Understanding the Heart Sutra is one of the more difficult readings to grasp because the ideas behind the words are not so easy to understand as is. The extrapolation Thich Nhat Hanh presents about this sutra breaks down each idea and expands every thought. Questions contemplating emptiness, oneness, being, and life are explained into depth to help non-Buddhists understanding of the being one with all that surrounds us. It is a prevalent theme throughout the commentary (and Buddhism) that…
and determined to seek the truth for the sake of all sentient beings. Due to failure having his goal accomplished, he gave up his ascetic life and turned to meditation. He came to a place near the city of Gaya, sat under it and later was named the Bodhi-tree, exerting himself into meditation until his goal of enlightenment is complete. Forty-five days later, he reached his goal and was a fully awakened…
The book the places that scare you by Pema Chodron was very interesting. The title itself Caught my attention right away, but what really got me to read this book is that the author is a Buddhist nun, so she will not talk about religion or tell you what is right or what wrong. Before I read this book I thought the book was going to be about metal disorders only because of the title. I was completely wrong, this book is for all types of people who desire to face our fears in life with…
Buddhism is one of the most important Asian traditions. How could it be that Buddhism, a totally foreign religion, successfully established itself in China? There are a plethora of reasons why this type of diffusion occurred. I will be providing the historical overview of the introduction to Buddhism and how it was developed once it spread through China. It begins with one man Gautama Siddhartha, (563-483 B.C.E), the founder of Buddhism, even though he was contemporaneous Confucius. He was…
During periods of Greek, Indian, and Chinese civilization, leadership became a fundamental aspect of proper government. A strong leader was essential to maintaining stability, social order, and ensuring continued prosperity for the state. Only those who made decisions toward societal advancement would have the right to govern. Upon a thorough examination of Homer’s Odyssey, Ashvagosha’s Life of Buddha, and Confucius’s Analects, we can see a gradual evolution in the presentation of the ideal…
Since the Buddha’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in central India, Buddhism has spread across the internals of India transcending Southern Asia and on to capturing the minds of those in China (in addition to stirring up a good deal of controversy) and Eastern Asia such as Japan. Buddhism’s spread over Asia has lead significantly to its various forms of practice and branches of practice. Such as mainly Hinayana and Mahayana. Mahayana has then itself become more a mainstream form of Buddhism;…
It’s been almost a year exactly since The Force Awakens rekindled my dormant love for the Star Wars franchise. In that time, my fanboyness for this universe has reclaimed a spot with superheroes and The Lord of the Rings as some of my favorite things on the world. Despite that love, I was among the people who were skeptical of Rogue One, the first film set outside the saga proper. Simply put, I thought it would be pretty good. I was wrong. It is amazing. Set in the time leading up to the events…
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…
“Maybe all we had has always been right Think of all the love you gain when you send it over Think of all the wool I’ve spun to be here tonight” A good intelligence officer should not have any tells. They should never, under any circumstances, endanger the mission by falling for and sleeping with their partner. It was a very good thing, then, that Cassian was currently on furlough because he was failing miserably on both counts. For the first time in many years, a mission—the mission—was…
Countries all around the world have established various religions with different gods and beliefs, but always the same idea of worship. Maybe of these walks of life have similarities such as related religious texts between Judaism and Christianity. Two other main religions emerged in South Asia around three millennia ago known as Buddhism and Hinduism (Messina, 1) (Messina, 8). These two religions have many contrasting features, but there are still details about them that match up. They believed…