Worldview Case Study Essay

Beginning in the 5th century, Buddhism became a very popular form of religion throughout Asia. Because this was such a diverse and widely followed religion, it introduced many different architectural and innovational developments that had influence from Buddhism, but depending on the region, the styles changed. Also, High officials, like Ashoka, whose’ primary influence came from Buddhism, created practices for his people to follow and live by to bring peace to his kingdom. As this religion was gaining popularity throughout Asia, the transformation that it took was very diverse and long term.

When compared, the Buddhist worldview and the biblical worldview are very different. One must look at the definition of worldview as a whole to clearly describe the differences. Worldview is an “overall way of looking at the world” (Harcourt, 2016). Each person looks at their world differently and through the lenses of a very impaired set of eyes. Buddhism is a religion that has been followed for more than two thousand years. The religion, founded by Buddha Shakyamuni, believes in meditation, in clearing the mind of negative thoughts and replacing them with positive thoughts (About Buddhism, n.d.). Contrasting Buddhism and biblical worldviews pose the questions of origin, identity, meaning and purpose, morality, and destiny. Each define what the two comparing worldviews are like and how they believe.

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.

Buddhism originated in India in the 5th century B.C.E. It then spread to China in the 1st century B.C.E. In the period of disunity as well as political instability, most Chinese peasants accepted Buddhism because it provided shelter and certainty. Scholars showed that Buddhism beliefs were not a threat opposed to Confucianism and Daoism, hoping the people could see how they all can coexist. As the imperial structure improved and grew over time, many authorities and high powers rejected its teachings because it saw Buddhism as a threat to their powers.

Buddhism has been around for over two thousand years, and continues to do so in many countries around the world. This religion originates in Asia and has a very unique adversity, much of its structure arose from the end of World War II, predominantly Asian nations needed to restructure society (RoAT 167). The word ‘Buddha’ means one who has awakened and will no longer be reborn. Thereafter, one who will enter nirvana, the state of being free from suffering.

1. What practical steps could be taken to build a relationship with a follower of this worldview who might be a co-worker, neighbor, etc?

Albert Einstein once said, “Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.” I though this quote was an interesting beginning into seeing how this ancient religion changed over the course of its existence. I feel that Buddhism has changed over time but has maintained that core teaching that it had with the early Indians and with the Theravada teachings. Mahayana just happens to be the more loose teachings of the Buddha. The term used in

Almost 6 percent of the world 's population or 350 million people follow Buddhism. Although among them are varying controversies over whether or not Buddhism is a religion or a followed pathway. Buddhism, founded in the late 6th -century B.C.E , and practices the ideas of varying traditions, spiritual practices, and all beliefs focused on the ideas of Gautama or the Buddha. Gautama valued the beliefs and teachings of The Universal Truths and Four Noble Truths and successfully shared them for the last 45 years of his life as a founder of a group called the Sramanas. He lived in what we now call Nepal and northern India and throughout his journey became known as “the awakened one” or “Buddha” as he found himself searching for enlightenment through having realizations on his entire existence. Buddhism really began to spread when roads were used for missionary uses and the Buddhist and merchants would cross paths resulting in the popularity and the spread of these teachings increasing drastically within Asia. However, people are still contemplating on whether or not Buddhism is a religion or a way of life. People argue that it contains aspects of a religion and others say it doesn’t and should be considered a pathway that someone can value as their way of life. Some claim that Buddhism is indeed a religion and that it holds all the elements of faith, beliefs, and self-transformation while others believe it is a way of life because it doesn’t

During the Han Dynasty, Buddha’s teachings were introduced to China by Central-Asian traders and received little support from the Han dynasty rulers. However, after the collapse of the Han Dynasty, the country was fragmented. While northern China was dominated by invaders from the borderland and steppes, southern China was ruled by continuous “Chinese” dynasties. As a result, Buddhism appealed to people who felt baffled by the loss of an anticipated and durable society. Subsequently, in 581 CE, Sui emperor Wendi reunified China with this new religion and gained state support, therefore further spreading Buddhism. It was not until the Tang Dynasty did the Chinese rulers realize the threat Buddhism had posed on them. Consequently, during the

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. It is the oldest and fourth largest religion in the world with around 500 million followers. Buddhism focuses on teaching people how to come to terms with and end the suffering of themselves and others by cutting out greed, hatred, and ignorance from their lives. Unlike most major world religions, Buddhism does not revolve around worshiping a god or divine creator, instead the focus of Buddhism is living one 's best life and transforming the lives of others. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to reach Enlightenment and upon death achieve Nirvana, the liberation of pain and suffering. For Buddhists, it is the individual’s responsibility to find his or her own path to enlightenment; the principles of Buddhism are seen more as guidelines than rules.

I was always fascinated in the Buddhist religion and this class assignment was a great opportunity for me to take advantage of my curiosity. I decided I would visit a Buddhist center. With the company of my mother, I went to the Diamond Way Buddhist Center in Miami. According to my interview with the Buddhist that instructed the meditation service, every Monday and Friday they have a meditation service for the 16th Karmapa meditation from 8:00pm to 8:30pm. This center is part of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (Anonymous). Upon arriving, I realized that it was in someone’s home. Many Buddhist offer their homes for Buddhist centers and are unpaid for their services. However, they do accept donations. Before entering the house,

Today’s society consists of many worldviews. Most people tend to pull beliefs from different religions, but often stick to one main worldview. A worldview to me is the gathering of beliefs that shape what we do on a daily basis and forms our overall view on life. When I look at my beliefs critically, I am able to see my worldview and see how it compares to different worldviews, but also how it compares mainly to the Christian Worldview.

I spent most of my childhood in a community that has a fairly large percentage of Buddhist followers. In Buddhism, monks are not allowed to cook. Their lives mostly depended on the food that they receive from Buddhist followers. From six to eight in the morning, many monks walked barefoot around the neighborhood while the people make merit by offering them food. This is one of the oldest and most common rituals of Buddhism. It reminded us not be greedy or selfish. This activity happened daily including weekends. The people often had their foods and flowers ready by six in the morning. Bhikkhus (monks) left the temple at six and made their way down to the village. They walked single file, oldest in front of the line and youngest in the back,

Buddhism      For over 2000 years Buddhism has existed as an organized religion. By religion we mean that it has a concept of the profane, the sacred, and approaches to the sacred. It has been established in India, China, Japan and other eastern cultures for almost 2000 years and has gained a strong foothold in North America and Europe in the past few centuries. However, one might ask; what fate would Buddhism face had Siddartha Guatama been born in modern times; or more specifically in modern day North America? Would his new found enlightenment be accepted now as it was thousands of years ago?

One of the reason I took this class is to learn more about religions and their origins but I was specifically interested in Buddhism so I was excited that it was a religion that the class was going to cover. I had little prior knowledge of Buddhism but I didn’t know the origin, important figures and important teachings but I learned that what I thought was inaccurate. This class deepened my interest of Buddhism more because I learned what it really is about and their teaching while also correcting the ideas I had of Buddhism that were wrong.