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Though there are varieties of Buddhism around the world, there are always the same three foundations called the “Three Jewels.” They are often recited before group meditation and other assemblies – I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha.
The Buddha is the awakened ideal; the Dharma is the method of awakening, and the Sangha is the community of those who are trying to awaken together. These are also considered places of refuge because they offer shelter and safety when one experiences the troubles and trials of life.
The Buddha is the awakened ideal; the Dharma is the method of awakening, and the Sangha is the community of those who are trying to awaken together. These are also considered places of refuge because they offer shelter and safety when one experiences the troubles and trials of life.
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"Christian identity in Western Europe is associated with higher levels of negative sentiment toward immigrants and religious minorities. On balance, self-identified Christians – whether they attend church or not – are more likely than religiously unaffiliated people to express negative views of immigrants, as well as of Muslims and Jews."
This fact was recently published by the Pew Research Center. The published information was in a report on attitudes of Christians in Western Europe. The report acknowledged that Christianity has lost it's grip on the population. "Western Europe, where Protestant Christianity originated and Catholicism has been based for most of its history, has become one of the world’s most secular regions. Although the vast majority of adults say they were baptized, today many do not describe themselves as Christians. Some say they gradually drifted away from religion, stopped believing in religious teachings, or were alienated by scandals or church positions on social issues."
However, these former Christians harbor attitudes which are significantly different from those who identify as agnostic or atheist. Whereas agnostics and atheists remain open and hospitable toward immigrants and minorities, the ex-Christians exhibit intolerant and negative attitudes. It's a sad fact and one which is karmic, emerging from centuries of Christian intolerance toward people who are not Christian.
This fact was recently published by the Pew Research Center. The published information was in a report on attitudes of Christians in Western Europe. The report acknowledged that Christianity has lost it's grip on the population. "Western Europe, where Protestant Christianity originated and Catholicism has been based for most of its history, has become one of the world’s most secular regions. Although the vast majority of adults say they were baptized, today many do not describe themselves as Christians. Some say they gradually drifted away from religion, stopped believing in religious teachings, or were alienated by scandals or church positions on social issues."
However, these former Christians harbor attitudes which are significantly different from those who identify as agnostic or atheist. Whereas agnostics and atheists remain open and hospitable toward immigrants and minorities, the ex-Christians exhibit intolerant and negative attitudes. It's a sad fact and one which is karmic, emerging from centuries of Christian intolerance toward people who are not Christian.
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There is nothing the the world that does not speak to us. Everything and everybody reveals their own nature, character and secrets continuously. The more we open up our inner sense, the more we can understand the voice of everything. - Hazrat Inayat Khan
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From author Eva Rudy Jansen:
The search for an 'inner self' or 'inner path' has led more and more people to look beyond the teachings of the Christian church. The signposts left by Jesus Christ have become obscured by the flood of dogma...Christian prayer has been replaced by Eastern meditation techniques and mantras have taken the place of the rosary. Sometimes it is necessary to adopt a new approach to remember and recognize the oldest principles.
The search for an 'inner self' or 'inner path' has led more and more people to look beyond the teachings of the Christian church. The signposts left by Jesus Christ have become obscured by the flood of dogma...Christian prayer has been replaced by Eastern meditation techniques and mantras have taken the place of the rosary. Sometimes it is necessary to adopt a new approach to remember and recognize the oldest principles.
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The human being is a soul body encased in four other bodies called "koshas " or "sheaths." These are a physical body, a body of vital energy, an instinctive-intellectual body and a mental or cognitive body. The inmost soul body is the fifth, the blissful, ever-giving-wisdom anandamaya kosha. This soul is neither male nor female. It is that which never dies, even when its four outer sheaths perish as they naturally do. We are the immortal soul, atman. - Paingala Upanishad, II.7
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Though Yoga, Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism are increasingly permeating Western culture and thought, there are still strong elements of resistance, usually coming out of fundamentalist Christianity, which describe Eastern spirituality in negative ways. That's a holdover from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In her book, Singing Bowls: A Pratical Handbook of Instruction and Use, Eva Rudy Jansen explains:
"Before the beginning of this century, travel abroad was the privilege of merchants, soldiers, missionaries, anthropologists and the rich in search of adventure, in roughly that order they would return home with reports that were colored b their own view of ht world. Thus, for many years, people who lived in foreign lands were usually described as 'barbarians, savages, heathens,' and their views on life, their philosophies and religions were often labeled as 'superstitious', 'idolatrous' and sometimes even 'childish'. However, there were some travelers who learned to respect the beliefs of the cultures they visited. However, people like this were the exception rather than the rule."
With amazing speed, these false views of Eastern spiritual teachings are crumbling especially as world wide travel is so readily available along with access to information via the internet. It's no wonder that Yoga, meditation, Buddhism continue to expand, grow, flourish while the Western spiritual paradigms struggle to remain accepted.
"Before the beginning of this century, travel abroad was the privilege of merchants, soldiers, missionaries, anthropologists and the rich in search of adventure, in roughly that order they would return home with reports that were colored b their own view of ht world. Thus, for many years, people who lived in foreign lands were usually described as 'barbarians, savages, heathens,' and their views on life, their philosophies and religions were often labeled as 'superstitious', 'idolatrous' and sometimes even 'childish'. However, there were some travelers who learned to respect the beliefs of the cultures they visited. However, people like this were the exception rather than the rule."
With amazing speed, these false views of Eastern spiritual teachings are crumbling especially as world wide travel is so readily available along with access to information via the internet. It's no wonder that Yoga, meditation, Buddhism continue to expand, grow, flourish while the Western spiritual paradigms struggle to remain accepted.
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If we act wrongly toward others, people will act wrongly toward us.
- Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
- Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
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Beginning with the Buddha himself, animal rights have been a central teaching of Buddhism. Animals cannot be treated as property to be used and abused by humans. Buddhist monks, for example, have always been forbidden from owning and riding animals. Monks and nuns walk. The not so subtle example raises the question why do humans think they have the right to enslave an animal for human convenience?
Another Buddhist custom is that of buying and releasing captive animals held for slaughter - catfish, goats, sheep, hens etc. On special occasions such as one's birthday or Vesak, the Buddha's birthday, it is customary to buy and release a captured creature. With changing times, that concept is being refined. Here's a recent news post I came across on www.buddhistdor.net:
As Buddhist communities gather in observance of Vesak, the Singapore Buddhist Federation (SBF) and other experts are encouraging Buddhists in Singapore to consider alternatives to the practice of life release—making merit by releasing captive animals into the wild—during Vesak celebrations. Expressing concern over the unintended impact of life release on ecosystems and on the animals themselves, they have been urging Buddhists to consider more skillful expressions of compassion, such as adopting a meat-free diet or supporting animal shelters.
“It will be ironic to consume meat and liberate life,” said Ven. You Wei, chairman of the SBF’s education committee. “Vegetarianism saves many more animal lives than life liberation.”
Another Buddhist custom is that of buying and releasing captive animals held for slaughter - catfish, goats, sheep, hens etc. On special occasions such as one's birthday or Vesak, the Buddha's birthday, it is customary to buy and release a captured creature. With changing times, that concept is being refined. Here's a recent news post I came across on www.buddhistdor.net:
As Buddhist communities gather in observance of Vesak, the Singapore Buddhist Federation (SBF) and other experts are encouraging Buddhists in Singapore to consider alternatives to the practice of life release—making merit by releasing captive animals into the wild—during Vesak celebrations. Expressing concern over the unintended impact of life release on ecosystems and on the animals themselves, they have been urging Buddhists to consider more skillful expressions of compassion, such as adopting a meat-free diet or supporting animal shelters.
“It will be ironic to consume meat and liberate life,” said Ven. You Wei, chairman of the SBF’s education committee. “Vegetarianism saves many more animal lives than life liberation.”
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In Buddhism, you don’t do anything. You just stop doing things with your body, speech and mind that make things worse. - Melvin McLeod
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- Breath! Inhale slowly and exhale slowly. Do this seven or eight times whenever stress strikes.
- Distancing yourself from people who stress you out and create more problems for you.
- Cultivate acceptance - accept the things you cannot change; take action to change the things you can; and develop the wisdom to know the difference.
- Exercise. Yoga is ideal for stress relief.
- Eat healthy meals.
- Practice gratitude.
- Take things one step at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time.
. . . NOT SKILLFUL WAYS TO COPE WITH STRESS . . .
- Giving up.
- Blaming others.
- Catastrophizing – thinking and envisioning the worst possible outcome.
- Ignoring the stress.
- Withdrawal and isolation.
- Substance abuse.