...and death. This indicates how important the Four Noble Truths are to the understanding of the Buddha’s teachings and to the realization of the goal of His teachings. So here in the Four Noble Truths which are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering, we have the foundation of the teachings of the Buddha for understanding and practice. the central concept that lies behind the Four Noble Truths. It indicates the importance of the relationship between cause and effect. The idea of cause and effect is at the heart of the Buddha’s teachings and is at the heart of the Four Noble Truths. Now in what sense? Specifically there is a starting point, the problem of suffering. This problem arises from causes. Finally just as there is suffering and the causes of suffering, so too there is an end of suffering and a cause for the end of suffering. In this case it is a negative process. In other words, when the causes of suffering are removed then suffering ends. ONE- The Four Noble Truths begin with the recognition of suffering. We, as human beings, are subject to desires and cravings of the world around us, but even when we are able to satisfy these desires, the satisfaction is only temporary. Pleasure does not last; or if it does, it becomes monotonous. Suffering or dukkha, comes in many forms of physical and mental suffering including: birth, decay, disease, death, to be...
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...followers, and both have had an impact on the history of the world. While these religions have both subtle and drastic differences, they also have similarities of the same manner. To see these similarities, we will compare and contrast three sets of articles. The first is an examination of the early lives of both the Buddha and Jesus. The second set is a comparison of “The Lost Son” parables, and the third set is a comparison of the Buddha’s last words and the interpretation of Jesus’ death in the book of Acts. These examinations of Buddhism and Christianity will help to show just how similar the two religions are, for all their differences. First, we examine and analyze the early lives of the Buddha and Jesus. For the early life of the Buddha—the beginning of his mission—we turn to a story called “The Four Passing Sights.” For the beginning of Jesus’ mission, we read Mark 1:1-13. The Buddha began life as Siddhartha, son of a king. At his naming ceremony, priests foretold that he would grow to be either 1) a world ruler if he followed his father’s footsteps; or 2) a world teacher if he were exposed to the sight of suffering. And so Siddhartha was kept in the palace, surrounded by servants and finery, and was never exposed to the world outside. He asks his father’s permission to go to a nearby park, and his father allows him after going to extravagant lengths in order to decorate the prince’s route. On his way to the park, Siddhartha sees an old man—crippled, toothless, and nearly...
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...straightforward look at our human condition; nothing is based on wishful thinking, at all. Historian’s estimate that the founder of Buddhism was named Siddhartha Gautama, and he lived from 566(?) to 480(?) B.C. Siddhartha Gautama was believed to be the son of an Indian warrior-king, Gautama led an extravagant life through early adulthood, reveling in the privileges of his social caste. But when he became bored of the indulgences of royal life, Gautama wandered into the world in search of understanding. After encountering an old man, an ill man, a corpse and an ascetic, Gautama was convinced that suffering lay at the end of all existence. He renounced his princely title and became a monk, depriving himself of worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth of the world around him. The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a tree, where he finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation. Following this epiphany, Gautama was known as the Buddha, meaning the "Enlightened One." The Buddha spent the remainder of his life journeying about India, teaching others what he had come to understand. Everything that the Buddha taught was based on his own observation.[pic] There are quite a few Buddhists festivals. The two that I will talk about are “The Buddhist New...
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...attain personal enlightenment, the persona of non-violence, and the ability to tolerance differences among people. Buddhism is less often referred to as organized religion and more often as a culture or way of life (Boeree, n.d.). “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.” Prince Hiddhartha Gautama or the Buddha is the founder of Buddhism. His name means, “One who has achieved his aim.” When resting under a Bodhi Tree in Gaya, the prince gained his goal of enlightenment and experienced three spiritual breakthroughs; 1. He developed the ability to recall his past lives and life events resulting from death and reincarnation. 2. He learned that deeds, whether good or bad that occurred during past lives, directly relate to subsequent reincarnations. 3. He learned to attain nirvana. The Buddha learned during this experience to put aside physical and mental deviations such as fear, exhaustion, delusion, doubt, desire, thirst, hatred craving, lusting, and temptation. Placing the physical aside, he could completely focus on the spiritual gaining enlightenment and the knowledge that in this final step of development, reincarnation would not recur. After attaining enlightenment, he began the...
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...Eastern Philosophy Matrix and Essay Part 1 Matrix: Analyze Eastern philosophy by completing the following matrix. Provide a definition of the branch of philosophy as given in a philosophical source (the readings, supplemental materials, or outside academic sources) and list a minimum of three historical developments, theories, key contributors, and principal issues. Bullet point answers are acceptable. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Historical...
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...Buddhism and Jainism, Guatama and Mahavira, were contemporaries that came from the same social class. Their upbringings were so closely tied which may explain why the religions share similar doctrines. Most historians agree that Buddhism originated in northern India in the 5th century B.C.E. The tradition traces its origin to Siddhartha Gautama (or Gotama), who is typically referred to as the Buddha (literally the "Awakened" or "Enlightened One"). Siddhartha observed the suffering in the world and set out to find an antidote. Gautama Buddha, the originator of Buddhism, was born in 563 BC in the reigning Kshatriya family of the Lichhavi tribe in Lumbini, in the foothills of Nepal. His father was the Chief of this tribe. It was prophesized that Gautama (who was named Siddharth) would become a saint and renounce the world. Therefore, his father took all possible care to keep Gautama in a palace full of luxuries and comfort. The preaching of Lord Buddha revolves around attaining salvation from worldly sufferings, universal brotherhood, peace and non-violence. | Gautama Buddha during his reign discarded the Vedic Brahmanical system, which separated the society into many castes and further isolated the people from one another on the basis of their birth. Buddha stalwartly opposed lengthy rituals, animal sacrifices and ceremonial worship. According to his doctrine, the existence of God is irrelevant. He laid emphasis on self-effort to attain salvation. He believed that the soul...
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...with people of a variety of faiths. Within a clinical setting an important aspect of spiritual care is enabling participation in religious observation, where desired. This article reveals the authors and Christianity’s perspective in comparison with the Buddhist, Muslim, and Hindu faiths approaches to healing. Cultural and spiritual diversity must be embraced in the healthcare setting in order to provide holistic healing. Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity Spirituality is part of the human experience that is difficult to comprehend. Each person embraces their spirituality in their own manner. Spirituality is multidimensional and there is evidence that it plays a beneficial role in medical care and healing. Individuals derive this spirituality through their relationship with their families, themselves, and their faith experience (Anandarajah & Hight, 2001). The purpose of this paper is to acknowledge this writers spiritual perspective on healing and its critical components. After presenting a Christian perspective and approach to healing, the Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim faith perspectives will be compared to the Christian approach to healing. The conclusion will include a summary of the information obtained from these comparisons and ideas of applying it to this author’s health care practice. Authors’ Spiritual Perspective on Healing The core of this authors’ perspective on healing is founded on her faith and trust in God. This author understands a balance...
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...center practitioners. I will explain in this report the foundation and important figures within Kadampa Buddhism, and how they formed this particular branch of Buddhism; the meditation center and the daily practices; the practitioner that I interviewed and how Buddhism has transformed his life; compare and contrast Kadampa Buddhism with Islam; and conclude with a brief summary of what I personally learned from this experience. Buddhism Buddhism started more than 2000 years ago in India by a man who grew up with every worldly desire that a human could want, but it was these desires, and seeing the “four sights,” that drove him away from his family and his wealth. He lived a life of poverty and suffering, which he believed would be the way to find total liberation from suffering. Realizing this was not leading him to enlightenment, he began to practice the Middle Way, which is neither self indulgence nor self denial. Through this practice he finally experienced Supreme Enlightenment. A brief summary of his life is described by the Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in his book, Meeting the Buddhas. “In northern India in 624 BC a baby was born to Queen Mayadevi and King...
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...This paper is a comparison between two very different religions. Specifically Christianity and Buddhism. Coming from opposite sides of the globe these two religions could not be any farther apart in any aspect. I will discuss who Christ is for Christians and who Buddha is for Buddhists. I will also get into the aspects of charity, love, and compassion in both religions and I will be looking at the individual self and how Christians see resurrection where the buddhists feel about the afterlife. One thing to keep in mind is that the two religions are very different but they seem to have a very similar underlying pattern. Both believe that there was a savior of their people, Buddha and Christ, and both believe that there is something good that happens to us when our time is done here on earth. This is a very generalized summarization but in order to go in to depth I need to explain the two religions more to fully convey this theory. The Christian religion, like all other religions has its strengths and weaknesses in our modern society. Perhaps the strengths out weight the weaknesses as this is one of the largest religions in the world. Hundreds of people follow the Catholic/Christian religion yet still a greater number follow yet other religions. Perhaps this is because they see the weaknesses or perhaps it is simply because their parents have taught them that it is a sin to follow this religion. The Christian religions do however present much more of an appealing atmosphere...
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...------------------------------------------------- A2 Religious Studies ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- A2 PHILOSOPHY REVISION NOTES ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- The Body and Soul Introduction * Materialism is the view that the mind cannot be separated from the body * Idealism is the view that the mind is the only reality and the body is unreal. * Dualism is the view that the mind and body both exist and are linked in some way. Plato Review Plato’s distinction between body and soul in the foundation unit so that you can make comparisons with the thinking of Hick and of Dawkins. John Hick Philosophy of Religion (1973); Death and Eternal Life (1976) * The soul is a name for the moral, spiritual self formed by the interaction of genes and environment. The human is a psychophysical person with a divine purpose. * The person shall be resurrected through a divine act of recreation or reconstitution in resurrection, rather than reincarnation as Plato would have it, through God’s creative love. * The new body is not the old one brought back to life but a spiritual body inhabiting a spiritual world just as the physical body inhabited...
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...------------------------------------------------- A2 Religious Studies ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- A2 PHILOSOPHY REVISION NOTES ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- The Body and Soul Introduction * Materialism is the view that the mind cannot be separated from the body * Idealism is the view that the mind is the only reality and the body is unreal. * Dualism is the view that the mind and body both exist and are linked in some way. Plato Review Plato’s distinction between body and soul in the foundation unit so that you can make comparisons with the thinking of Hick and of Dawkins. John Hick Philosophy of Religion (1973); Death and Eternal Life (1976) * The soul is a name for the moral, spiritual self formed by the interaction of genes and environment. The human is a psychophysical person with a divine purpose. * The person shall be resurrected through a divine act of recreation or reconstitution in resurrection, rather than reincarnation as Plato would have it, through God’s creative love. * The new body is not the old one brought back to life but a spiritual body inhabiting a spiritual world just as the physical body inhabited...
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...Global Business Cultural Analysis: Hong Kong Ruben R. Castro Dr. Maria Marin Business 604 July 3, 2013 History Hong Kong has been inhabited for millennia, with the early Che people settling the land early on. During the period of the Warring States in Mainland China, Yuet people immigrated from the north and forcibly assimilated the Che people. During the time of the Qin Dynasty Hong Kong was made a part of unified Imperial China. Throughout the Han Dynasty in the 10th century the region grew in economic importance as a result of the local pearl industry. When the Mongols invaded China, Hong Kong saw a large influx of refugees from Mainland China, creating a population boom and further enlarging the already strong economy that had built around Hong Kong as a maritime trading port. In the 19th century, Britain, faced with a growing trade deficit with China due to the British appetite for tea, expanded its sale of opium to China dramatically. The ruling Qing Dynasty disapproved, and banned the sale of opium. Britain pushed the issue by declaring war, and occupied Hong Kong Island by 1831. The British would control Hong Kong until World War II. The Japanese seized the region briefly during World War II. Shortly after the war, the declaration of Communist China led to a new wave of refugees to British Hong Kong. As China continued to pursue an isolationist stance during the Communist era, Hong Kong became an important connection between the West and the mainland, and...
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...THE HANDY RELIGION AN SWE R BOOK JOHN RENARD Detroit The Handy Religion Answer Book™ C O P Y R I G H T © 2002 BY VI S I B LE I N K PRE SS® This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine or newspaper. All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended. Visible Ink Press® 43311 Joy Rd. #414 Canton, MI 48187-2075 Visible Ink Press and The Handy Religion Answer Book are trademarks of Visible Ink Press LLC. Most Visible Ink Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Customized printings, special imprints, messages, and excerpts can be produced to meet your needs. For more information, contact Special Markets Director, Visible Ink Press, at www.visibleink.com or (734) 667-3211. Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski Typesetting: Graphix Group Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Renard, John, 1944The handy religion answer book / John Renard. p. cm. ISBN 1-57859-125-2 (pbk.) 1. Religions--Miscellanea. I. Title. BL80.2 .R46 2001 291--dc21 Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved ...
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...Foundations: c. 8000 B.C.E.–600 C.E. Major Developments 1. Locating world history in the environment and time 1. Environment 1. Geography and climate: Interaction of geography and climate with the development of human society a. Five Themes of Geography – consider these 1. Relative location – location compared to others 2. Physical characteristics – climate, vegetation and human characteristics 3. Human/environment interaction – how do humans interact/alter environ a. Leads to change 4. Movement – peoples, goods, ideas among/between groups 5. Regions – cultural/physical characteristics in common with surrounding areas b. E. Africa first people – 750,000 years ago started to move 1. moving in search of food c. Role of Climate – End of Ice Age 12000 BCE – large areas of N. America, Europe, Asia became habitable – big game hunters already migrated 1. Geographical changes - 3000 BCE Green Sahara began to dry up, seeds to forests – N. America 2. Effect on humans – nomadic hunters didn’t move so much a. Settle near abundant plant life – beginning of civilization b. Sedentary life w/ dependable food supply 3. milder conditions, warmer temperatures, higher ocean...
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...Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Dedication PREFACE TO THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Introduction Part I - THE PURPOSE OF LIFE Chapter 1 - THE RIGHT TO HAPPINESS Chapter 2 - THE SOURCES OF HAPPINESS Chapter 3 - TRAINING THE MIND FOR HAPPINESS Chapter 4 - RECLAIMING OUR INNATE STATE OF HAPPINESS Part II - HUMAN WARMTH AND COMPASSION Chapter 5 - A NEW MODEL FOR INTIMACY Chapter 6 - DEEPENING OUR CONNECTION TO OTHERS Chapter 7 - THE VALUE AND BENEFITS OF COMPASSION Part III - TRANSFORMING SUFFERING Chapter 8 - FACING SUFFERING Chapter 9 - SELF-CREATED SUFFERING Chapter 10 - SHIFTING PERSPECTIVE Chapter 11 - FINDING MEANING IN PAIN AND SUFFERING Part IV - OVERCOMING OBSTACLES Chapter 12 - BRINGING ABOUT CHANGE Chapter 13 - DEALING WITH ANGER AND HATRED Chapter 14 - DEALING WITH ANXIETY AND BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM Part V - CLOSING REFLECTIONS ON LIVING A SPIRITUAL LIFE Chapter 15 - BASIC SPIRITUAL VALUES Acknowledgements THE ART OF HAPPINESS BOOK SERIES ABOUT THE AUTHORS RIVERHEAD BOOKS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell...
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