Buddhism

Buddhism Final Jean Pagano The Buddhism course is one of the best courses I have taken at ULC. It is a perfect blend of philosophy, history, and wisdom, blended together in an unbiased overview of one of the world's great religions. One of the truly beautiful things about the Buddha is that he is, first and foremost, a man. He is not a divinity, he is a man. Since the rest of humanity is also just men/women, then one can aspire to what the Buddha has attained because of this commonality. This is truly revolutionary and, quite frankly, refreshing. The Four Great Vows, a) to save all people; b) to renounce all worldly desires; c) to learn all the teachings; and d) to attain perfect enlightenment, are all great guides. In this modern technological age, renouncing all worldly desires is very, very difficult, if not impossible. This is especially so in the Western world. The Four Noble Truths are powerful in both their simplicity and their interconnectedness: a) all life is suffering; b) the cause of suffering is desire; c) the end of desire leads to the end of suffering; and d) the way to end desire, and hence to end suffering, is to follow the Eightfold path. The Eightfold path is the blueprint to break the cycle of suffering. It is simply stated, but within its simplicity is a very difficult process. It truly takes a remarkable individual to follow these tenets, in my opinion. While I may attempt to do so, I know that I cannot accomplish them all – at this time. The Eightfold path is: a) Right View or Right Understanding; b) Right Thought or Right Intention; c) Right Speech; d) Right Action; e) Right Livelihood; f) Right Effort; g) Right Mindfulness; and h) Right Concentration. An aspirant looks to the Three Jewels: a) the Buddha; b) the Dharma (or the teachings of Buddha); and c) the Sangha (the Buddhist community). There is great refuge to be found in the Master, in his works, and in the community of like-minded individuals. From a historical perspective, the differences between Theraveda and Mahayana were very interesting. In great movements, schisms are inevitable, yet the differences between the two give some insights into the religion itself. The Six Worlds present an interesting dissection of life: Gods, anti-Gods, humans, animals, hungry-ghosts, and hell-beings. Surrounding these worlds are the twelve links of dependent arising. They are ignorance or spiritual blindness, karma, consciousness, name and form, the five senses and the faculty of thinking, contact, feelings/emotions, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, and aging, decay, and death. The ten fetters are so very important and interesting. They are: self-belief, doubt, superstition, sensual desire, ill will, materialism, a lust for anything without form or shape, awareness of superiority and inferiority, agitation, and ignorance. The Four Stages of Enlightenment describe one's journey on the path to Enlightenment: the Stream-Enterer, who has freed themselves from the first three fetters; the Once-Returner, who has freed themselves from the fourth and fifth of the fetters; the Non-returner who has completely freed themselves from the first five fetters and will be reborn in the heaven of the Pure Abodes, where they will gain enlightenment; and Arahant, who will not be reborn but will enter parinirvana. The differences between Theravada and Mahayana give some excellent insight into the differences between the two major schools of Buddhism. I found the Basic Points Unifying the Theravada and the Mahayana to be especially powerful especially the one that proclaims "We do not believe the world is created and ruled by God". To me, this one statement repudiates much of modern Western religion. I agree, with whole heart, the basic premise of this statement. I particularly like the Mahayana concept of the Bodhisattva, one who returns to the world in order to bring everyone to Enlightenment. The Buddhist vow to not kill speaks directly to me. As a vegetarian, I am ultimately concerned with the well-being of animal, vegetable, and mineral entities. This is one of the highest moral requirements, as I see it. I am glad to see that Buddhism is thriving across the world. It places the requirements on the individual and does not lean upon messiahs or prophets to attain enlightenment, wisdom, or goodness. All of these things remain in the realm of the individual. Therefore, the individual sets out upon the path of enlightenment and achieves it by following the requirements set down by Buddha. This course is a complete overview of Buddhism and gives the learner all of the tools they need to investigate, engage, and attain an understanding of Buddhism. I would highly recommend it.                                                                        ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Buddhism

I.   Some of the unique traits of Mahayana Buddhism are as follows:

        A.  Their model is the Buddha's life and actions.

        B.  Their scripture is preserved in a compilation of sutras which are the original

              teachings of Buddha, highlighting the path he took through life.

        C.  Main practices can be summed up in the six perfections:  giving, ethics, patience,

              joyous effort, concentration of wisdom.

        D.  All people are capable of enlightenment.

        E.  Mahayana Buddhists look outward with love toward others.

        F.  Mahayana values compassion.

        G.  Mahayana considers the bodhisattva as the ideal.

II.     An awakened mind and desire to attain Buddhahood are necessary to attain

        bodhicitta.  There must be intention.

III.    Mahayana Buddhism claims that all may be enlightened, not just monks and nuns,

        but laypersons as well.  Quite naturally large numbers of people will respond to this.

Nancy Anderson

aka "Lotus"

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Buddhist Studies

Master of Buddhism Lesson 9 - Theraveda Buddhism 1. What are the three main divisions of the Pali Canon? Vinaya Pitaka, the Sutta Pitaka, and Adhimmada Pitaka 2. How many pages are in the Pali Canon? 20000 3. In your opinion, does it really matter if the Buddha uttered the words in the text of "original Buddhism?" How accurate is accurate? It is important to some extent. After that matters is the experience. Enrique Sanz Bascuñana ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Buddhism

Master of Buddhism Lesson 14 Exercise: 1. What are some advantages to the precepts of drinking? Away from the distractions and focus on achieving enlightenment. 2. Under any circumstances, if any of the ten precepts taken lightly? No, should not be under any circumstances. 3. "(Brother homeless) should lead to the whole world must wake up sleeping people." What do you think that means? You mean you have an obligation to keep the Buddha's teachings to as many people as possible. Enrique Sanz Bascuñana ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Buddhism

I.    The three main divisions of the Pali Cannon, also known as the Tipitaka (Three Baskets) are:

            A.  Vinaya Pitaka -- utterances of Venerable Upali at the first Buddhis Council.

            B.  Sutta Pitaka -- Adana's recollections of Buddha's teachings.

            C.  Adhimmada Pitaka -- sermon given by Buddha and conveyed to Venerable Sara Putta.  This

                        consists of seven books.

II.   There are approximately 20,000 pages in the Pali Cannon.

III.  Unless Buddha himself wrote down the words he spoke on a certified (witnessed) document, we can

      never be sure  that he actually spoke some or all the words making up the "Original Buddhism"

      text.  The art of oral transmission may have been fairly reliable because it was the only way

      teachings were passed on until they became written words.  We may assume that the

      teachings of Buddha may be "somewhere near" what he said, and that teachings down to us

      are the essence of what Buddha said.  It is up to us to choose, among his teachings, what

      works for us.

      There are varying degrees of accuracy.  It is important, however,  that we may depend on some degree

      of accuracy, however, for if we are not being taught what the Buddha taught, even though it may

      not be word-for-word, we are then misled. 

Nancy Anderson

aka "Lotus"

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

      

Buddhism Course

Master of Buddhism - Vows to Enlightenment 1. What these guidelines do you think is the most important? Why not kill? It is the basic respect for life. 2. What is the unifying concept of these guidelines? Do no harm to others. 3. What do you think the Buddha would have to say today on "Right to Life?" Supports it. Can you think of any position in the labor force today that could be used as an activity should be avoided? Inspector of Finance. Enrique Sanz Bascuñanac ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Buddhism

1. What do you think about it Vajrayana which makes it attractive for many Westerners? In the West there is much interest in esotericism and Tantra. 2. Which of the three paths-Theravada, Mahayana, or Vajrayana, you love? Why? Theravada, I am an individualist. 3. Is there Vajrayana practices could be beneficial for all sentient beings? If so, which? All are looking bodhicitta and the ultimate goal is the enlightenment of all sentient beings Enrique Sanz Bascuñana ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Buddhism

Lesson 8

#1.  Socially-driven, pre-conditioned ideas that a person has to give up in order to have faith in nirvana are probably as numerous as humans who have been conditioned by their respective cultures.  In our western culture, we may have to give up the idea of "proof."  Does nirvana exist, and if so, where is it and how do you get there.  How do we recognize it when we see it?  If we drop the need for proof, and a description of how do we recognize it when we see it, we may then move to "faith" that there is such a thing as nirvana.  Faith and the concepts of probability and uncertainty go hand-in-hand  We can't really prove there love exists by western reductionism, either, but we have faith it exists because of what we've heard from others and what we, ourselves have experienced.  Faith, then, is being sure without really knowing all the facts.

#2.  Another image that could be compared metaphorically to enlightenment is a sunrise.

#3.  Poem:

Enlightenment:  A Sunrise

A sunrise begins in the dark of night,

    as does enlightenment.

The sky turns a golden pink,

    beyond a horizon of hills and trees.

A gray cloud melts into the morning light,

    as earlier did the stars.

A globe of gold spills its light

    into the valley and villages.

A day has dawned,

    and the  world is illumined.

    

Nancy Anderson

aka "Lotus"

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Buddhist Studies

Lesson 4 1. Why do you think Buddhism resonated so deeply with so many kings and rulers? For his teachings as pure. 2. What elements are necessary for the propagation of Buddhism? Lead by example. 3. What, if anything, could today's world leaders learn from the dharma? A live peacefully and constructively. Enrique Sanz Bascuñana ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Buddhism Course

Lesson 7

1.  I agree that death is a teacher.  If anything, death teaches us how to live.  We should contemplate the ending of our life and aspire to die well.  By doing so, we place ourselves in a position of evaluating how we are living and conducting our loves, so that at the end we may peacefully die, realizing that we are participating in a great cycle that any result in a favorable rebirth or nirvana.

2.  The advantage of meditating on ones own death is to make sure that all preparation possible has been done.  The disadvantages could be morbid thoughts about decomposition of the body or belief that when the body dies, that is the end.  This perhaps a major misunderstanding to which millions subscribe -- we are our bodies -- when in fact we are not our bodies.  They are vehicles.

3.  Both questions are important.  Perhaps the most important is "what happens when I die (and afterward)?"  Answers to this question lead to evaluating our behavior and how we conduct our lives before we die.

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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link.

Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church, as well as an online seminary program and a chaplaincy program.

Buddhism Course

Lesson 14

1. The distinct advantage to taking precepts is that you have a set path for part of your practice, that will guide you along what many believe to be most of the original teachings of the Buddha. These precepts, either just the 10 or the other hundreds, also show an inner dedication to following the Dharma, and to living a life of compassion and to attain enlightenment.

2. No, all of the 10 are the basis, or the beginning, of a path to dedicated ordination, or at the very least, a laypersons path to enlightenment. These precepts are rather universal, and most if not all, are common to other religions in the world.

3. A homeless brother is a person who has shunned and given up all of their relationships to the world, either socially or more, to follow the Dharma. The mention of awakening sleeping people, is a reference to teaching the Dharma, either through words or deeds or a combination of both, to help others achieve enlightenment, and to attain merit and positive karma.

Rev. Mark J. Larose

"We are all streams of water

.....flowing into the same river." 

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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link.

Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church, as well as an online seminary program and a chaplaincy program.