Buddhism - Dhammapada

After reading the chapters of the Dhammapada listed in the recommended reading section for Buddhism, I started to realize the importance that this religion puts on self worth, and self sacrifice, and what most believe is required of the individual to reach Nirvana. Overall I have a greater appreciation for what a Buddhist must endure for their beliefs. Below I have summarized a few of the chapters I read, and what I believe the ideas and teachings that those chapters were demonstrating.

The first chapter of the Buddhism required reading was "Sahassavagga - The Thousands", which a themed at self sacrifice and self control. For example it states "Self-conquest is, indeed, far greater than the conquest of all other folks", which is a direct reference to self sacrifice. Another verse states: "Better than a thousand verses, comprising useless words, is one beneficial single line, by hearing which one is pacified.", which (as far as I can tell) is telling the reader to carefully think about what they say and do.

The second chapter I read was called "Dandavagga - Violence", which spoke of nonviolence. This chapter shows the extent that any Buddhist will go to avoid violence, and shows a true devotion to the karma notion. One passage mentioned: "Whoever tries to seek happiness without hurting others, can find happiness". I do not share this belief with the Buddhist's, I believe that there are times when one must resort to violence, especially when protecting his family or himself.

The third chapter I read was called "Jaravagga - Old Age", this chapter was confusing, as it refers to old age as ugly. One verse of note was: "Thoroughly worn out is this body, a nest of diseases, perishable. This putrid mass breaks up. Truly, life ends in death". I read over this chapter a few times and decided that this chapter is about what one would look like or be like if they reach old age without following the teachings of Buddha. Out of all the chapters that I read I found this one to be the most negative, and I could not understand why a chapter like this exists in a book so full of optimism. It tells the reader what to avoid in their life, and what steps to take to avoid the aforementioned fate.

The last few chapters that I read further discussed the ideas mentioned in the three main chapters I discussed, further discussing and defining what one must do to reach nirvana. One passage of mention in the later chapters was a passage about happiness, and how the Buddhists believe in non-attachment: "Ah, happily do we live, we who have no impediments. Feeders of joy shall we be even as the gods of the Radiant Realm". The overall feel of the chapters I covered was optimistic, I feel that I took more away from this book after learning about the other religions that are based on Buddhism. Overall I feel that this book and its teachings are an invaluable piece of history, that I believe everyone could benefit from its ideas and teachings, and that everyone should be quicker to avoid violence and quicker to offer a helping hand.

Hinduism and Confucianism - Duties

The duties of men and women are usually very different. Usually (when it comes to the household) women are responsible for the care of the children and day-to-day cleaning duties of the home. Men on the other hand are usually responsible for the financial needs of the home. Confucianism is manly focused on the relationships of individuals and society, Confucianism has five main guidelines that dictate these relationships, only one of these guidelines directly affects women. This guideline is the thrid guideline, which dictates the relationship between husband and wife, and reinforces that the husband is the protector of the family, and the wife is the protected homemaker and mother.

The Hindu believes and practices and much more structured, and concise. The Hindu duties are broken down into four stages, starting at birth and moving to death. These stages listed in order are: Student, the first stage were an individual creates a religious foundation for their life. Householder, this stage involves marriage and raising children. Retire, this stage begins when grandchildren arrive and allows the individual to spend more time on religious endeavors. Renunciate, this stage allows an individual to go out into the world and seek answers to his/her remaining questions. Included in the Hindu religion is a set of physical duties (which are said to insure health and long life), these physical duties are called yoga and have been gaining popularity in the rest of the world.

In comparing the practices of these religions, it appears that Confucianism is more concerned with the relationships of the individuals family and society, where Hinduism is more concerned with the individual. I would think that the duties of the men and women of Hindu faith would also be concerned with the family oriented duties, like raising children, and providing monetarily for their families.

Jesus vs Buddha - Compare and Contrast

Who would have thought that there would be so many similarities between the holy figures of most religions. After comparing the life of a few holy figures it almost seems that they were intentionally modeled after a certain moral template or mold. I chose to compare the lives of the holy figures of the Christian faith (Jesus Christ) and the Buddhist faith (Buddha). I thought that the lives of these individuals would have some similarities and some differences.

Buddha (Siddhartha his real name) was born the son of a prince of the Shakya tribe which is located in the lower Himalaya Mountains. It is said that his mother (named Maya) dreamed of a white elephant (that entered her side), and that Buddha was miraculously born from her side. Buddha spent the last portion of his life traveling from village to village teaching his ideas.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the son of a carpenter. Jesus spent most of his early life helping his father in his work, and helping his mother with everyday tasks. It is said that one night Mary (Jesus' mother) was visited by god, and that Jesus came from immaculate conception. Jesus spent the last years of his life traveling and teaching his ideas and practices.

The birth of these figures appears to share many similarities. Both figures were born from immaculate conception, although the method of conception differs. Both figures spent the last years of their lives traveling and teaching others what they had learned, and what they believed. The only differences in the lives of these figures were their childhood, which was fashioned for the culture... The myth of Jesus Christ is further substantiated as he was not born of royal decent, and the myth of Buddha is also further substantiated as he was born of royal decent-- It appears that the childhood of these individuals was modeled for the culture that the myths were presented to.

Field Trip Report - Shinto

Out of all the religions we cover in class and in the required readings, Shinto was the religion I choose to do my field trip report about. Unfortunately I was unable to find any Shinto religious sites in southern California, so I decided I would follow the book to my best ability and attempt some of the home practices of the Shinto religion to better understand what exactly is required of a Shinto practitioner. I will also write a short summary of my trip to Japan and visits to a Shinto shrine I experienced 2 years ago.

One of the requirements of a Shinto practitioner is to create and maintain a shrine dedicated to loved ones that have passed away. Most of my relatives and the people in my family are long lived, but both my great-grand parents have passed away, so I created a shrine in their honor. The shrine is called a kamidana (literally meaning "kami shelf"), commonly offerings of water or rice are left at the kamidana and a prayer is offered at the beginning of the day -- So I woke up and left a small bowl of rice and a cup of water next to my shrine, and recited a small prayer for my great-grand parents. My kamidana included an image of each of my great-grand parents, a small mirror, and a few sticks of incense.

As the Shinto religion believes that the kami (meaning "spirit") live among us in spirit form, one of the common practices is cleanliness. It is believed that if our environment (our homes, and even our own appearance) is kept clean that the kami will be happy and comfortable. In this regard I decided I would tidy up my surroundings... I vacuumed, I swept, and I put away the items I didn't need. I know that this does not sound like religious practice, but I wanted to experience what a common day would be like for a practitioner, so I did everything they would do.

A couple of years ago I visited Japan and toured a few Shinto shrines, unfortunately at the time I didn't know what most of the believes or practices of a practitioner were. When I visited a shrine I didn't know that it was customary to wash your hands at the torii, or that you were suppose to clap after ringing the bell and donating a coin. But anyone could notice that the religion in practice was closer to nature than any other in the world, no where else in the world are the religious sites so laden with trees, covered in rock, or babbling with brooks.

I have a new appreciation for the practitioners of this religion. It requires dedication, determination, and a certain affinity for nature and all things around you. I can tell you with great certainty that the next time I visit Japan or a Shinto shrine I take the time to wash my hands and mouth at the torii and ring the bell and clap after I donate a coin to the kami residing in that shrine. I also wonder if it is not a bad idea to try and take the cleanliness of the religion to heart, it usually makes everyone happier when their environment is clean and their possessions are organized.