...Worship of the Creator and Worship of the Creation Christianity and Buddhism both have core beliefs that appeal to the masses and were easily spread through the missionary progress of Jesus Christ and Buddha. Naturally, Buddhism and Christianity have their similarities and differences. Each religion has a specific set of morals, which are considered and affect the religion’s follower’s actions, thoughts, and character. Life after Death Buddhism teaches that humans are bound to a perpetual cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth called samsara. Depending on a person’s karma, the good and bad deeds of their present and former lives, each rebirth could bring a better, a worse, or a similar life. In each life, one is subjected to sufferings, brought on by their own infatuations and urges. The existence of suffering is the First Noble Truth taught by the Buddha, and the causes of suffering are the second. Through self-enlightenment, one has the ability to reach the ultimate goal of nirvana; immunity, liberation, and a life free from suffering. Christianity teaches that each human has only a single life on earth, but faces an eternal life in Heaven or Hell. Where a person will spend eternity is determined by Jesus Christ, who administers the Final Judgment based a person’s actions and beliefs while on Earth. If deemed worthy of Heaven, one lives a life of eternal happiness free of suffering. Otherwise, one is subjected to eternal suffering in Hell. ...
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...luxurious life until he went on a journey which completely changed his aim of life. During his journey, he saw an old man, a poor man, a corpse and a sick man. He was disturbed and anguished at seeing this site and decided to leave his affluent life only to take on a journey less travelled. He lived a sheltered life and after seeing the suffering in the world, Gautama left his family to search for enlightement through asceticism. But even the most extreme austerity Gautama failed to bring enlightment. He did not give up as he sat under a tree and vowed not to move from that place until he had accomplished enlightment. He succeded as he attained enlightment after few days of meditation. Buddha spent rest of his life teaching the principles of buddhism which included the path to liberation from suffering(the Dharma) and establishing a community of monks called the...
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...Buddhism What is Buddhism? Buddhism is a religion that dates back about 2,500 years ago or so. However, Buddhists may argue that Buddhism is not a religion but more of a philosophy or a way of life. To better comprehend Buddhism, “the Buddha once told the story of the blind men and the elephant” (pg.1). The purpose of the story was emphasize the complexity of Buddhism. That it shouldn’t be generalized based on any single part of it. The other purpose of the story told “is that there are many kinds of blindness” (pg.2). This was to raise awareness that our minds have a great influence on what we want to see. Ultimately, to attempt to define Buddhism is almost impossible because arguments can be raised from any stand point of view. The Buddha was a prince born in modern day Nepal, around 566 BC in what was known then as the Terai lowlands. His birth name was Siddhattha Gotama. His first 29 years of life were lived in full commodities and luxuries. He had never been exposed to the many peasant issues such as: poverty, sickness, famine, and death. He came to the realization that happiness could not be purchased nor held in simple materialistic things. Money does not guarantee happiness. “He was thunderstruck by the discovery of old age and ordered his charioteer to return immediately to the palace where he reflected upon what it meant to grow old”” (pg. 22) Just like Buddha I can relate to his awakening when I was 20 years old I was involved in gang activity. I was foolish...
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...project as it may be hard to attend a religious event with them. The two religions I choose to write about were almost chosen by default, Christianity and Zen Buddhism. As I said previously my social group is shallow in the...
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...Religions of the World Lesson 4 - Buddhism & Sikhism Assignment 4 1. Write a minimum of 500 word essay concerning an overview and summary of the Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 of your text. Discuss the knowledge you gained concerning the major topics and what confusion or uncertainty may have arisen through your research and studies. The first half of the paper should identify the author's main points. The second half of your paper should be your contribution. Offer an assessment of the author's points, apply the points to examples, support all comments and information with verifiable research, and do not give opinion. 1A. Buddhism began in northeastern India and is based on the teachings of Gautama. Buddhism is different from many other faiths because it is not centered on the relationship between humanity and God. Buddhists do not believe in a personal creator God. Siddhartha had found the path to Enlightenment. Siddhartha was born around the year 560 b.c.e. Nepal. He was born into a royal family and for many years lived within the palace walls away from the sufferings of life; sufferings such as sickness, age, and death and he did not know what these sufferings were. One day, after growing-up, marrying and having a child, Siddhartha went outside the royal palace and saw, each for the first time, an aged person, a sick person, a deceased body and finally a peaceful monk. He was worried by what he saw. He learned that sickness, age, and death were the inevitable fate of...
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...|sexual orientation, or beliefs that differ from those of the persecutor. | |Religious group |An ethnic group of people whose members are also unified by a common religious background | Part II Select at least 1 religious and 1 ethnic/racial group not your own from the list below. • Religious groups (based on http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/affiliations-all-traditions.pdf) o Christianity • Evangelical Protestant • Mainline Protestant • Historically Black Churches • Roman Catholic • Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) • Jehovah’s Witnesses • Orthodox (Greek, Eastern) o Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform) o Buddhism (Theravada or Mahayana) o Islam (Sunni, Shia, Sufism) o Hinduism • Racial/Ethnic groups (based on divisions in U.S. Census Bureau documents) o Asian (Asian descent) o Black (African descent)...
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...of people who share the same thoughts and beliefs about the origin of the universe, creation, | | |the afterlife and other spiritual traditions. | Part II Select at least 1 religious and 1 ethnic/racial group not your own from the list below. • Religious groups (based on http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/affiliations-all-traditions.pdf) o Christianity • Evangelical Protestant • Mainline Protestant • Historically Black Churches • Roman Catholic • Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) • Jehovah’s Witnesses • Orthodox (Greek, Eastern) o Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform) o Buddhism (Theravada or Mahayana) o Islam (Sunni, Shia, Sufism) o Hinduism...
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...Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity Many countries form ideas and rules based on religion that is practiced as a whole by the society of that country. In addition religion continues to affect rules and ideas that is promoted by various cultures. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity are some of the most popular religions that are used throughout the world. Arabs has made Islamists powerful in Countries like Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. Religious institutions are a public significance more so now than before. “In the Muslim political imaginary, the khulafa’ al-rashidun represent an idealized moment in history, that of the first four caliphs, the rightly-guided, who came after the prophet Muhammad: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Umar Ibn al-Khattab, Uthman Ibn Affan, and Ali Ibn Abi Talib. The period from the death of the prophet in 632 to that of Ali in 661 marks a golden era after which political history is conceived as having degenerated. However, Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz (717-720) from the Umayyad dynasty is often seen as part of the rightly-guided Caliphs and defines what is often dubbed the “5th caliphate”. He exemplifies the possibility of being a pious and just ruler in times of corruption.” (Zeghal, 2012) The above reference was used by Jebali and was taken out of Islamic past to state about political renewal within an Islamic saying. Representatives of al-Nahda insisted that the reference was symbolic, and did not question al-Nahdha’s commitment to...
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...you put Greenpeace in your will.” — Greenpeace advertisement on billboard in Taylor Square, Sidney, Australia As the above quotation from the advertisement indicates, there is no question that Buddhism has a certain appeal to the West. Donald S. Lopez, Jr. author of Prisoners of Shangri-la: Tibetan Buddhism and The West provides a cultural history of the “strange encounter” between Buddhism (especially Tibetan Buddhism) and Western countries, most notably Britain, Australia and the United States. It is no longer questionable that Buddhism, and again, especially the Tibetan stream, has permeated popular culture: since China’s invasion and occupation of Tibet in 1950, which will be discussed further, but most significantly since the 1990s. This is most likely accredited to the Dalai Lama’s receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, which brought him and Buddhism much exposure. In fact, every stream of Buddhism announces growing public acceptance in the West since the Dalai Lama first visited two decades ago. The Complete Guide to Buddhist America, written in 1998 for which the Dalai Lama wrote the preface, reports that the number of worship centers in the United States more than doubled from 1987 to 1997 to over one thousand. Several examples illustrate the recent exposure of Buddhism in Western popular and political culture. Firstly, one of the most popular films of the early 1980s, The Return of the Jedi of the Star Wars series featured the Ewoks who spoke high-speed Tibetan...
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...Japanese Zen is a distinct form of Buddhism from the Pure Land and Lotus movements, but it is arguably similar as well. Nembutsu Buddhism is, in fact, the most different of the three. It argued that all other practices were useless and that this path was the only one that led to salvation. Since they were in the mappoo period, or the beginning of the end of times, one could only chant “Namu Amida Butsu” to get into the Pure Land. The Pure Land was the only way because enlightenment couldn’t be achieved during the mappoo period. Honen’s one-page testament, Selecting the Nembutsu of the Original Vow Collection, basically claimed that one didn’t have to understand the teachings of Amida but merely recite them to be accepted into the Pure Land. Nichiren and Zen Buddhism are a lot more similar to each other in that they believe enlightenment can still be reached. They believe in sutras, Nichiren in particular claimed the Lotus sutra to be of highest regard, and bodily being able to become a Buddha. Nichiren Buddhists and Zen Buddhists both believe that afflictions and sufferings in birth and death are a form of liberation and that Buddhahood must be expressed in one’s daily life. The biggest difference between the two is that Zen Buddhism values silent meditation and Nichiren Buddhists chant. Japanese Zen would not exist without its Chinese roots. Zen originated in China, and even the name Zen itself is derived from a Chinese word that was derived a Sanskrit word meaning...
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...European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 13, Number 4 (2010) Central Thailand Wat Tourism: Strategy for Tourism Promotion of Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) Sakon Phu-ngamdee The Thesis under the supervision of Assistant Professor Dr. Songkoon Chantachon and Dr. Ying Keerathiburana, Research Institute of Northeast Thailand Arts and Culture Mahasarakham University, Tarad Subdistrict, Muang District Mahasarakham Province, Thailand, 44000 E-mail: sakon60@yahoo.com Tel: (66) 43-72-1686; Fax: (66) 43-72-1686 Abstract This study was conducted under the supervision of Assistant Professor Dr. Songkoon Chantachon and Dr. Ying Keerathiburana. The study was proceeded with three aims: to provide a complete history of the project of Wai Pra Kao Wat (nine temples) Tour performed by Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA); to identify the problems and their causes which arose during the project’s implementation; and to develop a strategy for promoting Wai Pra Kao Wat (nine temples) Tour as a tourist destination. Data were collected from official document, participatory observation, and key informant interview with eighty four persons under purposive sampling method, as well as two workshops with BMTA officials. The results were analyzed with SWOT analysis to identify the project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The strength of the project were ticket price, tourism activities, service quality, attractive entities and tourist’s belief responsiveness. The weakness...
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...Axia College Material Appendix D Indigenous Culture Web Site Review Template Question | Response | Web site 1 URL: | http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm | Name of Indigenous culture/religion presented in Web site | This website discussed Buddhism. | Consider the examples of roles and observances held sacred by these people. Is this practice being kept alive? | This religion is very much alive by their cultural traditions. It is the 4th largest religion in the world. The prayers and festivals still occur today as a form of keeping the religion alive. | Has the culture/religion evolved over time? | Yes! It has changed into different sects depending on locality. | If the culture/religion still lives, how has Western culture changed it? | Western culture has changed it, via trying to create one form of Buddhism. | Who authored this site? Do you think the content of the site is authentic? | B.A. Robinson. I do think this site is authentic because it uses historical quotes and citations. | Name one interesting fact you learned from this Web site. | Buddhism does not endorse the existence of the soul. Many and most major world religions, however do believe in the existence of the soul. | Question | Response | Web site 2 URL: | http://www.gnosticmedia.com/ | Name of indigenous culture/religion presented in Web site. | Agnostic | Consider the examples of roles and observances held sacred by these people. Is this practice being kept...
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...A Study on Violence Against Buddhism by Korean Protestantism: Centering on the Wonmyeong Temple and Bongeun Temple Incidents Introduction: Violent Attacks on Buddhism by Protestants In the past, there have been numerous incidents where extremist Korean Protestants have damaged statues of the Buddha or Buddhist temples. Such incidents pose serious risks to society as these examples of destruction do not only disregard a certain religion, but are also highly violent in nature. Many high-profile cases have been reported: Arson of the Daejeokgwangjeon of Geumsansa Temple in 1986; the destruction of a stone pagoda and lantern of Okcheonam Temple in Hongeun-dong in 1989; the damaging of the Tangible Cultural Asset No. 17 stone-carved Buddha Statue in 1989; the enclosing of a shrine and burning of a Buddha statue by an army officer in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do in 1993; the arrest of a pastor and his fellows by local police officers for destroying a Buddha statue in Thailand in 1994; a Buddhist accidently killed while he was trying to prevent a Christian from intruding into a Buddhist monastery to distribute Christian missionary materials in 1996; the destruction, damage of 750 Buddha statues in Jeju by a Christian (named Kim) in his attempt to transform Wonmyeong Temple into a church in 1998; the damaging of the Buddha statue at Dongguk University in 2000; and the frenzy over a video clip about missionary students doing a performance involving stepping on the Bongeun Temple site...
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... 2 Shinto Shinto meaning “the way of the gods”, is centered upon the relationship between practitioners and a multitude of supernatural entities called kami who are associated with all aspects of life. Being Japan’s major religion alongside Buddhism, Shinto is deeply rooted in the Japanese people and traditions, having no founder and sacred scriptures like the sutras or the bible. Shinto is an optimistic faith, there is no right or wrong, and nobody is perfect. Humans are thought to be fundamentally good and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits. There are those in the world who reject foreign religions as heresy, and will only believe in their indisputable truth of their own faith. In Shinto, they consider this tendency to be unhealthy in human society. Believing that it is better to learn the good points from all the religions of the world, just as learning from the good actions of our parents, teachers or others in society. Shinto has an openness to foreign religions, even those of a totally different character like Buddhism. By nature, a religion has a tendency to split into several factions due to differences over interpretation of dogma. However, in Shinto, there is no dogmatic dis-unification, and this why Shinto can embrace people of different faiths. A religion closely related to secular life through festivals and traditional rites of passage, Shinto’s...
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...Why are people so attracted to Scientology? Why are many public figures involved in a religious cult that gets bad press? Well, The Church of Scientology is publicized in social media, shedding a negative light on this religion. In another reality, what many people do not see is that Scientology contains very workable techniques for improving self-confidence, tuning up memory, mental alertness and increasing one’s sense of self-worth and well-being (Rinder, 2013). Scientology can give you strong emotional highs, which increases your confidence and enthusiasm. From a spiritual point of view, and despite its negative aspects, Scientology can act as one of the many channels that can help one to awaken his or her spiritual potential. Scientology and Buddhism share a fundamental belief that you must look for yourself. Buddhism identifies as a state of enlightenment obtained by worldly desires. Buddhism religion practices...
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