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Comparing Hinduism and Buddhism
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Recommended: Comparing Hinduism and Buddhism
When it comes to truly being the best individual someone can be they must first be open to the idea of developing an understanding of many different religions, cultures, etc. During the duration of this course I have produced an in-depth awareness of the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism, but I have also expanded my sense of spirituality in my own religion. When it comes to creating a true sense of spirituality an individual must first open their minds to the ideas of other religions and people. Without this sense of impartiality a person cannot develop a true sense of understanding and devoutness because if a person is close minded then so is their ideals. I believe that this course has given me the chance to glimpse into some beneficial …show more content…
While accepting the practices that I learned from Hinduism and Buddhism, such as meditation and yoga I have begun to incorporate these activities into my daily life. Since this incorporation I have begun to feel more relaxed and clear minded during the duration of my day. An individual does not have to be Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic, or any other religion to be capable of incorporating some of their practices into a person’s life. Another practice that I have begun using is being mindful in my surroundings and just everything in general. For example, now when I go for walks, hikes, etc. I do not just perform the activity anymore, but rather I completely acknowledge my surroundings, such as the air, sun, environment, sounds, and just allow everything to soak into my consciousness so I can truly receive the full effect of the activity. Ever since I began this I believe that I am for the first time truly breathing, seeing, hearing, and feeling. As discussed in this course we learned that meditation is primarily a Buddhist practice that has been adopted over the years and is still followed by today (Chow). Meditation is important on the pathway to enlightenment and nirvana in the Buddhist faith, which are believe to help reach a state of serenity and insight (Chow). Along with meditation there is yoga that is practiced as well in certain religions. For example, in the Hindu religion yoga is commonly practiced initially to prepare oneself for meditation and assists in the task of
Peace is Every Step, a book written by a Vietnamese man named Thich Nhat Hanh was just one of the readings that helped me to better understand what spirituality is. Hanh calls himself a Zen master, as well as being known world wide for poetry and advocating for peace. Additionally, an article titled “What is Spirituality?” that comes from the book The Holy Longing, written by Ronald Rolheiser, was another piece I gained spiritual knowledge through. Lastly, an excerpt from the book Awakening the Buddha Within, titled “We Are All Buddhas” was also a key part of my knowledge on spirituality. “We Are All Buddhas,” written by Lama Surya Das, a Lama who practices in Kathmandu, gave me a great deal of understanding about why one should practice spirituality. Unquestionably, my understanding about spirituality as a whole has improved from these men.
At the beginners course at the Shambhala Center, there is a step by step instruction on how to meditate for anyone who is interested. There are distinct steps to doing this, such as sitting cross legged while looking slightly down, sitting up straight, while relaxing every muscle in your body. The vibe of the room as a whole created an environment that let you completely relax and reflect. The goal of meditation is to completely detach yourself from the outside world and its problems, yet answer the questions about these very things. According to Shambhala’s buddhist roots, this meditation is to ultimately reach enlightenment. The english word for enlightenment is awakening, which is what Shambhala’s goal is for the world. This tradition took traditional buddhist teachings of enlightenment and put it into meditation, and related it to our daily lives. In The Shambhala Principle, Sakyong Mipham said “We can hear logics and theories, but ultimately change and growth occur when we are touched at a human level-when we personally feel and experience something”. Sheila, the meditation leader, made it clear that whatever came to mind while meditating meant something, and if you detach yourself from these problems, you can truly meditate. The experience changed my outlook on not only religion as a whole, but my personal view on
However, meditation is not as common within Buddhism as most believe. There is a large assumption “that Buddhism and meditation go hand in hand”, but the majority of Buddhists have focused on “cultivating moral behavior, preserving the Buddha’s teachings (dharma), and acquiring good karma”(Braun 2014, p.1). Meditation and Buddhism are often assumed to be one and same, but this is also not true. As Buddhism has gained popularity among lay people it’s practices have changed Buddha’s teaching of the middle path has adapted to meditation being “possible in the city” rather than with monks in jungles and caves (p.4). As seen in Burma, in less than 75 years Buddhism and meditation were able to grow “from a pursuit of the barest sliver of the population to a duty of the ideal citizen” (p.5). While meditation is not the core of Buddhism it has encouraged the growth of Buddhism as it’s practice of mindfulness has been inspiring an approachable model (p.6). Meditation and mindfulness are easily manipulated to secularization, but still have significance in Buddhism and following the patterns of your
Over the course of this class I feel like I have become a much better writer. When I go back and look at some of my Journal entries and assignments that I did at the beginning of the semester, I can’t help but tense up at some of the things I wrote. Sometimes the things I was writing didn’t flow well, or I might have even have missed glaring grammar mistakes.
This course has helped to improve my understanding of Buddhism and Buddhist precepts. It has also showed me better ways to live my life and that Buddhism can be acutely studied under the pretenses of scientific means. Buddhism and Buddhist meditation is scientifically proven to be psychologically changing and meaningful.
As a second language learner I have never expected myself to be a perfect writer throughout the semester. Even If English was my first language still, I would not be a perfect writer. It is not about first or second language, it is about how well I understand the learning objectives. Then organizing and writing with my own ideas and putting them in my paper. I am going to be honest, I am not good at English subject and English subject is my strongest weakness than the other subjects. In this paper I will discuss and analyze my own writing, reflecting on the ways that my writing has improved throughout the semester.
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
In 1998, Judith Rich Harris became famous since she made a point on the cause of children’s behavior, that “in some key sense, parents don’t much matter—that what’s important is not what children learn inside home but what they learn outside the home (peer influence)” (Malcolm Gladwell, 1998). This point does make sense, because children always have a need to “fit-in”, to have friendships and to gain a sense of belonging from their peer groups. Apparently, learning from their peers can make the process much easier, since people who have common hobbies and share similar values tend to stay together, and that’s usually how a peer group is formed. Considering the generation gap between parents and children, copying the behaviors and thoughts of parents can do no benefit to fulfill the need of peer relationships.
...earn how to be completely aware of my surroundings in order to experience the serenity that comes with meditation. Overall, my experience of the Buddhist religion was very eye-opening. Not only did I get to acquire more knowledge on the Buddhist way of life, but I also got to practice the traditions and rituals of a different culture outside of my own.
Writing has always been a difficult subject for me to tackle throughout my education. I enjoy writing academic essays and rhetorically analyzing in research papers but not personal narratives of any sort. In this class, there was a combination of both, which helped me to continue to grow as a writer. During this semester, I have learned several valuable things in this class and gained a lot of knowledge to use in future academic classes. From different styles of writing, how to analyze images, MLA format, rhetorical analysis, and structuring my writing to an online audience. Even though this class initially seemed to be a difficult task, going through the entire semester beginning to end has helped make writing a more achievable challenge.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). (2010). Health info. Meditation: An introduction. Retrieved from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm
When I first registered for this class I was excited to learn more about different religion but as time passed I started asking myself questions if this class is teaching what I thought it would. My answer was no. It started
Meditation is not a time devoted to thinking or reflecting about oneself, but a time to redirect one’s thoughts and emotions away from the outside world and onto something simple, such as the wind or one’s own breathe. By learning how to meditate, an individual can learn how to react appropriately to “the circumstances one finds oneself in, i...
I was in definite need of a course like this because before I started taking this class I had no idea of the simple concept of the different beliefs between Hinduism and Judaism. I had heard of the different religions vaguely in high school, but was never actually taught about them. I didn’t even know that Jews did not eat pig because they thought it was a descendant of the devil. If I weren’t to know that, somewhere down the road I might have offered one of my Jewish friends a ham sandwich and that would have been a very embarrassing situation. I now believe that I am a better informed American about fellow man in other parts of the world, but I still hope to learn more about them because I feel that we have only scratched the surface in class.
My initial reaction to the icon presentation had me feeling sceptical and slightly anxious. Sharing something that held such significant sentimental value to me and my family was not something I had had the chance to do in any other class over the course of my university career. This pedagogical approach in which the teacher is situated at the front of class, educating other students with no written language, is very powerful. I find that listening to someone share something with you, without notes, and speaking purely from their heart, is one of the most powerful ways to receive, understand and process information, but more importantly, learn.