Buddhism

The Buddhist architecture has a lot of history that comes along with the culture, India is known for being the center of Buddhism as well as the highlight Buddha teachings. Different parts of Buddha life is instilled in the architecture. According to “The Buddhist Architecture” (2007), “Caves or grottoes are the oldest form of the Buddhist architecture. They are also known as the rock-cut monasteries, which were hewn from the cliffs and rock walls of the valleys. In India, the most significant cave is Junta caves, near modern Arranged, Maharajah’s. ” (Para. Two and Four).

The caves had played a large part in the history of Buddhist architecture; it was more than Just a building or even a simple rock. According to “The Buddhist Architecture” (2007), “Pagodas are the principle form of Buddhist architecture, which are used as religious multistory Buddhist towers, erected as a memorial or shrine. The most important factor was Consciousness, which is the ultimate reality. ” (Para. Two and Four). There are various buildings associated with religion, but the one that came out at the most in my search was, “Amphibian Temple,” this place is known or being a place where “Buddha” obtained inspiration and enlightenment.

There were other temples in China called, “Ethane Temple”, “Lama Temple”, and ” Gangue Temple” these temples hold a lot of education surrounding Buddhism and what it represents, it is an important place to be visited while in China. The Elder (2008) website “Numerous churches, monasteries, convents and shrines show sites connected with the earliest years of Christianity, and the life and ministry of Jesus and his disciples. The design of these constructions was affected as much by the religious traditions of the individual Christian community.

Christianity was instilled in the buildings such as churches, even from the rooftop the column of a church. “Plans. ?Many Early Christians shadowed the basilicas model for their new churches (up. 198, 206) and may also have used old Roman halls, baths, dwelling- houses, and even pagan temples as places of worship. Walls. ?These were still constructed according to Roman methods of using rubble or concrete, faced with plaster, brick, or stone (p. 210 B). Mosaic design was added internally (p. 21 1), and sometimes also externally on west facades; though little regard was paid to external architectural effect (p. 09). ” (“Early Christian Architecture – Comparative Analysis”, 1921). The walls expressed certain parts of the religion was alters, roofs and openings in a church. Some names of the buildings surrounding this architecture were, “The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem and The Church at Gal. Loused. ” Islamic architecture and art pieces were in different areas that Islam either dominated or still remains dominant while still embodying Muslim precepts in its themes. The earliest architectural monument of Islam is the Dome of the Rock Jubbah al-Sahara) in Jerusalem, created in 691-92.

Some Muslims believe it to be the area from which Muhammad rose to heaven. “It has mosaics depicting scrolling vines and flowers, Jewels, and crowns in greens, blues, and gold. Similar in some aspects is the later Great Mosque of Damascus (built c. 705-14) the culture of Islamic Spain reached its apogee in Moorish art and architecture. The Mud© Carlyle of Spain employed through the 18th cent. And, important until much later in time, is founded on this architecture. ” (“Islamic Art And Architecture 2012).

Alexander Johnson Is Worship Buddhist? The most important thing about spirituality is that everyone has a unique experience with it. That being said, nobody has the right to say what is and what is not someone else’s belief system. Then we come to the case of Buddhism, where the initial teachings have evolved over the course of its history, and the question of being Buddhist becomes even more muddied.

There are several works, claiming words directly from the mouth of Buddha, which describe methods of worship that will grant a worshipper great amounts of spiritual merit, such as presenting gifts or creating extravagant places of worship, which promise a better reincarnation or other good fortune. When one examines who stands to gain from such actions, however, it is fairly evident that whowever controls the fate of such sacrifices and work has much to gain indeed. This may be necessary for the survival of the religion and better for the entire community, but is not in of itself Buddhist.

Then there are other Buddhist works which seem to directly contradict aspects of such worship. One central theme in the teachings is to avoid attachment to physical things; a ritual such as bathing a stone image daily or building a jewel encrusted shrine clearly opposes that idea. For one to attach oneself to even the attribute of being Buddhist is unbecoming of the purest practitioner. For nearly all things, and especially with spiritual practice, there is no black and white, merely shades of grey. Worship, along with all things, is subject to interpretation.

“Bernarda’s house serves on a number of levels as the central image in the play. How does Lorca use the house to convey his ideas? ” In order to arrive at the central idea in Federico Garcia’s last play, “House of Bernarda Alba”, the title is the first factor to be reflected on. Lorca has not presumably named the play “Bernarda Alba”, or “Day of Bernarda Alba”. He had named the play “House of Bernarda Alba” because it will let the reader draw attention both to Bernarda’s ‘house’ in the sense of Bernarda’s family and to the physical space of house itself, which functions as the central image of the play.

The play employs number of themes which are supported by the central image of house. The state of house such as colour, size, temperature, condition and props, which are nonverbal elements all link with the theme which Federico is trying to convey. These features will aid to provide the audience with information about the setting of the play and give insight to the underlying ideas such as dictatorship, purity, fate and choice, freedom, confinement, and sexual oppression.

The play commences with the brief description of the house, which aid to communicate the central idea of purity, and fate and choice to the audience; “Very white inner room in Bernarda’s house. Thick walls. Arched doorways with jute curtains trimmed with black beads and ruffles. ” These descriptions are the important elements of the house. Readers are able to obtain the associated idea from the play by having a general understanding of the setting. From the description, first, colour is the element to consider. The walls of the house are all painted white.

Because the play is set in Spain, this is the characteristic of homes in the country, since white reflects the sunlight and prevents house from heating. Though, the “white” colour in a deeper meaning, symbolises the purity and virginity. All the daughters in the house have not married yet, and after the funeral of the second husband, they are not allowed to look at men. Therefore, “white” also represents the restriction of freedom and choice, where the restriction of choice is derived from evidence that all the rooms are coloured white. The girls have no choice; they cannot choose their destiny.

Moreover, the family name ‘Alba’ means white. This colour is seen as a contrary to the black dress of the women in the mourning as they enter the house. The colour black symbolises death and have an effect of foreshadowing the death of the character Adela, a victim of Bernarda’s tyranny. The decoration, props and set of the room also aids in obtaining the idea of dictatorship and confinement. The “Thick walls” indicates difficulty for the girls to escape the confinement of Bernarda’s control, again suggesting the idea of restriction of the girl’s freedom.

From the description of the house,“Arched doorways with jute curtains trimmed with black beads and ruffles. ” the jute curtains are described as being tied with black beads and ruffles. The jute is used for making rope and rough fabric, which symbolises men as ropes are generally used for men’s labour. Therefore it is symbolic for male presence in the home, likely from Bernard’s husband. Though, the black beads indicate the stage of mourning the house is in due to death of Bernarda’s husband.

The decoration, “Pictures of nymphs or legendary kings in improbable landscapes” depicts imaginary places, but it is an alternate reality which girls wish to escape to. In the form of picture and being hung on the white wall emphasise that the fantasy is in place where it is out of reach for the girls. The kings serve as an idea of dictatorship in the house, which in this play, Bernarda is the “king”, the ruler and the house is her castle. Through the symbolism of heat we see that Lorca makes the reader realise the tension heightening within the characters, which conveys the idea of sexual oppression.

At the beginning of the play, Bernarda locks her daughters into the house, away from the outside world. “There are eighty years of mourning ahead of us. While it lasts not even the wind will get into this house. ” Since Bernarda’s husband died, she does not want her daughters to be open to the outside world. Bernarda, trying to be helpful, wants her daughters to be pure and safe. But since the house is locked, no wind will come in the house and therefore heat will build up in the house. If the wind is symbolised as the men, the daughters who are not exposed to the wind (men) builds up their sexual desire.

Characters who are not victim of this heat are the male characters that are shown outside the house. They are cooler in the patio or in the fields, suggesting symbolically that they do not suffer from sexual frustration. “ Is the lemonade ready? Give some to the men. They’re having some on the patio. ” The symbolism of what is inside the house and what is outside is also illustrate the idea of freedom and dictatorship. The doors and windows serve as a both barriers and bridges. To the daughters, the outside represents freedom, new life, and sexual fulfilment.

Throughout the play, the daughters number of times runs to the window and look at the outside world: the crowd leaving the funeral, men going to work in the fields, and arrival and departure of Pepe el Romano. “Since he’ll be coming around the corner, you can see him better from the window in your room. Adela hesitates for a moment, then she, too, rushes off towards her room. ] Bernarda strikes Angustius for looking out through the cracks of the back door, maintaining the idea of no freedom and choice for the girls. To Bernarda, the outside of the house represents threat to the reputation of her family name.

She does not want her privacy to be spread in public, from her urge to protect her daughters. Bernarda’s power in the house means that sexual activity takes place outside the house as the house is completely under her control. This is evident when the Maid says, “ Rot away, Antonio Maria Benavides, stiff in your woven sit and your high boots! Rot away! Never again will you lift up my skirts behind the back corral! ” The back corral is outside the house, which illustrates the lack of restrictions out of the house. Another example is when Pepe and Adela meet.

They do not meet at the house, but at the corral. accentuate Lorca was successful in portraying the idea of the play through the central image of house, which included; dictatorship, purity, fate and choice, freedom, confinement, and sexual oppression. Bernarda’s house thus functions as a central image in Lorca’s final play by the use of colour, symbolism and other element of scenic design. The readers are able to obtain the various ideas Lorca is trying to inform, and we also get an idea of how some households were like in Spain during the civil war time.

Moreover, this play was written during the Franco’s regime of Spain, which there were fascism involved. Women were treated unfairly in the society, such as their pay. Women could not make choices of their own including marriage. This point reflects the idea of daughters not being able to marry due to commanding power by Bernarda. The fact that these nonverbal elements of the house contributing to the central idea of the play makes the reader think deeply, which let us gain true appreciation for a work Lorca has done for his final moments of life.

My chosen countries are India and Austria. In this paper I will try to find the similar and dissimilar things of these countries. These two countries are very different. Austria is located in Europe, when India’s location is Asia. First of all I would like to present Austria’s and India’s nature. Austria is terrestrial land. This country has no access to the sea but with India everything is in different way. India has access not to the sea, but to the ocean. These two countries have one similar thing – the mountains.

In Austria the mountains are called Alps and in India – Himalays. The climate in Austria is continental, the same as in other countries of Europe. In this country there are four seasons in the year. India’s climate is tropical, and it has only three seasons per year. Austria’s landscape is full of hills, woods and rivers. India’s landscape contains of deserts, jungles and flatlands. So here we can see big differences between my chosen countries. Secondly I would like to present the culture of these countries.

Austria is famous by compositors, writers and painters which are known in whole world. In this country there are many theaters, cinemas, shopping centers, museums, galleries and other cultural objects. People in Austria are very businesslike. Many of them most time in the week wears formal clothes. Most of the Austria’s population is registered as Roman Catholic by religion. India is very religious country. Everything in India is based on religion. Indian people are very hospitable. Even if they don’t have anything to eat, their guests will never be left hungry.

The respect for elders is a major fact in Indian culture. The traditional dress of India is called sari. This dress can be worn by all local festivals. India’s diversity is visible in its languages, religions, dance, music, architecture and customs. By the culture India and Austria are very dissimilar, because their history and all traditions came from different ancestries. The third comparisons object is food. Austrian cooking is one of the most varied in Europe and includes German, Hungarian, Czech, and northern Italian dishes.

A typical breakfast is coffee or milk with bread and butter or jam. Also they usually eat sausage served with mustard on a hard roll. Lunch is usually the main meal of the day and consists of soup and a main course of meat-sausage, chicken, beef, pork or fish. The best known traditional Austrian foods include Wiener Schnitzel and various elaborate cakes. Indian food is different from rest of the world not only in taste but also in cooking methods. Every single spice used in Indian dishes has purpose not for the taste but also in medicine range.

All Indian food is dealt to four categories: East Indian, West Indian, South Indian and North Indian. Indians are always using rice, vegetables, garlic, milk and lots of spices in food preparation. It is not common for Indians to keep leftover food, if it is bought or made in one day it is consumed that same day. In Austria many people make food for at least two days, because they are to busy to make it everyday. Austria and India are very different; including climate, culture and food they have nothing in common.

The author of The Power of Images, a figure resembling human form “enables the reconstitution of life” and makes “the absent present and the dead alive” (p. 11)1. An image preserves the aura of the person it resembles and therefore allows for an eternal essence to remain after death. Within the realm of Buddhism, images of the Buddha serve a wide variety of spiritual and practical purposes. For some, keeping a Buddha image in their home is a sign of respect.

Others find it comforting and peaceful to look at a Buddha image. In some parts of the world, specifically Southeast Asia, the Buddha image is a symbol of supernatural power and protection and is essential to the efficacy of rituals. If a ritual fails to succeed in the absence of a Buddha image, then there must be an interdependency between images and ritualistic success. And if an interdependency exists, then the entire concept contradicts the Buddha’s teaching of non-attachment because the ritual becomes attached to the presence of a Buddha image.

Through an analysis of he origins and evolution of the use of Buddha images and relics in Southeast Asia, it would appear that an obsession with the presence of a Buddha image has emerged, conflicting with Buddha’s teaching about non-attachment. As the second Noble Truth states, attachment is the origin of suffering. Therefore, to foster an interdependency between images and ritualistic success would go against the most fundamental values of Buddhism.

In order to maintain the most basic ideals of Buddhism, the Buddha image must only serve as a reminder of the Buddha’s presence rather than s a necessary component of practicing rituals effectively. To image the Buddha is not a modern concept; the Buddha must have always been imagined through stories, myths, and symbols. However, there are many legends surrounding the origins or the first Buddha image. The most relevant theory regarding the original Buddha image to Southeast Asia is the story of the sandalwood statue.

The story appears in many Buddhist texts that emerged over time throughout Asia. Most relevant to Southeast Asia is the Pali text from Sri Lanka recounted in the Kosala-Bimba-Vannana. In ummary, the story claims that after King Pasanedi of Kosala arrived to the Jetavana monastery to visit the Buddha only to find the Buddha away on a Journey, he leaves in disappointment. He returns later and tells the Buddha that to he would like to “have an image made in the likeness of the Tathagata… for the benefit of the whole world. 2 The Buddha then adds that those who build an image of the Buddha will “accrue a great, immeasurable, incalculable benefit. “3 Upon seeing the gilded, yellow- robed statue, with the Buddha’s teaching inscribed into the statue, the Buddha xpands on the praiseworthy benefits ot making Buddha images . These benefits include avoiding rebirth into Buddhist hells; being reborn into wealthy families; and eventually attaining enlightenment. Within the statue, the dharma and the Buddha image are “cohesively conjoined. 4From this ancient tale, it is clear that the first Buddha image was built based on the kings desire to feel the presence of the Buddha even when he was not physically present. The need to feel the Buddha’s presence has survived thousands of years, as many Buddhists still cherish the Buddha image as a reminder of his prevailing presence. Despite the non-theistic nature of early Buddhism, the dedication that followers of the path have to keeping Buddha images around illustrates that they worshipped and continue to worship the Buddha greatly.

They cherish the notion of feeling the Buddha’s presence at all times. The Theravada branch of Buddhism exemplifies the extent to which the Buddha’s presence is valued by followers of the path. As Theravada ascended into Southeast Asia from Sri Lanka after the eleventh century B. C. E. , vernacular traditions ecame increasingly popular. In nature, Theravada Buddhism worships the historical model of the Buddha as a superhuman capable of miraculous deeds.

Relics were therefore treasured as objects of magical power that allowed an “actual physical connection to the Buddha” because they were either part of the Buddha’s body or came into physical contact with it. 5 Because it became impossible to exist in the presence of the Buddha in his physical form after his death, inserting a relic into an image became a way to restore the physical presence of the Buddha. In doing so, he image would supposedly provide protection against evil forces. However, when the Buddha image is revered for its supernatural protective strength, the Buddha image becomes a controversial concept.

It seems that the more recent traditions of magical expectation and anticipation associated with Buddha images and relics has caused a shift away from the historical emphasis on the original monastic view of high moral responsibility and spiritual practice. Instead of following one’s own karmic duties of doing good in order to receive good or trusting one’s own ability to practice ituals successfully the old-fashioned way, the presence of the Buddha image during ritual has turned into a necessity for many Buddhists.

If the presence of a Buddha image is necessary for rituals to work properly, then there has to interdependency between the Buddha image and ritualistic success. Western scholar Donald Swearer, author of Becoming the Buddha, argues that “the Buddha must be… present for the ritual to be efficacious for the dhamma to flourish, and for the sangha to prosper. ” Moreover, scholar David Eckel makes the point that “people experience mental nguish when they cannot see the Buddha. 6 Wouldn’t the creation of images, therefore, foster an attachment between humans and objects?

This correlation between the Buddha image and the effectiveness of rituals, the dharma, and the sangha makes the Buddha image a very powerful entity. There is even an association between kings and material symbols of the Buddha, particularly relics and images. There is a Thai custom of swearing allegiance to the king in front of the Emerald Buddha image; the Buddha image can therefore be seen as a symbol of power and not Just a representation of the Buddha. Furthermore, the Buddha image is presently interpreted as a sign of respect and a way for devotees to make merit; “the Buddha’s field of merit is operative… through his continued post-Nibbana presence in his relics and images. “7 It Buddha images currently tunction as a means to validate the effectiveness of rituals and to make merit, then there is an undeniable interdependency between the Buddha image and the success of rituals as an expression of religious devotion, and therefore an attachment between the two. Due to the fact that non-attachment is one of the most fundamental values established within Buddhism, to classify the Buddha image as a necessity would be to diverge from Buddhism altogether.

In simpler terms, to be dependent on the Buddha image is to form an attachment with it, and to form an attachment is to defy the basic ideals of Buddhism. Thus, the evolution of the Buddha image as a means of preserving the Buddha’s presence into an entity that is necessary for the proper execution of rituals and spiritual success, then we can no longer categorize this concept as an appropriate element of Buddhism. The Four Noble truths are the essence of the Buddhist path, and to defy them is to defy Buddhism altogether.

How did the Persian conquest set the stage for the emergence of the Maurya empire? The Persian Conquest left Asia without a ruler, this allowed Chandragupta Maurya to exploit the opportunity and lay down the foundation for the Maurya Empire. . What were five major accomplishments of the emperor Ashoka?

The five major accomplishments of the emperor Ashoka were to conquer Kalinga and bring it under Mauryan control, communicated his policies throughout his realm by inscribing edicts in natural stone formations or pillars he ordered to be erected, established his capital at the fortified city of Pataliputra, created a central treasury to oversee the efficient collection of taxes, and he converted to Buddhism. How did the Gupta administrative practices differ from the Maurya?

Ashoka had insisted on knowing the details of regional affairs, which he closely monitored from his court at Pataliputra. The Guptas left local government and administration, and even the making of basic policy, in the hands of their allies in the various regions of their empire. How did India fit in to the trade along the Silk Road? The Silk Road allowed India to trade cotton, spices, and gems in return for horses and bullion from the west and silk from China. In what ways did the development of trade and manufacturing impact the caste system?

The development of trade and manufacturing led way to new groups of artisans, craftsmen and merchants, many who did not fit easily in the established structure. Individuals that worked in the same craft usually got together to form a guild, a corporate body that watched prices and wages in an industry and provided for the members and their families. What are the fundamental beliefs of Jainism? What has been its long-term impact? Why did it never become as popular as other major world religions? The fundamental beliefs of Jainism are ahisma or nonviolence, that verything has a soul, and that there should not be a caste system. It never became as popular as other major world religions because the ascetic life that is enforced was too extreme. Its long term impact is that it influenced many beliefs in China up until the nineteenth century. What was the popular appeal of Buddhism? How does it compare and contrast to Hinduism? The appeals of Buddhism are that there is less dependence on Brahmins for ritual services, there was no caste or jati, and it did not demand the rigorous asceticism of Jainism.

Buddhism is different from Hinduism because Buddhists use vernacular tongues instead of Sanskrit. It is similar to Hinduism because they both believe in reincarnation, originated in india, made people live according to a certain way (dharma/eightfold path) and they both have the idea of heaven or a spiritual union (nirvana and moksha). How did early Buddhism evolve into Mahayana Buddhism? How did that help spread the religion? Buddhism evolved into Mahayana Buddhism because innovations opened the road to salvation for large numbers of people.

This helped it because education institutes preferred it to the other form of the religion, thus spreading it efficiently. How did Hinduism evolve in India during this period? Three epics of Hinduism, the Mahabharta, Ramayana, and the Bhagavad Gita reinforced the caste system by emphasizing active life and adherence to caste over the ascetic life. This message opened Hinduism to common people who are used to the caste system and allowed Hinduism to overtake Buddhism.

Why did Buddhism eventually lose popularity in India? Buddhism eventually lost popularity in India because it was gradually displaced by Hinduism. It grew remote from the popular masses in India. Terms to know: Boddisatva, Mahayana, stupas, caste system, Jainism, Ashoka Maurya, dharma Dharma: in hinduism, it is the duties and obligations of each caste Caste system: a strict social structure in which classes are determined by heredity, wealth, or occupation Mahayana: a type of Buddhism that offers alvation to everyone and allows popular worship Stupas: stone shrines that contain the remains and relics of the Buddha Boddisatva: In Mahayana Buddhism, a person who can reach nirvana but delays doing so to save suffering beings. Jainism: a religion that believed everything had a soul and believed in extreme aesthetics Ashoka Maurya: the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, he took the Mauryan empire to great heights and converted to Buddhism after battling the Kalinga tribe.

Throughout history, the impact of the Darwinian Theory has reimbursed the existence of all religions in major societies and has inevitably enforced relevance into the modern world. Religion is a set of beliefs imposed by the elders of society to implement the moral values necessary to preserve the society, which exploits a belief in the supernatural to administer “the rules. ” In the modern day world, societies with religion are more likely to survive than those without religion because of the community, compassion, lack of anarchy or murder, family structures, etc. hich are reinforced through the morality and beliefs religions entrust. In a primitive society, without modern day methods of transportation of communication, religions could not encounter each other’s beliefs as strongly as it occurs in present times. However, a means of religion was that it was necessary to build societies stable enough to bring about the technological advancements needed to bring these religious beliefs into conflict. Conversely, in the modern world, the deep set of beliefs in supernatural powers has deceivingly led people to cause more harm than good.

This is because people are willing to fight and die to force their beliefs upon others in a time when science and technology have reached levels high enough to refute or make obsolete the claims of supernatural powers on which those beliefs are based. In Christianity, The Bible is used to help us succumb to the knowledge and understanding of God, however, we also need to continuously apply some of the normative and hermeneutics of the Bible in order to shed a better light on the understanding and evaluation of our modern culture.

The literal application of every biblical text without contextualization or understanding is a pitfall we all need to avoid. Although, partaking in these acts is what considers our life in day-to-day modern society to be enriched and fulfilled in the love and care of our lord. This inevitably establishes Christianity to be an importance in modern society as it helps to indoctrinate the good in all beings surrounding us and in ones self.

Much like Christianity, Buddhism also establishes a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama who is commonly known as the Buddha, meaning “the awakened one”. He is recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacher who shared his insights to help emotional beings end their suffering through the elimination of ignorance by way of understanding and the seeing of dependent origination and the elimination of craving, and thus the attainment of the cessation of all suffering, known as the sublime state of nirvana.

Buddhists globally preach and also worship this enlightened religion to enrich their lives and many lives around them thus having an important relevance of that to modern day society. An example of such for religions in modern day society can be expressed through the uniform and selfless characteristics of one man, Bill Gates. Gates is an American business magnate, investor, programmer, inventor and philanthropist. Gates is the former chief executive and current chairman of Microsoft, the world’s largest personal-computer software company. He is constantly recognized as one of the wealthiest men alive.

However, his what seems to be eternal richness is not all he is acknowledged for. Bill’s work in starting his very own globalized charity in which he donates excess amounts of money to is one of the many other feats he is known for disregarding technology. He unselfishly gives others a chance through donation, which have nothing to reason with. This truly comes across as an act of kindness, and also that of Jesus himself. If these acts can honestly swoop under the radar without becoming notable in day-to-day society, then that is when religion becomes much less relevant.

Although, throughout our modern day culture, random acts of kindness and gestures never seem to go unrewarded. This then leads me to believe that without religion, or some sort of rightful justice or notability system, the world today in which we live in would merely crash and burn. This can be reasoned by the terroristic acts that occur daily around the globe. If religion were not alive today, it wouldn’t give the victimized people or country of an attack hope in a better future for tomorrow. In short, religion in modern day society is more relevant now, than it ever has been.