Bodhi Essays

Buddhism teaches people how to end their agony by eliminating greed, hatred, and ignorance. Buddhism was established in 500 BC and it started with a prince called Siddhartha, a representative of the Gautama clan. Siddhartha was known as Buddha. Siddhartha grew up living the luxury life of a young prince. Siddhartha married a girl called Yasodhara when he was sixteen. His father demanded him to live a life isolated from outside sources. However, that did not stop Siddhartha to wander out into the

this enlightenment. His journey to find enlightenment was called “The Great Departure”. Siddhartha wandered for six years in the forests. He studied with two Hindu gurus, joined a group of ascetics, then renounces asceticism and meditates under a Bodhi tree for 49 days. At the end of his meditation, Siddhartha finally found enlightenment. Siddhartha Gautama had four nights of enlightenment at the end of his meditation. The first night, Siddhartha watched all of his previous lives. Hindus believe

Tara – A woman of many colors In Buddhism, bodhisattva is the term for a being with bodhi or enlightened. A bodhisattva is anyone who, motivated by great caring, has generated total enlightenment. Tara is a female Bodhisattva who appears as a female Buddha. She is known as the "mother of liberation", and represents the value of success in work and achievements. Statues of Tara represent the feminine counterpart of the bodhisattva (“Buddha-to-be”) Avalokiteshvara. According to popular belief, she

is essentially suffering. After learning all ascetic techniques of concentration and mind control that could be learned from the different sects of the Indian subcontinent, and not satisfied, the Buddha decided to sit under the sacred fig tree (the Bodhi tree) and not rise to understand the cause of suffering. The Four Noble Truths are the substance of the Buddha's enlightenment, doing what people might describe as an internal science, based on an impeccable self-observation . In an act of deep introspection

The portion of this week’s reading that I found most interesting was Siddhartha Gautama’s search for the ultimate Enlightenment. Gautama became a wandering monk and studied under spiritual teachers. These teachers taught him meditation techniques which allowed him to enter a profound state of trance. This allowed him to learn the sphere of nothingness in which the mind transcends all thought. However, Gautama quickly mastered this technique and began to learn the sphere of neither perception and

Introduction: Enlightenment occurs when one becomes awake when they eliminate desire or attachment. Achieving enlightenment allows individuals to become Buddha. Furthermore, principle of dependent origination and karma states that every cause has its’ effect and the effects can be passed down to next life. Failing to eliminate desire will result in one suffering throughout their lives, and possibly their future life. Also, failing to eliminate desire prevents one from achieving enlightenment. In

Siddhartha Gautama, later known to be referenced with nicknames such as the Buddha, enlightened one, and the awakened, was born in Nepal in 6 B.C. into a large clan called the Shakyas. Gautama’s mother died shortly after his birth. Days after Gautama’s birth, a prophet saw the young prince becoming a great military leader or a great spiritual teacher. His Father Suddhodana, king of Kapilavastu and leader of the Shakya clan, felt that in order to keep Gautama from witnessing the sorrow, violence,

century BCE, he lived in ancient India. He was born into a wealthy family and enjoyed a life of luxury until he resigned his privileged existence to seek enlightenment, according to Buddhist legend. He reached enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree after years of meditation and reflection. He then devoted the rest of his life teaching others his insights and ideas, with the goal of assisting others in finding liberation from suffering and inner peace. The Buddha was a spiritual teacher and

Buddhism started with the Buddha who was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal around 2,500 years ago. The word ‘Buddha’ means ‘who is awake’ and in the sense of having ‘woken up to reality’. He did not say his is a god or a prophet. He was a human being who became Enlightened, try to understanding life in the deepest way possible. Siddhartha is the prince of a small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese border. After seven days of his birth, his mother died. His mother’s younger sister, Maha Pajapati take

Meditation as Medication in Buddhism Meditation is the act of the individual being able to focus their mind for a certain time period by either chanting for their religion or spiritual reasons as a way of relaxation. Meditation dates back thousands of years, possibly as early as the ancient times. Siddhartha, better known as the Buddha, proclaimed that suffering is nothing more than just an abstract and it can be lessened through self-awareness. Meditation is very renown in Buddhism and it is a

Zazen in Zen The word “Zen” roughly translates to meditative state, which is the practice and enlightenment technique central to Zen Buddhism. One of three Zen Buddhism sites in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Zen Center offers meditation periods, consultation with Zen priests, literature about Zen Buddhism, and a beautiful history lesson. The San Francisco Zen Center is located in an old building with a fascinating history. Originally, Julia Morgan established the Center as a residence for single

The king’s speech is a film about King George VI, the former king of the United Kingdom. His birth name was Albert Frederick Arthur George, and he grew up as the younger of two brothers in the royal family. During his childhood, he found it relieving knowing that he would not be the future king, his brother David would. Therefore, it seemed like their father favored David. As he said himself, “he loved David, hated me”. From the outside, his royal childhood probably looked picture perfect, but during

‘Dalai Lama’ is a nickname means something like “Ocean of Wisdom”. Deeper meaning The Tibetan word ‘Lama’ means “a religious teacher who deserves the respect and devotion of his followers”. (Keynes, 2008, 207). Dalai Lama who considered as religious leader at the Tibetan Buddhists, and his spiritual and temporal leadership, in the region, which suffers internal unrest. His followers saw as the "king of Tibet" and “Successor Buddha,” and called him one of the “advocates of peace”. Buddha means an

Karma was seen as a fundament concept in Asian religions. In Buddhism karma does exist but it is less relevant than in the Hindu religion as it is no longer seen as the only path to Moksha after Buddha’s first teachings. In this essay I will describe and explain karma and prove that karma isn’t the only way to moksha by referring to the four noble truths taught by Buddha and the eight fold path. Karma is a key concept in the Buddhist religion. Karma is able to link with various concepts in the Buddhist

Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo are both known for being the world’s greatest long distance travelers, however, because of their different backgrounds it had influenced the way in which each traveler wrote about their experiences in China. This contrast is dominantly believed to have been influenced by their different religious backgrounds, and how each had viewed the world. This was ultimately is influenced by ones cultural and religious background. In this essay I will examine the different experiences

Introduction Gandhian and Tibetans known for their non-violence means during the independent movement. Dalai Lama (Fourteenth), the spiritual leader of Tibetan, not only once show his appreciation to Gandhi and asked Tibetan to learn form the Gandhian’s moves. While Gandhian openly announce their support to the Tibetan’s movement. Having been adopted by so many people (Dr. Martin Luther King in the United States, Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko in South Africa, and Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar.Bayard

1st Essay Question: PHIL 10010: Search for Meaning Written by oisin hourican – 17413934 stage 1 The opening line of the famous Buddhist teaching of Dhammapada has most often been translated in English as: “Experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, and produced by mind.” Discuss how this quote reveals some of the key features of the Buddhist conception of mind. I will discuss this quote and the implication it has for the Buddhist concept of mind, I will attempt to avoid Buddhist Metaphysics

These are the four noble truths, life will always involve suffering, this suffering is caused by greed and this greed is sown by our own in-experiences. The suffering will end when the greed ends. Finally, the way to a realization is through the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path is a methodical method in which anyone can achieve nirvana. Its first facet is to understand the four noble truths, then one must learn why they are self-serving and hide who they truly are. The third aspect

The death of Ivan Ilyich, explored by Leo Tolstoy is comparative to the Buddhists concepts of suffering. I shall begin to explain this through breaking down each Buddhist concept of suffering and comparing it to Ivan Ilyich. The first Buddhist concept we learn is from the Four noble truths. “All life is Dukkha” Dukkha is usually interpreted as suffering but is means more then this. It can be referred to the basic fact that something about human existence is ‘out-of-wack’. Furthermore, as we break

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhist is the fundamentals of understanding Buddhism. It is encouraged that one embrace the practices. It is promised a better life and less suffering than those who do not. The first noble truth is suffering, the personal experience that every human face. The second noble truth is origin cause, craving an explanation for suffering. The third noble truth is cessation to suffering, the end goal of Buddhism. Here is where you reach Nirvana. It states the end of craving, and