The Diamond Buddhist Of Buddhism

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

The Buddhist instructor informed us that Buddha was just a title given to those that reached enlightenment. He also clarified that the statue in the center was of Chenrezig Buddha. Chenrezig Buddha is known as the Buddha of compassion. Under that statue was the Vajrapani statue, which is the protector of Buddha. This statue looks very fierce in nature in order to show the strength and power of Buddha. To the right was the picture of the founder of Diamond Way Buddhism centers, Lama Ole Nydahl, and the founder’s wife who had passed away. The instructor explained to us that Nydahl was a very inspirational and motivational Buddhist who was currently on tour all over the world for Buddhist teaching purposes (Anonymous).

Puja, which means offering in Sanskrit and worship in Pali, is one of the principle ceremonies in Buddhism. It can be conducted either at home or a Buddhist temple and has no specific time or rules. Puja integrates the principle beliefs of Buddhism which are the three Jewels, Four Noble Truths, marks of existence and karma, samsara, nirvana through the elements of bowing, offering, chanting and meditation. It is with these elements that the principle beliefs of Buddhism are demonstrated.

The Orange County Buddhist Church located in Anaheim at 909 South Dale Avenue is one of the few temples that practices and teaches Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in America. Although Shinran Shonin first established these traditions about 800 years ago in Japan, it did not reach the United States until the late 19th century by Japanese immigrants. Since then, Shin Buddhism has grown and developed Americanized features that contribute to its message of acknowledging the interdependence of all aspects in the universe as a way to reach a state of self-realization and happiness. With the help of Buddhist believers, the establishment of Shin Buddhist temples continues to grow and more people are welcomed to absorb the unique beliefs about oneness and transcending duhkha.

“Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are, it solely relies on what you think”, The Buddha. Buddhism is a message of deep enlightenment for the spiritual mind set of breaking the chain of reincarnation to achieve nirvana. Buddhism was founded by a man named Siddhartha Gautama who lived five hundred years ago. He spawned a spiritual enlightenment for the mind which we call Buddhism and eventually it came to the United States. Buddha, spreading his teachings of the four noble truths throughout Asia and many parts of the world that would someday enlighten the minds of the American culture and help lead people to a higher state of enlightenment. Over many hundreds of years Buddhism has transformed into many sects throughout history and is becoming one of the many fastest growing religion in America. (Pew, 31-33).

The stereotype that I had before attending this service was one, I thought the followers of Buddhism worshiped Buddha as a deity. Second, the assumption that they are all happy and just love the world I associated with the stereotype of them being similar to “hippies.” These notions were proven false in that Buddha is not revered as a deity and the happiness they achieve is from knowing that life is not about status and possessions, however, it is about being satisfied with yourself. The monk spoke to this when he asked the people what are the keys to happiness? After several answers the monk disclosed the five keys to happiness by a 5th century monk that are, ability to eat, walking, bowl movement, talking, and sleep. The monk explained

Buddhism as a universalizing religion in the first millennium was influenced by many different factors during the time it spread across Asia. Buddhism both adapted and resisted some of these factors. As a result of these factors Buddhism transformed, created new forms of art and literature, and also universalized Asia. Buddhism was also able to surpass several features such as distance and differing cultures but was resisted by other influences

For this experience, I decided to explore Buddhism in order to enhance my involvement with the religion and build a strong understanding. What intrigued me about Buddhism was the social aspect and diversity that it had to offer. In order to explore this religion from a critical and analytical viewpoint, I decided to attend a weekend service offered at San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin. The San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin main temple is located in the Japantown section of Central San Jose. What made this temple stand out amongst the others was its historical standing in the community. It is one of the oldest temples established in the United States. In order to learn more about the history, environment, and community as a whole, I decided to contact the temple’s staffs. After a brief phone call, I was able to schedule a tour. In preparation, I decided to do a brief research on Buddhism to familiarize myself with the religion beforehand. With all preparations and research necessary, I was ready to visit San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin.

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.

Whenever I thought of Buddhist I saw bald men or women with orange robes, white socks, and brown sandals. Obviously, not the older woman with gray hair that was now facing me and the other twenty congregants in the meditation room. She was obviously the leader.

Buddhist temples and monasteries provided many services, contributing greatly to the society. Monasteries and temples had medical care and academic facilities, gave seeds for families to harvest for food and crops, press oil, and temporary housed the traveling public. When people came to take advantage of the services provided, they were than introduced to the Buddhist ways. They were also taught to believe that by giving their sons unselfishly to Buddhism, the rest of the family would greatly benefit. The monks and monastery staff members also used pictures, assisting non-educated people, in understanding fables, which explained and emphasized the Buddhist teachings. As a final note, Buddhism has done great things for the society

Buddhism is a religion that focuses more on the individual and the actions of that individual, which was prevalent to me when I made my way into Portland and set foot in a Buddhist temple. The man I met within the walls of this temple was far from my stereotypical thoughts of Buddhist monks. The man I met looked like your plain old, average Joe, American man. Before I delve into the depths of my visit to this inspiring place, I need to sum up the Buddhist religion and why I chose to study this particular group of people.

Some of these organization spread their beliefs through social and environmental activism. However, not all organizations participate in social or environmental activism. The Gainesville Karma Thegsum Choling is a Tibetan Buddhist meditation center that does involve itself in any sort of activism. To spread their beliefs and to gain new followers the center must employ different methods. For example, to introduce individuals to Buddhism, the center has free beginners classes. The center also has a webcast teaching series available online to reach individuals around the world. Finally, the Gainesville Karma Thegsum Choling hosts several events throughout the year to help make individuals more familiar and comfortable with the

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.

As I took off my shoes before entering the main temple before the first worship session began, I began to feel a sense of peace within myself as well those that were attending the worship session. Inside the main temple was a huge statue of Buddha surrounded with white silhouettes of the Lotus flower, which seems to be the symbol of peace. Tens of incense jars filled with sand litter the alter the room. The room smelled like incense, pleasant and peaceful. There were twenty rows of small cushions that were used for kneeling and sitting, and twenty rows of small raised shelves that were used for holding the prayers that were going to be recited during that session. People were filling the room really quickly, and seats were being taken