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

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.

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.

When he second wake up,he saw a beautiful face in front of him.”you finally wake up”the girl said with a sweet smile.”where i am?”tom asked the girl.the girl hesitated for a moment and said”this is a village near the beach”tom know that she misunderstand he is a pirate,he explained to the girl and she smiled again”what’s you name?”tom asked the girl.”andy”the girl answered.”oh,my name is tom,thanks for you saved me.”at that time,a old man walk into the room.”who are you?why you lay on my beach?”the old man said.”i don’t know.”tom answered.”ok”the old man said and turn around walk out the room.”who is him?”tom asked andy.”he is the leader of this village.he has the holy power that no one had.”what kind of holy power?he can call the god to help him or what?””no!he can use his power protect us from demons intrude!””what?demons......intrude?demons is really exist?””of cause!they eat people to feed them they are very cruel and ruthless.””so i need to tell him all about my thing or he will kill me?””i don’t think you must tell him all your things,but i suggest you tell him how you get there.””can you lead me to his house?””of cause,follow me.”andy said.they walk off the room,tom feel belly still ached.this is a beautiful village,although they don’t have high technology things but everyone have smile in their faces.tom followed andy to a big and awesome villa.it was biggest house in this village.andy knocked the door and no one answered.”he must be out.”andy said.”how about i

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.

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

Tucked away in the mountains of the northern San Diego County, hidden in an avocado orchard is the Metta Forest Monastery. The Metta Forest Monastery was founded in 1990 by Ajaan Suwat Suvaco and practices the Theravada tradition, primarily the Thai Forest Tradition. At the monastery there are currently nine American monks and one Thai monk. I arrived to the monastery at night for their evening meditation service on March 12th, 2016. The pathways that led up to the monastery were lined by small lights. After driving up the winding switchback roads I finally reached the monastery. One of the lay people of the monastery came out to greet me and handed me a flashlight. We then proceeded to walk to the main worshipping area together. As we walked you could hear nothing but the calls of the animals within the forest and the cool night breeze blowing through the trees. After removing our shoes we walked into the small worshiping area at the top of the hill where it was completely dark except for a couple of small candles that lite the front of the room. In the candlelight you could see a huge Buddha statue surrounded by multiple smaller Buddha statues as well as other adornments. The area was very open and had raised benches lining the right side of the room.

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.

Katherine Min’s short story, “Courting a Monk,” deals ostensibly with how the narrator, Gina, met, courted, and married her husband. However, Min uses the story to explore issues of cultural identity, the nature of Buddhist belief, the tensions between her and her father, and ultimately, the meaning of life. Throughout the story Min uses images of stillness contrasted with rapid movement and activity, and also uses people’s attitudes as words and language, including silence, to convey her main themes.

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

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.

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

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

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.