Noble

Buddhism was not based on a belief in God, rather a belief in freedom of thought and purpose. This belief helped relations between Buddhism and contemporary science, which also inspired the western world to follow the principles. Similar to how we do things now, such as scientific method is how Buddha thought. He reasoned that there were many ways of achieving an outcome, however they had to be tried in order to see if it worked. He tried different scenarios and did this until he figured…

http://thubtenchodron.org/2011/06/dharma-opportunities/ On this site, Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron, presents her views on how one should live their modern life yet still abide the teachings of Buddhism. She explains that Buddhism isn’t just going to temple or reading some type of Buddhist scripture. Practicing Buddhism is by living out your daily lives and how you live and get along with your family and coworkers. When Buddhist’s truly live out the “Dharma,” they promote a positive influence to…

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…

In his essays titled “On the Vanity of Existence”, “The World as Will and Representation”, and “On the sufferings of the world”, Arthur Schopenhauer discusses the inevitability of suffering in life, what causes it, and what we can do to ease it. In this case the suffering refers to our constant un-satisfaction with our lives because of our need to always have and want more. Throughout this essay I am going to be answering the questions of why suffering is inevitable and what we can do to ease…

Kamo no Chōmei is a well-known figure in Japanese religious writings. He had strong feelings about Buddhism and his role in it. Many of his writings refer to the places that people live, and how those places affect the people who live there. Kamo no Chōmei uses the metaphor of people and their dwellings to aid his argument of impermanence. Dwellings serve as a major theme in Kamo no Chōmei’s Hōjōki. He uses them as an extended metaphor for people, and the impermanence of both is mentioned often…

Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, was written to follow the path of a young man who is on a spiritual journey of self-discovery surrounding the time of the Buddha. Many themes can be taken away from this novel. The story has three main messages to be considered. The first of these focuses is Mortality; the book does a lot to try and explain the matters of life and death. The second is love; the story helps to explain the pressures and hardships of love under challenging circumstances. Final Hemann…

In this chapter, some relevance of Buddhist thought in contemporary society will be presented. Firstly, an attempt has been made to describe the Buddha's teachings on resolution conflict in society, then analyze issues of crime and social control under the light of Buddhist thought. Finally, this chapter presents Buddhist social thoughts for awakening society. Resolve Conflict in Society under the Light of Buddhist Thought Conflict is used to describe both people and groups who have beliefs,…

Brahman (2 meanings) 1- A concept found in the Vedas and Upanishads. A Sanskrit word for the ultimate reality/principle in the universe. 2- Top of a caste system which include priests. Bhagavad Gītā- A Hindu scripture written in Sanskrit. It is a part of the Mahabharata. The Bhagavad Gita is a story of Arjuna and the difficult decisions he has to make. Thus he is guided through them by Krishna. Buddha (word meaning and historical figure) The meaning of buddha is one who has been awakened…

The social philosophy of Buddhism acts as a guide for living life in the most mindful, compassionate, and just way; of which there are three main ways to do so. First, according to Interbeing by Hanh, rejection of universal Truth is one of the most important keys to living a compassionate life. Secondly, Seeds of Peace by Sirvaraska discusses consumerism’s poisonous effects on mindful living. Lastly, The Great Awakening written by Loy connects mindful living to the equalitarian relation…

Both the Lotus Sutra and the Zen teachings of Master Lin-Chi are texts that define what it means to practice Buddhism. One would think two books over one doctrine would be very similar in their prescriptions, but this is not the case. The Lotus Sutra is presented as a discourse delivered by the Buddha towards the end of his life, featuring many sutras on processes to gain enlightenment. The Zen teachings feature Master Lin Chi and were writing in 810 to 866 AD, during the Tang Dynasty and focus…