The Dharma Is The Same, Day Or Night

Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism are considered as two popular schools in Mahayana Buddhism. The two are regarded as polar opposites. In this paper, I argue that Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism are not entirely different, they still have underlying similarities instead.

Dharma is a powerful word, but some may see it differently then others depending on their

The teacher asked, "why doesn't she take a nap and what time does she go to bed at night."

When I visited the Phat Da Buddhist Congregation in San Diego, a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in San Diego, I was taken by surprise that the service was given in Vietnamese. The decorations on the wall, the sacred images displayed at the altar, and the vibrant color of the monk’s robe were still familiar, but what was being said was (very) foreign to me. I quickly became impatient and preoccupied with the question on why I was there in the first place. What would I write about for my final Buddhism assignment if I could not understand what was being said? One thing was clear, the day I visited, they were celebrating Buddha’s birthday with huge display of rituals and ceremony, and a big birthday cake at the end.

Even when we are presented with answers or guides to the many questions we have about life and to how we should live, as inquisitive animals, we strive to enhance our understanding and so begin to learn that perhaps, ultimately, the answers don’t simply come from outside but also from within us. This is then perhaps the greatest implication of this paper, finding new ways in understanding what the true way of life is for human beings and what the true way of life is for ourselves. In the discussion of Zen Buddhism, William A. Young’s framework’s itself must first be explained and understood.

At this point Kelsang Chandra entered the room, after making her tea we began talking. She began by asking me how I found the Center, I told her through the internet. I was informed that many students come to the center for school projects so she was happy to assist me as well. I first started by asking about the offerings left on alters, since Buddha is just a man. They said it was left there out of respect and giving thanks for guidance received. When asked about reconnecting with our past lives, she stated that our minds are too cloudy to know of other existences. Kelsang Chandra stated, though they do believe in reincarnation and that when this body dies the knowledge gained will be added to the collection and carried forward to the next existence (personal communication, August 2, 2011). She continued speaking about the Wheel of Life and describing karma almost as if she were reading our text. Stating our actions of body, speech, and mind influence the

As a scholar taking the class ‘Introduction to World Religions”, I had the opportunity to take part in a culture that is not normally found in the western world. I entered the Mon Buddhist Monastery in Akron, Ohio on October 2nd, 2016 only to be amazed at their way of life. Going into the temple, I knew of the basic religious practices and traditions that the monks and Buddhists had participated in daily. When I was coming up to the monastery, it did not look like anything other than an old brick building, but once we were inside it looked like a recreational area. Somewhere where they would meditate, hold daily activities, and teach the younger Buddhist about their way of life. On the far back wall, there was a stunning shrine dedicated to the Buddha where one would pray. Many figurines were displayed as well as flowers and offerings along it.

gurus are phonies. He wanted to know if people could find the same peace in a made-up religion that

Seeing as you have gotten older…” One of the monks spoke calmly but still with strong authority. “We have decided it was time we tell you somethings that we have worked hard to keep out of public eye.”

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

I explained that it was my first time at a Buddhist temple so I was a bit unsure of what I was supposed to do. A lady, named Bindhu, quickly introduced herself and was very eager to help me. She walked me around what is called the Main Ashram Room, which is primarily the most used part of the building. Bindhu walked me around the Main Ashram Room and explained what each room was used for. We saw the Kriya Vedanata Library, which holds numerous Buddhists texts and scriptures. She explained that this was a popular meeting spot for people to come and discuss the history of Buddhism and different texts they are reading. The next room we saw was a large space similar to what a church hall looks like. This was the Kriya Vedanata Meditation Hall. This was lacking any type chairs for the people to sit in. At the front of the room, there was an altar. Bindhu explained that various meditation sessions and conferences occurred in this space. She also explained that this was where my meditation session would occur. Next we visited the Kriya Vedanata Kitchen and Dining Hall. Bindhu explained that the people of the temple get together here to cook and serve meals as a means of togetherness and to enjoy one another’s company. After my tour, Bindhu escorted me back to the Kriya Vedanata Meditation

The speaker started the service by speaking about Buddha as a philosopher, not God. This Buddhist temple practices Theravada, and bows to 3 things: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Theravada is one of the four types of Buddhism. The other three types are Mahayana, Tibetan, and Zen/Chan. Buddhism exemplifies as a very pragmatic religion (The Four Noble Truths). “The followers take joy in a straight-forward approach to life, and they do not indulge in metaphysical speculation about first causes. As most religion have a theology and worship a deity, Buddhists do not have one. This religion believes that it is impossible to make a permanent relationship with anything because the world is constantly changing” (The Four Noble Truths).

The journey “home” that Buddhists refer to as the privilege of enlightenment, the ultimate truth, is called the paramattha. The Paramattha is not the same journey as other faiths profess, because other faiths, like the science known as psychology, emphasize outside influence, in one way or another, in the ancient long search for understanding. Understanding life, afterlife, existence, thought, personality, behavior, and the unknown. These latter truth-seekers have overlapping roads of distinction on their charted course that is not an essential part of the

When arriving to the Buddhist temple, it is not surprising for one to say that this temple looks like an ordinary house from the outside. However, one can tell that they were Buddhist because they had a gazebo looking stupa on the left side of the front yard, which contain the remaining’s of Buddha’s teeth. On the right side of the yard, they had a replica of the Bodhi tree that represented the lifetime of when Buddha achieved enlightenment. As one took off her/his shoes, the house was transformed into a magnificent place where anyone could come to chant, offer puja, and the meditation of the dharma.

Without the concept of dharma there is no Hinduism. Following ones dharma is to maintain the well being of oneself and others, and to depart from it leads to misdirection and ruin. Dharma in Hinduism is thought of as being an individual’s duty to themselves and their society in both a faith and societal obligation context. Three of Ninian Smart’s dimensions where dharma is most relevant are the ethical, social and mythological dimensions. Dharma details how a follower of Hinduism should go about their life and so relates to the ethical dimension, it describes the interconnection of Hindu society which pertains to the social dimension, and lastly is a central theme to nearly all epics present in Hindu thus representing the mythological dimension. Where dharma is expressed within these dimensions individually it also serves as a pillar to which the three facets are connected.