FREE ESSAY ON AMERICA AND CANADA IN WW1

AMERICA AND CANADA IN WW1

Today's Western religions revolve around a central God that is one and the same for all of
the followers of that religion. For instance, a Catholic goes to Church and prays to the
same God as the person sitting beside them. There are many Eastern religions where that
is not the case. Buddhism, one of the world's oldest religions, is one such instance.
Buddhism, in fact, stresses a more individual approach to spirituality.
In 563 B.C., in India, a man named Siddartha Guatama was born into the ruling family of
the Sakya people. Because of his elevated position in society he was forced to live a
life of seclusion. When he was twenty-nine years old, he ventured out into the world and
was confronted with the reality of suffering and death in the world. The next day he left
his wife and son to search for a way to put an end to human suffering. After six years of
living ascetically, he realized that the path to success and enlightenment was neither of
the extremes of vast material possessions or the lack thereof , but a balance between the
two. He called this the Middle Way. By the time he was thirty-five, Siddartha had
achieved true enlightenment and earned the title Buddha(awakened one). He was the fourth
man recorded to have done so, but is credited with the creation of the Buddhist religion.
Today Buddhism is one of the most commonly practiced Eastern religions. It is also one of
the most misunderstood. Its characteristics are simple and strive only for spiritual
enlightenment.
The critical element of Buddhism is what Buddha called the Four Noble Truths. The First
Noble Truth as related by Buddha is that suffering is unavoidable and universal to all
beings. It is suffering that teaches us the lessons we need to learn to become
enlightened. The Second Noble Truth reveals the root of that suffering; desire. Desires
for things such as sex, wealth and power are what blind us to the true nature of reality.
The Third Noble Truth is the way in which we alleviate suffering. By clearing oneself of
desire, one can reach a state of mind known as Nirvana. The Fourth Noble Truth is knowing
the path taken by Buddha himself, the Middle Way.
The Middle Way has come to be known as the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path
is the means to achieve liberation from suffering through eight factors that must be
taken into account when living one's life. They are right understanding, right thoughts,
right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right
concentration. Right understanding is the knowledge of Buddha and his teachings as well
as the understanding of oneself as one really is. Right thoughts are the proper motives
of our actions, that is to think only good thoughts that can benefit others. Right speech
refers to not speaking ill of others and never telling lies. Right action is much like
right speech except that you must not inflict ill on others, take what is not yours or
engage in the forming of lies. Right livelihood deals with five kinds of trade which
should be avoided by people not of the specific discipline or be avoided altogether. They
are, trade in deadly weapons, trade in animals for slaughter, trade in slavery, trade in
intoxicants and trade in poisons. Right effort is needed so we can learn to shun emotions
such as fear, anger and jealousy and to attempt to do good unto others. Right mindfulness
is the act of training our minds to cast out desire through the method of mediation.
Right concentration is the act of meditation itself. Meditation is an inner stillness and
focus that transcends ordinary consciousness. Through meditation one can develop a calm
and concentrated mind and help to prepare one for the attainment of wisdom
and enlightenment.
Another important aspect of Buddhism is the belief that after we die, we are reborn into
new lives. This is known as reincarnation. Skills attained in past lives and even vague
memories are passed onto a person's new life. Buddhists often claim that the feeling we
call deja vu is really recollections from past lives. A person is reborn on the Wheel of
Life until they attain spiritual enlightenment.
Karma is one of the most essential ideas involved in Buddhism. Karma basically says that
everything you do has either a positive or a negative effect on you. If you do something
bad, then something bad will eventually happen to you. That atonement can even come in
another life. It is sort of like saying what goes around, comes around. However, just
because someone has fallen on hard times in their current life, is not necessarily an
indication that they did something bad in one of their previous lives to deserve it. In
fact, being in bad situation in your current life could be a result of the good things
you did in your past life. Perhaps the other people around you in your new life are in
need of compassion and understanding that you may be able to provide. People are not,
however, fated to live one way or another. Karma can determine where we are placed in
life, but we still live by our own choices and are forced into nothing.
One of the biggest differences between Buddhism and modern Western religions is the added
emphases on the individual. In Buddhism, there is no one else who is responsible for a
person's actions than that person themselves. And unlike the predominant religions in the
west, that person is always given another chance, no matter how grave their
transgressions. There is no Hell where a person is punished for eternity. The only
punishment that person will face is Karmic retribution and having to live more lives
before reaching Nirvana. Buddhism stresses the need to help others while striving towards
a personal spiritual evolution as opposed to a communal worshipping of God. Success and
happiness in the West is most often measured by accumulated wealth, power and fame.
However, to a Buddhist, success in life if measured by spiritual progress. If you moved
closer to spiritual enlightenment and Nirvana, then you would consider your life a
success by moving closer to your ultimate goal.
Siddartha Guatama, the Buddha, has managed to create something that is not a religion,
but more of a method for spirituality that has stood the test of 2500 years and is now
becoming more prevalent in Western culture. Unlike theoretic philosophers, Buddha has
concocted a spiritual mode that can be readily understood and practiced by anyone. He has
had indirect influence over the lives of millions and is not soon to be forgotten. The
fame brought to Buddha would mean absolutely nothing to him compared to the
accomplishment of helping and giving direction to countless numbers of people; exactly
what he set out to do in the first place.