Barnes & Noble

When I think about the four noble truths that the Buddha describes, I think of life in general. Every truth as the word “suffering” in it, meaning that suffering is a part of life. The first noble truth reads, “There is suffering”. In my eyes, this means that life isn’t perfect. We as humans will all experience some type of suffering in our lifetime, whether that is pain, death, loss, sickness, etc. The point of this noble truth is to know that nothing bad (or good) lasts forever. Both…

Compared to Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhism focuses solely on the teachings and doctrines of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren, the founder of Nichiren Buddhism, believed that the Lotus Sutra is the only true and direct teaching of the Buddha (Earhart 138). Nichiren also criticized other forms of Buddhism while promoting his own. Nichiren believed that “Nenbutsu leads to…Hell, Zen is a devil, Shingon will destroy the nation, and Ritsu is a traitor” (Earhart 138). Nichiren…

"In Tibet we think of the mind and the body as the content and the container." He holds up a cup of tea, then shatters it, "The cup is no longer the cup, but what is the tea?" He pauses, "Like the mind after death, the tea moves from one container to the next, but it is still tea." Lama Norbu wipes up the liquid from the floor and squeezes it out. "Still tea," he chuckles. (Little Buddha) Lama Norbu comes to Seattle in pursuit of finding the reincarnation of his dead teacher, Lama Dorje. His…

mindfulness and understanding. There is no ‘god’ in Buddhism, instead, the followers learn from the teachings of the enlightened one. A core belief to Buddhists is that happiness does not correlate with money or wealth. In Buddhism there are Four Noble Truths. The first truth is: life includes suffering and pain and it cannot be denied. The second truth is: the suffering is a cause of craving and want.…

Buddhism is based upon the teachings of Buddha, a man known as “the enlightened one”. Hinduism is one of the most diverse and complex religions in the world, this is because of Hinduism having no official set of teaching or rules to follow. Hinduism and Buddhism are similar in several ways, such as their ways of worship, their pilgrimage, and their beliefs. When it comes to worshiping Hinduism and Buddhism are rather similar. Hinduism uses murtis (images), mantras (prayer), separate rooms…

Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahmin who lives in India at the same time of the Buddha, and his spiritual quest for enlightenment. The first chapter of the book, Siddhartha leaves behind his parents, community, and formal religion. Except for his devoted friend, Govinda. Siddhartha refrains from following the path of the Buddha. His reason for doing so is his realization that Buddha teaches freedom from suffering, and this powerful goal has to be attained, and not by following a teacher,…

Exploration Project 3 Participant Observation By Devon Tiedemann-Pikala Minneapolis Community and Technical College GLOS World Religion I am catholic; I was baptized and raised catholic. So I do not have a lot of knowledge of many outside religions, this class has opened my eyes up to the views of many other religions and one of those that has caught my eye was Buddhism. Some of the reasons I was attracted to learning more about the Buddhist religion it seems like a very…

The Buddha, one of the most interesting philosophers in my opinion, was previously known as Siddhartha Gautama. During the 6th to 4th century B.C., he lived in Nepal and was born to a large clan called the Shakyas in Lumbini. His father was a king who ruled the tribe that was known to be economically poor. After giving birth to Siddhartha, his mother died seven days later. However, a holy man prophesized that Siddhartha would do great things: he would either be a great king or military leader or…

Ilyes Mesli A daily life of a Buddhist Monk Buddhist monks have devoted their entire lives to their beliefs.They live a very secluded life style only living with other monks. They are always willing to help their fellow Buddhist because they are like a brother hood. Religion is one of the biggest parts of a Buddhist monk's life because it is incorporated in everything. The Buddhist monk’s quiet existence entails caring for sacred land, being like a brotherhood and religion. Buddhist…

Religion was a paramount factor in forming the basis of China's cultural identity through the cohesive worship of Taoism and Buddhism deities, the devout veneration of ancestors, and the consistent performance of religious sacrifices and ceremonies. Ancient China was a multi-religion society, Taoism and Buddhism had always been its two most influential beliefs. The religious outlook of most Chinese people consisted of combination of beliefs and practices from these two traditions and so they…