Buddhism In reading this account on Buddhism, the goal is, for you (the reader) to understand a fascinating belief system, that has been around since before Christ ever set foot on this earth. This will provide a connection to the minds and hearts of the people who live and die in this sacred world, so that an understanding may be arroused and ultimatly give an acceptance as well as a clear path to minister to these people. The most important aspect of reaching out to people of other cults or religions could possibly be an understanding and common ground with your neighbor. Therefore, knowing Buddhism and learning about it will help give you a stepping stone in you mission on spreading the gospel of Christianity, plus expose you to some of the profoundly interesting culture of Asia. (Yamamoto 1) History We have all seen and heard about Buddha and the yin and yang, do to the exploitation of an ancient religion, however aside from this popular fad is a complex and ancient religion deriving from a place called Kapilavastu located in southern Nepal. It began with a man named Siddhartha Gautama, who in fact was the son of a chieftain of the Sakya Clan. Basically he was a prince, enjoying all the luxuries accompanying it. He was born in at about 560 BC, it is debatable as to the exact history of his life, because of the many different forms of Buddhism, however there are substantial bits and peace’s that are agreed on among the different Buddhists. (Mead 23) He grew up in a sheltered type of life, in that his father refused to let him see any human misery, so he was secluded from the outside world he was never meant know. However, one day at the age of twenty-nine he came to the conclusion of how empty his life had become. As an effect of this, he decided to renounce all his worldly possessions and break all attachments he had in order to set out on a journey. A journey in search of peace and enlightenment. He then, on one fateful day set out on his voyage, eluding the royal attendants his father had contained him with. When reaching the outside, he experienced the effects of human suffering, by veiwing an old man, a leper, a corpse, and an ascetic. With this newfound truth he had discovered he realized that worldly happieness was merely and illusion. After his departing from captivity he decided to give... ... middle of paper ... ...one’s interest and give them hope. Speaking of hope, it is a very powerful tool in evangelizing, especially when people need hope and something to believe in. With Buddhism people cannot interest there lives in a secure figure like God, they are left to toil in the mysteries of ignorance and searching for truth, why search for truth if all you are called is ignorant, there is no hope in that. Heaven is especially influential because heaven is beautiful and full of life. In comparison to the Buddhist Nirvana of nothingness and complete voidness, people will understand that there is no hope in nothingness. Shouldn’t we be searching for something if we are looking for truth? Not just a final answer of nothingness, it poses no real reward or incentive to love or obey. As with all religions they will fight back it is not unheard of. A spiritual warfare battle is eminent because we need to let them get out their side, which is good and fair. (Yamamoto 30-40) The only thing you need to know is how to respond and know all the basis of what they believe so that you can refute it. There are millions of unsaved souls in the world; helping just one is a task we should all take on if not more.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the goal of reading this account on buddhism is to understand a fascinating belief system that has been around since before christ ever set foot on this earth.
- Explains that buddhism originated in kapilavastu, nepal, where siddhartha gautama was the son of a chieftain of the sakya clan.
- Describes how gautama renounced all his worldly possessions and became a wandering monk. he practiced extreme austerity and painful rituals to attain truth.
- Explains that gautama sat under a fig tree in gaya, which is now christened the bodhi-tree, and meditated until he became enlightened.
- Explains that buddha's decision to share his teachings symbolized his unselfish concern for others, which led to a community of beggar monks called sangha.
- Explains how buddhism continued to grow despite the great buddha's death. as the sangha grew larger, monks had different opinions and ways of interpreting the religion and buddha’s word.
- Explains that the moralistic order met periodically to discuss and reach agreements on the matters of doctrine and practice. theravada buddhism and mahayana buddhism emerged out of the disagreements.
- Explains that theravada buddhism is the purest or most traditional branch of buddhism because of its effort in conserving the original nature of the buddhist teachings.
- Explains that the tharavadains' beliefs differ from those of the mahayanas, such as the teaching that buddha was an ethical teacher, and the belief that only a saint may obtain ultimate deliverance.
- Explains that buddhists have the idea that the soul does not exist. they believe that in having no soul nothing is permanent.
- Argues that a christian onlooker should try to evangelize and help the people in the buddhist religion.
- Explains that mahayana buddhists had a more relaxed modern view of the buddhist faith. they are divided into madhyamika school and yogacara school.
- Explains the beliefs and values of the buddhists, which are different from the tradition christian based realigns.
- Explains that buddhism is not atheistic because they believe a race of gods inhabit the cosmos and attain nirvana for salvation.
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- analytical
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- comparative
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- Buddhismanalytical essayBuddhism In a world filled with technology and industry, it can become increasingly difficult to take a step back and view the world in its natural state. In essence, we are humans trying to figure out how we fit into a world seemingly contradictory to the path of humanity. We look to nature for answers. We look to each other, as well as to one another’s accomplishments for these same answers.
In this essay, the author
- Describes how siddartha's father brought in fortune tellers to discern his future. despite his efforts, scouts were sent out to clear the roads of the sick, decrepit, and dying. the suddenness of these experiences set him thinking about the transitoriness of human life.
- Narrates how gautama became dissatisfied with the shallow dissolute life of the royal court in which he lived. he forsook it all and took to the woods to attain the truth of life.
- Analyzes how buddha preached a religion devoid of authority, challanged individuals to take responsibility for their lives, and ridiculed the brahmanic rites as'superstitious petitions to ineffectual gods'
- Explains that buddhism rejected hinduism's views, and questioned ity of the priesthood. the buddhist movement was open to people of all castes, denying the concrete hindu belief that a person could be judged by their blood and background.
- Explains that buddhism rejects the yogas, karmayoga and bhaktiyoga, and believes that ritual sacrifice and magic are not part of dharma.
- Analyzes how the pursuit of happiness is self-defeating. success sometimes requires losers, success is high risk.
- Explains the disunity of the'self' over time. they present a scenario where the body, social, and moral self are in constant state of morphing.
- Explains that the buddha based his teachings on a frank assessment of our plight as humans.
- Compares the tao te ching verse with tanha, the desire for private fulfillment, which needs to be eliminated in buddhist practice.
- Explains that humans are trying to understand the world in its natural state. they must seek inner peace and learn how to relate to one another on a spiritual level to escape their culture's shackles.
- Describes how gautama studied hindu scriptures under brahmin priests, but became disillusioned with the teachings of hinduism and devoted himself to extreme asceticism in the forest.
- Narrates how siddhartha reached enlightenment and experienced nirvana, the highest degree of god-consciousness. buddha was notorious for his subtler teaching methods, on occasion not resorting to words.
- Explains that enlightenment is a separation from all worldly ties or attatchments. it's the elimination of suffering itself and is also referred to as nirvana.
- Explains that satasfaction of desires is superficial, because it doesn't change you on the inside.
- Analyzes how the buddha described "self" as a collection of elements of mind and body that function interdependently, creating the appearance of woman or man.
- Explains that reincarnation happens every minute, and that it's like a long line of'momentary selves', like psychological karma.
- Explains that craving, the cure lies in overcoming tanha. the third noble truth is essentially the cessation of dukkha.
- Explains that zen is buddhistic in its essence because its aim is no other than that of the buddha himself: the attainment of enlightenment.
- Analyzes the zen problem of language misrepresenting reality, which is why 'the tao has no name'.
- Explains that it's important to know when you're leading a life of indulgence, or when to be content with living the good and simple life. ch'i is the 'life force', spiritual power, "mojo", or spiritual substance.
- Argues that wu-wei is like getting the best milage out of the ch'i in your tank.
6632 wordsRead More - Buddhismexplanatory essayBuddhism Buddhism, founded in the late 6th century B.C.E. by Siddhartha Gautama (the "Buddha"), is an important religion in most of the countries of Asia. Buddhism has assumed many different forms, but in each case there has been an attempt to draw from the life experiences of the Buddha, his teachings, and the "spirit" or "essence" of his teachings (called dhamma or dharma) as models for the religious life. However, not until the writing of the Buaciha Charija (life of the Buddha) by Ashvaghosa in the 1st or 2nd century C.E. do we have a comprehensive account of his life. The Buddha was born in North India (ca. 563 B.C.E.) at a place called Lumbini near the Himalayan foothills, and he began teach in around Benares (at Sarnath). His era in general was one of spiritual, intellectual, and social ferment.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that buddhism, founded in the late 6th century b.c.e. by siddhartha gautama, is an important religion in most countries of asia.
- Describes siddhartha gautama as the warrior son of a king and queen.
- Explains that the buddha taught the four noble truths and eight fold path out of compassion for suffering.
- Explains that the eight-fold path is pervaded by the principle of the middle way, which characterizes the buddha's life.
- Explains that after the buddha's death, his celibate wandering followers settled down into monasteries that were provided by the married laity as merit-producing gifts. ashoka and his son helped spread buddhism throughout south india and sri lanka.
- Explains the split between the mahayana and hinayana branches, and the theravada school, which emphasizes gautama buddha's historical figure and centrality of his lifestyle and practice.
- Explains that the mahayana branch of schools began about the 1st century c.e. and emphasizes that lay people can also be good buddhists.
- Explains that buddhism became virtually extinct in india (ca. 12th century c.e.) because of the all-embracing nature of hinduism, muslim invasions, or too much stress on the monk's way of life.
876 wordsRead More - Buddhismexplanatory essayBuddhism is probably the most tolerant religion in the world, as its teachings can coexist with any other religion's. However, this is not a characteristic of other religions. The Buddhist teaching of God is neither agnostic nor vague, but clear and logical. Buddhism was created by Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in the sixth century B.C. in what is now modern Nepal. Siddhartha grew up living the extravagant life of a young prince. His father was Suddhodana and was the ruler of the Sakya people. According to custom, he married a young girl named Yasodhara at the age of sixteen. His father had ordered that he live a life of total seclusion, but one day Siddhartha ventured out into the world and was confronted with the harsh reality of life and universal suffering. At age twenty-nine, he left his kingdom and new-born son to lead a plain, reclusive life and determine a way to relieve this universal suffering. Siddhartha meditated under a bodhi tree for six years, but he was never fully satisfied. One day, however, he was offered a bowl of rice from a young girl and he accepted it. At that moment, he realized that physical harshness was not a means of achieving liberation. From then on, he encouraged people to follow a path of balance rather than extremism. He called this path the Middle Way. Devotion to the pleasures of sense, a low practice of villagers, a practice unworthy, unprofitable, the way of the world [on one hand]; and [on the other] devotion to self- mortification, which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable. By avoiding these two extremes the Tathagata [or Buddha] has gained knowledge of that middle path which giveth vision, which giveth knowledge, which causeth calm, special knowledge, enlightenment, Nibbana [or Nirva...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that buddhism was created by siddhartha gautama, who was born in the sixth century b.c.
- Explains that siddhartha sat under the bodhi tree and meditated until dawn. he purified his mind of evil thoughts and attained enlightenment at the age of thirty-five.
- Explains that buddhism is a natural religion that does not violate either the mind or the body.
910 wordsRead More - Compare And Contrast Buddhism And Christianitycomparative essayBuddhism and Christianity are different religions. Both have numerous similarities as well as differences that one might find really interesting to look at in details. These two religions have certain beliefs, values and traditions which are really compatible. On the other hand, some of these values, beliefs and traditional practices are quite contradicting and conflicting. This makes the study of these two religions an inevitable and pleasurable task. Theology historians have raised adequate concerns and issues relating to connections between Buddhism and Christianity. They claim that there is strong comparability between the characters of Jesus and Buddha, especially their lives and teachings.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that buddhism and christianity are different religions. both have similarities and differences that one might find interesting to look at in detail.
- Compares buddhism and christianity. both religions are based on the golden rule which concerns individual well-being as well as the interests of other people.
- Explains that buddhists and christians have different conceptions of what a ‘state of peace’ encompasses, and the path to which it may be attained.
- Explains that both buddhism and christianity principles lay emphasis on equal love for all human beings. this special kind of love begins at individual levels and should be extended to all people, including friends and enemies.
- Explains that both christianity and buddhism have faced reduced influence and number of believers in their countries of origin.
- Explains that buddhism and christianity have different historical backgrounds with regard to dates of inception and places of origin. buddhists take sankharas as their rituals whereas christians take sacraments.
- Explains that buddhism does not believe that god may love his people. christians believe in one supreme good who performs a variety of responsibilities such as loving his devotees, taking care of the people, and providing them with both spiritual and material needs.
- Concludes that it is inherently impractical to deny high possibilities of interrelation between buddhism and christianity.
896 wordsRead More - Compare And Contrast Christianity And Buddhismcomparative essayChristianity and Buddhism, two of the world’s largest religions, each have primary figures perhaps as big as the religions themselves. Jesus Christ, the primary figure in Catholicism, and Gautama Buddha, the founder and key figure of Buddhism, share many similarities as symbols of their respective religions, but generally have stark differences in their roles for each institution. Followed by billions across the world, the teachings of Jesus and Buddha have a profound global impact, even thousands of years after their lives on earth. For Christians, Jesus Christ serves as a definitive, divine symbol of unquestioned moral authority; while Buddha represents an enlightened human being whose teachings offer a more ambiguous set of guidelines for
In this essay, the author
- Explains that christianity and buddhism, two of the world's largest religions, each have primary figures perhaps as big as the religion itself.
- Explains that jesus is the son of god and the savior among christians, whose teachings are immortalized in the holy bible.
- Explains that buddha is a hugely important figure to buddhism, but does not carry the same type of influence among buddhists as jesus does among christians.
- Compares buddha's ambiguity and various accounts of his teachings to jesus' strict subscription to christians. buddha provides a strong symbol for buddhists everywhere, but does not provide the same importance to his religion as jesus does.
1036 wordsRead More - Interreligious Prayer Essayopinion essayTo these individuals, Jesus and Buddha represent the idea of truth to them. One man, Paul Knitter, initially thought that Buddhism was immoral, but has grown to accept its ideas and incorporate them into his Christian ideals. This steams from the idea that we should tolerate other religions, admire them, and help promote the good they bring. There is a concept in Buddhism known as Zen, which is a skill that can enrich one’s own faith. Zen is prayer, and it brings a sort of gratitude and reverence in an individual. Another concept in Buddhism is the idea that everyone is suffering, but a way to relieve this is by decentering of the self, and becoming empty. This emptiness helps people gain life energy, and be closer to God. Additionally, being open allows one to receive love from God and then be able to act as a good member of their religion. Buddhism has the idea that nothing is an individual, and everyone is interconnected, and Christianity claims that it is through compassion and love that we are all connected. It is through this compassion and understanding of connectedness that people can grow to love all sentient beings. Furthermore, the meaning of being human is to wake up to, and open to, the spirit of God that is given to us, and this comes in the form of grace. It is
In this essay, the author
- Explains that religions have come together to bring about a new age of interfaith and interconnectedness.
- Analyzes how gavin d'costa's piece, religious pluralism and the modern world, discusses the relationship between the muslim and christian faith.
- Opines that people can easily misinterpret the intentions of multi-religious prayer and interre religious prayer. d'costa is correct in his view that many people are against other religions.
- Analyzes how the interreligious prayer and idea is touched upon in the video "jesus & buddha – practicing across traditions" which highlights individuals who identify as both buddhist and christian.
- Opines that multi-religious prayer and interrelictional prayer are definitely going to become more prevalent in the future.
- Opines that interreligious prayer is not approved by the catholic faith, since it is an expression of faith and one cannot share faith with another religion simultaneously.
1703 wordsRead More - Lord Buddhaanalytical essayThe founder of Buddhism was not a divine being, prophet, or messiah, like many people today believe. He was an ordinary man. Siddhartha Gautama helped revolutionize the world, by discovering Buddhism, and helping his followers find true peace in their lives through the path of enlightenment. The Hindu word, “Buddha”, means “One who is awake” (Pauling 5). Towards the end of his life Siddhartha became “awake”to the world around him. This enlightenment would be the building blocks for Buddhism, and would change the world forever.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the buddha was against the mistreatment of women in society, and gave women a place in the society.
- Opines that buddha's views and teachings on the caste system changed the way countries, and people structured their lives.
- Explains that buddhism originated in asia, but its message has spread to western society. it teaches a strong message of peace, awareness, and the care of all living things.
- Explains christensen and david levinson. vol. 5. new york: charles scribner's sons, 2002. gale virtual reference library.
- Describes how siddhartha gautama helped revolutionize the world by discovering buddhism and helping his followers find true peace in their lives through the path of enlightenment.
- Analyzes how buddha questioned the social system called the caste system, which was ranked with brahmins and sudras at the top and bottom.
1336 wordsRead More - Comparing Buddhims, Taoism, and Confucianismexplanatory essayBuddhism is the religions of about 400 million people in the Orient. Buddhism accepts some Hindu ideas and rejects others. It retained the ideas of Karma and re-incarnation of souls. The Buddhist movement began during the sixth century B.C. with Siddhartha Gautama, as its founder. He is known as the Buddha. Buddhism has its emphasis on seeing Truth, on knowing it and on understanding it. The emphasis does not depend on blind faith. Buddhism allows each member to study and observe the Truth internally and it requires no blind faith before acceptance. Buddhism advocates no dogmas, no creeds, no rites, no ceremonies, no sacrifices, and no penances, all of which must usually be accepted on blind faith. Buddhism is not a system of faith and worship but it is a path to enlightenment.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the three religions of buddhism, taoism, and confucianism. the similarities and differences between them will be revealed.
- Explains that buddhism is the religions of 400 million people in the orient. it accepts some hindu ideas and rejects others.
- Explains that the buddha referred to his teaching as a raft leaving the shore of suffering and impermanence needed to get to nirvana. the middle path incorporated both intellectual and spiritual progress with the practice that reflects compassion, morality, wisdom and concentration.
- Explains that the eightfold noble path of buddhism is the means to achieving nirvana. the four noble truths and the eight-fold path contain common insight to the problems of living.
- Explains that suffering is caused by desire, tanha, nirvana, magga and the eightfold path.
- Describes the five precepts of right speech, right conduct, and right mindfulness.
- Explains that buddhism is divided into three major groups: the lesser vehicle, the great vehicle or the mahayana school, and the diamond vehicle.
- Explains that taoism is the most important and influential school of thought native to china. they value contemplation of the natural world and ignore worldly affairs and society to bring themselves into harmony with nature.
- Explains that lao tse, the old master or founder of taoism, was a contemporary of confucius.
- Explains that the most common graphic representation of taoist theology is the circular yin yang figure, which represents the balance of opposites in the universe.
- Explains that confucianism dwells upon the orderly world of mundane human life and interaction. it is concerned with achieving inner peace and a profound understanding through morality.
- Explains that both taoism and confucianism have had a great influence on chinese culture. both share the idea of the 'tao' with different approaches.
1456 wordsRead More - Analysis of Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagenopinion essayThe book Buddhism Plain and Simple, by Steve Hagen, caught my attention and became more interesting to me than I thought. I have always heard of the religion Buddhism, but I never knew what it was all about. I never thought that Buddhism was as huge as it is. I knew that it existed in other countries, but I never knew what exact countries. Many of the views in this book surprised me and the book taught me a lot about morals and better ways to live your life. The word “ Awareness” is talked heavily all through this book. For Buddhists, this is probably the most important aspect in their religion.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the book buddhism plain and simple, by steve hagen, caught their attention and became more interesting to them than they thought.
- Opines that the book left out a lot of elements like ritual, prayer, clothing, and all of the trappings of religion.
- Opines that buddhism is a non-historical religion and that they look forward to being in heaven after they live and complete their life.
- Opines that buddhism believes you should be conscious of reality, know what life is, and live life to the fullest.
- Opines that buddhism's followers observe nature and take in all the beauty of it, which is a wrong way to judge people. we must treat everyone with compassion for one another.
- Opines that everyone around us robs one another of their humanity.
- Opines that everyone thinks something about everything before it happens or before they actually see and experience it, so they need to tighten down their judgments better and base their decisions on what they see.
- Opines that the buddhist concept of meditation is interesting to them. meditation is where they find enlightenment.
- Opines that they value the book and want to change certain aspects of their life. the idea of oneness with oneself sounds peaceful and understanding.
774 wordsRead More - Key Differences Between Christianity and Buddhismexplanatory essayThroughout the history of humankind, man has always searched to find answers to the many existential questions. Numerous different religions and denominations have developed around the world over time. Though, most wonder about the origin and purpose of our existence. Buddhism was founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama about 2,600 years ago in India. After he had experienced that everyone was subject to “birth, sickness, death, and old age”, he tried to find a way to break from the cycle of rebirth (Bloom). Siddhartha Gautama experimented with a number of methods to find the cause of suffering which led him to what he called the Middle Way – a path between “licentiousness and extreme mortification” (Bloom). Once he achieved enlightenment, he turned into ‘the Buddha – the enlightened or awakened one’. Christianity is one of the largest and most prevailing religions of the world and largely based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians trust that Jesus was sent by God to save humanity. Therefore, the faith of the followers of the Christian belief is primarily based on the preaching of Jesus and later the spreading of those by his disciples. Although Buddhism and Christianity show several parallels, their three key differences are that Buddhists do not believe in one divine being, and have different views about both the purpose of life and the concept of afterlife.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that buddhism was founded on the teachings of siddhartha gautama about 2,600 years ago in india.
- Explains that buddhists do not believe in a supreme being, god or creator, though many today worship the buddha and his teachings.
- Explains that buddhists believe in the three jewels of buddhism: the buddha, dharma, and the sangha.
- Explains that buddhists believe that everyone has some sort of supremacy within us and that the power of wisdom and compassion is the main purpose of enlightenment.
- Explains that buddhists believe in self-reliance instead of putting their faith in the hands of god. karma is an essential element in buddhism.
- Explains that suffering has a unique position in buddhism, although it also is basic part of human experience. buddhists believe that they can break free from the cycle of rebirth and enlightenment is regarded as the beginning of release.
- Explains that christians believe in the existence of god and jesus christ. their close relationship to god, and everlasting life, are primary goals of life.
- Explains that christians believe in the trinitarian doctrine – father, son, and holy ghost. they regard god as a connection of three divine beings that supplement each other.
- Explains that the christian theology distinguishes between original sin and individual sin, which is closely intertwined with their view about salvation.
- Explains the key difference between christian salvation and buddhist enlightenment is the presence or absence of a divine being. christians believe that salvation is possible due to the birth, death, and resurrection of jesus christ.
- Explains that christians view suffering as a means to get closer to god because both personal and communal tragedies are situations in which god’s support is deeper and more intensive than in times of peace and happiness.
- Explains the belief in an immortal soul and the resurrection of the body are important elements in christianity. they believe that true faith in god and moral behavior determines if one’s soul will ascend to heaven in the afterlife.
- Explains that compassion is a common aspect in both religions, and that it can be achieved in different ways in christianity and buddhism.
- Explains that the concept of sins is present in both religions, but it is regarded differently.
1825 wordsRead More