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Fun Facts About the Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhicitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all living beings. What is Amitayus? Amitayus or Aparmita is the name given to Amitabha in his character as bestower of longevity. He is richly clad and wears the 13 ornaments. His hair is painted blue and may either be coiled or fall to his elbows. He is seated in full-lotus posture and his hands lie on his lap in the Dhyani ...Read more »•
Chinese Christian Songs
Chinese Christian Songs Website click here IT Is WELL KNOWN THAT Jesuit missionaries in China quickly grasped the significance of learning and scholarship for the Chinese literati, and themselves made every effort to master the classical texts upon which Confucian education was based. One of these books was the Shih ching or Book of Songs, an anthology of some 300 poems dating as far back as c. 1000 B.C., but compiled into a book ca. 600 B.C. Partly as a result of the inclusion of this material ...Read more »•
Qi Gong for Everyone
Qi Gong is perhaps one of the most misunderstood of all New Age practices. First of all, few people know how to pronounce the name correctly (it's Chee Kung). Secondly, few can decide whether it's a martial art or a relaxation technique (it can be both). And thirdly, many people wrongly assume that it was banned in China (that's Falun Gong, not Qi Gong). Qi Gong is a series of breathing, relaxation and concentration exercises designed to bring the body's energy, or qi, in harmony with itself, ...Read more »•
Buddhist Studies And Meditation In American Universities
A special mention should be made of developments in the United States during the last few decades. The Americans seem to have been speeding up to take the lead in the activities of spreading the knowledge of Buddhism in the West, both public and academic. The publication of books on Buddhism has continued to rise. Research scholars, serious students and ordinary practical people do not fall short of new titles to contribute to their knowledge and understanding of Buddhism. In many American ...Read more »•
The Contributions Of Asian Buddhists And The Popularity Of Zen
Among Asian Buddhists, Ceylonese monks such as the Venerable Narada Mahathera, the Venerable Walpola Rahula and the Venerable Piyadassi Thera have been well known for their devoted effort to disseminate the original basic doctrine of the Buddha in international public and academic circles through both literary and missionary activities. Dr. G.P. Malalasekera, K.N. Jayatilleke, Dr. Jayasuriya and some other leading lay Buddhists of Sri Lanka have contributed greatly to international Buddhist ...Read more »•
Americans Who Work for the Buddhist Cause
In the United States, an American went to work for the revival of Buddhism in a Buddhist country before Buddhism was introduced to America. This person was Colonel H.S. Olcott who went to Ceylon in 2423/1880, established the Theosophical Society, and worked for the revival of Buddhism, Buddhist culture and education in that country. His famous book "Buddhist Catechism" is a work of great clarity. In an attempt to outline the basic beliefs of the Buddhists to which the Theravada, Mahayana and ...Read more »•
The Devoted Efforts of German Scholars and German Buddhists
In Germany, an early stimulation to the study of Buddhism was the works of the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (2331-2403/ 1788-1860), whose thoughts were influenced to a great extent by the teachings of the Buddha. His great work, "World as Will and Idea," served also to popularize a kind of Buddhism all over Europe. However, as his philosophy was pessimistic, his admiration for Buddhism as the key to all the problems of life and his acknowledgement of the agreement of his philosophy ...Read more »•
The Emergence of the New Religions
In spite of all these efforts and achievements, however, the success of the traditional sects has been confined mostly to the academic and scholarly field. In answering to the religious need of the populace, they are still at a loss. They may be well known internationally but in their native land they fail to recover their former influence on the Japanese national life. Their position was made even more difficult by Japan's surrender in World War II when, as a reaction, a tendency was developed ...Read more »•
A Word of Comment and Analysis
A weakness which contributed to the failure of the Buddhists was that they were powerful only in a negative sense. They were willing to play the role of opposing the government and often adopted the role of critics without responsibility. With this kind of power, they started as a force to bring down the Diem regime. Having once started, however, they lacked the ability to transform their power from a destructive force into an organized, disciplined constructive one. In the opposition against ...Read more »•
It Ends Only to Begin
To turn back to South Vietnam, Premier Ky was reported to have said that he believed the Buddhists were finished as a political force in South Vietnam. In saying this, Ky would have referred only to the militant Buddhists who had failed to overthrow him. The period of Buddhist militancy was over, but the political power of the Buddhists still continued. The power of the temple remained strong and the monks still held an important place in the community. The role of the moderate Buddhists ...Read more »•
The New Policy of the Vatican and the Changed Attitude of the Catholics
During the same period of time as political unrest was going on in South Vietnam, there was a great change in the Roman Catholic Church which helped the Catholics to adjust themselves to different conditions and situations more effectively. This was the result of the Second Vatican Council which was held in Rome at Vatican City from 1962 to 1965 (B.E. 2505-08). Among the decrees and declarations passed by the Council, the Declaration on (the Church's Attitude toward) Non-Christiap Religions ...Read more »•
The General Picture, Japan
On the whole, Japanese Buddhism still maintains its strength in the intelligentsia and the rural population. Zen is associated with the culture preserved among the highly cultured people, is the spiritual strength of the nation, and has a strong appeal to the intellectuals and the modern Western mind. For the rural people, the popular sects of Amida and the Lotus offer stronger appeal, especially the Shin sect which has the greatest number of adherents. Superstitious beliefs and practices are ...Read more »•
Is Yoga Right as an exercise for You in Weight Loss?
Read How I Lost 45 Pounds with two simple steps Yoga is used mainly as a meditation exercise that has been around for centuries and originally came about from the traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism. Most people in the different areas of the world, have let go of the religious aspect of the yoga exercise program, but has used it because the techniques include a lot of benefits both for the mind and the body and to lose weight. You will find that there are ways that you can use the stretches and ...Read more »•