Fascinate Me By Nhat Hanh

In document 5, Zong Mi, Buddhist scholar, talks about the similarities of the 3 traditions of Confucius, Laozi, and Buddha. He stresses the importance of all philosophies as being that of creating an orderly society with respect. It is interesting that a Buddhist scholar is favored by the Tang imperial household in the early ninth century since after 845 CE Buddhism was denounced in the empire. However, Buddhist scholars were very common at this time as many credited the survival of the area to the religion. The scholar, being favored by the royalty, probably tried to greatly influence them to accept and encourage Buddhism. Moreover, Zong Mi finds the commonalities of doing good deeds, punishing the wrong, and rewarding the right to further highlight that the essence of all the teachings is the same. As shown in document one Buddhism provides a clear path to attaining peace in the world and within

Buddhist monk from childhood to old age in the flow of four seasons. Kim depicts two important

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.

The book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Coates writes a letter, addressing his son. He composed this message to his fifteen-year-old son, who that year had learned of the unjustified murders of numerous black individuals, including Eric Garner and Michael Brown; killed by police officers who received no punishment for their actions. Coates describes to his son many realities, that he has experienced firsthand, with which a black person must contend. He details his difficult childhood, living in fear – fear of the streets, fear of the police, fear of losing his body. In his letter, he illustrates how Howard University, the Mecca, and his experiences and interactions there shaped him. Another incident he discusses as one that

In The Heart of Understanding, Thich Nhat Hanh’s uses simple but powerful words and real world examples to illustrate the profound Buddhist philosophy from the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, an important representative of Mahayana Buddhist literature. The Mahayana school of Buddhist teachings emphasizes the doctrine of Sunyata- emptiness. The doctrine of emptiness, one of the most important Mahayana innovations, focuses on the relational aspect of existence. Thich Nhat Hanh coins and introduces a new word- interbeing to explain the state of emptiness. This idea of interbeing not only illustrates emptiness well but also provides understanding of other fundamental Buddhist ideas such as No-Self, impermanence and non-duality.

In the story of life, time is a ravenous beast, destroying and building regardless and apathetic to whom it affects. An inescapable thing that never dies, but plagues people with its shapes of past, present, and future. In Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong, Duong doesn’t hold back when exposing the ugly face of the past. Hang, the protagonist, faces poverty, a broken family, and the loss of love from an early age, which force her mature quickly and harshly. Her exposure to such extreme, difficult circumstances and her subsequent adaptation result in her loss of innocence, instilling a bitterness in Hang that taints her. This bitterness - more of a mourning for her own childhood - exposes itself through Hang’s reflections on the

Thich Nhat Hanh introduces the unity, love, and beauty that a family whom practices mindfulness has. If society functioned like the family, there would be a drastic change

Tom was a contributor to the book Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict. Tom has been a t'ai chi practitioner since 1986 and a meditator since 1972.

Nevertheless, Salzman cleverly conceals the real reason for Hsung- Ching’s quest. As the story progresses, we as readers discover that Ching journey is fundamentally a mission to find himself, his purpose in life, and true significance of his existence. Hsung- Ching is called to judge between many core and essential values that governs every human life. We find him doubting many of the teachings and core values he has received from his demanding Buddhist childhood. “…maybe it was a foolish promise!…It was a disaster!. How can you tell me know that loyalty is so precious?” (Salzman 240). He is forced to decide between his personal desires, and the timeless and relentless sufferings and wishes of his mentors and teacher. Here indeed, the quest for the Sutra evolves into a thorough self-examination of Hsung- Ching’s life.

In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh provides a citation from the Buddha, which gives insight into the cure of our distress. “I teach only suffering and the transformation of suffering” (Thich Nhat

Thich Nhat Hanh combined a variety of traditional Zen teachings with the insights from Mahayana, methods from Theravada and ideas from Western psychology to offer a modern light on meditation practice. He was inspired to create Engaged Buddhism since he witnessed the suffering caused by the war and he wanted to practice Buddhism in a way that can bring help to the society. He became a leader for the Engaged Buddhism movement and promoted the individual's active role in creating changes.

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.

Vietnam is very much relevant to this story because of the fact that Lam’s mother brings over Vietnamese traditions in hope that her children will continue to carry on their her legacy. According to the “who will light incense when mothers gone?” , Lam create the idea of Vietnams identity by saying, “mumbles solemn prayers to the spirits of our dead ancestors, and to the all-compassionate Buddha. Here he is explaining a Vietnam tradition his mother practiced as a daily routine, asking for protection of her children and that they shall thrive in America. Between the family moving to America and the mother asking of her God for her kids to prosper in America, this tells readers that the education system or dreams for a good career probably are not as advantageous as the opportunities in America.

E. Preview Main Points: Today we will take an in-depth look at the beliefs of the Four Noble Truths and Karma and the customs of meditation and the Sacred Mandela. We will also explore its history in India and of Buddha, and how the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh have truly shaped this life changing religion.

Milarepa’s captivating life story depicts a man willing to commit sins on behalf of his mother’s command to one that decides to leave his family, in order to achieve enlightenment. This autobiography allows him to remain to be a beloved yogin because of his drastic and fulfilling spiritual transformation, thus encouraging Tibetans to seek a similar path to nirvana in their lifetime. However, Milarepa proves that one’s journey to liberation and enlightenment has to be earned and fought for spiritually and psychologically.