Summary Of Buddhism: Plain And Simple By Steve Hagen

4b) According to the Diamond Sutra teaching on the practice of mindfulness, explain the reasoning behind the necessary tie made between non- attachment and

The Buddhist path requires courage, patience, flexibility and intelligence. Compassion includes qualities of sharing, readiness to give comport, sympathy, concern, caring. In Buddhism, we can really understand others, when we can really understand ourselves, through wisdom. Buddhist teachings can be understood and tested by anyone. Buddhism teaches that they solutions to our problems are within us not outside. The Buddha asked all his followers not to take his word as true, but rather to test the teachings for themselves. (Brian White)

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.

How can we begin to understand such a diverse and ancient religion? The width of Buddhism is immense. It is a religion without any written rules. Buddhism is based on self-discovery. Buddhists are born with the quest to find their true form. They believe that they are prisoners of the physical plain until they reach nirvana. Nirvana is the ultimate goal for a Buddhist (Buddhism, 2007). It is the state that saves them from all suffering and evil. They believe that only nirvana can remove them from the never-ending circle of life.

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.

The Kannon Bosatsu, or Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, is a carved wood statue of a Bodhisattva figure standing about two and one half to three meters tall. This statue shows a high level of detail on the Bodhisattva 's body, and is carved so smoothly that it could be mistaken for a stone carving. The show of skilled craftsmanship can be seen around the shoulders with the interaction of the cloth with the jewelry the Bodhisattva. The statue is placed on an ornate pedestal to cause the figurine to appear taller, giving it a feeling of authority, which contrasts with its calm, expressionless face. While the figure appears to be standing in a meditative state like the Buddha, the jewelry present all over the body of this figure distinguishes this figure as a Bodhisattva instead of a Buddha. In his book, The Story of Buddhism a Concise guide to Its History and Teachings, Donald S. Lopez Jr. establishes the importance of imagery in Buddhism. One major point he makes concerning the worship of Buddhist figures, is that the disciples of Buddhism not only believe that the figures are a mere representation of Buddha, but that the figures actually become and are animated by Buddha, an argument which seems to hold merit as truth.

The Little Buddha is an amazing, and uplifting movie, and full of positive meaning, yet it also is full of religious meaning. Aspects of life and death are shown throughout the movie, but the film mainly explains three key aspects of Buddhism. Buddhist teachings of reincarnation, impermanence, and enlightenment, are connected deeply to each other and is illustrated throughout the film. The first Buddhist teaching of reincarnation is evident from the beginning of the movie. The audience starts to see these teachings when a Buddhist teacher is making it evident to his student (Lama Norbu) that he is ready to reincarnate, after he passes away. Lama finds out that there are three potential reincarnations of his teacher’s soul. These reincarnates

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world, with more than 5 million believers in the world. Buddhism is a kind of religion and law that contains various traditions, beliefs, and spiritual practices. Buddhism from India, between the sixth and fourth centuries BC, and gradually spread to Asia. Although Buddhism originated in India, China has many believers in the dissemination and contribution. Chinese Buddhism began in the Han Dynasty and became the most powerful in the Tang Dynasty. With the development of society, Buddhism in the people also come into contact with the telephone, computer, and other new technologies. However, monks with real power are still practicing their bodies in primitive ways. For an ancient religion, Buddhism has a lot of things that people know and people do not know. Buddhism can help people to better discover the power of the human body. In addition, people need to understand the history of Buddhism and the main ideas to help them learn Buddhism.

There are many different definitions and views of Buddhism and many of these views and definitions vary from each other. A quick internet search reveals all the different definitions of Buddhism and some of them may not even be correct or have a scholarly perspective. A five minute Google search reveals one definition which we will take a look at:

“ It’s about examining and exploring the most basic questions of life” (p 3). This idea sounds accurate in my mind. Everyone should be conscious of what is around him or her and what is happening. Believe it or not, life is too short, and we have to live it 100%. This is a concept that I have always considered. Whenever there is a chance to do something different, strange, or having a one-time opportunity to do it, I more than likely take advantage of the situation. I know that I have only one life and I need to take advantage of that particular situation, or I might regret it later. Trying to do as many things possible, in my opinion is good because is it living life to its fullest by taking advantage of all of life’s great opportunities. The more that you do in life, the more knowledge you will have about it. Taking advantage of life lets you free your mind.

The Buddhist teachings that Hahn talks about deep listening and being calm. Lucid, compassion and fighting violence with violence is a bad idea. To find the source of suffering will lead you to the source of violence. That ignorance and misunderstanding is the root of all evil. Being peaceful, practice non-discrimination. The Buddhist teachings that are found are carried throughout his work and peaceful movements. He uses these teachings to understand the issue and behaves in a calm and understanding way which makes more people likely to hear him out and understand him. Hahn applies these Buddhist teachings on how the world approach should be to bin Laden. He recommends going in a calm behavior and try to understand why what he did. Once he understands why he would try to understand why and explain his point. Hahn believes that once you develop a little bit of compassion, you will understand better and come up with more concrete ideas to fix the problem. He believes that there is a misunderstanding in-between them and if violence is fought with violence nothing will get done. Everything will become more violent.

Siddharta Gautama was twenty-nine years old when he abandoned his family to search for a means to bring to an end his and other’s suffering after studying meditation for many years. At age thirty-five, Siddharta Gautama sat down under the shade of a fig tree to meditate and he determined to meditate until he reached enlightenment. After seven weeks he received the Great Enlightenment which he referred to as the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path. Henceforth he became known as the Buddha.

Buddhists define enlightenment as “the state of perfect knowledge or wisdom, combined with infinite compassion” held accountable by the 4 Noble Truths of “suffering, origin, extinction and the way to its extinction” (Nyanaponika 296). Whereas the Western ideology defines it as the “acquisition of scientific knowledge, increasing social justice and maximizing human happiness” (Angel 1). These two definitions highlight the contrast between the two different philosophies and what they stand for. In the nonfiction narrative book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard uses Eastern schools of thought, such as Taoism and Buddhism, as the direct antithesis to the Western schools of thought, Christianity and Judaism. Comparable to the core attributes of Taoism and Buddhism, Dillard believes the world is an ever changing activity that ceases to stand still. She writes the book in a way that allows each individual reader the opportunity to interpret what she has written in a unique and unparalleled way. Dillard provides a guide for one’s self discovery of oneself and the path to “consciousness [through] heightened awareness that opens to all at the great door” (Dillard 82). She suggests consciousness opens the doors to full awareness but “self-consciousness, however, hinder[s] the experience of the present. It is the one instrument that unplugs

Albert Einstein once said, “the religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal god, avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.”# Many great minds like Albert Einstein have converted or become Buddhists. Many people from the west are turning their attention towards Buddhism because of the Buddha’s simple way to life and the lack of worship or prayer to a divine being.

Buddhism stands as a philosophy and a religion founding itself on the theory of a possible eternal soul. Until awakening is achieved, this eternal soul is locked in the vicious cycle of rebirth (Samsara). According to the Four Noble Truths preached by the Buddha, life is a perpetual suffering caused by desire and attachment, and freedom from suffering is only possible by practicing the Eightfold Path. The World is suffering in a succession of temptations and negative experiences from birth to death. Therefore Buddhism advises on searching to go beyond suffering, and only aspire to rest, nothingness, and liberation, into a final state called Nirvana. Happiness or Nirvana can eventually be achieved in a hereafter, another life, if man abandons any desire or perspective of action within his present life, in order to go past suffering.