Final project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Final project - Essay Example The belief’s name came from the word â€Å"Buddha† which means â€Å"the enlightened one†. He was able to achieve this after meditating under the Bodhi tree. After this monumental event, Buddha was able to have a band of followers and he started teaching the path towards awakening. â€Å"The Four Noble Truths† are fundamental to Buddhism. These are: â€Å"dukkha† or suffering, its origins, the path to stop it, and the truth regarding the path to stop it. This leads to the Eightfold path which is the way to freedom that was mentioned in the fourth noble truth. The path has three main divisions: wisdom, ethical conduct, and concentration. Specifically, the eight pathways state that one should have the right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration. Buddhists believe that reality should be viewed as how it actually is and not how it seems to be. There should also be an intention of repudiation of materialism a s well as nonviolence and freedom. Believers should speak in peaceful and truthful ways. Actions should be shown in diplomatic ways. A livelihood must be chosen basing on its nonviolent characteristics. Individuals should have ample effort to progress. The mind should be very much aware of the present and not shrouded with hatred. Lastly, proper meditation must be practiced. One of the Buddhism Temples in Massachusetts is located in Boston. At 930 Commonwealth Avenue, the Boston Center of Soka-Gakkai International-USA (SGI-USA) is situated. It is a Buddhist association for peace, culture, and education. Though the temple is near the street, the ambience is made serene with trees and other vegetation. Like any other church, they have weekly and other scheduled services. For instance, their calendar includes Sunday meditation and services, monthly Saturday evening services, and different night activities. They also seek to enlighten visitors with their 4-week-class, essentials of Budd hism. It focuses on their traditional texts, history, meditation practices, and others. To further ascertain knowledge regarding Buddhism, a temple-goer was interviewed. Ken has been attending regular services for a year. I was able to sit next to him during one of their Sunday services. He said that he became a Buddhist through a friend. He has been convinced to join this faith after becoming more well-informed about the practices and their elucidations. When asked about his prior religion, he said that he was an atheist. He added that he could have also been an agnostic. He agreed to be interviewed as long as the details of his personal life and identity will not be revealed. He was very cooperative and proved to have much knowledge about his belief. The steps of becoming a member of Buddhism are somehow vague. First off, there is still a debate whether it may be fully considered as a religion. Some authors say that several of its philosophical and empirical elements may classify it as more of a science than a religion. However, the traditions and rituals involved are much related to the definition of Buddhism. The commonly viewed paths to becoming a full-pledged Buddhist are the major teachings and the â€Å"Three Jewels†. The meaningful credos have two aspects: dependent origination and no-self. This means that a Buddhist must realize his connection to other beings, thus respecting them. Furthermore, one must understand that giving up of selfish desires is necessarily to truly attain liberation. In addition,