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Religion and Ethnic Diversity

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Religion and Ethnic Diversity Paper
Tammy L. Morgan
Eth/125
3/17/2013
Dr. Sisay Teketele

Religion and Ethnic Diversity Paper
Buddhism is a religion that has fascinated me for many years. I do not claim to be affiliated with any specific organized religion, but I do however, enjoy educating myself about the many different religions that we as humans have become so reliant on. I mean absolutely no disrespect, nor do I mean to trivialize the teachings of any religion, but I will say that Buddhism is one that I can relate to more so than most. Buddhism is a religion f oneness and compassion. Buddhist teachings consist of messages that encourages its followers to “Cease all unwholesome conduct, do only what is good, and purify your mind.” (Shr Heng Lyu, 2012). It is a religion who’s foundation is based on four basic truths, they are: that life is full of suffering, that there is a cause of this suffering, it is possible to stop suffering, and there is a way to extinguish suffering (Aich, 2013). With this being said, you would think that Buddhism would be above prejudice, discrimination, and persecution, sadly this is not the case.
There are several types of Buddhism, but for the sake of this assignment I will restrict myself to speaking of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Most sects of Buddhism is also closely intertwined with Asian cultures, but that is something that I will discuss a little later. Buddhism differs from other religions in many ways, but the one that sticks out to me the most is that the religious rituals associated with Buddhism are more about respect of their elders and those that have come before them, than they are about worship (Theravada Buddhism: “The way of the elders” , 2004). The ultimate goal of a Theravadin Buddhist is to become and arhat. An arhat is someone who is considered to be a perfect saint. They have achieved nirvana or enlightenment and will never again be reborn into this world According to Theravada Buddhism and its authoritative text the Pali Canon, this is a task that is nearly impossible and takes many life times to achieve (Theravada Buddhism: “The way of the elders”, 2004).
There are four stages that one must go through before achieving arhat status. The first is Sotapanna or “stream-enterer”. This particular stage refers to someone who has converted by overcoming false beliefs. The second sage is Sakadagamin or “once-returner”. This stage refers to someone who has purged themselves of lust, hatred and illusion and will only be reborn once more before achieving nirvana. The third stage is called Anagamin or “never-returner”. This stage signifies the point at which an individual will reborn in heaven. Once they achieve this rebirth, they will become an arahant. The fourth and final stage is called Arhat, or “worthy-one”. An individual reaches the final stage when he or she has attained nirvana and they will no longer have to be reborn (Theravada Buddhism: “The way of the elders”, 2004).
It is easy to see from this brief description of theravadin beliefs how different Buddhism is from other religions. Mahayana Buddhism is basically a more user friendly extension of Theravada Buddhism, which is much more philosophical than religious and requires much more commitment from those involved (Theravada Buddhism: “The way of the elders”, 200
While both branches of the religion permute peace, the extinction of suffering, and oneness, Buddhists have endured persecution for centuries. They have been arrested. Their monasteries were destroyed and their religion was banned (Dietrich, 1996). Today there are many misconceptions regarding Buddhism and its more religious practices. For example, many Christians believe that the idea of nirvana is a desire for non-existence, which is surely not the case. There are even some extremists tat believe that Buddhism what created by Satan himself. They believe between its satanic origins and the worshiping of false idols, Buddhists are all damned to hell ( Source and citation needed here).

Despite the difficult road, Buddhism has managed to flourish. Most associate Buddhism with Asian cultures and they are not incorrect in doing so. Buddhism is widespread across northern, southern and eastern Asia, but the religion has found our western shores welcoming. Buddhism has become much more mainstream these days, with Buddhist study centers all over the United States and Europe (Material Religion, 2008). Buddhism and the culture associated with the religion is being intertwined with western cultures. Through art, philosophy, and general world views, Buddhism has touched many lives whether we realize it or not.
As I said in the beginning, Buddhism is one religion that has always fascinated me. This is mostly due to the fact that I have never really regarded it as a religion, but more of a journey on which we learn to live in harmony with ourselves as well as the world around us. I have always considered the teachings of Buddhism, what little of them that I personally know of, as a means to not only understand the reality of this world, but also a means of embracing this world for all that it is both joy and suffering. Do I feel I understand this religion more after do this assignment? To a point. However, I still feel that this particular religion is so individualist in its meaning to each of us that unless I convert and begin to follow the doctrine strictly I will never full grasp what it is to be a Buddhist.
If we dig deeper into the native culture of the Asian people we can see the ties between Buddhism and the people. However, Asian culture is so much more than merely religious beliefs. For example, People of Asian descent tend to be very family oriented, more so than many other cultures. Their family structure is also hierarchical in nature. Men and older individual hold a higher level of status within the family and females tend to be valued less than their male counter parts (Nguyen, 2002). Honor is also very important within Asian culture. Avoidance of shame often leads to family issues being kept secret and dealt with within the family ranks (Nguyen, 2002). This strong view of the importance of honor is a definite difference between Asian culture and modern day western cultures. Not to say that all western cultures are unconcerned with shame, but it has been my experience that they are less concerned with the family unit than many Asian families. Of course western cultures have respect for the family unit. However, I do not feel that they hold it in as high regard as it is in most Asian cultures. On the other hand, Asian families tend to be less openly emotional and affectionate. They feel that it is a sign of maturity when you are able to exhibit more self-control (Nguyen, 2002).
The term “Asian” is a fairly broad term. It tends to group together several different cultures together. However, with that being said, there definitely some major similarities in terms of how Asians have been treated abroad throughout history. If we focus on the relationship between Americans, Asians, and Asian Americans, it can be seen plainly that these cultures have had a somewhat rocky past. For example, the treatment of Asian Americans of Japanese descent during World War II was appalling. During this time over 120,000 people were held against their will behind barbed wire fencing in a ridiculous attempt to secure the safety of our nation (History, n.d.).
,
After doing some research on Asian culture, I have learned some new information as well as reinforced some of my previous knowledge. Both topics of this paper have been very interesting to say the least and I chose them specifically because of the similarities between the two, culturally speaking. However, there are also some distinct differences in the general perception of the religion and Asian culture. One of the differences that stands out the most to me is the fact that Buddhism is often associated with peace, understanding all reality, and relieving suffering, while many of the characteristics of Asian families are commonly associated with disconnecting from the outside world, but remaining absorbed in the workings of tightly knit family units. If there is anything that I have learned from this comparison it is that judging a book by its cover, or even by the summary of its contents can be very misleading.

References
Aiche TK, (2013). Buddha philosophy and western psychology. Indian J Psychiatry. Vol. 55. Pg 165-170.
Angela Dietrich, (1996). Buddhist monks and Rana Rulers: A history of persecution. Buddhist Himalaya: A Journel of Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods. Vol. VII no. I &II
Linda Nguyen. (2002). Characteristics of the Traditional Asian Family.
Retrieved from http://www.coed.usf.edu/zalaquett/mcdp/Asian%20handout.htm
Shr Heng Lyu, (2012). Development and mission of theravada and Mahayana Buddhism in an era of globalization. Religion East & West, Institute for World Religions. Issue 11.
History, n.d., Retrieved from http://www.du.edu/behindbarbedwire/history.html
Western Dharma, (2008). Material Religion, 4(1), 87
Theravada Buddhism: The “way of the elders”,(2004). Retrieved from http://www.relgionfacts.com/buddhism/sects/theravada.htm

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