Buddhism and the seven dimensions - 2538 Words

Since the beginning of time humans have endeavoured to explain the causes and reasons behind their existence. As a result of this thirst for knowledge many different beliefs and values have been formulated with the aim of explaining this age-old question. Most of these beliefs are prevalent today in the form of institutionalised religions. In order to gain an understanding of the word religion, we need to fully analyse and compare the components of religions in order to gain a more cultivated understanding of this enigmatic term. An extremely valuable way of classifying religion and its many aspects is through the Seven Dimensions, developed by Ninian Smart. (See Appendix 1) These dimensions explore the many aspects of religion in a†¦show more content†¦While this dimension is not as important as in some other faiths of a strongly sacramental kind, it is still highly regarded. This can be attributed to the fact that it is through certain rituals that the core experience of e nlightenment is obtained. (Hope, 1995) The ritual central to the Buddhist faith is the practice of meditation. The importance of meditation is paramount because it was through meditation that Buddha was able to gain enlightenment. Consequently, Buddhists attempt to emulate Buddha when meditating by endeavouring to cultivate wisdom and compassion, whilst also trying to gain control of the mind and expel suffering. (Mudge et al, 1993) If a Buddhist is successful in accomplishing this then they are said to have gained enlightenment. In terms of mass rituals, Buddhism maintains a plethora of ceremonies dealing with both the Sangha (Order of monks and nuns) and laity. The primary rituals concerning the Sangha includes; the initiation ritual in which the shaving of the head is a common practice and the annual Kathina Festival, in which the laity of the faith offers fabric to the monks for their new robes. For the laity, worship is more personal than congregation. A common practice is the taking of the three refuges (See appendix 3), in which adherents chant the same three sayings in repetition. This type of chanting, along with meditation, are common acts of devotion in Buddhism. RecentlyShow MoreRelatedThe Seven Dimensions Of Buddhism985 Words   |  4 Pagesthere is no true way to define a religion. Instead, one must apply the seven dimensions in order to fully understand it. The seven dimensions are ritual (practical), mythology, doctrinal, ethical, experiential, social, and material. Buddhism is a religion that was founded by an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha. Buddhism can be understood using all seven of the dimensions. The first dimension used to understand a religion is based off its rituals. Buddhist performRead MoreBuddhism : A Life Of Life1786 Words   |  8 PagesBuddhism arose from its founder Siddhartha Gautama, or better known as Buddha. He was born into a life of luxury, as rightfully so a Prince should be. Born in Nepal, in 563 BCE Siddhartha grew up in a world in which all his desires and wants were fulfilled. His father had demanded that he live a life of seclusion from all of the world’s anguish. When Siddhartha was first born a fortune teller came, upon his father’s request, to tell of the boy’s future. They inform his father that, â€Å"if he succeededRead MoreBased Stress Reduction And Behavioral Therapy Course Essay1253 Words   |  6 Pagesand other problems. However, discussion are limited to concepts of â€Å"secular† Buddhism, rather than religious Buddhism. These concepts are relevant to our personal, social, and environmental experience of the world rather than dealing with a belief system and worship of a superhuman controlling power, as would be a dimension in any religion. As such, a view of principles of non-religious, this-worldly, secularized Buddhism can be considered supplemental to any belief system (Swart, 2014). The BuddhaRead MoreBuddhism And Hinduism : Religion2033 Words   |  9 Pages Religion is a way of shaping and molding your life. As stated before, there are many religions. That also means there are many different beliefs and not all religions have things in common. Take Buddhism and Hinduism, nothing alike at its foundational beliefs, but are similar in some aspects. Buddhism at its foundation is a non-theistic religion following the teachings of one man and following his lifestyle, non-theistic meaning that they do not have a god. On the other hand Hinduism (dependingRead MoreGlobal Business Cultural Analysis South Korea7932 Words   |  32 PagesKorea. In doing so, I will be answering the four major questions as it relates to the major Elements and Dimensions of culture in South Korea. Also, since the dimensions of culture in any nation are many, it is necessary to analyze each category that makes up the Dimensions of one’s culture, these categories have been in place fo r many years in any given country. If we simply consider the Dimensions of Culture in the United States alone, which range from Religion to our Ethical standards, it would beRead MoreIslam : Religious Aspects Of Islam1380 Words   |  6 Pageswill emerge. Educations was the focus point for the Muslims, which help in the development of arts and science. Also, a new intellectual and spiritual tradition was brought in with the introduction of â€Å"Sufism† which is basically the inner mystical dimension of Islam. On my conclusion of this paper, I will hope to answer and give a little more understanding on what are the tenets of Islam as described in the text are? Why did trade thrive in Muslim lands? And what new ideas and practices emerged in theRead MoreThe Cultural Analysis Of Outdoor Leisure Essay1732 Words   |  7 Pageshighly increase of commodity price against the comparatively slow growth of personal income, and deteriorating urban environment, all these pave a way fo r necessity for an alternative way of urban living. Meanwhile, confronting with the consecutive seven years slow down growth of GDP as well as increasing expand tensions by disparities spreading from cities and rural, and from coastal and inland, this is mainly caused by both global economic crises as well as Party-State’s imbalanced economic strategiesRead MoreBuddha Is The Ten Original Practices For Enlightened Living By Surya Das1841 Words   |  8 Pageswhat is learned in the religious beliefs of Buddhism, the way to enlightenment. The Buddha can be defined as the awakened one. Buddha teaches individuals to transform your life experiences, and become totally responsible for your lives. Buddhism is unique from other religions, in that it is non-theistic. The Buddha teaches that believing in God was not needed to seek enlightenment. The Buddha teaches many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths and the Noble EightfoldRead MoreBudhism and The Seven Chakras Essay2151 Words   |  9 Pagestranscending the confines of the human psyche as it is in our physical bodies. This door to another dimension is a substance known by scientific communities as Dimethyltryptamine, or simply, DMT. I- What is DMT? A. Dimethyltryptamine (2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-N,N-dimethylethanamine) B. A Tryptamine molecule that has psychedelic properties. C. Exists in living beings as a communication device between the dimensions II-How is it used? A. Smoking, injecting, insufflating, and brewing into teas (ayahuasca)Read MoreBuddha And The Yin And Yang1976 Words   |  8 Pagespracticed many forms of extreme austerity or painful rituals, such as sleeping on brambles to mortify the desires of his body and denying his body of sitting by instead crouching on his heels to develop his concentration. He did these things for six or seven years to attain truth. One day while on his pilgrimage of enlightenmerhaps the most important point in his spiritual journey, where he became the Buddha or the Enlightened One. With his newly found title as the Buddha, he decided to set out and share

Omnipresence of Whitman Here-- Then and Now - 1143 Words

Whitman is able to traverse both time and distance and connect with his readers, through the use of simple diction, as so few other poets can. His mastery of verbiage draws readers into the poem, and creates a poetic experience like no other. In â€Å"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,† Whitman creates a vignette into the Brooklyn of the past, as he connects it to the present, in surprising ways. Omnipresence allows the reader to envision themselves in the settings created and to interpret them into modern language. Whitman connects with his readers in a fascinating and deeply personal ways, by creating a path through the cities of the past to the people of the present. Whitman’s mastery of language is apparent in the poem narrator’s ability to speak†¦show more content†¦Whitman encourages his readers to internalize his words as completely as possible. Whitman states that he knew what it [was] to be evil (ln 72). By stating that he has knowledge of all experience s in life, even some which are undesirable including hot wishes I dared not speak (ln 76) and behavior befitting the wolf, the snake, the hog, (ln 78) Whitman identifies with the dredges of humanity who may feel lost or unworthy of recognition because of their actions. The narrator may be guilty of these deviant activities, or he may simply have mentioned evil as part of a confession of a collective of guilt, which is yet another way of amalgamating his present to the future. Whitman was one in a nameless crowd playing the part that still looks back on the actor or actress (ln 86). The addressing of the readers continues on, though more directly than before. In the seventh chapter, Whitman asserts that What thoughts you have of me now, I had as much of you (ln 90). He is also informing his future readers than he is with them, enjoying this . . . as good as looking at you now, for all you cannot see me (ln 93-94), which parallels â€Å"Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,/M issing me one place search another,/I stop somewhere waiting for you,†(ln1341-1343) the closing lines of Song of Myself. The spiritual nature of this â€Å"chapter† addresses the Christian believe in life-after-death. Though

Implementation of Fiscal Policies by the Australian Government

Question: Discuss about theImplementation of Fiscal Policies by the Australian Government. Answer: Tax on sugary foods may sound as a better idea to stimulate people to turn to healthy eating. I would argue for tax/subsidy imposition on sugary foods as there is a possibility of promoting some healthy eating behavior. Various source has given the price elasticity for sugary foods to be less than one (absolutely). This means that sugary foods demand is relatively inelastic to prices changes. Approximately, the PED for sugary foods is about -0.3; this again means that the change in demand after a price increase which will result from the imposition of the tax will be too small. Consumers will continue consuming nearly the same level of food stuffs as before the imposition; this will raise greater tax revenue. If this revenue is used to subsidize the consumption of healthy foods, the price for heathy foods will fall and will be affordable to many. Sweets and sugary snack are things consumers can do without since they are not a necessity. Thus, their consumption will be helping many pe ople to afford other healthy foods after tax imposition. Consumers welfare will be raised from purchasing healthy foods at a lower price. Fig: Inelastic Demand The big rise in price causes only a small fall in demand because of the inelastic nature of demand. According to Keynes, increased government spending will result in an increment in the national income. The employment level will increase and consumers will have better income for spending; this therefore with stimulate the consumers spending. Increased spending will raise the demand level for goods and services creating a need for the producers to increase their level of supply. In the process of producing more to meet the increased demand, the private investors will become more productive and spend more on their expansion. This increased spending by private investors will further stimulate the economic growth as it will demand supplementary labor (more employment) During a recession there is less production in the economy as investors confidence is lost. This reduced production lowers the level of goods and services provision. The reduction in the supply of goods make the price level to rise; the outside economies find it more expensive to import from the economy under recession. This lowers the economys level of exportation. The increased domestic price creates an increased demand for imports since imports turn out to be cheaper. This results in a budget deficit. Discretionary changes include raising government spending and tax cuts to stimulate aggregate demand and hence production of goods and services. This lowers the budget deficit. It is not all the times that the governments spending is directed to viable investments; some of the investments made by the policy makers do not derive much benefits to the general public. Thus this can be considered as a waste of government resources. The government can analyze all its areas of spending and identify those that are essential and the less essential; then it can reduce spending on the less essential areas; it can partially or fully avoid spending on these areas. Reduced government spending will result in lower interest rate and investors will borrow more and increase the investment level. Expansionary monetary policy which may involve a cut in the RBAs cash rate which would in turn result in a fall in the interest rate would help in the creation of an economic stimulus. This is because at a lower interest rate, investors will find it cheaper to borrow and invest owing to the fact that there is a fall in the servicing costs of loans. Makin argue that the monetary policy is more effective compared to fiscal policy because the Australian government is dependent on external borrowing and thus fiscal policies would raise the risk of loss of its creditworthiness.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Classical Criminology Essay Example

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Classical Criminology Paper The development of the Classical theory was at a time where society was experiencing vast changes with the movement from feudalism to that of capitalism. This substantial transition took place in the 18th Century or Renaissance period where views and attitudes on religion were being challenged. Due to the influence of religion upon society at the time the challenge that it faced deeply affected society, including that of attitudes to crime. Feudalism was based upon repression with the majority of power, wealth and land being in the hands of only a few people. There was a significant absence of legal rights, punishment was brutal and justice was personalised. In reaction to this a group known as the enlightenment philosophers emerged who argued that human problems should be tackled by the application of reason, rather than tradition, religion or superstition. 1 The Enlightenment thinkers argued for a criminal justice system which was predictable, non-discriminatory, humane and effective. 2 This line of argument formed the basis for the classicalist theory. The Classical theory relies on the principle that humans have individual rights, the capacity to reason and the rule of law. The voluntaristic view that humans have free will therefore means we are entirely responsible for our actions. We commit crime due to either using reason to outweigh the benefits against the detriments or because of an irrational decision. The Classical theory views everyone as having the equal capacity to reason therefore everyone should be treated equally under the law. 3 In order to maintain both individual rights and order the Classicalist theory proposes that there should be a social contract between the governing state and the individuals. We will write a custom essay sample on The Strengths and Weaknesses of Classical Criminology specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Strengths and Weaknesses of Classical Criminology specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Strengths and Weaknesses of Classical Criminology specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Social contract states that we give up certain rights in return for both the safety of ourselves and our property. The rule of law means we are treated equally under the law. The law is seen as essentially good and that crime is simply a violation of the law. Punishment was used only as a deterrent against committing crime working on a pleasure-pain principle, in which the pain of the sentence would outweigh any pleasure to be gained from committing the crime. 4 The influence of the Classicalist theory has been both positive and negative with both presenting challenging arguments. As Jock Young argues the Classical argument has been immensely influential upon both the legal and criminal side of society. 5 Firstly the Classicalist theory presented a far more open and orderly justice system unlike its predecessor which was left at the discretion of the aristocracy. With the focus being upon the individual, and more importantly the individuals rights, a repressive attitude could no longer be taken in the Criminal Justice system. A sense of justice is given to all parts of society and not just a select few. The Classical theory is based on self interest of man, will and desire rather than that of God, making social problems easier to deal with and meaning that we have a society all working on the same basis of their reasoning ability. The basis of self interest as our motivation is something that all of society can relate to and provides a firm, realistic perhaps even materialistic foundation. 6 The tension in the theory between the rational self and the pursuit of self interest has been tempered, as Young says, by reason. We are all endowed with free will and the ability to reason and for this the law views us equally, meaning that the justice system can move towards an objective basis. A system which is both fair and objective can be relied upon and is far easier to debate any disputes than a subjective one. Classical theory has led to many legal system reforms but one of the most important is that of punishment, due mainly to its significance in the reform of criminals. Punishment has become proportionate to the crime committed thereby not only making the punishment fair and just but also acting as an effective deterrent against any future unlawful activity. The idea of a social contract coupled with free will gives individuals in society responsibility and choice and it is this responsibility which forces people to consider their actions. By forcing people to take responsibility for their actions society is asking the individual to consider mistakes they have made and how best to reform their ways. The Classical theory has set a standard which other theories can be compared to, it has moved the criminal justice system towards a more predictable, fair and effective position which can be relied upon. The Classical theory has given individuality to society meaning we live in a culture which relies upon itself to improve rather than others forcing us. The Classical theory has been limited by the assumption that all people are equal in front of the law. There cannot be equality in front of the law when society is immersed in inequality. The problem of fairness in individual cases becomes apparent when we consider that people are not endowed with equal capacity to reason. 8 Children and adults with mental illnesses cannot reason in an equal capacity to other people therefore how can they be tried in the same manner. Their decision to commit a crime may be due to an irrational decision therefore how is a case of this nature approached, the classical approach offers no answers. The introduction of mitigating circumstances as a possible solution could be countered in that it would conflict with the free will and rational argument upon which the Classical theory is based. The Classical theory also fails to recognise that crime is not distributed throughout society equally. The Classical argument suggests crime occurs due to temporary irrationality but this does not explain why crime occurs in predominately low income areas. Classical theory fails to recognise that the inequalities in society are often the cause of crime and when suggesting all are equal before the law we are confronted with a major contradiction. The inequality in society also highlights the difference between formal law and substantive law because certain individuals in society have the means to exploit the legal system through knowledge and lawyers whereas others cannot. 10 Similarly with punishments, which although may be proportional to the crime, affect members of society in noticeably different ways. For example a poorer individual may experience far greater implications upon being found guilty, in that they could lose income and any future work opportunities, whereas a more affluent person could still manage. It is clear that in an unequal society the argument for complete equality in law is met with many dilemmas. Lombroso would argue that the Classical theory is simply metaphysical speculation and that we are pre-determined, meaning personal characteristics are the reason behind crime. I however would not support the determinism argument because I dont believe we can be free from responsibility for our actions. Functionalism, a theoretical perspective that emphasizes how societies operate or function by highlighting the interdependence of individuals and institutions,11 has also challenged the argument put forward by the Classical theory. Durkheim believed that social activities contribute to the functioning of social systems12 and that crime was normal and had four functions. The first being that it highlights certain behaviours or attitudes because deviance causes proper moral behaviour. 13 Secondly by identifying deviants you are able to recognize group boundaries. Thirdly punishing deviance provides forums for collective action. 14 Finally deviance may bring about a social change. Functionalism provides a substantial argument against the classical theory because it attacks the premise that crime is due to irrational actions and is a detriment to society. Although the functionalism argument has been criticised for being in no position to focus on social conflict when it is based upon consensus and how the unity of people is for the good of society. The Classical theory has been scrutinized for not showing any focus towards the causes of crime simply arguing that individuals work on a pleasure-pain basis. However Beccaria argued that economic conditions, bad laws could cause crime. Additionally, he was clear that property crimes were committed primarily by the poor, and mainly out of necessity. 15 The Classical theorys main problem is that it continually contradicts itself which leads to various other problems. The Classical theory could only occur in a society free of inequality, not based on class or status. When this is met with the premise that individuals are self-seeking and motivated by their desire to excel you arrive at a contradiction which leaves it with little freedom to counter. A society which is based on the individual being motivated by their own objectives leaves an imbalance and inequality because obviously not everyone will reach the same standard. The Classical theory is attempting to have a justice system based on formal equality in a society which is substantively unequal. This has repercussions throughout the whole of the justice system and renders the classical theory in need of reform. The Classical theory obviously provoked a radical change to the justice system and forced elements which were brutal, unpredictable and unfair to be amended in a manner which suited all of society. Classicalism has brought about a justice system which can be relied upon and proposed the theory that deviance is due to irrationality and that individuals are self-seeking which is a premise all of society can relate to. However it is the focus upon the offence rather than the offender which has been its downfall. It has been accused of being inhumane and too formal. Inequality in society has been hidden by the equality in the justice system and for this reason it will always be limited in its approach. However the influence that Classicalism has had is vast with the idea that we are in control of our actions being at the heart of society today. Jock Young stated that classicalism has the largest history of any contemporary criminological theory but still continues to be a major influence both on institutions of social control and in controversies in criminology. 16 Both the Positivist and Classical argument are persuasive theories but a combination of both would obviously provide a stronger argument which would hopefully amend the faults they possess.