World Religion (Buddhism) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Religion (Buddhism) - Essay Example The basis on Buddhism is constructed on recognizing the need to help living beings and truly understand their suffering. If this is achieved, the individual is capable of reaching the highest status available for all followers, nirvana: freedom from suffering and the cycle of rebirth. There are various ways of practicing Buddhism: meditation, physical exercises, devotional practices, ethical conduct and the cultivation of wisdom. Thus, Buddhism is based on teaching its followers a life that would be useful in this world and the next. Religion is an something that is practiced by its followers everyday, thus making it deeply engraved in their lives and actions. Buddhism is similar in this effect because it works to ensure that every belief or practice is beneficial not only to the follower but society as a whole. The word Budh comes from awakening and knowing (Smith 1995). Buddhism is divided into a number of branches. These are practiced and spread over different areas. Theravada is practiced in Southeast Asia and the doctrine states that a follower can lose their ignorance by understanding reality and thus reaching the end of the rebirth cycle. Mahayana is practiced in East Asia and the followers feel Buddha to be omnipotent and thus beyond the reach of the material world. Vajrayana is considered to be a part of the Mahayana sect while others see it to be the third Buddhist path. Though Buddhism is considered to be the strongest in Asia, it now exists all around the world. There are various scriptures in the Buddhist religions. They are divided into two broad categories: canonical texts are the direct sayings of Buddha himself and non-canonical texts are observations of Buddha's words, compilations of quotes and this history of Buddhism. An instance of a non-canonical text is the Tripitaka which has text written on long leaves and stored in baskets. It has been in existent since Buddha's life and with new additions, now comprises of three volumes. Buddhism resides in various concepts, most of which are given in the afore mentioned scriptures; amongst these, one is karma. The idea of karma is to be reborn into the cycle of suffering for every individual. Karma refers to the any idea that is affected by a mental or physical action and brings an equal result (Harvey). In this way, every action an individual conducts is done with a specific intent and it is that intent which makes the difference rather than the action itself. In Theravada, there is no forgiveness for a follower's karma. In this way, any action carried out by an individual has to be considered pure at both levels: physical and spiritual for it to help in the attainment of nirvana. Rebirth is another concept present in the Buddhist religion, it represents the different cycles an individual undergoes. This cycle represents the actions of the follower in the world which is determined by karma, rather than an unexplained jump from one life to another. This ensures that every individual in this society is bound to behave in an acceptable and amicable way in the hopes of reaching one of the six births: Naraka beings (those from hell) being the lowest and Devas (deities or angels) is the highest. Buddhism also pays great attention to practice of the faith. First and foremost is the show of devotion: bowing, pilgrimage, offering and chanting. This form is perfect in showing the due respect and reverence to the faith. To show this devotion, Buddhist temples, monasteries and stupas have been created all over the world for the followers to gather and practice. Creating a structure for representation allows the religion to

Reflect on If I could be any historical figure within the time period, Research Paper - 2

Reflect on If I could be any historical figure within the time period, who would I be and why I want this to be on D - Research Paper Example eater importance and long-lasting impact than what a single military commander, philosopher, pop-culture icon, or any other individual within past society has been able to offer. As a function of attempting to prove this point to the reader, the following analysis will be concentric upon providing many of the accomplishments that Martin Luther King realized during his life and draw a clear level of comparison with respect to the fact that these accomplishments, taken as a whole, stood apart from the rest of the individuals during his time, and indeed sense, and represented individual whose strength and perseverance are not only admirable but something which should be desired within the current time. Firstly, it should be stated that few if any individuals in the modern world are able to attain a level of education or expertise at such a young age as did Martin Luther King Junior. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. became an ordained Baptist minister at the age of 18. Whereas it is true that certain individuals within the modern world are able to accrue a great deal of education and expertise at a relatively young age, Martin Luther King was not only able to become an ordained clergyman within his community, he was also the youngest person ever to receive and Nobel Peace Prize for his work in seeking to end racial segregation (Hinds 469). As can readily be noted, the ability to dedicate himself to his studies and to the cause in question allowed for Martin Luther King to be an admirable character that this student seeks to look up to. Yet, one of the largest reasons for why Martin Luther King Jr. is a historical figure that I would like to be is due to the fact that he struggled tirelessly and fearlessly for the rights of his fellow man. Whereas many individuals during the time period were caught up in returning hatred for hatred, Martin Luther King Jr. was focused upon using nonviolent methods and leading a peaceful civil rights that would channel the same ap proach that Thoreau and Gandhi had used to such great effect (King 33). Whereas it might have been easy to fall victim to the desire for seeking revenge and demanding a level of immediate and violent revolution on the part of the disenfranchised population of the United States, King was able to resist this temptation and take the higher path; aspects of character and virtue that are extraordinarily rare and extremely appealing to this individual author. Such as yet, King’s most notable achievement is not with regards to the fact that he was merely a participant in the nonviolent civil rights movement of the mid-20th century; rather, his most notable achievement is with respect to the fact that he led this civil rights movement and carefully and painstakingly sought the ways in which it could be promoted so that it could affect the greatest benefit towards the exhibition of civil rights within the United States. Naturally,