Over its long history Buddhist has developed into a wide variety of forms, ranging from an emphasis on religious rituals and worship of deities to a complete rejection of both rituals and deities in favor of pure meditation. But all share in common a great respect for the teachings of the Buddha, ‘The Enlightened One’”(Religion Facts). Originally Buddhism was centered on the individuals who lived in moderation to decrease their suffering, but evolved into monks and nuns who worshipped Buddha as their god. One of the main beliefs of Buddhism is true enlightenment, also known as nirvana. In this novel the main reason Hsun-ching tried to get the sutra was so Wei-ching could achieve enlightenment but he soon realizes, “It is as Buddha said all along: Enlightenment cannot be found in books. It must be experienced directly! Foolish as I was, I did not take him at his word” (260). Another example of Buddhism in the novel is when Wei-ching talks about how the must temporarily soil themselves to help someone else perform a good deed, “Wei-ching picked his teeth for a moment, then said ‘It is true that one should not eat meat or dink liquor. But it is even more true that Buddhist must be compassionate. That man needed to prepare us a good meal, to redeem himself for ignoring religion during his life. If we had refused, we would have prevented him carrying…
Before visiting the Wat, I found a contact number on their website which I called to find out more information. A woman answered the phone and there was an extreme language barrier between the two of us. I wasn’t able to get her name however, I understood the Wat held a service in English on Sunday afternoons during the hours of 3-5. After having an unsuccessful conversation I continued to do online research. I found that the Wat Buddharangsi is open to the public every day from 7 am to 5 pm. During those hours, the public is able to speak and visit the monks, no appointment needed. They have chanting’s on Sunday at 6 am and 6 pm. They also offer meditation in English on Sundays from 3-5 pm as well as in Spanish on Monday at 6 pm. It is expected that when attending that you dress appropriately and not wear anything provocative. Also, it is preferred that you dress in light colored clothes. They also ask that prior to entering the building that you remove your shoes…
When Buddhism first began to spread into china, reactions were mixed. While many people supported the idea, others were neutral, and a large number opposed Buddhism’s growing popularity. The opinions on the spread were not always cultural; many had underlying political origins. Those that supported this idea were typically those left without rights by the old Confucian ideals or people who were looking for an alternate for Confucianism. Some reacted neutrally so as to gain the favor of both sides. On the flip side as Buddhism began to change Confucian values, the people in power turned strictly against the new belief system in an effort to keep ancient tradition.…
Buddhism originated in India in the sixth century B.C.E. and was brought to China by the first century C.E. Overtime, many Chinese people converted to Buddhism, especially after the fall of the Han dynasty. During the Era of Division between 220 C.E. and 570 C.E., many Confucian and Buddhist scholars viewed Buddhism as a positive, unifying force for China during that tough time of instability because it gave the people something to look to for hope. However, after 570 C.E., Confucian scholars started rejecting Buddhism, feeling that it was becoming a threat to the scholar-gentry class and the Confucian-based Chinese society as a whole. Despite this change of opinion about Buddhism after 570 C.E., some scholars continued to feel that Buddhism benefitted China due to its values and teachings. One additional document that could be useful would be one from the point of view of a peasant to see the way Buddhism effected the lower classes of China before and after 570 C.E. and to see if they saw Buddhism as a positive or negative factor in their lives.…
I never thought how interesting it would be to visit a different place of worship besides Christianity. Since the day I was born I’ve been a Christian and whatever anyone else believes in is wrong and that they are going to hell if they don’t believe in Christianity. About 3 years ago I visited the International Buddhist Progress Society a Buddhist temple in Naperville. Buddhism from what I learned looks more like a way of life or guidelines to it rather than a religion. Buddhism tells you how you could live life better but doesn’t scare you with the prospect of hell instead you live with ignorance. My own history with Christianity still made me doubt or fear the conquences of going to this temple. Part of me believed that I be punished by…
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. It encompasses many religious traditions and beliefs and includes people from all over the world. There are many stories, hymns, passages, rituals, and sacred texts in Scriptures Of The World’s Religions about Hinduism and its beliefs of moksha, or liberation, and how to attain it.…
The patrons all sit on rows of cushions and you leave your shoes downstairs before climbing. I got there a little early so I was able to take the pictures of the stage. As everyone came in they all sat wherever they wanted and I found that most people came alone. There weren't too many families there, and I only saw one child running around. There were some Caucasian people there but most were Asian. This temple teaches in the western practice of Buddhism, which fits the name "Hsi Fang" which translated means "Western or West Place". I sat in the back and watched as the Dharma teacher explain or "preach" the teachings on the Buddha. They were all put into stories or parables for us to easily understand. The teachings were close to something you might hear at any other church. At least that was how I found it. When the teachings were over we were allowed to meditate and then another short lecture and a final…
The Buddhists hold that every creature fears death, and suffers in it (or in the thought of it), and that therefore it is wrong to kill any living thing. On the other side it can be argued that every living thing dies anyway, and that suffering is unavoidable except for trained Buddhists. Does this undermine the case for the Buddhist doctrine of non-injury to living things, or is there still a case?…
The Greek word for fish is the ixthus, each letter that begins a word of the phrase “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”…
Buddhism is one of the world's oldest and as such one of the most influential religions in history. Laying claim to the majority of East Asia, Buddhism finds its beginnings set in Ancient India. Through the centuries, Buddhism's teachings and themes have evolved and grew while the religion its self spread across borders and civilizations. Along the ancient silk road trade route Buddhism and its practitioners seeped into Chinese culture setting the stage as to what is now known as Chan/Zen Buddhism. One of the most well known and popular aspects of Buddhism is its incorporation of meditation into everyday life. Long a staple of many Buddhists sects, meditation has been the backbone of religious thought and practice to further enlightened thinking or in effect, achieve enlightenment. Dogen, one of the early masters of Buddhism and father of Japans adoption of Buddhist thinking stressed a critical importance of Zazen, or sitting meditation as a central practice within the religion. He considered Zazen to be identical to studying Zen, describing the practice as being "in a state of brightly alert attention that is free of thoughts, directed to no object, and attached to no particular content." To put it more clearly Zazen's aim is to suspend all judgmental thinking and letting words, ideas, images and thoughts pass without getting involved in them. It is these themes that have thrust meditation out from behind the walls of Buddhist thinking and into the minds of Western popular culture. : During the last 40 years, the practice of meditation has become increasingly accepted in Western countries as a complementary mind-body therapeutic strategy for a variety of health-related problems. Meditation and its therapeutic effects have been characterized in many ways in the scientific literature. The complex nature of meditation and the coexistence of many perspectives adopted to describe the characteristics of the practice have contributed to great variations in the…
“Places teach us about how the world works and how our lives fit into the spaces we occupy.” Amidst towering red northern oaks, Georgia maples, and the Sage Hill Kroger, a tiny home sets itself apart from all the other American cottages with a big sign: “Atlanta Soto Zen Center.” What an ancient eastern tradition is doing in the sleepy town of Druid Hills is beyond me—but once I stepped inside, location seemed remarkably insignificant. The Atlanta Soto Zen Center prides itself on its tiny temple that offers Zen Buddhism instruction to all residents of the metro-Atlanta area, and seizes the opportunity of the vast wilderness that is available to them to expand upon their rich traidtion.…
1. Explain the basic Buddhist teachings including the three marks of reality, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path.…
I visited a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in West Palm Beach, and I was able to partake in some of their religious practices. There are many Vietnamese people in Florida, so the temples where created in order to provide people with the chance to practice Buddhism and express the cultural values. The form of Buddhism I experienced was Mahayana. Mahayana Buddhism developed during the first century. The Mahayana believe in and follow the Pali Canon. Those who practice Mahayana Buddhism also welcome the Mahayana literature that was originally written in Sanskrit and later changed to different languages such as Chinese and Tibetan. Mahayana literature honors various Buddha’s and bodhisattvas. The Mahayana literature encourages many individuals to…
The Hsi Lai Temple is a place of spirituality and education of the Buddhist cultural and religion. Hsi Lai Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the U.S. and was funded by donations from devotees from around the world. This establishment has beautiful Chinese monasteries in regards to its beautiful gardens, architecture and history from other several places like Japan and Thailand and several more. The temples construction was completed in 1988 and is located in Hacienda Heights. Hsi Lai means “coming to the West” and signifies the dedication of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order to spread the teachings of the Buddha to those in the West.(1)…
My keen interest I decided to visit the Wat Buddharangsi Temple of Miami which follows the ways of Theravada Buddhism. I did not expect to find it in such a remote location. The temple was completely surrounded by fields in a village like neighborhood. The location and its surroundings had the atmosphere very peaceful. A lot of trees surrounded the temple and made it feel full of life. The design of the temple was beautiful with not much color apart from the gold painted roofs and details. The building was built in a distinct “North Asian” style making it feel like you were stepping into a completely different place.…