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Similarities and uniquenessof theravada and mahayana buddhism
Similarities and uniquenessof theravada and mahayana buddhism
Compare contrast mahayana and theravada
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In The Heart of Understanding, Thich Nhat Hanh’s uses simple but powerful words and real world examples to illustrate the profound Buddhist philosophy from the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, an important representative of Mahayana Buddhist literature. The Mahayana school of Buddhist teachings emphasizes the doctrine of Sunyata- emptiness. The doctrine of emptiness, one of the most important Mahayana innovations, focuses on the relational aspect of existence. Thich Nhat Hanh coins and introduces a new word- interbeing to explain the state of emptiness. This idea of interbeing not only illustrates emptiness well but also provides understanding of other fundamental Buddhist ideas such as No-Self, impermanence and non-duality. The word interbeing explains the concept of emptiness through the idea of changeable and interdependent existence. The prefix “inter-” defines the changeable and interdependent nature of things and the verb “to be or being” means existence. According to the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, “Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form.” Emptiness does not mean that things do not exist but rather it means that things cannot exist by themselves alone. Thich Nhat Hanh uses an interesting example of paper to explain changeable and interdependent existence of things. Paper cannot exist without the trees from which it is made. Trees cannot exist or grow without rainwater which comes from clouds. Every aspect of existence is interrelated to each other. Paper and trees, trees and rain, rain and clouds are all manifestations of interbeing with each other. “Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form” can be understood as being empty of a separate and independent self. In addition, Thich Nhat Hanh puts a positive spin on emptiness... ... middle of paper ... ...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.” From the non-duality and interbeing view, one should see that full understanding is constituted of “non-understanding elements.” Understanding cannot exisits alone. Understanding and non-understanding are interbeing and the two are equal. Understanding cannot be created or destroyed. Finally, the “heart” of understanding is emptiness, and emptiness is understanding.
After, the main character joins with the samanas, wandering ascetics who practice extreme religious habits, the protagonist develops a Buddhist influenced perspective and intentions, ¨Siddhartha had a goal, a single one: to become empty – empty of thirst, empty of desire, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow. ¨(Hesse 11). The following quote resembles the understanding of the Four Noble Truths. Siddhartha understands that suffering is caused by desire. Then, he agrees that suffering can be brought to cessation thus his desire is to become empty and free from suffering. Once a practitioner achieves emptiness they become enlightened. However, it is difficult to be completely empty for example even vacuum contains some particles or atoms. Thus, for a human filled with emotions and thoughts striving to be empty is impossible in principle. The religion states that once a practitioner is enlightened they are filled with peace and wisdom thus it contradicts the search for emptiness. In conclusion, Siddhartha 's quest for emptiness intrigues me because I cannot comprehend the
It is the idea that once we strip ourselves from our ego or the idea of a real and fixated self, one may reach nirvana, which again, cannot be seen, but only experienced. However, here it is important to note a striking difference between Armstrong’s Being and Thurman’s Void: Being relates to an unseen force while void refers to a lifestyle and a mental state. More specifically, Thurman focuses on the idea of self-knowledge. For instance, Thurman claims that “because the only thing that’s frightened by the word ‘selflessness’ is the artificially constructed, unreal, and unrealistic self” (Thurman 441). This artificial self isn’t real, because it doesn’t really exist. Rather, it’s a manmade concept that we hold onto so tightly because we feel it necessary. Here it is necessary to point out why so many are frightened by the idea of acknowledging one 's selflessness: they fear becoming nothing. But “realizing your selflessness does not mean that you become a nobody, it means that you become a type of somebody who is a viable, useful somebody, not a rigid, fixated, I’m-the-center-of-the-universe, isolated-from-others somebody” (Thurman, 443). In other words, realizing your selflessness does not mean that you disappear or become nothing, because that is quite impossible. It’s quite the opposite actually. Once we realize our
In his piece, “Human Dignity”, Francis Fukuyama explores the perception of human dignity in today's society. This perception is defined by what Fukuyama calls “Factor X”. This piece draws attention to how human dignity has been affected recently and its decline as we go into the future. Using the input given by the Dalai Lama in his piece, “Ethics and New Genetics”, the implementing of factor X and human dignity on future generations will be explored. Through the use of the pieces, “Human Dignity and Human Reproductive Cloning by Steven Malby, Genetic Testing and Its Implications: Human Genetics Researchers Grapple with Ethical Issues by Isaac Rabino, and Gender Differences in the Perception of Genetic Engineering Applied to Human Reproduction by Carol L. Napolitano and Oladele A. Ogunseitan, the decline on the amount of human dignity found in today's society as well as the regression in Factor X that can be found today compared to times past. Society's twist on ethics as a result of pop culture and an increase in genetic engineering has caused for the decline in the amount of dignity shown by the members of society and the regression of Factor X to take hold in today's society.
“In the West, we think of each human life as solid and discrete, beginning at conception and ending at death. The Buddhist view is of waves appearing and disappearing endlessly on a great ocean of life energy. When cause and effect combine in a certain way, a wave arises, appearing...
With nonduality is how one sees the self and reality of pure consciousness, the perception of “physical” and “non-physical” matters; with nonduality is more of not physical, body, nor mental, mind, but
In his sixth meditation must return to the doubts he raised in his first meditation. In this last section of his sixth meditation he deals mainly with the mind-body problem; and he tries to prove whether material things exist with certainly. In this meditation he develops his Dualist argument; by making a distinction between mind and body; although he also reveals their rather significant relationship.
The four vacuum effects in which an individual can create depressive thoughts, moods, or emotions stems from a lack of creativity, no service to others, no friendship, and no self-growth. However, existential theorists emphasize the concept of taking these four vacuum effects and implying their core opposite to achieve full happiness and
Kasulis writes "emptiness, which is the logical interdependence of opposing terms, lies at the basis of all philosophical distinction." Nagarjuna believed that we could work inside the world of duality while we identify its relativity. Kasulis says that we should "consider Nagarjuna's emphasis on the nondifferentiating, nonobjectifying insight or wisdom."
The Heart Sutra can be divided into different parts. Following the work of Lordo, I parse it into four main parts. The first section is the Introduction, consisting of two phrases that constitute a dedication, a declaration and a demonstration of dependency. The de...
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha Guatama practiced meditation and came to what is known as “The Four Noble Truth,” an important principle in Buddhism (Elder, 2010). This principle informs the reader of what suffering is and how affect is. This is a great example of how valuable meditation is- on the very first session ever recorded, the awareness that came from it would later be the foundation of a new religion. This proves how powerful meditation can be. Furthermore, some form of meditation can be found in various religions. Although the styles, techniques, and ideology behind the meditation can vary per religion, personal transformation is the key goal (Modi, Singh, 2012). Today, in Western society, mindful meditation (a form of meditation) has grown in popularity, used for relaxation and to help treat those who suffer from mental illness’ and mood disorders. Viewed as alternative medicine for the mind and soul, it is beneficial for our emotional and mental
ABSTRACT: In this essay I examine the relationship between Sartre's phenomenological description of the "self" as expressed in his early work (especially Being and Nothingness) and elements to be found in some approaches to Buddhism. The vast enormity of this task will be obvious to anyone who is aware of the numerous schools and traditions through which the religion of Buddhism has manifested itself. In order to be brief, I have decided to select specific aspects of what is commonly called the Theravadin tradition as being representative of Buddhist philosophy. By choosing to look primarily at the Theravadin tradition, I am by necessity ignoring a vast number of other Buddhist approaches. However, in my view, the Theravadin sect presents a consistent Buddhist philosophy which is representative of many of the major trends within Buddhism.
Moreover, Shih highlights how Yung-ming was the key figure in promoting this mergence between the two Buddhist schools, as his non-sectarian perspective on religion meant that he did not feel restricted to just one Buddhist school and so he adopted aspects of Pure Land into his Ch’an meditation (Shih, 1987:124). Additionally, Kwang also illustrates how the Pure Land practice of reciting Amitabha’s name is no different from the Ch’an meditations, as they both invoke a focused state of mind with the goal of inevitably reaching enlightenment (Kwang, 1993:69). However, Yung-ming viewed Pure Land as a projection of the mind, which resulted in this being termed as a ‘mind only Pure Land’, and that to be born there one must have a pure mind (Shih, 1987:119). However, despite having this perspective that it is necessary for one’s mind to be pure, Yung-ming still maintains that the recitation of Amitabha’s name is still necessary for people who are not capable of spending the time practicing Ch’an meditation (Shih, 1987:123). Furthermore, Shih highlights the contextual motivation behind Yung-ming’s syncretism of these two schools; firstly being that there were socio-political issues during his time that resulted in it being
Jean shows a deeper meaning of the Idea of being and Nothingness, to understand his theory it must be viewed from a different perspective like viewed from another
In Buddhism, eternalism and annihilationism are both considered heretical beliefs. The concept of each was brought up through the 10 Unanswered Questions, those which the Buddha would not respond to because they violated the core beliefs. The two questions that deal specifically with eternalism and annihilationism are “is the body one thing and the soul another?” and “is the soul the same as the body?” Through the presupposition of the existence of the soul present in both questions, to answer would be to acknowledge the existence of a soul and therefore, the belief in a self. These questions also refused the Doctrine of No-Self, by supporting the idea of eternalism, and the concept of rebirth, by supporting the idea of annihilationism. Buddhism seeks the middle-way between these two extremes that may appear to be contradictory. The Doctrine of No-Self and Dependent Origination are utilized in the explanation of the middle-way and, as a result, of Nagarjuna’s concept of emptiness. When the concept of radical interdependence, exhibited in the Doctrine of Emptiness, is understood then it reveals the understanding of
This is the absence to watch with wonder--I can't learn such blankness, can't buy it or excavate it from the day's events no matter how I dig, such blankness is already vanishing as I begin reflexively to find myself. I am: the unmarked margin of a book. A faint vibration. The sound of something far away. I am: a radio tuned to soft inchoate static. A tingling at the tips. I am: this hand, curled like a fern.