Thus to some, Chinese acceptance of Buddhism was surprising given that "China was already a very old civilization, with a written language, a well-organized government system and educational system, with two well-established philosophical and religious traditions -- the Confucian and Daoist Traditions -- sophisticated literature, poetry, art & #8230; so we had here a very highly developed highly literate civilization, and Buddhism came from outside via missionaries" (Garfield 2010). Acceptance by the elite and the splintering of Buddhism into many different sects in China -- combined with syncretism with local deities, proved to be effective.
However, its outreach, even in ideological climates which might seem less-than-harmonious suggests that Buddhism stands apart from the insistence upon 'purity' of dogma characteristic of so many Western religions, which demand that the adherent choose between that religion and all others. There is no 'jealous God' in Buddhism, and since the ultimate goal is liberation…...

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References

Encyclopedia of Religion. Lindsay Jones (Ed.) Macmillan Reference, 2004.

Garfield, J. 2010 Buddhism in the West. Tibetan Buddhism in the West. Available:

  [12 Jun 2013]http://info-buddhism.com/Buddhism_in_the_West_Jay_Garfield.html 

Growth and the spread of Buddhism. 2002. The British Museum. Available:

An examination of the many issues like the left-right divisions in the monastic order, Buddhist social activism, the rise of organized lay movements as well as the Buddhist founded and inspired forms of political activity indicates that indeed politics has a great influence on Buddhism (Harris 1).
How cultural and social forces shaped Buddhism in China

A review of literature indicates that cultural and social forces shaped Buddhism in China. The vice versa is also true. The adoption of Buddhism in China is noted to have been accelerated the social and political duress that was affecting China. Buddhism was initially an alien concept in China with its origin being traced to India. By the time the concept was taking root among the Chinese population during the Tang dynasty, the concept was quickly losing its appeal in India.It is correct to say that the concept of Buddhism was at the right place…...

Buddhism and Shamanism Within Mongolian Culture
What origins relationships Buddhism Shamanism Mongolian culture? Show origins, evolved time, affected 50-year Socialist period, role plays modern day Mongolia. This applies country proper necessarily semi-autonomous area China referred -Mongolia.

Origin of Buddhism

Buddhism in Mongolia began as a result of its characteristics that it derives from Tibetan Buddhism which is of the Gelugpa School. In the past, Mongols worshipped heaven which was referred to as the eternal blue sky. The Mongol ancestors then followed the Northern Asian practices of Shamanism which were ancient. In Shamanism, human negotiators went into a state of trance and spoke to a numberless infinity of spirits which were accountable to the situations which involved luck or misfortune. The human intermediaries also spoke on behalf of the Mongols Davids, 1900()

The emperor of the Yuan Dynasty converted back to Tibetan Buddhism in the 14th and 15th centuries. However, the Mongols returned to the…...

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References

Boyle, J.A. (1972). Turkish and Mongol Shamanism in the Middle Ages. Folklore, 83(3), 177-193.

Bradsher, H.S. (1972). The Sovietization of Mongolia. Foreign Affairs, 50(3), 545-553.

Buyandelgeriyn, M. (2007). Dealing with Uncertainty: Shamans, Marginal Capitalism, and the Remaking of History in Postsocialist Mongolia. American Ethnologist, 34(1), 127-147.

Davids, T.W.R. (1900). Buddhism. The North American Review, 171(527), 517-527.

Buddhism vs. Islam
hat is the purpose of life? Life holds different meaning for people across the world; such different perceptions on life are framed by religious beliefs. Such meanings and significance be divided into two groups. There are people for whom the significance lies within the world we live in and then there are those who would like to believe in life after death and the entire notion of heaven (Shun 1995, 240). Those belonging to the first category can be further divided into three groups: those who perceive life in terms of family, those who belief life is all about love for country and lastly those for whom life is about mankind. The latter concept appears in religion; it is used by almost all religions to signify the meaning of life (Shun 1995, 242). Taking the latter notion into account, the paper investigates and draws on teachings and verses…...

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Works Cited

Hardy, Julia. (2012). Patheos Library-Human nature and the purpose of existence. n.d.   (accessed 06-14, 2012).http://www.patheos.com/Library/Buddhism/Beliefs/Human-Nature-and-the-Purpose-of-Existence?offset=1&max=1 

Inc., Quran Explorer. Quran Explorer. (2006).   / (accessed 06-14, 2012).http://www.quranexplorer.com/Search 

Scott, David.(1995). "Buddhism and Islam: Past to Present Encounters and Interfaith Lessons." pg. 141-155.

Shun, Yin. (1995). "Teachings in chinese buddhism." 06 1995.   (accessed 06-14, 2012).http://www.buddhanet.net/ebooks_ms.htm 

Buddhism
Human beings, perhaps above all else, are storytellers. Humans value their stories highly and have extensive traditions of passing down the most captivating and popular stories through the generations. One such story that has lasted the test of time is the story of Buddha. His life and teaching grew into a philosophy and/or religion called Buddhism. There is a substantial quantity of writings on Buddha regarding his extended existential dialogues with disciples and colleagues. Buddha, is some ways similarly to the Ancient Greeks, saw the utility in discussion as a way to address and solve dilemmas of the human condition. Of the various aspects that construct Buddhism, the paper will focus only ethics, the nature of self, ultimate reality, and death. While all of these are aspects of Buddhism, they are all connected by their perspective and how one should integrate these ideas into one's everyday existence and over the…...

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References:

Buddha Dharma Education Association. (2012) Buddhist Ethics. Available from   2012 June 22.http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/budethics.htm .

Hardy, J. (2012) Ultimate Reality and Divine Beings. Patheos Library, Available from   2012 June 22.http://www.patheos.com/Library/Buddhism/Beliefs/Ultimate-Reality-and-Divine-Beings .

Piyadassi, M. (1982) The Buddha, His Life, and His Teachings. Buddha Dharma Association, Inc. The Wheel Publication, The Buddhist Publication Society 5. Retrieved from  http://www.buddhistelibrary.org/en/displayimage.php?album=15&pid=49#top_display_media .

Seidel, E.C. (2012) Influence of Buddhism on Popular Culture. Available from  http://www.eseidel.com/lu/matrix.html .

uddhism is a worldwide religion started over 2,500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama, called "The uddha," in India (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004). Since then it has grown and spread across the globe and now 300 million people profess to be uddhist (Grow, 1996).
uddhism, like Protestantism, is actually a group of related religions that have some similarities and some differences (Grow, 1996). However, just as all Christians trace their beliefs back to the life and teachings of Christ, all uddhists trace their beliefs back to Siddhartha Gautama. One of the most significant differences between uddhist beliefs and other religions is that in uddhism, the basic perception of the world around us changes. uddhism characteristically describes reality in terms of process and relation rather than entity or substance (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004).

uddhist beliefs are organized into related groups of concepts. The basic doctrines of early uddhism, which remain common to all uddhism, include the…...

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Columbia Encyclopedia. "Buddhism." The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: columbia University Press, 2004.

(Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004)

Grow, Gerard. 1996. "Buddhism -- A Brief Introduction for Westerners." Accessed via the Internet 2/15/04.

Charity, it may be said, therefore, is the initial step in establishing any relationship with a person of another faith.
The barriers that one may face when attempting, however, to present the Gospel to a person of the Buddhist worldview may be found in the fact that Buddhism itself is not a religion. It is, rather, a kind of philosophy that enables one to remove oneself from the things in life which cause one to desire permanence -- or, rather, the infinite in the finite world. This, of course, could also be turned into an advantage when presenting the Gospel -- which contains the Infinite in the finite world in the Person of Jesus Christ Who is called the Beginning and the End -- the Alpha and the Omega. Christ is a religious solution to the problem of pain, which the Buddhist practices overcoming through adherence to the Buddhist Scriptures…...

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Reference List

Sheen, Fulton. (2008). Life of Christ. NY: Doubleday.

Van Voorst, R.E. (2008). Anthology of World Scriptures. Belmont, CA: Thomson

Wadsworth.

It is through the process of death and rebirth that the knowledge is gained which will finally liberate the individual being from the central cause of all suffering itself - the cycle of death and birth. Essentially, it is only through knowledge that this can be achieved in most uddhist schools of thought.
The rationale behind the importance of reincarnation as a process that is required to escape the centrality of suffering is discussed by Keown as follows. "... The uddha was pointing out that human nature cannot provide a foundation for permanent happiness.... Suffering is thus engrained in the very fabric of our being.... until the condition is recognized there can be no hope of a cure.

Keown 47)

2.4. The development of the types of uddhism

The early more conservative and doctrinaire form of uddhism was known as Theravada uddhism. Theravada uddhism literally translated means Old (Thera) Way (vada).

The Pali Canon…...

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Bibliography

Akira, Hirakawa. A History of Indian Buddhism: From Sakyamuni to Early Mahayana. Trans. Groner, Paul. Ed. Paul Groner. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990.

Becker, Carl B. Breaking the Circle Death and the Afterlife in Buddhism. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1993.

BRIEF INTRODUCTION to BASIC CONCEPTS of "TIBETAN" BUDDHISM. August 1, 2005.  http://dl.lib.brown.edu/BuddhistTempleArt/buddhism.html 

Buddhism. August 3, 2005.  http://www.kat.gr/kat/history/Rel/Bud/Buddhism.htm

In an English concept of second nature performance of an action, no thought only the action is performed. The similar concept of u in Daoism, which is being or the ultimate understanding of what being is, is also represented in Buddhism by Atman, the inner or greater self.
Taoist thought in China had been exercised for a long time over the relation of non-being to being, (chen-ju) non-activity to activity. Buddhists also had been concerned with similar problems: the relation of the Absolute being (chen-ju) to the temporal of nirvana to Samsara. The exponents of Madhyamika believed that it was impossible to describe the nature of ultimate reality. Seek to define the infinite and it no longer remains infinite. Seng-chao (384-414), who was closely associated with Kumarajiva, was the first great teacher of San Lun, combining the Madhyamika philosophy with neo-Taoist thought. (Smith 127-128)

During the latter period of the T'ang…...

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Works Cited

Aubin, Francoise. "China: A down-to-earth hereafter." UNESCO Courier, 51.3 1998: 10

Hodous, Lewis. Buddhism and Buddhists in China. New York: Macmillan, 1924.

Ikeda, Daisaku. The Flower of Chinese Buddhism. Trans. Burton Watson. New York: Weatherhill, 1986.

Kohn, Livia, and Michael Lafargue, eds. Lao-Tzu and the Tao-Te-Ching. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1998.

The "collective harming and killing committed by governments...and harming or killing being of the natural world through soil depletion, clear-cutting, lab testing and poisons," Rothberg writes (274), is a violation of the 1st Precept as practiced by those of Theravadan Buddhist faith.
And so, a person of Theravadan Buddhist beliefs would have a right, within the context of being in discussion in the temple, to criticize the Bush Administration for its role in the invasion of Iraq, the occupation of Iraq, and the ongoing tyranny in Iraq. Certainly, the "collective harming and killing" of innocent citizens in Iraq by U.S. forces - sent there by the executive branch under Bush - is an anathema to the 1st Precept of Buddhism.

One can clearly see why this form of Buddhism would resonate with modern, progressive esterners; because, in a democratic society where the citizens vote to elect leaders to represent them, if…...

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Works Cited

Coleman, James William. The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient

Tradition. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Rothberg, Donald. "Responding to the Cries of the World: Socially Engaged Buddhism in North

America." The Faces of Buddhism in America. Eds. Charles S. Prebish and Kenneth K.

This also means that it is the Sovereign God and not just Lady Luck that is the Lord of Israel.
Since God is sovereign by nature, it means that His sovereignty even extends to the allocation of Gods to tribals and to pagans, and this also means that God did not simply hand over His very representation of Himself as the Father and as the Son and as the Spirit to Lady Luck, and then relax, nor did He give over to chance or to Providence the form of government for the nation that He had chosen to bless by spreading His teachings and wisdom among the people of that region. Krister Stendal, the former Dean of Harvard Divinity School, made a comment wherein he said that God had chosen manly and masculine metaphors with which to describe Him, and that this was by mere accident and chance. However, in…...

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References

Buddhism and gender Equality. 2004. Retrieved at Accessed on 24 March, 2005http://www.faithnet.org.uk/KS4/Social%20Harmony/buddhismequality.htm.

Christianity IV Century. Retrieved at Accessed on 24 March, 2005http://library.thinkquest.org/29369/Christianity/Christianity.html.

Decline and fall of Buddhism: A tragedy in Ancient India. Retrieved at   Accessed on 24 March, 2005http://www.ambedkar.org/books/dob7.htm .

King, Karen. Women in Ancient Christianity, the new Discoveries. Retrieved at   Accessed on 23 March, 2005http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/women.html .

12. The life of Buddha is generally illustrated in three stages. In order to attain a spiritual condition similar to Buddha, one would have to refrain from everything that is evil, to do good, and to purify the mind.

13. Psychoactive plants are often related to in Buddhism and some even claim that Siddhartha used hemp for several years before he came forth with his convictions and developing into the Buddha.

14. The Good Friday Experiment was a study directed by alter N. Pahnke with the purpose of finding out if psychoactive substances could produce philosophical theological thinking in religious individuals. The drug he used was psilocybin and the subjects tested reported that they experienced intense religious feelings, making Pahnke's experimentation a success.

15. Roland R. Griffiths conducted a similar experiment in 2006 and it is considered to be a follow-up to Pahnke's study.

16. Huston Smith promoted the belief that the psychedelic movement…...

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Works cited:

1. Badiner, Alan Hunt & Grey, Alex, "Zig zag zen: Buddhism and psychedelics," Chronicle Books, 2002.

2. Dass, Ram & Metzner, Ralph, "Birth of a Psychedelic Culture:

Conversations about Leary, the Harvard Experiments, Millbrook and the Sixties."

3. Kent, James L. "Psychedelic Information Theory: Shamanism in the Age of Reason." PIT Press, Seattle, 2010.

Major Doctrines

There are three major recognized doctrines in uddhism: Theravada ("The Speech of the Elders"), Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle"), and Vajrayana ("The Diamond Vehicle").

Theravada was the initial teaching of the elderly disciples and is believed to be the most conservative of all doctrines, keeping the closest with uddha's own teachings and traditions.

The Mahayana stemmed from the liberal sect that broke away in the incipient phases of uddhism. The teachings of this sect showed that all levels of uddhist enlightenment were readily available for other uddhist believers, including some phases that were believed to have been reached only by uddha himself, such as the uddhahood. Following this and through the removal of Gautama's exceptionality, it was clear through Mahayana, that there were more uddhas in the world, all having reached a similar level of enlightenment and referred to as odhisattvas. The ways that the principles and paths for uddhists would be…...

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Bibliography

1. Boeree, George.1999. The History of Buddhism. On the Internet at retrieved on September 24, 2008http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/buddhahist.html.Last

2. Lama Surya Das. 1998. Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World. Doubleday.

3. Buddhism - the Buddha and the Fundamental Doctrines of Buddhism, Formation of Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhist Doctrines and Traditions. On the Internet at   retrieved on September 24, 2008http://science.jrank.org/pages/7533/Buddhism.html.Last 

4. Ross, Kelley. 2007. The Basic Teachings of Buddhism. On the Internet at   retrieved on September 24, 2008http://www.friesian.com/buddhism.htm.Last 

Buddhism directly evolved from the Vedic Aryan religions. The Gautama Buddha was born into a Brahmin caste family that practiced Vedic ritual and tradition. Siddhartha Gautama's teachings strongly reflect Vedic teachings regarding cosmology, morality, and culture. Although there are significant and widespread differences between the Vedic Aryan religious traditions, Buddhism reflects its roots. Some key differences between Buddhism and its Vedic counterparts include the espousal of the caste system; asceticism; theology; and forms of worship. The legend of Gautama Buddha's enlightenment reflects the ways that Buddhism diverged from its Hindu origins. According to the story, the young prince Gautama became severely disillusioned with his father's Brahmanism. His focus shifted toward a study of the human mind: Buddhism remains more solidly grounded in an individualistic, almost scientific pursuit of enlightenment while Hinduism retains its bhakti, or devotional elements. The Buddhist pantheon, or lack thereof, also reflects its branching away from the…...

Buddhism
I have admittedly led a pretty sheltered life in terms of interactions with people from other cultures. I am not a Buddhist and so I do not have any first-hand experiences with the religious practices associated with Buddhism. Before this course, and before my experience, I knew some things about Buddhism, but only as much as most people know. For example, I knew that Buddhism is primarily associated with Asian culture, that Buddhists tend towards nonviolence and that they hope to achieve inner peace by positive actions. Buddhists are stereotyped as the idea of the monk in robes with shaved heads, but that is only a very small faction of the people who believe in Buddhism. Also, I knew beforehand that Buddhists were associated with nature and that they had many specific customs which were specialized to their own religion. Now that I have attended this religious event and had…...

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Works Cited

Carus, Paul (1909). The Gospel of Buddha: Compiled from Ancient Records.

Dhammananda, K.S. (2002). What Buddhists believe. Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia.

Gach, G. (2010). To be continued: an editorial introduction to the future of Buddhism.

Patheos.

I. Introduction
- Hook: Religion has long been a source of fascination for humanity, offering a system of beliefs and practices that often involve a higher power.
- Thesis statement: Through exploring the diverse perspectives and practices of different religions, one can gain insight into the complexities and significance of this concept.

II. Definition of Religion
- Explanation: Religion is a cultural system of beliefs, practices, and moral values that guides individuals in understanding their place in the world and their relationship to a higher power or the divine.
- Examples: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, etc.

III. The Role of Religion in Society
- Explanation: Religion....

1. The concept of an afterlife in different religions and belief systems
2. Near-death experiences: are they evidence of life after death?
3. The impact of belief in an afterlife on how people live their lives
4. Scientific perspectives on the possibility of life after death
5. The role of reincarnation in various cultures and religions
6. The idea of heaven and hell in different religious traditions
7. How different cultures view death and the afterlife
8. The ethics of euthanasia and how it relates to beliefs about life after death
9. Personal experiences of individuals who claim to have communicated with the dead
10. The relationship between beliefs....

Afterlife Concepts and Beliefs: An Exploration of Diverse Perspectives

1. Theological Perspectives on the Afterlife: A Comparative Analysis of Major World Religions

Examine the beliefs about the afterlife held by Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other major religions.
Analyze the similarities and differences in concepts such as heaven, hell, reincarnation, and karma.

2. The Role of Near-Death Experiences in Shaping Beliefs about the Afterlife

Explore the phenomenon of near-death experiences (NDEs) and their impact on individuals' beliefs about what happens after death.
Discuss the common themes and variations reported in NDEs, such as tunnel visions, encounters with deceased loved ones, and feelings....

Essay Topics on the Afterlife

The concept of the afterlife has captivated human imagination for centuries, inspiring countless philosophical and religious inquiries. Here are some essay topics that delve into this intriguing subject:

Philosophical Explorations:

The Metaphysical Nature of the Afterlife: What philosophical arguments support or refute the existence of an afterlife?
The Immortality of the Soul: Are human souls eternal and destined for life beyond the physical body?
Meaning and Purpose in a World with an Afterlife: How does the belief in an afterlife shape our understanding of life's meaning and significance?

Religious Perspectives:

The Afterlife in Christianity: Explore the Christian doctrine....