Cultural Experience Paper
explanatory Essay
1377 words
Andrea Gonzalez Cultural Experience Florida Gulf Coast University Abstract This paper explores my cultural experience at the Samudrabadra Kadampa Buddhist Center located in Fort Myers, and it will also illustrate my feelings, emotions an reactions, before, during and after this experience. This paper will also provide a brief history of the temple, Samudrabadra Kadampa Buddhist Center; the founder, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso; the resident teacher, Kelsang Tashi. Finally the paper shows how Buddishm is humanistic in nature and how similar their values are to the Social Work values. Cultural Experience My cultural experience took place at Samudrabadra Kadampa Buddhist …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Explains that kadampa's center is located in fort myers and is one of five in florida that follow his teachings.
- Opines that the tyranny of the caste system advocated the equality of all men; it emancipated women.
- Explains that the buddhist way is deeply rooted in the social work values.
- Explains that the paper will illustrate my feelings, emotions, and reactions, before, during and after this experience.
- Explains that the mission of the temple is to help people.
- Describes the founder of the temple, geshe kelsang gyatso, a meditation master and buddhism teacher whose teachings focus on how to find happiness through mediation.
- Describes how they decided to attend a buddhist meditation class as part of the cultural experience project. they experienced the class on their own since they knew their parents would never agree to accompany them.
- Describes how they felt a weird sense of tranquility overcoming by body as they entered the center. the receptionist asked them to sing their name and leave the $10.00 fee on the basked.
- Describes how they were guided to sit on a chair or on the cushions laying purposefully around the floor.
- Narrates how they were guided to breath out any pain or negative thoughts in form of imaginary black smoke and to breathe in happiness and peacefulness.
- Opines that tashi's teachings radiated an inner peace and plenitude that they can only dream about.
- Describes the buddhist center as a moving place that intensified their understanding of who they are and how they react in the world and to the people around them.
- Opines that they did not appreciate the secular approach of the modern kadampa, and the prayer for world peace reminded them of a christian hymn.
- Explains how buddhism was concerned with the establishment of just and favorable conditions for all individuals in society.
- Opines that buddhism teachings help the individual to get out of their ego-centeredness and create a sense of self-reliance.
- Explains that buddhism strives to advocate for all individuals, for both oppressors and the oppressed.
- Opines that buddhism helps the social worker to understand that all human beings are worthy of our attention.
- Explains that meditation is nothing else but working with what one has, or "starting where you are." it helps the social worker to appreciate his or her true self and true nature.
- Opines that the engaged buddhist and social worker's theme is nothing other than affecting communities and promoting self awareness.
In the word, ‘Kadampa’, ‘Ka’ refers to Buddha’s teachings, and ‘dam’ to Atisha’s special the stages of the path to enlightenment, or Lamrim instructions. The mission of this temple is to help people find inner peace and a happy mind through meditation using the Lamrim instructions. The founder of the temple is Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a meditation master and a Buddhism teacher, whose teachings focus on how to find happiness and cultivate a good heart through mediation. Kelsang Tashi is the resident teacher of the temple whose primary function is to bring happiness to people through his meditation classes around South West Florida. Tashi was ordained as a monk in 2014 by his spiritual director in England. I have always had a deep desire to learn how to mediate, and it made sense to attend a meditation class at a Buddhist temple as part of the cultural experience project. I decided to experience this mediation class on my own since I knew my parents as Catholics would never agree to accompany me and because children were not allowed during the mediation class,
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