Buddhism Reflection Paper

Buddhism is seeking refuge in the three jewels, the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. I knew very little as to what that meant when I first began to study this religion even though it is one of the few religions that have a very clear definition. I only understood the Buddha as a dim figure that was worshiped by people in Asia; however, I was enlightened to learn the story of the Buddha’s life and teachings that brought about a religion that has lasted over 2500 years and spread across the world. While different ways of practicing Buddhism such as Theravada and Mahayana grew from these original teachings of the Buddha, a vast amount of people have devoted their lives to following what was taught, the dharma, and became a part of the community

The eight fold path was presented to me as guide for ways in which I could improve how I thought about myself and how I live with other people. The right view showed me that the way I observe the world and everything in it as being interconnected made me realize that I am not a separate person living on my own. Everything and everyone that I encounter is associated to me and that even though these exist they are equally empty. Then, the right aspiration showed me that I need to set goals that are not just for obtaining personal successes, but instead to seek to benefit others and alleviate their suffering as well. Right action began to mean to me that what I do with my hands each day should be purposeful and acknowledged as what I do to help others as well. Right speech is an important lesson in learning that what I say affects others and that I should always be mindful of the impact of the words that I

There is also very few people in my life that I know would be knowledgeable enough about the religion and could guide me along a specific Buddhist practice. Despite this difficulty, I have aspirations to visit Buddhist temples that are within drivable distances and then later make a journey to other countries that have Buddhist monasteries and temples to visit. I believe that it is important to visit these places that have long histories in Buddhist practices so that I can directly observe people who have devoted their lives to following the word of the Buddha and discovering freedom from