Analysis Of The Bardo Of Seeking Rebirth

1548 Words4 Pages

Jewish and Buddhist sacred texts are similar in reverence and significance and have immense importance for the beliefs and practices of each respective religious community. Sacred texts are important as they underpin the beliefs and practices of every religion. The Bardo of Seeking Rebirth from the Tibetan Book of the Dead is a Buddhist sacred text written in the narrative genre; and acts as a guide for those who have died as they transition from their living life to a new destination. Chapter 8, verses 22-31 from the Book of Proverbs is a Jewish sacred text written in the genre of poetry; and acts as a guide to conducting and living a wise life. These texts display specific links between the beliefs of their respective religion and the social …show more content…

The Bardo of Seeking Rebirth was written in the genre of a narrative. The structure of a narrative was used for this sacred text to describe the emotions and feelings of God. The style manipulates the language and beliefs of the time in history to carry on the message of birth and rebirth according to the Lord. Many key words and symbols are used in this text to link the social beliefs of the 8th Century to religious beliefs. Key words, such as the ‘The Lord of Death’ are used to describe the fact that God has designed humans to die, however when using ‘The Good Spirit’, this describes the way sins can be forgiven and humans can be reborn free from sin. In comparison, Chapter 8 verses 22-31 from the Book of Proverbs, was written in the poetic form. Poetic devices that are used in this excerpt are: repetition, metaphor, personification, and rhyme. Repetition is displayed by repeating these phrases, ‘When there we no,’ and ‘When he.’ A metaphor is used in this quotation from the text, ‘Then I was beside him, like a master workman’. Personification is used in this quotation from the text, ‘waters might not transgress his command’, to give human characteristics to nature. The poetic devices assisted in creating structure, new meaning and importance of specific sections of the text to highlight importance and significance. The written genre of each sacred text influences the emotions and meaning to understand the significance of the pieces to Buddhism and

Show More
Related

  • Analysis of Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bibliography: Religious Persons and Traditions Buddhism- Plain and Simple

    Read More

  • A Tibetan Perspective on Birth and Death

    1436 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many religions and philosophies attempt to answer the question, what happens after a person dies? Some religions such as Christianity and Islam believe there is an afterlife. They believe that good and moral people enter Heaven or paradise and that bad and immoral people go to Hell. Other religions and cultures believe that death is final, and that nothing happens after a person dies. Buddhism and Hinduism have a different idea about death. Both of these religions originated in India. Buddhists and Hindus believe that death is not final. They believe that a person comes back after he or she dies. This process is known as reincarnation, and it provides opportunities for people to enter the world multiple times in different forms. Buddhists and Hindus want to reenter the world as humans, and they want to improve their status through reincarnation. In ancient India, many members of lower casts wanted to come back as members of higher casts. While this is an important goal of reincarnation, the main goal is to reach either moksha (Hinduism) or nirvana (Buddhism). In other words, the goal is to reach a point of spiritual enlightenment that removes the person from the reincarnation process. Geoff Childs, an anthropologist examines the views of the Buddhist religion by studying the lives of the people in Tibetan villages. He looks at issues that adversely affect these people such as infant mortality. He carefully looks at the lives of people who have been left behind by deceased loved ones, and he pays careful attention to customs and traditions surrounding death. Tibetan Buddhists view death as a means of reaching spiritual perfection, and they seek to reach this level of spiritual perfection through living spiritually meaningful lives....

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast the Lives of Buddha and Jesus

    3762 Words  | 8 Pages

    24 Amore, Roy C. and Julia Ching.  The Buddhist Tradition.  In Willard G. Oxtoby, Ed.  World Religions: Eastern Traditions.  P. 221

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Bhagavad Gita And Dante

    870 Words  | 2 Pages

    The duration of life in a material reality is substantial, but insignificant to all the living bodies in the tangible world are subject to a phenomenon of reoccurring past and once again develop other bodies in another realm. This idea of one life coming after another is a continuing occurrence in the literary world of religious themed texts. Across continents and cultural standpoints, east and west, across time, a thousand years, there are two characters who both begin a journey away from the confusion filling their minds. In the epic Bhagavad Gita and Alighieri from the works of the Scribe Veda Vyasa and Dante, respectively, both works near a thousand years apart connect together to the theme of levels in life is portrayed by the physical life and the extraneous or exotic life, and how these all connect to one another.

    Read More

  • Comparing Christianity and Buddhism

    2061 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Immortalityality Of The Soul In The Meno

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    hilosophers have contemplated over the subject of immortality. They question if the soul, particularly, is immortal. Although Plato writes the Meno, it is supposed to be a copy of what Socrates personally encountered and “taught” in his lifetime. Even though the Meno is originally about the search for the meaning of virtue, one perspective on the immortality of the soul is introduced to us by Socrates in that play. Therefore, what Socrates thought about the immortality of the soul in the Meno is the following: “If the truth about reality is always in our soul, the soul would be immortal so that you should always confidently try to seek out and recollect what you do not know at present” (Plato, 86b) In the beginning, Meno challenges Socrates

    Read More

  • Importance Of Mortality In Beowulf

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the oldest and most prominent issues that mankind has faced throughout history is that of their own mortality. In every society mankind has wrestled with the inevitable problem of their eventual death, and literature often reflects each society’s take on their mortality. For instance one of the most pronounced motifs in the epic poem Beowulf is the impending doom that each and every character knows will eventually come for them. This is most clearly illustrated by the protagonist himself in his dialogue with other characters. It is also perpetuated by the compelling need for glory and renown that many of the characters continuously search for. Lastly, the issue of mortality is presented by the preeminence of the history of the clans

    Read More

  • Ideas of the Afterlife

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    The illustration shows an answer to the philosophical question, is there life after death? Death, as portrayed in this art reflects death as the end of existence in this life, but shows it continuing in another. When man dies in this world, he proceeds to another world. The representation of death and moving through a door to the afterlife is a strongly influenced by the Christian idea of what one can expect in the afterlife, if they have lived a good life. To be rejuvenated in a more youthful fo...

    Read More

  • The Main Themes Of Buddhism In The Dhammapada

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    Early on in this religious scripture, the statement “you too shall pass away” engrains itself in the reader’s mind (Chapter 1). A reminder that humans do eventually perish similar to everything else in the world exemplifies the Buddhist belief of Anitya. Also referring to the temporary nature of human beings, the Buddha states that “the body is a fragile jar” and “that the body is merely the foam of a wave”: both comparisons prove forever fleeting and always temporary (Chapter 3, Chapter 4). Humans tend to forget that even they have a definite timespan to live; therefore, this propensity leads the Dhammapada to remind them that individuals must recognize the brevity of their existence and thus urges them to experience a pure and joyous life. Later referring to the human body as “a

    Read More

  • Islam: Its History, Sects, and Pillars

    2993 Words  | 6 Pages

    Smith, Huston. The Illustrated World's Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions. San Francisco: Harper SanFrancisco, 1994. Print.

    Read More

  • The Buddhist Four Noble Truths Of A Transcendental World

    1934 Words  | 4 Pages

    All religions have a way of retelling stories and reciting them to future generations which has a substantial impact for the believers within their faith. These stories can be written down and recorded in books which are given high authority and referred to as a Sacred Text of a religion. The dictionary refers to sacred texts as “writing that is venerated for the worship of a deity which embodies the laws and doctrines of a religion”. (Dictionary.com, 2014) Sacred texts can form the basis of a religion, instilling law and character into its people while other sacred texts are narratives of historical figures in the faith. (Dulcinea Media, Inc., 2014) The sacred text for Christianity is the Bible. Buddhism is guided by the Pali Canon or Tripitaka (Tipitaka).

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of The Japanese Quince

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nilson and Mr. Tandram allow further examples upon the ideals and potential of rebirth. Prior to their encounter, Mr.Nilson was in his own home with his set actions of reading the newspaper and breakfast. The emotional and sensational characteristics of Mr.Nilson are of the experience upon being lifeless and desolate as a representation of being “dead”. As Mr.Nilson was drawn to the tree, the effect of the tree as evidenced by “these leaves the sunlight glistened, Mr.Nilson smiled, the little tree was so alive and pretty! ...”expresses how the tree is effects the desolate embodiment of death as characterized as Mr.Nilson and how he could see the greatest in life. Similarly, the environment among Mr.Tandram is also desolate as a shadow in the characteristics upon someone also being desolate. The relationship of the tree is further supported between Mr.Nilson and Mr. Tandem in the concept of being rebirth upon two similar lifestyles of

    Read More

  • Death And Afterlife In The Bible

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout history, the concept of death and an afterlife has always been present regardless of the culture or religion. It has also been very influential in literature and other writings. In the epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer, there is a portrayal of the Greek beliefs of the afterlife. The Bible addresses this theme as well in the gospel of Matthew. Between these two works, there are noticeable differences about the beliefs of death due to the different cultures in which they were written. Despite the many variations, there are some slight similarities regarding the afterlife. Although the two writings were composed in different cultures and time periods, the notions of an afterlife in each piece can be easily related.

    Read More

  • I Am Vertical Essay

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poetic devices contribute greatly to the development of the thematic message, which is that one can only be content when one does not have consciousness or thought, which the persona believes to be found in death. To be content is to be unaware, and to be unaware is to be dead, and to be dead is to be horizontal, so even though “I Am Vertical/ …I would rather be horizontal.” (title, S1.

    Read More

  • Reincarnation Essay

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    Reincarnation is a philosophical and religious concept in which a soul is reborn into a new physical body following death. The word reincarnation comes from the Latin root ‘re’, meaning again, and ‘incarnare', meaning to make flesh. The original origins of the concept of reincarnation are unknown, although it is believed it arose in northern India between 1000 and 600 BC. The first known reference to reincarnation appears in the Upanishads, which are a sacred Hindu text. It is also believed that the tribes of the Ganges valley or the Dravidian traditions of South India are early sources of the belief of reincarnation although there are is no direct evidence of this. It is unknown if the ideas associated with reincarnation arose independently in different regions over time or if they spread as a result of contact between different cultures.

    Read More

More about Analysis Of The Bardo Of Seeking Rebirth

Open Document