Several centuries after Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha, died, Buddhism made its emergence into China in the first century CE. Initially, the spread of Buddhism was responded to positively by the people of China and they adopted its ideals. However, as Buddhism continued to expand, the government, specifically of the Tang Dynasty, started to turn against Buddhists and even went as far as to blame them for problems within the state. As a result, the people felt compelled to diverge from Buddhist beliefs and became xenophobic to those who did not abandon those beliefs.…
This book moves more towards the less visible and un-promoted side of how Buddhism is starting to filter into today’s American life. For Moore this fits better than the shaved head, mantra chanting, and incense wreathed thought that most Westerners have associated with Dharma. The author looks for something or someway for him to replace what he lacked from his childhood faith. In the book, he seeks guidance towards confronting and being able to answer the big questions that leave us dissatisfied and wanting more information. My favorite parts of this book were Chapters 6 “Catholic Boy Zen” and 9 “The Plain-Spoken Theravada.”…
Although lower classed people supported and defended Buddhism in China, others with higher social status and elites took a xenophobic position on Buddhism and attempted to eradicate it by pointing out various flaws. As Buddhism spread though China people began to react differently to the new forms of teaching. People who were in lower positions of social hierarchy however, openly accepted Buddhism as a teaching and as a religion. Zhi Dun, states “He will behold the Buddha and be enlightened in his spirit, and then he will enter Nirvana.”…
In the book The Sacred Quest: An Invitation to the Study of Religion, an example of schism was provided, “In 1947, to cite another famous example, India gained its independence from Great Britain; but in order to deal with the fears of Muslims, in particular, there had to be a partition of that subcontinent into a Muslim state (Pakistan) and a predominantly Hindu one (India)”. (Cunningham & Kelsay, 2013. p 86) In reading this it helped me understand how religions can divide a community simply because of different beliefs. In the book The Sacred Quest: An Invitation to the Study of Religion, the authors discuss several examples of division in religion.…
A simple look at Buddhism and its 2,500 year long history. Through careful research, Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chödzin discuss multiple aspects of Buddha and Buddhism. This book covers Buddha's life and historical background. In addition, the book discusses Theravada, Mahayana, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhism explaining the similarities, differences, and origins of each. The text provides meditation instructions, an explanation of reincarnation, images of Buddhist art and architecture, as well as definitions for the plethora of terms related to Buddhism.…
This is because Buddhists believe in death and the reincarnation of the spirit. Another belief they have is that depending on the kind of life you currently live determines your next life and so forth, this belief is called ‘karma’. Buddhists believe in the Three Jewels which can be compared to the Holy Trinity in Christianity. The Three Jewels include Buddha, dharma (the teaching of Buddha), and the sangha (buddhist community). Buddhists use these three ideals as their basic, primary guide through…
This is the goal of the Buddhist life, representing the end of suffering for anyone who reaches it. When we are born, the Buddha spoke the first four nobles that he had discovered. The First Noble Truth is that life means suffering. The reasoning behind this is because human life isnt perfect and neither are the things…
Assignment 1: Siddhartha’s Preparation for Life 1. In this first section of Siddhartha, the protagonist learns multiple lessons along his journey which each contribute to his final destination. Once Siddhartha leaves the Buddha, he comes to develop several life-realizations. One discovery however, is a key aspect in guiding Siddhartha towards a very new and different path.…
He believed that by believing in his death, not only will there be a rejection of inhumane, cosmic orders but also a stern retaliation in an objective and moral law. He firmly believed that the idea of God was sulked and bound only in the minds of the followers. So with their death will be the death of such minds who propagated the idea of God. And thus the minds will be free from religious boundaries. The work space of the mind would be free to question even those questions that were restricted in the name of…
Two friends, Mr. Emerson and Mr. Buddhist, were out walking on a lovely spring day when they came upon a man who was building a house. As they passed the house they recognized the progress that had been made. They could hear what they believed to be the stacking and enforcement of large wooden pieces. Just as they had passed the house they quickly stopped as they heard a loud scream. Wondering where the scream came from they agreed to hurry back to the point of construction in an attempt to identify the source of the shouting.…
Otsuka uses the novel’s structure to highlight the function of the narrators, the Japanese picture brides, as Other in both the historical context and more specifically in the novel, The Buddha in the Attic. The Other, a term used often in Feminist theory and critical analysis is essentially “a person or group of people who are perceived to be different in some fundamental way from oneself and the group one perceives one belongs to” (“Other”). That is, the Other is a group of people that are demonized and are less than the those that do the othering, the subject. The immigrant experience, specifically the Japanese immigrant experience before and during WWII, is an example of this term. In the novel, the narrators are set apart from the white…
Jesus and Buddha’s Differences Jesus preached: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12) [Currie]. Similarly, Buddha stated: "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful" (Udana-Varga 5:18) [Currie]. Clearly, these two great religious figures shared the same beliefs regarding the golden rule.…
In the sixth chapter of Buddha Boy it starts with Justin, Megan, and Jakob eating lunch together, talking about the play’s audition. Justin finds himself always glancing at Jinsen during lunch, wondering about Jinsen. After lunch, Justin gives Jinsen some money then leaves. After school, Justin asks his mom about church, which she is a bit fierce about. Later, Justin talks on his dad on the phone, and asks if he can go to a Buddhist temple.…
Julie Otsuka’s novel, The Buddha in the Attic, is a communal narrative of the Japanese Picture Brides who immigrate to the US in the early 1900s. While their narrative is about the immigrant experience, concepts from postcolonial theory can be adapted and are applicable to their story. Throughout the novel, the Picture Brides are shown sharing similar symptoms of that of a colonized subject, embodying what Lois Tyson explains as a “colonized consciousness” (249). According to Tyson, “colonial subjects usually practice mimicry and experience unhomeliness [emphasis in original]” (249), two symptoms I was able to recognize upon analyzing the Picture Brides within the novel. However, the major difference is that the Picture Brides are not colonial…
Buddhism is recognized as the nation religion of Thailand, with over 90% of the population identifying themselves as a Buddhist. Although the government never officially declared Buddhism to be the national religion, the king is required to be Buddhist. Buddhism in Thailand is modeled after the Theravada school of Buddhism and incorporates ideals from Mahayana Buddhism, Hinduism, and the old folk religion of the people. Buddhism originated in India and since then has spread all over the world, inspiring societies and cultures everywhere. Buddhism however is not a religion, The Oxford Dictionary of English defines religion as “The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.”…