Bodhi

The Birth of Siddhartha Siddhartha Gautama was born into a family in the Kshatriya caste in the kingdom called Shakya, found on the hills of the Himalayas (present-day Nepal). Siddhartha’s father was king Suddhodana and his mother was Queen Maya. Siddhartha’s birth was a miracle; his mother conceived when he descended from Heaven and entered his mother’s womb in the form of a baby white elephant (a symbol of purity). She carried him for ten months and could see the baby within her womb. She…

Abstract: Bapsi Sidhwa’s third novel Ice-Candy Man was published in 1991. In America, her publishers Milkweed Editions published it under the title of Cracking India. Using a child narrator named Lenny, the novelist presents the Kaleidoscopically changing socio political realities of the Indian sub-continent just before the partition. This extremely sensitive story takes up the themes of communal tensions, using religion as a way to define individual identity, territorial cravings political…

Construction Also known as the Verul Leni, The Ellora caves located about 29 kilometres northwest from the city of Aurangabad. These caves were carved out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills during the period of 6th and 10th centuries, the same times the Ajanta caves were abandoned. Reminiscent of the Ajanta caves, the Ellora caves are also world famous for their spectacular paintings and sculpture. Even after extensive research, the experts are still unable to tell how these…

What is the origin of Christianity? The exact origin of Christianity can be quite questionable. According to Damen, The historical study of Christianity begins not with Jesus Christ but with his most important early follower, Paul. Although Paul was an oppressor among Christians, he converted to Christianity ("Early Christianity and the Church."). However, according to, “The Boisi Center Papers on religion in the United States”, Christianity began as a movement that was led by the Jewish rabbi…

Eastern and western religions are used as an ethical basis for societies and individual believers to adhere to. In understanding this ethical influence of religions, it is essential to understand the fundamental views of time and the afterlife according to each religious tradition. In the following pages, I will analyze and compare the Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian teachings of afterlife, time, and the effects of these teachings on religion-based ethics. Hinduism, founded by Aryans in…

unavoidable conditions, which are old age, sickness, death, and the recurrences of these sufferings throughout the continual sequence of rebirth. For six years of meditation and one day while sitting under a pipal tree at Bodh Gaya, later known as the Bodhi tree, he reached complete enlightenment and became the Buddha, which means, “Enlightened one.” Buddha created the Four Noble Truths which are the basis of Buddhism: life is suffering; this suffering has a cause, which is ignorance; the way…

referred to in modern times, talks about this aspect. According to the text, the entry way to the monastic life is an act of radical renunciation spurred on by our confrontation with suffering, particularly by our recognition of our inevitable mortality (Bodhi With the very first line, Hanh directs the readers’ attention to the Buddhist concept of impermanence – “Do not say that I’ll depart tomorrow” (Hnah, 1). By beginning his poem thus, Hanh emphasizes the importance of understanding that our…

“This is an enchanting evening!” Liam said, basking in the moonlight. “Such splendor is unrivaled anywhere in the world! I learned an enormous amount about the arc of human history today from the edifying sights in Greece. However, I wonder if our collective consciousness and humanity in this era has evolved much since the ancient times or whether we have gone even further backward. The striking remnants of the Parthenon’s frieze with ordinary people alongside the Gods expressed such a…

Zen Buddhism began in 6th century China where it is known as Ch’an. Zen was brought by a South Indian monk who arrived in China around 520 CE. The philosophical development of Zen is found in the Lankavatara Sutra which was composed in India in the fourth century. It is a sutra of Mahayana Buddhism, the sutra is a narration of the Buddha and the bodhisattva known as Mahamati. Through Zen’s evolution in China it was impacted by Taoist beliefs which are shown in Ch’an’s significant importance…

Answer any two out of the four questions provided. Each question should be at least 3 pages and not exceeding 6 pages of a double spaced type written paper. 1. A young adult was entangled emotionally with a Muslim girl. He came to you asking for an explanation between Christianity and Islam. He understands that there are many similarities between Islam and Christianity, like the similarities of historical roots, monotheistic idea of God, understanding of prophets, angels, and even the acceptance…