just, sustainable, fair place. The most effective method for a positive change is taking time and doing activities with each other to understand individual’s belief, and their identity. In addition, respecting and accepting the way an individual identify their selves can create a positive change.
To reach enlightenment in Buddhism, one must overcome attachment to the pleasure of peace. Gampopa defines the pleasure of peace as “the desire to achieve nirvana only for oneself without the altruistic mind for sentient beings, and because of it, one does not benefit others” which is also termed as the lesser vehicle (Gampopa, 126). The remedy for this is the practices of loving-kindness and compassion. When one develops this loving-kindness and compassion, then one will have a mind that wants all sentient beings to meet with happiness as well as be free from suffering and its cause. When one achieves this, then one is attached to all sentient beings and no longer wants to attain liberation only for oneself. Compassion is so heavily ingrained in Buddhist practices, that it has been noted that the Buddha had said “the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is not just part of our practice, it is all of our practice” (Strain, “Compassion & Stoic Philosophy”). Compassion is not just a crucial aspect of the path to Enlightenment; practicing and training in compassion can function to improve the lives of those unconcerned with achieving Buddahood through means of improving health, well-being and increasing self-motivation. Considering the benefits that can come from compassion, everyone should take part in practicing and experiencing compassion as its benefits extend into other aspects of life.
Social justice is the fair and just relation between the individual and society. This is measured by the explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of wealth, opportunities for personal activity and social privileges. In western as well as in Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fulfill their societal roles and receive what was their due from society. Today social justice lies in between the balance of chaos and insanity. In what possible way could law enforcement be viewed as criminals while professional athletes who show no respect to the country that pays them millions of dollars be viewed as political figures and heroes?
“Social Justice in Education” by R. W. Connell discusses the role of education in society and the implications that social justice issues have on education. Connell begins by establishing that education and social justice can be examined separately yet they are inescapably linked through the social medium of their implementation. “Education concerns schools, colleges and universities, whose business is to pass knowledge on to the next generation. Social justice is about income, employment, pensions or physical assets like housing.”(Connell, 1993) Three points validating the equal importance of social justice and the education system to people of all delineations are: 1.) in Western society public schools are key forums of social interaction and comprise some of the largest social institutions 2.) educational institutions are highly economic bodies and have become “major public assets” (Connell, 1993) 3.) teaching becomes a vehicle by which society is ultimately determined and has a great influence over society’s morality. Connell describes the meaning of justice in education as being “a question of fairness in distribution… equality.”(Connell, 1993) “Justice cannot be achieved by distributing the same… standard good to… all social classes.”(Connell, 1993) By stating this, Connell summarizes that in the attempt to achieve equality, unequal means must be employed.
Both theories of social justice are similar, so there is a notable overlap between the main ideas of the authors; this is probably due to the fact that they are founded on similar principles and based on previously proposed theories from important historical philosophers. Below, the theories of John Rawls and David Miller will be thoroughly examined. John Rawls proposes a theory of social justice commonly referred as “ justice as fairness.”
Social Justice to me means that everyone has the same opportunity to experience life in such a way that they can have all their needs met and feel fulfilled as people. This may sound really simple, but it is actually a very complex idea that I am going to try to break apart and try to explain here. The first part is everynone. When I say everyone, I mean every person in existence. Whether they are a citizen of the United States, a refugee from Syria, or an astronaut, no longer in the atmosphere. In essence, everyone counts. Second is opportunity. Opportunity is the set of circumstances that make an outcome available and the ability to capitalize on those circumstances. Third is experiencing life. This refers to the ability to move through their life from beginning to end with the freedom and agency to make educated choices about things that affect them. The final part is having needs met and feeling fulfilled. This is probably the most difficult one to explain effectively. To illustrate this idea I look to Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of needs. I assert that in a socially just society everyone should have their needs met starting with the most basic (the ones on the bottom) to the most