Buddhism As a Religion Occupies Essay

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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 at the exact right time since it entered China which at that time was under so much social and political duress.The Chineses people were constantly looking for new and improved ways of fixing as well as distracting themselves from the situation at hand. The ability of Buddhism to mold its environment coupled with its skilful ways (upaya) of working in order to gain followers as well as support at the very expense of interpration meant that it was the perfect fit for the hugely tumultuous and fractured era.

Buddhism then shifted continuously from being unrecognized totally by the state to being recognized to be part of the state. The state even ruled with it and then effectively subjugated and then persecuted by it.

The concept of Buddhism was the n adopted by the few elites, steppe rules as well as everyday workers. This is attributed to Buddhism's appeal to completely end all sorts of sufferings and create salvation. The fact that Buddhism had a general lack of discrimination in class as well as practice as opposed to Confucianism which has discrimination. The fact that Buddhism was practiced by everyone at equal level mean that it transcended social and political boundaries and can therefore be seen as a unifying factor among the people of China.


Conclusion

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 political, cultural and social forces have greatly shaped Buddhism in China (Harris 1).

The nature of things: a reflection

A review of the nature of our universe indicates that one can only gain utmost knowledge by following the Path through meditation .Our sufferings is therefore noted by Buddha to be due to our lack of understanding of the true nature of things. It is therefore important that each and evry living person acknowledge the true nature of things by embracing peace and harmony and by being in sync with their environment. This then allows one to effectively gain an understanding of our world. According to Buddha, our very existence and that of our universe both inanimate and animate, is very much ins dynamic state of flux. This is what he referred to as the "Wheel of Life." This is one of the fundamental teachings that Buddha came up with. As part of the very changing cosmos, all elements of the sentient beings with human included are trapped in an infinite cycle of reincarnation. The main reason for this birth, growth, decay as well as death cycle lies in our utmost lack of understanding of the very true nature of things.Acording to the Buddhist sense, the right understanding is never an intellectual one, but is via an intuitive experirnce that we gain via long periods of spiritual and mental growth.This is what helps us in the long run to relinquish all our desires.It is our lack of understanding the true nature of things that allows our desires (referred to as tanha) to take over our minds.

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