Final Essay for Master of Buddhism Course
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By Raymond Cortez
In this course there are many things that I have learned. In addition, there are some things that I liked and disliked as well. I will begin my essay by highlighting what I have enjoyed about the formatting of the course, as well as by touching on something about the course that I did not like. I will then discuss what I have learned in this course concerning Buddhism as a philosophical viewpoint as well as a religious belief system. In addition, I will also briefly discuss how I have begun to apply what I have learned in this course to my everyday experiences.
There are a few things that stand out to me when considering what I liked about the presentation and formatting of this course. To begin with, I enjoyed the breadth and depth of the lessons. The lessons not only went in depth into the various concepts and tenants concerning Buddhism, they also covered a host of other issues that increased the breadth of information that was covered. From a historical perspective on the life of Siddhartha and the development of Buddhism, to the belief structure and tenants involved with this philosophical and religious viewpoint, the information provided was vast and in-depth. I also liked how each lesson was easily accessible and understandable. This type of material is often presented in dense and unattainable metaphorical conceptualizations, wordings, descriptions, and definitions. The lessons in this course were written in an easily understandable fashion, and the examples provided were rich and ample in their
descriptive quality. I believe that the formatting of the course adds to the practicality of learning such in-depth philosophical and religious aspects of Buddhism and I enjoyed reading the lessons at my own pace and comfort.
There was, however, something that I felt this course was lacking. I believe that future students might benefit from face to face meetings with other students during this course. I do understand the purpose behind the online formatting of a course such as this. However, it is often difficult to get multiple perspectives and conceptualizations of the study material when there is no one else to which you can compare and contrast ideas and understandings. I think that online chat rooms might be helpful for this purpose. Nevertheless, I still feel that I learned much from this course and I still did enjoy the fact that I could work through the lessons at my own pace.
Considering all that I have learned about Buddhism from the material provided, I would like to focus on what I feel were the most important points for me. First, as an individual that has committed himself to studying the path of Buddhism, I have learned that I can take “refuge” in the Three Jewels:
1. I go to Buddha for refuge
2. I go to Dharma for refuge
3. I go to Sangha for refuge
When I consider the standard definition of the term of “refuge” it fits nicely with conceptualizing the path that an individual follows when studying Buddhism. At times this is an individual journey. A person attempts to shelter his/herself from a life of worry, desire, and suffering by encompassing his/herself with the first jewel – Buddha. However, this individual should not look to Buddha for the answers – the answers lie along that individual’s personal path. When following this path this individual can also feel comfort in knowing that there are some teachings to guide this journey in the second jewel – the Dharma. Thus, in living one’s life utilizing a set of disciplines and tools meant to accompany you along this path of transformation, there are often times we will be alone. However, there also are times when we all take refuge together in the third jewel – the Sangha. As one community, many individuals come together along
the same path. In addition, considering that difficulties will arise throughout my path toward enlightenment, I am comforted to know that the Three Jewels together will be there for me, as well as others along this same path of transformation.
Second, one of the important tenants of Buddhism that I have learned and have applied to my everyday life consists of the Four Noble Truths:
1. All life is suffering
2. The cause of suffering is desire
3. The end of desire leads to the end of suffering
4. The way to end desire, and hence to end suffering, is to follow the Eightfold Path
When using the Four Noble Truths in my everyday life, I see that my expectations can often lead to regret, shame, blame, disappointment, and many other feelings that I would describe as unpleasant. Moreover, other people might agree that the feelings related to an unexpected outcome are a form of personal suffering, whether emotional, physical, or psychological. Considering that all life is suffering, this connects nicely to the next noble truth that “desire” is the cause of all suffering. Thus, because of our desire for specific outcomes in our lives, unexpected outcomes lead to a form of personal suffering. Once we detach ourselves from our expectations, we begin to detach from personal desire. This then leads to the end, or transformation, of suffering. In my personal life, I have begun to detach from all expected and desired outcomes in any situation that I encounter. This has been a very freeing and empowering experience. However, in
order to complete this work, one must follow and apply the Eightfold Path in their everyday life as well.
Finally, another important thing that I learned in this course concerns the concept of Karma. Moreover, there is an important distinction to be made between the practicality of Karma, and a westernized conceptualization of Karma. The concept of Karma is often misunderstood according to a westernized viewpoint. Being from a westernized population, I have experienced many different misconceptions of the concept of Karma that never quite made practical sense to me personally. In this course, I was delighted to learn that all of these previous encounters with the concept of Karma were off the mark. I now understand Karma not from a deterministic viewpoint that presupposes that all experiences are determined prior to their current existence. I now understand that Karma can be thought of as a choice that we make from moment to moment. We can choose to control Karma or let Karma control us. We can choose our Karmic retribution before hand and by
following the Eightfold Path our intent will determine the outcome. We can also choose to allow Karma to control us as if predetermined and insurmountable. With this deterministic viewpoint of Karma, we will never understand its true nature.
Finally, I think one of the most important things that I have learned in this course concerns the practicality of using Buddhism in my everyday life. It was very refreshing to learn that once Siddhartha attained “wakefulness”, or enlightenment, his conceptualization of the path to enlightenment appears to be very practical on second look. I think that people will generally think of the path of Buddhism as a very impractical way to live in our modern society. That may be if we think of Buddhism as a way of dressing and wearing our hair alone. However, there is more practicality in the viewpoint of Buddhism than many people will stop to think about. Mindfulness is the first step to true understanding. I have learned that Buddhism can serve me everyday of my life through the guiding principles and meditative practices I have learned in this course.
In this course there are many things that I have learned. In addition, there are some things that I liked and disliked as well. I will begin my essay by highlighting what I have enjoyed about the formatting of the course, as well as by touching on something about the course that I did not like. I will then discuss what I have learned in this course concerning Buddhism as a philosophical viewpoint as well as a religious belief system. In addition, I will also briefly discuss how I have begun to apply what I have learned in this course to my everyday experiences.
There are a few things that stand out to me when considering what I liked about the presentation and formatting of this course. To begin with, I enjoyed the breadth and depth of the lessons. The lessons not only went in depth into the various concepts and tenants concerning Buddhism, they also covered a host of other issues that increased the breadth of information that was covered. From a historical perspective on the life of Siddhartha and the development of Buddhism, to the belief structure and tenants involved with this philosophical and religious viewpoint, the information provided was vast and in-depth. I also liked how each lesson was easily accessible and understandable. This type of material is often presented in dense and unattainable metaphorical conceptualizations, wordings, descriptions, and definitions. The lessons in this course were written in an easily understandable fashion, and the examples provided were rich and ample in their
descriptive quality. I believe that the formatting of the course adds to the practicality of learning such in-depth philosophical and religious aspects of Buddhism and I enjoyed reading the lessons at my own pace and comfort.
There was, however, something that I felt this course was lacking. I believe that future students might benefit from face to face meetings with other students during this course. I do understand the purpose behind the online formatting of a course such as this. However, it is often difficult to get multiple perspectives and conceptualizations of the study material when there is no one else to which you can compare and contrast ideas and understandings. I think that online chat rooms might be helpful for this purpose. Nevertheless, I still feel that I learned much from this course and I still did enjoy the fact that I could work through the lessons at my own pace.
Considering all that I have learned about Buddhism from the material provided, I would like to focus on what I feel were the most important points for me. First, as an individual that has committed himself to studying the path of Buddhism, I have learned that I can take “refuge” in the Three Jewels:
1. I go to Buddha for refuge
2. I go to Dharma for refuge
3. I go to Sangha for refuge
When I consider the standard definition of the term of “refuge” it fits nicely with conceptualizing the path that an individual follows when studying Buddhism. At times this is an individual journey. A person attempts to shelter his/herself from a life of worry, desire, and suffering by encompassing his/herself with the first jewel – Buddha. However, this individual should not look to Buddha for the answers – the answers lie along that individual’s personal path. When following this path this individual can also feel comfort in knowing that there are some teachings to guide this journey in the second jewel – the Dharma. Thus, in living one’s life utilizing a set of disciplines and tools meant to accompany you along this path of transformation, there are often times we will be alone. However, there also are times when we all take refuge together in the third jewel – the Sangha. As one community, many individuals come together along
the same path. In addition, considering that difficulties will arise throughout my path toward enlightenment, I am comforted to know that the Three Jewels together will be there for me, as well as others along this same path of transformation.
Second, one of the important tenants of Buddhism that I have learned and have applied to my everyday life consists of the Four Noble Truths:
1. All life is suffering
2. The cause of suffering is desire
3. The end of desire leads to the end of suffering
4. The way to end desire, and hence to end suffering, is to follow the Eightfold Path
When using the Four Noble Truths in my everyday life, I see that my expectations can often lead to regret, shame, blame, disappointment, and many other feelings that I would describe as unpleasant. Moreover, other people might agree that the feelings related to an unexpected outcome are a form of personal suffering, whether emotional, physical, or psychological. Considering that all life is suffering, this connects nicely to the next noble truth that “desire” is the cause of all suffering. Thus, because of our desire for specific outcomes in our lives, unexpected outcomes lead to a form of personal suffering. Once we detach ourselves from our expectations, we begin to detach from personal desire. This then leads to the end, or transformation, of suffering. In my personal life, I have begun to detach from all expected and desired outcomes in any situation that I encounter. This has been a very freeing and empowering experience. However, in
order to complete this work, one must follow and apply the Eightfold Path in their everyday life as well.
Finally, another important thing that I learned in this course concerns the concept of Karma. Moreover, there is an important distinction to be made between the practicality of Karma, and a westernized conceptualization of Karma. The concept of Karma is often misunderstood according to a westernized viewpoint. Being from a westernized population, I have experienced many different misconceptions of the concept of Karma that never quite made practical sense to me personally. In this course, I was delighted to learn that all of these previous encounters with the concept of Karma were off the mark. I now understand Karma not from a deterministic viewpoint that presupposes that all experiences are determined prior to their current existence. I now understand that Karma can be thought of as a choice that we make from moment to moment. We can choose to control Karma or let Karma control us. We can choose our Karmic retribution before hand and by
following the Eightfold Path our intent will determine the outcome. We can also choose to allow Karma to control us as if predetermined and insurmountable. With this deterministic viewpoint of Karma, we will never understand its true nature.
Finally, I think one of the most important things that I have learned in this course concerns the practicality of using Buddhism in my everyday life. It was very refreshing to learn that once Siddhartha attained “wakefulness”, or enlightenment, his conceptualization of the path to enlightenment appears to be very practical on second look. I think that people will generally think of the path of Buddhism as a very impractical way to live in our modern society. That may be if we think of Buddhism as a way of dressing and wearing our hair alone. However, there is more practicality in the viewpoint of Buddhism than many people will stop to think about. Mindfulness is the first step to true understanding. I have learned that Buddhism can serve me everyday of my life through the guiding principles and meditative practices I have learned in this course.
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