The Importance Of A Mahayana And Theravada Schools

Albert Einstein once said, “Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.” I though this quote was an interesting beginning into seeing how this ancient religion changed over the course of its existence. I feel that Buddhism has changed over time but has maintained that core teaching that it had with the early Indians and with the Theravada teachings. Mahayana just happens to be the more loose teachings of the Buddha. The term used in

Even though Zen and Pure Land Buddhism are usually considered to be quite different, they are actually part of the same type of Buddhism, Mahayana, and thus have an underlying similarity. This essay will argue that, in particular, the Mahayana concepts of non-duality and no-self are present in both schools, and that the ways employed in each school to reach their respective goals can be analyzed in a similar fashion, proving that these two schools are part of, rather than deviations of, Mahayana Buddhism.

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.

In this paper it will discuss the influence of the Buddha and how Buddhism came to America and the impact it had upon its arrival. How the American culture westernized Buddhism in their own way and how it looks today. It will also cover the difference of ethnic Buddhism and convert Buddhism in America. More specifically the objective of this paper is to explain descriptively and analytically and go over the historical time line of

Marc Rosenbush’s film, Zen Noir (2004), is at first glance a film thoroughly ensconced in the themes of Zen Buddhism. Set in a dark and brooding film noir atmosphere, the film depicts the story of a deeply troubled detective, at the end of his rope, who finds himself at a Zen monastery in order to solve a murder. But once there, he realizes that things are not quite what they seem to be. As the film unfolds, we find that the world Rosenbush has created for us is wildly symbolic, and it becomes clear that the monastery is a symbol of the detective’s psyche and that he was not investigating a murder, but his own fear of death and loss. If this introspective, psychological element of the film is recognized, the Buddhist themes of the film become conflated with allegories of navigating the Western psyche. It is the contention of this paper that when the psychological themes of this film are investigated, we will find that the alleged Buddhist theme of enlightenment in the film must compete with a symbolic depiction of Jungian individuation.

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.

As two of the world’s oldest and most established religions, Hinduism and Buddhism have their similarities, as well as differences. Both religions are practiced in Southeast Asia, starting in India and have influenced each other. Hinduism dates back to 5,000 years ago, while Buddhism was created three centuries ago. I will explore what the two religions share and what separates the two from one another covering the origins, number of followers, the texts used, and the belief system followed.

This piece represents the very tenets of Buddhism at its most extreme. Those that wish to evade the suffering of the human existence should remove themselves from the materialism of it to the fullest extent possible. This is one of the

Buddhism is a world religion based on the teachings of the "Buddha," which means "The Enlightened One" or "The Awakened One" (Smith and Novak 4). Buddhism is usually associated with India and Nepal, though it has spread worldwide (Powers 12). It is difficult to trace all Buddhist beliefs back to their original sources because nothing was written about the religion until nearly 150 years after it began (Smith and Novak 50). As Buddhism evolved, its believers split into different factions, for example: Theravadinism, which believes that the Buddha was a great sage but stopped influence the world when he died/entered nirvana (Smith and Novak 68-9); and Mahayanism, which believes that the Buddha is a savior of the world who keeps drawing people to himself even now (Smith and Novak 70). Furthermore, as Buddhism spread, it evolved into different types of Buddhism, such as Vajrayana,

There is a time in all religious experiences that people look for spiritual growth by reflecting on the basics of life. An estimated 376 million people are considered to believe and follow Buddhist practices, the question of the four elements (sight’s), aging people, the sick, funerals processions and religion. These elements that Siddhartha Gautama saw, that led to him to seek religious enlightenment, and to give up his privileged life. These four elements come up in every religious walk at some point. Reflection on these elements can have astonishing effects in someone’s life. By looking at these elements, and by showing the effect they had on Siddhartha Gautama’s life, will show that anyone could grow in their spiritual belief by reflecting

Until about a fifty years ago, most people in the United States did not have much exposure to the Buddhist religion. Our only impression of it might have been statues of a grinning, bald Buddha with a large belly at the entrance of most Chinese restaurants. Those statues seemed a little scary and some thought they should nod or rub the belly as they passed as a gesture of good luck. The religion has come a long way in the last twenty years. Hollywood celebrities such as Richard Gere and Tiger Woods and Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Dalai Lama, may have heightened the appeal and gave some prominence of this religion to the people of the West. The Buddhist religion and its move into America is a fascinating 2000 year journey. To

In comparing and contrasting Theravada, Gelug-pa, and Zen. Theravada is a school with Mahayana Buddhism that teaches the four noble truths and it also includes the eightfold path. Theravadins believe in and worship deities; Theravadins do not believe in the existence of suffering and evil as a theological problem. Theravadins teaching includes karma, good karma and bad karma as an understanding of the Buddhist path and process of purification and perfection. Theravadins objective for their next life is to have a good rebirth as a human or deity.

Theravada Buddhism has been the pre dominant religion/school in the continental south-east Asia, it is mainly found in sir Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, Taiwan and Lous. Today Theravada Buddhist is a group which has well over 100,000,000 member’s world-wide. Theravada is considered to be the soul-survivor of the traditional and original Buddhism. It implies rather traditional and the strictest moral field of teaching. Theravada concentrates on monks and nuns, those who give full devotion to god. They live their lives only by the traditional teachings of the Buddha.

Theravadan means “Doctrine of the Elders” and Mahayana means Journey. Mahayana Buddhism believes that everyone should reach nirvana and should not be personal. Mahayana Buddhists believed that no one could reach nirvana since everyone is “one”. If one reaches enlightenment in Mahayana Buddhism then they take the “Vow of the Bodhisattva.” A Bodhisattva is one who reaches enlightenment but stays in existence to help others. An example of a Bodhisattva is Yama. He reached enlightenment after meditating in a cave and now he protects other Buddhists. They also believe in Trikaya, which is three bodies or three meanings of Buddha. One of the bodies relates to Sunyata (emptiness). Mahayana Buddhism also has many sections and sub-sections that spread all over the place. One of those places is Tibet. Vajrayana I believe is a school that is only found in Tibet since it follows Tibetan Buddhism. A famous leader of Tibetan Buddhism is Dalai Lama. Theravadan Buddhism focuses on the teachings of the Buddha’s sutra. They are more conservative with their teachings and focus on interpreting Buddha’s teachings or “Dharma”. Since his teachings were passed on for many years, they tried to follow the Buddha’s teachings closely. Both men and women can follow the teachings of the Buddha. The community of monks and nuns is known as “Sangha.” Monks in both Mahayana and

Each of the characters in “The Monkey and the Monk,” represent an important trait or idea of buddhism, and this novel can be used as a basic representation for buddhist ideas. Either the strengths, weaknesses, or backgrounds of each character can be analyzed and applied to traditional buddhist