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Changes in american culture
American culture in the late 20th century
American culture in the late 20th century
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Interdependent Origination is one of the important and profound concepts, even the keystone of Buddhist thought. The literal meaning of the Sanskrit pratitya-samutpada is “arising on the ground of a preceding cause. “ So Interdependent Origination addresses the issue of causality: cause and effect, or action and consequence. We learn more when we review the Buddha’s “Twelve Link Chain of Causation.” We know that the Buddha thought that human beings are like prisoners locked in to a life of suffering. The prison is built on ignorance, attachment and aversion. (Brodd pg. 158) Only by breaking the spell- or removing these barriers, is a human being ever in a position to break the cycle of death and rebirth and to ultimately achieve enlightenment, …show more content…
or nirvana.
Interdependent Origination is interdependent because the process of death and rebirth is cyclical and we are doomed to repeat actions in our current lives that have followed us from previous lifetimes. One way Buddhist masters have come to understand the “Twelve Link Chain of Causality” components is to divide the twelve of them into three categories. The three categories are Afflictions, Actions and Suffering. The category of Afflictions is composed of ignorance, craving and clinging. The category of Actions is made up of volition and becoming. The last category, Suffering, includes the remaining seven conditions: consciousness, name and form, sensory functions, contact, feeling, grasping, birth, and old age and death. The Afflictions, especially ignorance are said to be the case of Actions. In the category of Actions, it is the part of volition when humans make mistakes and form bad habits. These habits turn into “habit energy” and continue to keep us making the same mistake over and over again. When we remain ignorant and repeat bad habit we are doomed to rebirth. (Santina) The objective is to understand and recognize our situation so we can change it and head towards a life that leads to enlightenment. Once we develop a sense of self, it is important to realize that each human being is made up of a huge number of complex relationships. Believing that we are independent is just an illusion. The Buddha spent years in great introspection, so that the chain that he perceived that binds us to a cycle of death and rebirth could be broken. Interdependence is not necessarily a bad thing. One way our text book suggests we look at it is as our own ecosystem. As we well know, if the temperature on Earth increases even slightly and icebergs begin to melt, the impact is global and quite serious. Similarly, the flame in an oil lamp can only shine when there are both a wick and oil. (Santina) So a human being exists with a personality because of his/her afflictions and karma. Failing to consider the interdependence of the human condition would be the same as ignoring the relationship between cause and effect. Independence and personality are still not highly regarded in Asian culture, even to this day. Sociologists have contrasted the American view of self with the non-Western view of inter-dependent self. The Eastern model of individuality is always tied to the concept that a person is a social being. (Matsumoto) Personalities emerge and people engage in social discourse. Perhaps it was this strong interdependent social component of life that Sidhartha sought to understand and de-tangle. Today, in American society, we glorify independence.
Young adults are eager to leave their parents’ homes. Moving across the state or across the country is considered ambitious and brave. Americans are becoming less religious (Pew Research, 2008) as they forgo traditional activities like going to Church or Temple or creating a community based on religious practices. Thoughtful introspection and a commitment to moderation require time and are less valued. At the same time, Americans are more stressed than ever. Coping with illness, longing, emptiness, change and fear cause Americans to be dissatisfied and unfulfilled. It is possible that those who cling to a sense of self and independence are ignoring what the Buddha learned long ago: that humans land on the ground of a preceding cause. In order to live our best life, we must understand not just who we are, but how we are connected to the world. It makes sense to spend some time evaluating our “habit energy” so we can possibly change it. “You must be a lamp unto yourself.” Nirvana may not be waiting, but we may be able to manage the complexity of life with better insight and
understanding.
In today’s culture, the number of issues that the average person has to face on a daily basis, are astronomical. Millennials, in particular, have been greatly affected by this, so much so that a new phase in the human lifespan has been created just for them! Dubbed “emerging adulthood” by psychologist Jeffrey Arnett, plopped smack dab in the middle of adolescence, and adulthood, this phase captures any, and all doubts that 20-29 year olds are plagued with. From their economic standing, to racial, ethnic, and identity issues, and to disabilities ranging from both mental, and physical, this phase captures every single uncertainty, fear, and qualm that one person can possibly have in a neat little package.
Americans have created their own vision of Buddhism with the unique understandings of the United States, its objectives and potential. Their idea of what a good or “mindful” society should be like is influenced by their beliefs. Such beliefs include: the specific qualities that Americans should have, the practices they should engage in, their participation in politics, law, education, legal and medical systems, the military, and so on. The adoption of mindfulness to all these important aspects that are highly valued by Americans is how the believe they create a good, mindful
...e notion of interbeing provides a full picture of understanding connecting different Buddhist ideas such as emptiness, no-self and impermanence together using just one simple word. As Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the role of Buddhism as a liberating vehicle for the mass of its practitioners, the “heart” of the understanding of the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra is emancipation from fear. Through the eyes of interbeing and skillful practice of penetration can one attain the “heart of the understanding.”
Listening as the family spoke to me about what is important in their family I couldn’t help but refer back to Marcus and Conner’s idea of interdependence versus independence. As the family spoke to me on how important it is that the soul reincarnates itself, which is when all bad karma is out of the body, I kept referring to the independent self. But often again when they spoke of theologies and learning constantly from what they take from others around them, I found interdependence. Both selves balance each other out but do not reside on one more than the other. Adhita kept telling me the main goal of being a Hindu is “self-realization or just to be free from any type of suffering or hardship/bad karma,” (You achieve this through reincarnation) you have to acknowledge the simultaneous efforts that take place to achieve this goal. “You can’t just set a high sta...
Celebrating individuality, our age invites us to express our feelings and realize our goals. It promotes happiness, while seeking to accommodate traditional moral values. But the focus on personal existence only makes the realization of death's inevitability more threatening. Torn between an outmoded religious tradition and a secular world on the ascendency, o...
Our ancestors used to live a happier life. They were not drowned in technology like we are. They lived life as they should to, closer to their instinct. In the past, people had a healthy lifestyle, had more time to spend with their family and friends and were closer to nature. Whereas nowadays, people’s lifestyle has become unhealthy due to modern life. For example, we do not have much physical activity anymore. Besides, as modern humans are busy, we do not spend enough quality time with our family and friends which makes us happy. Moreover, we do not respect the nature which used to be our home. We live too fast without taking a rest for a while and enjoying our life. But as Dillard suggests, we need to be more observant. By taking a look at weasels, we can remember the real meaning of life which is living in the moment, being happy, and noticing
The ascension of Buddhism in American culture is a simple twist of popularity and understanding stemming off of its initial breakthrough in 1893 during the World’s Parliament of Religions, conducted in Chicago (Smith 1). America has traditionally been considered a Monotheistic nation, but has been mostly acceptant of all views. As America is built off of religious freedoms, Buddhism was able to nestle a home among communities in the United States.
...there is not any external master for man's fate. Although there is Amitabha faith in Buddhism, Which is "others-reliance", yet "other-reliance" is only a subsidiary cause and wouldn't play a decisive role.
Sandler, Lauren. "The American Nightmare: We Have Everything the American Dream Prescribed, So Why Aren't We Happy?" Psychology Today 44.2 (2011): 70-77. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 20 July 2011.
This person's name is Moss Kendrix. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1917ause he is a public relations pioneer. As you can see he is a black man, and exactly because of this he designed countless public relations campaigns, which were aimed at the African- American population in the United States. He worked for news organizations and corporate clients like Ford Motor Company, Carnation, and Coca-Cola. He explained his corporate clients the importance of the buying power of African- Americans.
As times have changed, so has our culture. Our country tends to veer children towards one particular individualization over another. It seems developmental individualization is more common. People have expectations by society which they must fulfill, and are expected to do so at particular times in their lives, as said by Tamara Haraven who argues the importance of “… the timing of transitions, with those to adulthood becoming more uniform and orderly.” People are expected in life to go to school, work, get married, start a family, all these things are expected to be done at a certain time in their life. People may not want to do all this in this order and whatever point in their life, but they do because they are expected to do so. This is all supposed to happen developmentally. People are molded by society, actively making decisions and trying to be ahead of life’s obstacles. This is occurring in not only America but as well as in Europe, as Wallace observes how instead of becoming their own individual people, people “choose identities from among and increasingly complex array of options”. Sven Morch makes similar observations, on youths who must ‘master’ their adolescence ‘ways’ in order to become successful adults, showing the importance of structure to their culture. Life must be followed in a particular sequence according to ‘contemporary capitalism’ in order to succeed in life. With a million and one people trying to get the same task done, people do things because they have to, not because they want to.
Emerging adults are always in the search of their own identity while experimenting with their life, love life and career path. Constant changes in emerging adult’s life are common. From changing residential place to love life, work and education, instability often presents during emerging adulthood (Santrock, 2013). In addition, emerging adults tend to place focus on themselves where they have no commitment and responsibilities toward others. This provides them a great chance to exercise their own will and to execute their plans for the future. During emerging adulthood, many feel like as if they do not belong to either adolescents or adult. The transition ends only when they have distinct marks of an adult. According to Arnett (as cited in Santrock, 2014), “emerging adulthood is the age of possibilities” (p. 296). The age of possibilities is when an individual has the opportunity to turn things around in life, especially when they are from a poor family
After I watched Little Buddha, my thoughts on spirituality have been positively influenced. The path to happiness and enlightenment begin from the understanding the root causes of suffering. Before Siddhartha reached enlightenment, a young girl named Sujata, offered him a bowl of rice. Although Siddhartha practiced the austerity of eating small amounts of food, he realized that he needed to accept the offer to reach the goal of enlightenment. The purpose of this action questions the validity of the attached state of mind. The mental strength of one’s mind disguises the negative flaws while exaggerating the good qualities of an object. Relating to synchronicity, one’s sensibility allows the flow of how the universe work rather than adjusting the flow to his favour. By allowing the combination of the two ideas, spirituality represents a personal journey for one’s self. Spirituality designates one’s own experience, while religion consists of someone else’s
Resolved to join the American way of life a large number of outsiders have ventured to this extraordinary land to have an existence based upon “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
We might not have the same opinions, paths, and ways of living; but we all, millions of people around the world, share the same purpose of life: Being able to say “I am having a good life!” What we mean by “good life” is living in pure happiness and having a wonderful peace of mind. The difference between us is that each one of us chooses a different way in his pursuit of happiness. Some find it in stability with a big house, a family, and a good paying job. Some find it in adventure and wildness, travel, and taking risks. While others don’t really have specific criteria or an organized plan, they just believe that happiness comes with living each day as if it was the last, with no worries about the rest. Personally, I find it in trying to be the best version of myself, in staying true to my principles, and in the same time in being able to make my own decisions; which reminds me of what George Loewenstein said “Just because we figure out that X makes people happy and they're choosing Y, we don't want to impose X on them.”