Bodhi

When asked what a person desires most from their life, the answer may be success, love, or even money. For a Buddhist the one thing they strive for in life is to achieve a life without suffering, known to them as the Enlightenment. Buddhism is based on the present and through direct observation. Unlike many other religions there is no super natural being they believe in, instead they follow the teachings of Buddha who learned everything through real life experiences. Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)…

Association with others is overrated in today’s society. Throughout history many human beings have succeeded without the assistance of interaction of others in their life. Understanding yourself has no correlation with the other people in your life. We do not need other people in order to understand ourselves because we can grow from the experiences we have intrapersonally rather than interpersonally. People have succeeded in understanding themselves and bettering themselves independently and…

The portrait statue of the priest Kuya preaching, was made by Kosho in the Kamakura period, early 13th century, in Rokuharamitsuji, Kyoto. With 3’ 10¼” high, this statue it was made of painted wood and with inlaid eyes. The portrait statue of the priest Kuya preaching, reveals some aspect of the religious life of the monk, but because of there is no information about the priest life style or family, before he converted to a completely Buddhist man. In the statue of Kuya, the artist puts…

Buddhism is a philosophy in which one gains spiritual enlightenment which can free themselves from the cycle of rebirth, and I believe anyone can attain enlightenment through the power of Nichiren Buddhism. “Many one body, one in mind”. One of the famous quotes president Daisaku Ikeda and the presidents before had said to encourage the people in the organization of SGI. Buddhism began 2,500 years ago in India. Currently there are more than 360 million members worldwide and over a million in…

To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. - Buddha. You may know what it feels like when you’ve done something you didn’t have to do for a friend, or relative that you didn’t really want to do but you felt like you had to. Like in the story Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, when Rikki shows his…

Buddhism is one of the four major world religions. It was created in 6th century BCE and started with the birth of the buddha also known as Siddhartha Gautama. When he was born, he was born Hindu with his father ruling as king and although his father knew his son was set up for a life of holiness he wanted his son to become a ruler like him and so he trapped him in the castle walls. Until one day he broke out and became the Buddha after seeing the four visions. In Buddhism the belief is that…

After the Buddha returned from becoming enlightened he provided people with new teachings. The Middle Way and Dharma were the true path to Nirvana. The Buddha knew that some of the aspects of Hinduism were not the true path to enlightenment, that is why there are some clear distinctions between Buddhism and Hinduism. To commence with, a clear distinction between Buddhism and Hinduism is their perspective over animal sacrifices. After returning from enlightenment, the Buddha advised his…

In Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse shows and exemplifies the life and teachings of Buddhism by Siddhartha following his own path to enlightenment, living a life of simplicity, and using the Four Noble Truths to gain Nirvana; much like Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, did. Both of these men lead lives of agony and hardship to find their way to Nirvana or enlightenment. Siddhartha abandons his cast and Dharma, to gain his own way of enlightenment and make his own path in the universe. His father…

The existence of self-centeredness and the lack of evolution within the human spirit are not ideas unique to just this current generation, they have been occurring since the beginning of mankind. The novel Siddhartha follows a member of the Buddhist faith, Siddhartha as he searches for the best way to attain the spiritual bliss, Nirvana. Siddhartha begins his venture towards Nirvana with the notion that no one can teach him anything, he can only learn from the best tutor, himself. However, it…

The Extraordinary Beauty behind Patience I chose to do my paper on the colorful and extraordinarily detailed titled “Dhrtarastra (Dharma King of the East Direction) with 16 Attendants” by Shashi Dhoj Tulachand. This work of art was created in the most beautiful and inspiring way, which is why I choose this story to talk about. Shashi is also known as Guru Nawang Chhogyall Tenzin, he is a 69 year- old spiritual leader of the Chhairo Gompa, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism. He is a master of thangka…