Buddhist Ethnography Essay - 1276 Words

The Buddhist Experience Buddhism is a religion that focuses more on the individual and the actions of that individual, which was prevalent to me when I made my way into Portland and set foot in a Buddhist temple. The man I met within the walls of this temple was far from my stereotypical thoughts of Buddhist monks. The man I met looked like your plain old, average Joe, American man. Before I delve into the depths of my visit to this inspiring place, I need to sum up the Buddhist religion and why I chose to study this particular group of people. First, Buddhism. Buddhism is a religion based off of the idea that there is a path that one can take to achieve enlightenment, instead of believing in a god or multiple gods. Buddhism began with†¦show more content†¦The Eight folds are: Right understanding, Right thought, Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness, and Right concentration. This is the way that everyone should live if they want to achieve enlightenment along the Buddhist path. This is not the only thing that Siddhartha taught though. Like every single religion since the beginning of time, there is a list of rules. Christianity has the 10 Commandments, Islam has the Five Pillars of Islam, and Buddhism has the Religious Reformations of Buddha. Unlike most religions, Buddhism strays from the focus on an all mighty deity or deities. Buddhism preaches five different logics that deviate from the norm when it comes to religious ideals: first, Strive after enlightenment with due diligence. This means you must put a lot of effort into the job of enlightenment if you wish to achieve it. Second, there will be no metaphysical theorizing. This is the one that seems to throw a wrench into the ideals of every religion before it, there is no God and if you even think that there is a God, you are disgracing the Buddhist way of life. Buddhism is a way of life, it is not a religion with a holy God. Third, there is no tradition, no ritual. The teachings t hemselves are supposed to lead you, but if you do not know yourself, there is no way that you can know Buddhism andShow MoreRelatedA Little Sparrow1867 Words   |  8 Pagesworlds which are on the rise: We as researchers need to get into these strange new worlds and learn to understand them and communicate with their inhabitants [†¦] before those inhabitants blow us up as the semi-literate Taliban blew up the ancient Buddhist statues in Bamiyan, and their leaders subsequently destroyed those quintessential symbols of wealth and power, the World Trade Towers. This, it seems to me, is where ethnographers, with all their old and new tools at hand, should be heading. (LeRead MoreA Review of Nirvana for Sale by Rachelle M. Scoot Essay769 Words   |  4 Pagescultural praxis within the context of religious discourses about wealth and piety. 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