Buddhist Religious Traditions: The XIV Dalai Lama

Buddhism is not about God or Gods, it doesn't supply a hypothesis about what may occur in after death, nor does it express perspectives about creation; it is situated in the realm of day by day living. Furthermore, Buddhism is largely associated with the condition of being awaken by the nature of humanity. As the fourth-largest religion in the world, Buddhism has proven to be both influential and significant. While most religions have profound theoretical foundations that they are built upon, and while most individuals within such religions have faith that the theory is true, Buddhism does not address theories; nor does it agree or disagree with any religion, but rather acknowledges religion as a means to live in a positive manner. This religion is about not only living a peaceful life but also about enlightening a person through the regaining of wisdom and grace from within. The purpose of this paper is to examine the depth of Buddhism through Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and karma.

Born in China, Dalai Lama who originally was called Tenzin Gyatso was the spiritual leader of Tibet. He reined this region from 1950 after being declared the spiritual leader in 1937. His advocacy was for non-violent liberation and this made him earn a Nobel Prize in 1989. The objective of this paper is to offer a detailed analysis and criticism of the response of Dalai Lama (His Holiness) as he is interviewed by Jose Ignacio about the possible integration of Buddhism and Christianity. However, Dalai Lama does not think that there are possibilities of the two religions integrating without the loss of integrity despite the fact that all major religions have some common features in them. The paper shall as well offer response and conclusion to the argument that ‘all the major world religions are destined emphasis on love, compassion, tolerance, and forgiveness to promote the inner values in people and not conflict.’

The Dalai Lama has also challenged adherents to accept the fate that is given to them and make the greatest use of their reincarnated form. As a young child he was unable to reject the position of ‘Dalai Lama’ however he has managed to utilise this position to the best advantage and has bettered the world through this. He has pushed for the bettering of the world for both religious and secular societies. His messages of peace, tolerance and the renunciation of the desires of anger and revenge have resonated with people globally.

It is said that history is shaped by the lives of great men.  Great men are leaders.  They bring about change; they improve the lives of others; they introduce new ideas, models, and theories to society.  Most of the world's religions were founded, developed, or discovered by great men.  Two particular religions - Christianity and Buddhism - developed in different parts of the world, under different circumstances, and in different social atmospheres.  But each religion is based upon the teachings of a great man.  When one compares the life of Buddha with the life of Jesus, one finds that the two share many things in common.  This essay aims to compare and contrast the lives of Buddha1 and Jesus in two key areas:  conception and birth.

The Dalai Lama’s captivating life story is about his journey as the political leader of Tibet, as well as an equally important religious leader. He goal in this autobiography is to “counter Chinese claims and misinformation”, which includes describing the horrific brutalities the Tibetan people suffered because of Communist China’s invasion. His exile to India is explored along with the freedom that it provided to the Dalai Lama. His belief that respecting humanity along with having compassion can make the world become a better place since it can encourage equality and peace.

Buddhist Scriptures talks about a variety of different beliefs. It talks about the physical world not being real, meditation, reincarnation, karma, Buddhist moral teachings, and the four Nobel truths. This paper will summarize those beliefs of Buddhism.

The philosophy of Buddhism has proven to be very attractive to modern Westerners for multiple reasons. The faith has been found to assist people to follow a simple and peaceful lifestyle due to the fact that they are not forced specifically worship a particular deity. Furthermore, Buddhism’s attractiveness also comes from its promotion of peace and the fact that it encourages ideals such as Samsara, through which one can continually be reborn until they reach nirvana

This paper analysis the arguments of Dalai Lama. He is one of the proponents of pluralism in religion. He has a supremely forbearing view of other faiths. Many consider him as a person who encourages love and compassion in humanity. Many believe that Dalai Lama promoted pluralism rather than Buddhism as the “best” faith. Many believe that Dalai Lama is the only Tibetan who celebrates actively the great diversity that different faiths provide. Despite the fact that many tend to consider Dalai Lama as a pluralist, this work will argue that Dalai Lama was a Buddhist and that like any other Buddhists; he values his religion more than other religions. The analysis would be based on thesis statement that despite the fact that

After learning about the major religions of the world, Buddhism seems to be the most relevant for someone living in western society. While many religions are considered monotheistic, with an all knowing powerful god to worship, Buddhism doesn’t put one god high up on the altar, in fact the focus in this religion seems to be more spiritual.

I was born in Nepal, and I lived there for the first twelve years of my life. While there, I went to school and studied Buddhism. I learned about his life and the philosophies he kept and practiced. Also, I learned that he was a great leader with great ideas. Some of these ideas are the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold path, Nirvana, fundamental wisdoms, the theory of karma and rebirth, the five precepts, and the Wheel of Dharma. These have influenced many people over the past twenty-five centuries. I learned about his great achievement and how he was able to create a whole new religion. Through influencing many people with his unique practices and philosophy, Buddhism has become the fourth largest religion in the world. From living in Nepal and studying Buddhism there, I learned firsthand that he is a great religious leader who left a legacy not just on Nepalese culture, but on the whole world.

Over the course of time it is apparent that change occurs in all facets of life. When enough time passes changes can prove to be drastic and almost incomprehensible, therefore leading to divides that raise important questions about these changes. Buddhism is no exception to the effects of time. Invasion, transportation, and translation have all had their impacts on Buddhism that produced a wide variety of cultural and interpretive changes to the religion. Mahayana Buddhism as we know it today has coalesced into a dynamic form of Buddhism expressing vigorously diverse doctrine and beliefs. Yet, it must be analyzed to fully comprehend the authority by which Mahayana Buddhism has functioned under since its conception. Of which include the doctrine

In the history of Buddhism, suffering has always remained a key concept as it is the main reason for using Buddhist principles and practices to relieve ourselves from it. The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism inform us of the following principles: suffering exists in life, there is a cause to our suffering, there is an end to our suffering, and following the eightfold path can relieve our suffering. Traditional forms of Buddhism suggest that we can overcome suffering by attaining Nirvana, or the state of enlightenment when human beings are freed from their desires and suffering. Buddhism today deviates from traditional views in that many modernists use different ways to relieve suffering in their communities while still incorporating some aspects of Buddhism. Two Buddhist modernist figures, Kaneta Taio and Che-Un Sunim, have worked in Japan and Korea respectively to help relieve the suffering of their people. Moreover, by evaluating the lives of Taio and Che-Un, we are able to identify limitations in the definitions of Buddhist modernism outlined by authors we have studied in class such as David McMahan and Anne Blackburn.

His holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, otherwise known as Tenzin Gyasto is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, known to be the reincarnation of Buddah himself. He was born on the 6th of july 1935 to a farming family in Taktserm, Amdo a rural village in northern Tibet. At the age of two he was recognised as the next Dalai Lama in accordance to Tibetan tradition. During his life the Dalai lama has made numerous major religious and global contributions, including the safeguarding of the Tibetan people, his advocating of environmental issues, the promotion of religious interfaith dialogue to create peace amongst all religions, the peaceful political negotiations with china and his publishing’s of many books contributing to the modernisation and promotion of Buddhism. His main emphasis is on love, forgiveness and compassion as he said "if you want others to be happy practice compassion, if you want to be happy practice compassion" These contributions made by the XIVth Dalai Lama have had an extremely significant impact on Buddhism as well as other faiths.

Upon first glance of the extract, it is evident, that despite Buddhists not having a God, they look to the Dalai Lama as 'God-like' or 'kingly', mainly evidence by referring to him as the 'god-king' seen in the extract of the assignment book. The title of the article itself even refers to this title that was given to the Buddhist in question. Their importance was only solidified when they became the heads of the Tibetan state and have been since the fifth1 Dalai Lama. Before the Chinese resolved to bring all Tibetan regions under their control2, the Dalai Lama's were known to be more king-like than just political beings – this ceased in 1904. From the passage extracted from Life Magazine's article, there isn't a single word said against the Dalai Lama and only seems to cover the important, and good qualities of the man in question. Being 'god-king' is one thing, but to be presented with white scarves as he fled from Tibet was a sign of “deep respect”, as white symbolised peace, showing that those whose path he crossed wished him no ill-will. This suggests that he was a reputable man amongst his people, and well regarded by those around him.

Buddhism is an ancient, non-theistic belief system based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. The belief system’s invaluable ability to adapt its beliefs and practices to the changing culture of society has enabled Buddhism to withstand 2,500 years of change. Although Buddhism has undergone necessary alterations to adapt to the increase of globalisation, the changing authority of gender roles and the increasing use of technology, the core teachings of the Dharma, the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and the precepts have all considerably resisted change.