Siddhartha

Siddharta Gautama was born to King Shuddhodana and Queen Maya in 566 B.C.E in southern Nepal. His tribe name was Gautama and his given name was Siddhartha. There were two possible outcomes for his life. He could inherit the throne and follow in his father’s footsteps to become a king or if he was ever exposed to the reality of suffering of the world he would become a great spiritual leader. His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a king, so he protected Buddha from seeing…

In general, Buddhism can be divided into two streams, namely: (1) "Theravada", which put greater respect to the Bhikhu and clinging to the understanding of the doctrine / teachings of Buddha literally. Attainment of Buddhahood consciousness to arrive at a more directed to the self; and (2) "Mahayana", which appeared approximately at the end of the first century BC, more emphasis on the achievement of Buddha consciousness for oneself and for others, as done by the bodhisattvas. The fundamental…

to be, it will not last forever and somewhere deep down, there is beauty, there is good, there is much more than “black and white”. There is the in-between as well. I have also learned that I must accept life as it swings at me. As I once read in Siddhartha, “I learned through my body and soul that it was necessary for me to sin, that I needed lust, that I had to strive for property and and experience nausea and the depths of despair in order to not resist them, in order to learn to love the…

The Turmoil Within Communities (A Critical Analysis of Arthur Miller's, The Crucible) Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha, once said, “Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.” Problems and turmoil are parts of every society and community. Some say that chaos creates a certain type of beauty within someone. One play that follows the rule of chaos very well, is Arthur Miller's, The Crucible. This play, which is based in 1600’s Salem, shows readers what mass…

Women are generally associated with traits such as gentleness, empathy and sensitivity. Moana, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, is a film about a sixteen year old Polynesian girl who disobeys her father’s wishes and travels across the ocean to restore the heart of Te Fiti in an attempt to save her island from destruction. Despite portraying gender equality in Moana’s society, gender roles are shown through characters actions. The beginning of the movie starts out with Moana’s…

In my Master of Divinity program I wrote a paper entitled, “What is the place of work in the Christian Life?” That paper was a reflection on Lee Hardy’s book, The Fabric of This World: Inquiries into Calling, Career Choice and the Design of Human Work. While Hardy’s work began with an examination of Greek thought in regards to work and leisure, as represented by the works Plato and Aristotle, a contemporary piece might begin with Working, by Studs Terkel, moving from work into theology, as…

save the lives of others depicts heroism at its finest. This sacrificial suicide of a human for the rest of his kind is the ultimate act of courage; the realization of how the life of one person compared to thousands is truly an act of Nirvana. As Siddhartha Guatama said, “ To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering…

The text “Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts”, introduces and discusses a lot of information that has to do with spirituality and religious art. Many architectural works that have been created as an art form also function as sacred spaces. It should be known that although there are many sacred spaces across different belief systems, that they actually have many architectural features in common. In Greece, we have the Parthenon and the Acropolis. Besides the Greeks not only…

For this art experience assignment I visited Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum in Atlanta, Georgia on October 16, 2015. He featured several exhibits, but my focus was on the Asian Gallery. My art of focus is the Genesha Elephant, the symbol of Buddhism, displaying October 10, 015 – January 3, 2016. The Red Clay sculpture was created in 2012 and given as a gift by Joanne, and Charles Ackeman, and Merry and Chris Carlos. During this art experience essay, I will expound on the highly…

Buddhism and Buddhist practice originated in India and although the idea of the Shakyamuni Buddha were foreign to China, this figure can be distinguished as a Chinese piece of art during the Mid Tang Dynasty through its clothing, patterns and unique medium. Currently found in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Probably Shakyamuni, the Historic Buddha is lifted and sits on top of an elaborately detailed base. The figure sits on a cloth that drapes down and flows over the supporting base. The…