Buddhism: A Godless, Global, and Righteous Religion
People in the west associate religion with a God. Oxford Dictionaries defines religion as “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are three main examples of monotheistic religions. As of 2014, “Christians account for 70.6% of the U.S. adult population” (Pew Research Center). With this statistic in mind, could a nontheistic religion exist, especially in the United States? Yes, Buddhism as a godless religion “recognizes the existence of supernatural beings such as gods and spirits” (Keown 5). Buddhists revere the Buddha as a sage–not a deity–who achieved nirvana. Although Buddhists do not worship
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“Buddhist teachings inculcate respect for all living creatures, whether human or animal, and regard the intentional destruction of life as a grave wrong” (Keown 30). For instance, some Buddhists are vegetarians and adopt pacifism as a way of life. Also, when it comes to dealing with acts of terrorism like the September 11 attacks, Buddhist leaders emphasize the need to fully understand the causes which led to ‘9/11’ taking place, say responding to force with force is wrong, and believe there is a need for reflection and self-criticism concerning the part we ourselves may have played. These significant events show how Buddhist teachings apply to the world we live …show more content…
Throughout the history of Buddhism, Buddhist crusades or acts of jihad are non-existent. Some may say that Buddhists in Sri Lanka and samurai in Japan used violent means through Buddhism, but most Buddhists live as non-violent people. “The earliest scriptures strongly condemn violence, and the use of force to further the aims of religion–for example in the form of a crusade of jihad–seem incomprehensible to most Buddhists. “The Buddhist toleration of alternative viewpoints contrasts with the some of the darker episodes in the history of Western religion…” (Keown 139). As a tolerant religion, Buddhism itself focuses more on building and educating rather than converting others. “...Buddhism is more concerned with the development of understanding than the acceptance of credal formulas” (139). Most importantly, prayers play an integral role in religions like Christianity. “In terms of its importance, meditation may be likened to prayer in Christianity, although Christian prayer and Buddhist meditation usually have different objectives: when Buddhists meditate, for example, they are not seeking to communicate with God but endeavouring to cultivate wisdom and compassion” (Keown 8). By living peacefully, many Buddhists live long and
In the world, there are five major world religions, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In the past few classes, I have been exposed to and absorbed a tremendous amount of information on the religion of Buddhism. According to the dictionary, Buddhism is a religion of which originated in India, was founded by the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, and teaches that life is full of suffering caused by desire and that the way to end this suffering is through enlightenment that enables one to halt the endless sequence of births and deaths to which one is otherwise subject. Buddhism is a way of finding peace within oneself. It is a religion that helps it’s believers to find the happiness and contentment us humans seek. One thing I found
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
Buddhism is one of the prominent and influential religions and philosophies of the world. A basic tenet of Buddhism is that worldly desires and possessions cause all suffering. To absolve one’s self of necessities beyond basic human survival is one of the many plateaus that Buddhists strive to achieve. Furthermore, Buddhists free themselves from temptation via seclusion from society and attempt to allow nature to support them. They believe that Nirvana, the ascension to heaven, can be achieved by freeing oneself of earthly desires.
Hanh, T. N. (2008). The World We Have : A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology. Berkeley: Parallax Press.
In the comparison with other class of Chinese faith , the study of Chinese Buddhism benefits. First, the International range of Buddhism allows for fruitful comparison with developments in other neighboring finish such as India and japan and the contemporary identicalness of Buddhism as a missionary. Buddhism is a way of breakthrough repose within oneself. It is a organized religion that helps us to find the happiness and contentment we seek. Buddhist develop inner peace, kindness and wisdom through their daily practice; and then share their experience with others delivery real number benefit to this humankind .They try not to injury others and to live
Both the Buddhist monks and suicide bombers resort to violent means to try and enact a certain social change. The Buddhist monks that sacrificed their own lives believed they were just and right in fighting the religiously discriminatory government. If someone believes their fight is just and right and that their life is worth what they believe in, then violence on oneself in acts of civil disobedience is permissible. However, the actions of suicide bombers in the Middle East are not right because their suicides inhibit on the liberties of innocent people.
Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions, but Buddhism differs from those religions as it is considered more of a ‘lifestyle’ than a specific type of religion. Buddhism centers around ...
The wars, the victories, the defeats and deaths arose from the warrior’s duty to the Buddhist Law. These warriors lived their duty and this is reflected through the tales that illustrate actions that include loyalty and respect towards other warriors.
Compare And Analysis The Japanese Buddhism And Indo Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played an influential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of much of the Eastern world. It is the prevailing religious force in most of Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet). ‘Buddhism’ is reformulated and re-expressed in different cultures and at different times, adopting and redefining aspects of the cultures in which it has taken root. Today, there are about 300 million followers. (Yamplosky) The Indian religion Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BC, is one of the common features of Asian civilization, and Buddhist institutions and believers are found all over East, South, and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism is now just a minority belief in the country of it’s founding, it remains a significant religious and cultural force in Japan today. Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion. In indo Buddhism, the temple is the main sanctuary, in which services, both public and private, are performed but Japanese Buddhism is mainly hub of individual activities and services. Similarly to Japanese Buddhism, in Indo Buddhism the monastery is a complex of buildings, located usually in a spot chosen for its beauty and seclusion. Its function is to house the activities of the monks. Images are important features of temples, monasteries, and shrines in both Indo a...
Buddhism is currently the fourth most popular religion in our society today, following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Its major ideologies are based on the philosophies of Siddhartha Guatama, also known as “Buddha”, who began his teachings in 598 BCE at the age of 35, according to Buddhist texts. A Buddhist’s foremost aspiration is the obtainment of Bodhi, or enlightenment through meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of the breath). Buddhism shares many ideologies with India’s Hinduism and Yoga such as non-harming, non-violence, and self-awareness. In many instances, people regard Buddhism as a way of life rather than a religion, for it has no clear belief in the idea of a God or Gods. Its structure is built upon a hierarchy much like Christianity where superior orders such as Lamas or the Dalai Lama are said to be chosen by nature through the process of reincarnation rather than by a council like Christianity’s Pope. Though these “higher level” Buddhists are rare (not everyone is a reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist “priest”), all are permitted to follow “The Middle Way” either as a Buddhist monk or the simple attendance of a weekly teaching session from time to time. Throughout the last few hundred years the Buddhist population has blossomed into a healthy 381,611,000 and over fifteen different sects including Zen, Mahayana, and Theravada.
Buddhism prevailed as a religion indigenous to west India and comprises of varieties of traditions, beliefs and practices based on the teachings of Buddha. There are many reasons why Buddhism became so popular and entered into many civilizations. Buddhism began to be popular throughout Asia alongside India. Buddhism has blossomed in the contemporary world, especially in the West. It is an issue to wonder what Buddhism offers that other religions cannot and has become so significant worldwide. Buddhism has become an idea that is widespread and the teachings of Buddha have made a real difference in many civilizations like India, China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and surprisingly Buddhism has come to make a significant difference in American culture.
In one horrifying example, we learn of a nun named Palden Choetso, who was burned to death in 2011. Along with her, the pictures of the 130 Tibetan men and women who also set fire to themselves hang in commemoration. As Toomey writes, “A testimony to the desperation Tibetans now feel as their land, rich culture, and right to religious freedom are ever more diminished under Chinese rule” (Toomey, 72). Although this seems to contrast the Buddhist idea of nonviolence, which would presumably include self-harm, we once again can see the struggles Buddhism and other religions are facing in today's
Buddhism, like most other religions, originated in a particular place at a particular time, and its roots are in forms and ideas that were part of the environment in which it developed. The most important of these areas at the time of the Buddha was the valley of the Ganges river which flows from west to east across most of northern India. It was here that the great religions of India first arose and flourished. Only later did they spread to the south. In the time of the Buddha, about 500 B.C.E., this area was undergoing a period of vigorous religious development.
Another similar religion which includes the belief of non violence is called Buddhism which originated from India and has know made it way throughout the Asia. This is consider very highly by outsiders generalisations that it is a non- violent, peaceful religion. However scholarly work shows that medieval Buddhism did have elements of violent acts and justification for these acts. In Japanese Buddhism there are aspects of violent acts. Buddhist monks have trained warriors in martial arts for war.
“From this moment, I, take you, as my best friend for life. I pledge to honor, encourage, and support you through our walk together. I promise to provide for your needs and always make you a priority in my life. With every beat of my heart, I will love you. This is my solemn vow” (Daversa). This vow is an example of words expressed between a man and woman on their wedding day as they face one another and declare their love in front of family and friends. However, when the same man says these words on more than one occasion to different women, then the validity is called into question. Monogamy is the practice or state of being married to, or having a sexual relationship with one person at a time (Little et. al. 1275). Although rare, monogamous relationships can be observed among animals in the wild. Beavers, which mate for life, use their union as a survival tool to construct and maintain their dams (Caraza). While humans are considered animals, they have developed beyond their counterparts to develop a whole set of complicated emotions - love, jealousy, rage, and depression. Generally, animals have no need for emotional fulfillment. Their brains do not have the capacity to house these feelings that humans have come to develop. Humans, on the other hand, have emotional needs, and among these are to express love and to receive love in return. Man's greatest fear is loneliness, and monogamy helps give humans that deep, emotional connection with another human being that we all need to survive (Becker 34). Monogamy provides individuals with emotional and physical stability that cannot be achieved with alternatives to monogamy.