Essays on Vajrayana

Buddhism, like all the other Eastern religions, originated from “Animism”, which is the belief that everything in the universe has an essence, a spirit or a soul. As a way of life, it is similar to the other religions in promoting morality, generosity, kindness, harmony, and respect for all living beings including mother nature. Alike Hinduism, Buddhism believes in the following: 1. Reincarnation, wherein the soul is reborn into another body based on the level of spiritual attainment from the previous life. 2. Karma, which is either the positive or the negative effects of an individual’s actions. 3. ...

Buddhism is a way of life that has always fascinated me. The principles of Buddhism and the philosophical elements have always attracted me to know more about the religion. This paper is an effort to elaborate why Buddhism is of interest to me as a student in religious studies. Buddha Shakyamuni is believed to be the founder of Buddhism. He lived and preached in the Indian subcontinent some two thousand five hundred years back. From that time onwards, a huge number of people from around the world have adopted the unpolluted spiritual route of Buddhism and the preaching based ...

Buddhism came to the USA due to immigrants from China and Japan and some eccentric Europeans who practiced Theosophy and spiritualism. More than a hundred of years, Buddhism remains very popular with North Americans, and step- by- step this kind of religion is penetrating farther into the people’s lives. Bookshops are full of books about Buddhism, popular magazines and newspapers placed plenty of articles devoted to this issue, film industry includes Buddhists way of life and philosophy in movies. The values of Buddhism can be seen in such social aspects as medicine, education, psychology, nutrition, sport, cosmetology, ecology, ...

The Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism both share the common core beliefs and dedication to the life and teachings of Buddha. However, these two branches of Buddhism have some differences considering the location of Buddhist paths, scriptures, language, goals, types of meditation, and more. In the South East Asia, the Theravada Buddhism is closer to the Indian form of Buddhism while in the Northern part of Asia has its local traditions. Generally, Buddhism has a number of different transformations ranging from moral concerns, doctrinal interpretation, metaphysics, and philosophy. The perspective often holds the concept of a united and harmonious ...

Question 1

The three marks of reality in Buddhism refer to the features shared by sensitive beings namely annica (impermanence), dukkha (suffering), and annata (none-self). Siddhartha formulated these after he achieved awakening and Nirvana through intensive mediation. It was through this that Siddhartha achieved the status of ‘Buddha Shakyamuni’ becoming an authority in the faculty of wisdom. Annica asserts that all things are impermanent, inconstant and unsteady. It means that nothing ultimately ceases to exist but rather changes in appearance and form of reality. Dukkha, on the other hand, cites that nothing existing in the physical world can guarantee lasting satisfaction. ...