A Short Story : The Story Of Adachigahara

When Stephen visits Sachi’s garden for the first time, he finds that “There were no trees, flowers, or water, only a landscape made of sand, stones, rocks, and some pale green moss . . . Sachi had created mountains from arranged rocks, surrounded by gravel and elongated stones flowing down like a rocky stream leading to a lake or the sea” (40). Unlike Matsu’s very green and tree-filled garden, Sachi’s garden is very dry, and simplistic, yet has a peculiarly admirable feeling when one is able to see the subtle details. Although it is very different from a typical garden, its components harmonize to create a new and beautiful pattern. At first, Stephen is overwhelmed by the unfamiliar concept of a dry landscape, but after taking it in, he says it is beautiful. This garden is has a fresh taste to it, leaving Stephen to decide the effect it has on him, whether it be positive or negative. When creating the garden, Sachi insisted that it should not have flowers. However, eventually, “between two large rocks grew a neat cluster of blooming flowers, startlingly beautiful, a splash of blue-purple . . . thriving among the muted, gray stones.” The way that the bright colors contrast against the dull gray shows that something unfamiliar and novel can appear beautiful in its own way. Since Sachi’s garden is filled with pebbles and stones, the dainty flowers stand out comely, and to

Outside the kitchen door, blooming wildflowers circle a mini pond where several birds drink from the lap of a stone Buddha. In the rear of the yard, secluded by a lush willow tree, is the guest house. He opens the door and we walk inside. Where, right off, the sight of lavender flowers in a vase on the night table and their scent please me. As does the bright and spacious room with a skylight right above the wood framed bed.

Deep within the trees little hooded men walk along a path to meditate and pray dressed in brown robes tied with nautical rope. They dwell in silence and live a life of celibacy. This is what most of think of when we hear the word monk. Throughout the years, monks have always been people of intrigue. They live a different lifestyle than most. They live a life of seclusion far from the mores of modern society, which often makes people ponder who these people really are and why they choose to participate in such a foreign religious movement. This paper will attempt to unravel the mysteries of this peculiar movement of by researching it's origin, the true meaning of a silent lives, and how key leaders have helped to

It seems like every passing day there is a shadow that is after me. I’m left with parts of me eaten away and left my mind corrupted from its everyday thoughts. The darkness steadily dissolves me away from the eyes that are known to be inquisitive. The burden that was left on me has more pressure than I expected for what i have completed. I discovered that revenge is made to be short lived. What i did was completely horrifying. The inferior thing is that I was able to acquire with my crime. It doesn’t matter what time it is, everyday there will always be a small voice in my head reminding me of the defenseless cries performed by fortunato. The man that I caused to perish, immersed in the catacombs. A month has passed since fortunato's disappearance, and the town still wonders where he has disappeared to. Examining the difficulty of mourning families caused me to really think, specifically today. The events leading up to fortunato's death played in my mind like a movie. It sends me back to the time when I was young and no one loved me, including my mother. When fortunato entered my life he made a big mistake which ended him in misery.

This paper is a book report on “Living Buddha, Living Christ,” written by, Thich Nhat Hanh. In this paper I will discuss the four themes; Mindfulness, Understanding, Interbeing, and Wisdom. I will define the themes, and explain how each theme listed is a part of my life and whether this theme, can be co-related along with my faith.

For this experience, I decided to explore Buddhism in order to enhance my involvement with the religion and build a strong understanding. What intrigued me about Buddhism was the social aspect and diversity that it had to offer. In order to explore this religion from a critical and analytical viewpoint, I decided to attend a weekend service offered at San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin. The San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin main temple is located in the Japantown section of Central San Jose. What made this temple stand out amongst the others was its historical standing in the community. It is one of the oldest temples established in the United States. In order to learn more about the history, environment, and community as a whole, I decided to contact the temple’s staffs. After a brief phone call, I was able to schedule a tour. In preparation, I decided to do a brief research on Buddhism to familiarize myself with the religion beforehand. With all preparations and research necessary, I was ready to visit San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin.

Attempting to gain an understanding reason for his existence has plagued man since apes climbed down from the trees and started talking, or a pile of dust was fashioned into the contours of a human that then had breath passed into its nostrils, depending on which belief system one subscribes. One of man’s earlier attempts at figuring everything out, is Buddhism. Buddhism is based on four noble truths; The truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering and the truth of the path to the end of suffering. The father and son characters in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road exhibit all of these truths, whilst literally following a path which can be interpreted as a metaphor for following the path to end suffering

There is a time in all religious experiences that people look for spiritual growth by reflecting on the basics of life. An estimated 376 million people are considered to believe and follow Buddhist practices, the question of the four elements (sight’s), aging people, the sick, funerals processions and religion. These elements that Siddhartha Gautama saw, that led to him to seek religious enlightenment, and to give up his privileged life. These four elements come up in every religious walk at some point. Reflection on these elements can have astonishing effects in someone’s life. By looking at these elements, and by showing the effect they had on Siddhartha Gautama’s life, will show that anyone could grow in their spiritual belief by reflecting

A Pagan died and, much to her surprise, found herself at the Pearly Gates facing St. Peter. He walked up to her and said, "Hello, and welcome." She stared at St. Peter in complete confusion. "Wait a minute," she said. "I was supposed to end up in the Summerlands." He smiled. "Ah, you must be one of our Pagan sisters. Follow me, please." Peter gestured for her to follow him down a small path, which went through the gates and down a bit to the left. They walked for a short while, then he stepped back and gestured her forward. Looking past his hand, she saw the verdant fields and forests of her desired Summerlands. She saw people feasting, dancing, and making merry, exactly as

In I-Tsing’s, A Record of Buddhist Practices, the Chinese monk describes his long journey from boyhood to becoming a buddhist monk, and his opportunity to teach people around the world about Buddhism. I-Tsing not only describes his personal journey and thoughts, but he also describes the ways of his masters, or teachers, throughout his journey. He almost exclusively chooses to write about his teacher in reading, Shan-yii , and his teacher in meditation, Hui-Hsi. Although this text is filled with interesting stories and memoirs, this essay will focus on the seventh virtue of Shan-yii on page 322.

When reading a Record of Buddhist Kingdoms, by Fa-hsien I recognized a recurring theme. Fa-hsiens travels, through different kingdoms provides the reader with insight on the life and teachings of Buddha, and the tenets of the religion he founded. Although I recognized many themes, I will reflect on three that I found insightful, and inspiring. They are self-denial, Kindness to strangers, and sacrifice.

This silk robe, carefully woven and dyed with the colors of rushing water, began its journey in Chang’an, China. A Han craftsman dutifully wove the cloth and sold it to a rich merchant traveling for Kashgar. The journey was a long and arduous one, full of biting Gobi nights and rickety roads. Luckily for this merchant, his Buddhist beliefs and hope of achieving nirvana kept him going.

This essay will reflect the meaning, as well as the mythological interpretation of a movie titled “Little Buddha.” In the movie, “Little Buddha,” there were Tibetan Buddhist monks from a monastery in Bhutan, led by Lama Norbu, searching for a child, who they believed had been reincarnated, as the Buddhist leader, Lama Dorje. This individual was thought to be in an American child named Jesse. Jesse was believed to be the son of an architect father, named Dean, and a school teacher mother, named Lisa. The family lived in Seattle, Washington. The monks traveled to Seattle to meet the boy, observe his daily routine and habits, learn his personality to determine if he could undergo further testing to prove whether or not he was the reincarnated being of Lama Dorje.

In “The Journey to the West,” the monk was accompanied by Pigsy, the Sha Monk, the Handsome Monkey King, and the horse. Each of these supporting characters possess a certain magical ability that assisted the monk on his journey, additionally they had their own flaws. This contrasts the monk, which has no magical ability and was devoted buddhism. The strengths, weaknesses, and backgrounds of these supporting characters encapsulate the idea of buddhism throughout the novel, and by including them and Xuanzang the book is able to summarize the idea of buddhism.

In the United States there are over four million buddhists, one thousand temples, study groups, or Buddhists associations (Monroe 108). This number has come from just one man searching to find happiness and eventually enlightenment. Buddha’s story is how buddhism became a religion all over the world. It teaches a peaceful manner, reveals the key to happiness for the mind, and eliminates the desire in life. Not just the history of buddhism is important, but how it has spread through the world and what it looks like today.