Japan Religion Essay

In other words, Nirvana stands as the state in which suffering, desire, or sense of self does not exist, and leaves the subject released from karma. In the religion, the four noble truths recapitulates the philosophies of Buddhism in a formula: 1) the truth of suffering, 2) the truth of the cause of suffering, 3) the truth of the end of suffering, and 4) the truth of the path to the end of suffering. The four noble truths simplifies further to, “Do what is beneficial, avoid doing harm, and keep the mind pure.” (Hayes). Buddhism’s background and beliefs diverse from Judaism's in several ways.

There are many differing ways that people suffer. Some effects can be superior and some can be inferior. In the quote by H. Richard Niebuhr, suffering can make you stronger, have more character, along with respect.

Suffering is one of the mysteries of human existence. Redemptive suffering, suffering willingly offered up, can be of tremendous use; but the natural human reaction to suffering is not willing acceptance. On the contrary, the natural reaction is to avoid it as much as

Buddhism see’s the Four Noble Truths as the Buddha’s way of explaining the truth of the human condition and are described as the essence of His teachings. The Four Noble Truths play an important part in understanding the Buddha’s teachings and are essential in realising the goal of His teachings, which is to show individuals how to overcome suffering and obtain Nibbana, a place of peace and happiness where an individual ceases to experience suffering (Dukkha). Buddhism can be described as a religion one must practice and experience in order to grasp a full understanding of, with the Four Noble Truths themselves coming from the personal experience of The Buddha. It is through experiencing the extremes of life that the Buddha had an awakening and ultimately came to understand the truth of the world, as elucidated in the Four Noble Truths. Buddhism see’s the Buddha’s experience and subsequent awakening as reason in itself to support the Four Noble Truths and of the possibility of attaining Nibbana for all sentient beings. Objections raised against the first Noble Truth, which states that there is suffering (Dukkha), and that everything in life is pervaded by dissatisfaction, revolve around

The first truth is that life involves suffering such as having pain, getting old, and death. It can also describe painful emotions such as loneliness, and anger (Basic Buddhism, 1993). The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and hatred (Basic Buddhism, 1993). Instead of being disappointed when others don’t meet our expectations, Buddhism teaches us to be content and happy with what we do have (Basic Buddhism, 1993). The third truth describes giving up useless things in our lives in order to achieve true happiness (Basic Buddhism, 1993). The fourth and final truth is that the Noble Eightfold Path is the one true path that leads to ending suffering (Basic Buddhism, 1993). The Noble Eightfold Path is a Buddhist concept of focusing on the mindfulness and intentions of our thoughts and actions (Basic Buddhism,

Suffering is caused by desire. we do not just want something we get attached to something. we get attached to something that we want. Buddhist do not get attached to

Individuals experience suffering for various reasons. My theory assumes that a combination of individual and systemic factors causes

Takes the idea of suffering to portray the factors that one may experience when progressing to a final destination

There are many different perspectives on suffering with regard to its meaning, significance and purposes. Pope John Paul II (1984) wrote "On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering", that it centres on the notion of redemptive suffering - to remit one’s sins in order to save the soul from eternal suffering (damnation). Personally, I believe suffering can have a purpose. It can enrich life by giving us knowledge of both the good and the bad, arguably making us more appreciative of what we have . Indeed, James Stewart (2005) purports, "If there were no suffering, would there be compassion? If there were no discipline and hardship, would we ever learn patience and endurance? Construct a universe with no trouble in it and immediately you banish some of the finest qualities in the world."

“If there is meaning in life at all, then their must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate

Many religions are popular within the Japanese culture. Two of the most influential religions, Shinto and Buddhism that help shaped a lot of Japanese values are Shinto and Buddhism, played a large role in shaping Japanese values. Numerous similarities and differences run between these two religions; nonetheless, the Japanese often believe in more than one religion at the same time. This is possible due to the polytheistic nature of most popular religions in Japan. It is not hard to say that religion is a big part of Japanese culture because a lot of religious beliefs can still be seen in their everyday lives.

suffering demands to be explored because without suffering, the true value of love will never be

Religion in Japan is Shinto and Buddhism are the two major religions. Shinto is as old and the Japanese culture. Buddhism came from the main island in the sixth century. Since then the two religions have co-existing in harmony

This led to an interesting dynamic when other Asian religions and philosophies made their way into Japan. While there might have been a certain amount of abrasiveness between Shinto and the others at first, the nature of the religion allowed a unique blending that isn't to often scene between the unique (or semi-unique) religions of multiple countries. The three most prominent influences came from Chinese Confucianism and Taoism, and Indian Buddhism. Buddhism in particular had the most influence on their religion, becoming a near inseparable part of it (Religions of the World).

The dominant religions are Shinto and Buddhism both complement each other in various ways. They have harmonious cohabitation within the nation and promote peace and harmony. Moreover, religion does not necessarily play a large part in the average everyday life of a Japanese person outside of holidays and special occasions.