Buddhism And Healing Essay

Cultural diversity in the health care setting is increasing each year. Knowing how to care for patients of different religious and spiritual faiths is essential to providing high-quality, patient-centered care. The author of this paper will research three lesser-known religions; Taoism, Sikhism and Shamanism. Through this paper, she will provide a brief background on each of the three religions and present information regarding spiritual perspectives on healing, critical components of healing and health care considerations associated with each religion.

The world is diverse with different religious views, trying to quench the thirst of human spirituality needs. Knowing a different faith system will help a person to have a broader worldview and update their cultural competency. This paper compares the worldviews of Christianity and Buddhism based on “Sire’s Seven Worldview Questions”, to describe spiritual healing in both systems. It also explains the important factors to be considered when care is delivered by providers of different faith. The lessons learned from the study is also explained.

The United States has always been the symbol of freedom of religion and health care today has needed to increase its knowledge in incorporating the many different religions/spiritual beliefs in order to provide a more holistic approach to care. As health care providers we should not look in validating our own practice in regards to religion or spirituality but to comprehend and learn to see the patterns of similarities and differences in order to provide holistic care to our patients. As religious and spiritual beliefs are never permanent and are constantly changing and/or influenced by government, thinkers, historical events, technology and the shifting values of cultures the study of religions/spirituality should be continuous for all health care providers. The Native American, Buddhism, and Sikhism have some similar traits and values imbedded in their practiced religions that resemble the Christian Faith and medical providers needs to be aware and able to accommodate them in order to provide holistic care.

This paper provides a comprehensive look at the following faiths: Buddhism, Judaism, Baha’i, and Christianity. The reader will find that Buddhism is more of a philosophy than a religion that focuses on the mind as being the creator of illness and health. The reader will also find that Judaism, Baha’i, and Christianity are all religions that believe in one God, the creator of all. This paper lists various components that each of these faiths may use at one time or another to effect healing including prayer, meditation, chanting, the use of healers, etc. This paper also defines what is important to people

Published By: Journal of Religion and Health (international publication about the relationship between religion and physical health)

Unlikely, Buddhism and Shintoism view their critical components of healing from different perspective than Christianity. According to Buddhist, their healing takes place by use of blessed pills, blessed water and herbal medicine that prepared with extensive prayers and mantras by their spiritual leader known as Rimpoche. As part of the healing Buddhists also use a method called visualization. For example, visualization of a ball of white light above oneself who is ill, which directs the image of white lights spreading through one’s body will dissolve away all sickness and problems. Some other components of healing in Buddhism includes use of Buddha figures in imagination while perform visualization; meditation by breath in and breath out;

The differences the personal shared with me; was the belief between the Christianity and Buddhism in provision of medial care lie in practices of yoga and mediation by Buddha. The Buddha practices yoga to attain self confidence and the optimism that enables the patient to reduce suffering which he is undergoing. In Christianity on the other hand yoga is not practiced.

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

The Christian philosophy of care involves the act of charity, the virtue of looking after someone or something outside of one's self. Jesus Christ essentially divided the Mosaic law into two parts, the first concerning man's duty towards God, and the second concerning man's duty towards his fellow man. In a sense, Christ intimated that we are all our brother's keeper. Eastern religions have a different philosophy of care, however. Their spiritual perspective on healing is derived from their spiritual objective which is release from the circle of life. Karma represents the Eastern philosophical equivalent of the Western maxim, "What goes around, comes around." Release from this continuous cycle is what is meant by moksha or, the attainment of nirvana (a place free of suffering, according to Buddhism). The Eastern religions and philosophies all give varying accounts of karma, samsara, moksha, and nirvana.This paper will examine Sikhism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, analyze their belief systems, and show how they compare and contrast with one another and with Christianity.

known as Mirza Hoseyn ‘Ali Nuri, or in Arabic “Glory of God”. The Baha’i faith does not believe their religion is new. It’s principle belief is that it combines all religions and humanity. (“Beliefs of the Baha’i Faith”) The Baha’i religion has spread to be the second most widespread religion in the world. The contents of this paper will include the origin and basic beliefs of the Baha’i Faith.

The Baha’i faith is a modern day cornerstone of equality and religious acceptance. They believe that all other religions are valid and preach religious acceptance. They strongly believe that if wars are fought over religion it’s better to be without religion as a whole. Religion is intended to unite humanity. The temples are places for prayer and reflection, which allows the individual to make a personal connection to god without the need to connect through clergy or a priest. They also maintain that women are to be viewed as equals in every respect to men.

Hindu and Buddhist cultures are both rich in religion and expressing their faith through art. The Buddhist culture was formed by Buddha who went out to discover the causes of pain and suffering. Once Buddha realized what the cause was, he provided a set of four guiding principles know as the “Four Noble Truths” that are exercised in Buddhism (Kleiner, p. 13). The Four Noble truths are “Life is suffering, the cause of suffering is desire, one can overcome and extinguish desire, the way to conquer desire and end suffering is to follow Buddha’s Eightfold Path…” (p. 13). These truths are expressed in the following of Buddhism and commonly carried out through art. Buddhism is practiced throughout Southeast Asia and southern India where

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.

From the lavish beginnings in a wealthy kingdom nestled within the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, Siddhartha Gautama’s transformation into the Buddha and the start of Buddhism was based off of and due to confronting constant human suffering in everyday life. Abandoning his regal life in pursuit of spiritual insight, Siddhartha sought to understand the problem of human suffering and propose remedies, if any, to such a condition. Verses, lectures, and sutras transcribed in scriptures by Buddha’s followers offer an other worldly perspective to endure the hardships and how to conduct oneself harmoniously in society especially with the concept of Inner Peace. The truth goal of Buddhism is to attain peace within oneself, detaching oneself from worldly suffering, attaining enlightenment, and eventually reaching a state of escaping the cycle of suffering, the state of Nirvana. Even though there are many sects of the Buddhist faith, this essay focuses on the shared peace practices and beliefs Buddhism promotes, especially the concept of inner peace through reflection. Buddhism is known widely as a religion of peace and non-violence, though there are outlying examples contrary to the point such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and etc., the concept of achieving inner peace and living harmoniously no matter what views one has can promote a positive society.

Every human being opens his or her eyes to the face of his or her mother. The infant then enters the process of “care-taking”, where the mother feeds him, puts his needs ahead of hers and makes him subject to her affection for the rest of her live. Therefore, since the beginning of his life, the child is exposed to a state of love and compassion from his care-takers. Love and compassion can be seen as complements, in both Buddhism and Christianity. One leads and completes the others existence. Although, the end goal in both religions regarding these two nations is the same; to foster tranquility and contentment, their means to reach the destination are different. That is the reason why, even though the perceptions of these two