Armstrong talks about how one must get rid of selfishness, greed, and self-preoccupation to access religion completely (34). She explained how the Greeks called this process “kenosis”, emptying (34). One thing that helped people to acquire ones real self was yoga. The yoga done then was very different from the yoga done today. The activities used to find one’s self was to demonstrate not breathing, standing completely still, and silencing all of your thoughts and one must complete other obstacles that includes not participating in any violence or anything that would be considered as selfish in order to enter a state of nothingness that’s supposed to be calm and exciting(35).
Traditional stories surrounding the life of the Buddha are shrouded in myth but Damien Keown in, 'Buddhism, A Very Short History' states that, 'myths are stories which have a compelling force by nature of their ability to work simultaneously on several levels.' In this essay I wish to explore the possibility of both historical and spiritual truths. Scholars agree that we know very little of the historical Buddha but they do argue that it is reasonable to suppose that Siddhartha was a real person. R. Gethin in, 'The foundations on Buddhism', argues that we can form quite a clear picture of the kind of person the Buddha was and the main events in his life. Where and roughly when.
Some believe that if we desired fewer material things the world would be a better place, although others may disagree, stating that if we desire fewer material things the human race might never progress or develop, and could revert back to its original, ignorant origins. The advantages of desiring fewer material things from a Buddhist point of view is that by craving less material goods we will bring the end to this particular suffering in the world. This is believed and recorded by the four noble truths which are: The truth of suffering (All life is suffering) The truth of the cause of suffering (The cause of suffering is craving) The truth of the end of suffering (If craving ceases suffering will also cease) The truth of the path leading to the end of suffering (The middle way is one way to avoid suffering) The Buddha described “all life as being suffering” or dukkha as we are all caught between two extremes, one being having all you need but still craving more, and having nothing and craving nothing. Although when the Buddha said that there is suffering in life, he did not deny that there is happiness also. He spoke of many kinds of happiness such as the happiness of friendship, the happiness of family, and so on.
Additionally, both believe in the spiritual practices such as meditation, yoga, concentration, and cultivation of states of mind, called mindfulness. While Hinduism and Buddhism share similarities, they also celebrate differences; Hinduism is not founded by any particular prophet and Buddhism was founded by Buddha and Buddhists do not believe in the existence of souls like Hindus, neither do they believe in the sacred texts of the Vedas or any other Hindu scripture. Refuge in the Buddha, the Sangha and Dhamma are the three fundamental requirements of the eight fold path while Hinduism offers many choices to its followers for
In Jack Kerouac’s Dharma Bums,Viking Press1959 we have a story chock full of seekers. From the narrator Ray and his fellow “bums”, to the poets and people he meets along his journeys across the country and back again. The characters in this novel are searching for something. They have internalized this search and for the main characters it is the teachings of the buddha that best symbolize and fit “the answer” they are looking for. Best symbolize, because the “pick and choose” pragmatism of the characters throughout the story does not truly follow those teachings, they simply have the firmest roots in them.
Knowledge vs. Wisdom In the book, Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, the main character, Siddhartha, endures a tiresome quest for Nirvana. Although very knowledgeable, Siddhartha does not feel fulfilled and wishes to enter Maya to become one with his Atman. He believes that enlightenment can only be attained through experience, rather than through the words of others. Hesse suggests that knowledge is communicable, but wisdom must be gained from experience.
Religion 201 02 April 2014 Buddhism Buddhism was founded in India over 2,500 years ago. Today there are approximately four hundred million Buddhists (Melton). There are many different forms of Buddhism, but all forms believe in the teachings of Buddha. Buddhism is a hard religion to define and the simplest way to define it is “individuals who believe in Buddha’s teachings” (Maguire). The term ‘religion’ is “perhaps not a very good term to use in connection with Buddhism since it recognizes no God” (Zaehner).
They all read the same material, and as it is in my paper earlier even questioning what they are told has severe consequences. They both told me that their religion has no room for questions, and if there is one that arises then the books they read explain it clearly to them. They also said that unlike the “Christian” beliefs, which are consistently questioned and explained, they do not think that way. What is said is law, and what is written is
Moreover, even when the foods believed to be undesirable are available, they are not likely to be eaten by people who have a strong emotional reaction against the food item. Relating functionalism to different cultures could be proven by saying that some cultures have a purpose and a meaning as to how they choose to live. Basically we are all ethnocentric. We choose to see our cultural beliefs as the right ones because it is easier than to try and understand others. But at the same time we should take the time to learn to understand the different cultures of other countries.
We achieve this “positive” self-regard by experiencing the positive regard others show us. Without this self-regard, we feel small and helpless, and we fail to become all that we can be. For example, if someone weighs a lot and his/her peers calls him/her “fat cow” everyday then, that person will have a low self- esteem about them self. Some people who are obese, is not necessarily because they eat a lot, it can be because of the disease, and if someone insult them or “state their negative opinion, it can hurt their feelings. We have to learn not to judge other people, because what is right to us may not be right for others.