Mahayana

In the broad sense, dependent arising is something I would consider a simple idea. In my interpretation, dependent arising refers to the concept that everything arises due to something else. It is basically a cause-effect theory in Buddhism. However, when you begin to dissect what Buddha really means when he brings up the core idea of dependent arising, it can seem perplexing. For the most part it seems that Buddhists use the principle to illustrate life, specifically birth and death, and how…

Japan’s two major religions are Shintoism and Buddhism. Although, religion is not a part of everyday life for Japanese people. Customs and rituals are usually turned to during special occasions such as birth, weddings, funerals, visiting shrines and temples on religious holidays, and festivals. The two religions, Shinto and Buddhism, harmoniously coexist and even complement each other to a certain degree. Many Japanese people consider themselves Shintoist, Buddhist, or both. Shintoism is…

Japanese worship “toward the beauties of their land” (Hopfe, 205). The origin of the word Shinto comes from sixth century C.E.; there was a need to differentiate Japanese’s religious culture from new traditions, like Buddhism. However, Shinto does not have set beliefs or practices because there is such an extensive variety of views (Hopfe, 205). Shinto is part of the Japanese culture. The traditions and values in the Japanese culture are expressed in the Shinto; it can be found in Japanese…

Studying ancient history, it is exciting to learn of events in the past and how these events still effect our world today. Ancient religions are numerous; however, few have carried into our current world. There are not many belief systems which continue to hold influence over people today, but there are two ancient beliefs which have continued to do so. These two are certainly worth mentioning and comparing: Buddhism and Confucianism. There is little room to discuss the similarities as Buddhism…

Buddhist religious identity is a paradox. Buddhists religious identity is the lack of an identity; an emphasis on no-self. No-self is important because it breaks through one of the many dualisms that this world is make up of. Non-identity manifests itself in different ways and experiences in the Buddhist practitioner. The theme of non-being is common across the Dalai Lama’s and Jan Willis’ autobiography. One of the major ways that the theme of non-being manifests itself is through the Dalia…

During the spread of Buddhism into China starting in first century C.E up to the ninth century C.E, responses to the spread of Buddhism varied. Many believed in the faith while some, Confucianists, argued that buddhism was outlandish. Considering that all the documents were written from the perspective of high class scholars, the plea from the majority of the population, the lower class, remains unclear. Documents 2 and 3 discuss the inner workings of the religion while bearing a positive…

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…

Professor Jiang Buddhist Philosophy 5 May 2017 In David L. McMahan’s The Making of Buddhist Modernism, McMahan explores the relatively new phenomena of Modern Buddhism. He shows that modern Buddhism is not a monolith, but a complex spectrum of different beliefs. McMahan unpacks modernism to help the reader understand what modernism is and how it works. He describes modernism as a force of change and how this force interacts with Buddhism. He compares the traditional beliefs against modern…

Buddhism is an ancient discipline, but it still managements to intersect with modern religion at a lot of junctions. In the 20th and 21st centuries, especially, the teachings of the Buddha have become more prevalent, not only in Buddhist circles, but also in non-Buddhist treatment of certain events, philosophies and concepts. The products of these intersections of modern writing and Buddhism demonstrate a strong leaning towards secularism, and neo-spirituality – both of which are essentially the…

Buddhism is a methodology rich with a seemingly endless supply of tools that work with a practitioner’s perception. A fundamental belief of Buddhism is that perception shapes our reality. What we see, identify with, and believe to be truth becomes our reality. On the conventional level of truth, if a person sees themselves as a delinquent, a screw up, or an outcast, then that person will undoubtedly place themselves in those corners of society where that type of person abides. They may…