Hinduism and Buddhism Essay Example for Free

Hinduism and Buddhism Essay Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the renowned religions world widely. Hinduism is the religion of the great majority of the people of India. The word comes from the Sanskrit sindhu, â€Å"river,† and originally referred to the Indus. Hinduism is actually a collection of many native Indian religions, past and present. It is responsible for the social structure of India, especially for the caste system (a hereditary class system). Hinduism has about 20 sects, with beliefs that range from primitive forms of animism to the highest reaches of mysticism and philosophy. Many of the sects and cults seem to be separate religions. Yet all have a family relationship since they spring from common traditions and thrive. Hindus believe in rebirth, or reincarnation, and in what they call the law of karma. Under this law the conditions of each new lifetime are determined by the actions of the preceding life. To the Hindu, salvation consists of liberating the soul from attachment to worldly desires in order to gain union with Brahman. If a Hindu dies liberated he must be born again into this world and again endure its suffering (Stutley, 2004). The Vedas describe four main castes. 1. The Brahmins exercise spiritual power. (Brahmin is also spelled Brahman). 2. The Kshatriyas are warriors who exercise secular power. 3. The Vaisyas are merchants and cultivators. 4. The Sudras are artisans and laborers. Hindu worship for most part takes place in the home. A Hindu temple or shrine is considered an abode of deity and is not used for communal worship. There are kinds of Hindu clergy. Temple priests collect offerings and care for the temples and shrines. Domestic priests perform rites involving births, marriages, and deaths. Gurus are spiritual teachers. Sadhus are monks; most live in monasteries, but many live as wandering mendicants (beggars) (Chaudhuri, 1999). While Buddhism is a religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (â€Å"Buddha,† or â€Å"The Enlightened One†) in India about 500 B. C. Buddhism is the chief religion of Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Kampuchea, Laos, and China. It has been estimated that about one-fifth of the world’s people are Buddhists. Because many Buddhists also practice Confucianism or Taoism, however, some authorities estimate world membership to be much smaller. In the United States, there are a number of organized Buddhist congregations (Carrithers, 2003). Buddhism consists of numerous sects with varying practices and beliefs. Some of these sects are so different from the others that they appear to be separate religions. But all sects have in common the belief that they are following the principles laid down by Gautama. Early Buddhism, the religion as taught by Gautama, developed into two branches—Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism (Mizuno, 2001). Although Buddhism was originally a reform movement that rejected certain beliefs and practices of Hinduism, the two religions have several important beliefs in common. Among them are reincarnation, the ideas that a living thing can be reborn in a new body; the law of karma, which holds that events in life are effects whose cause lies in previous lives and acts; and liberation, or salvation, the state of being free of the law of karma and rebirth (Conze, 2002). According to Buddhism, liberation is attained through understanding and practice of the Four Noble Truths: 1. There is suffering in life. 2. Suffering is caused by desire for pleasure, existence, and prosperity. 3. Suffering and rebirth cease when one ceases such desires, leading to enlightenment, or Nirvana, a blessed state in which peace, harmony, and joy are attained. The Eightfold Path is also called the Middle Way—because of its emphasis on avoiding such extremes as following sensuous pleasures on the one hand, and self-punishment on the other. The Buddhists must at all times observe in the high moral principles described in the Eightfold path, which emphasizes nonviolence and the brotherhood of all. Reference: 1. Carrithers, Michael. The Buddha (Oxford University 2003). 2. Chaudhuri, N. C. Hinduism: A Religion to Live by (Oxford University, 1999). 3. Conze, Edward. A Short History of Buddhism (Allen Unwin, 2002). 4. Mizuno, Kogen. Basic Buddhist Concepts (Tuttle, 2001). 5. Stutley, Margaret James. Harper’s Dictionary of Hinduism: Its Mythology, Folklore, Philosophy, Literature, and History (Harper Row, 2004).

Essays --

In 1803, Thomas Jefferson, the president of the United States of America at the time, acquired an enormous amount of land from France in what would later be dubbed the Louisiana Purchase. The newly received land covered about 828,000 square miles and it was bought for roughly 15 million American dollars. In basically doubling the United States land, a simple 15 million for the land is considered one of the most rewarding political trades made in history. Previous to American ownership, France controlled this land for most of history with Spain having it for several years as well. France is documented to have held the land from 1699 to 1762 when it gave the territory up to Spain who was an ally at the time. However, under Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign, France recaptured it in an effort to create a global empire. Jefferson, however, realized the potential of the land west of the Mississippi and additionally the area of New Orleans. He arranged a settlement with Napoleon to fund Fra nce $15 million on their home front in return for the land of the purchase, which the French leader agreed to. Jefferson identified Napoleon’s desperate need for capital at the time, as the war versus Britain in Europe was on the brink of occurring as well as a French slave revolt in Haiti during the early 1800’s. Napoleon recognized this as well and gave up on ambitions for a secondary North American empire. In retrospect, this acquisition was incredibly beneficial to United State’s expansion and now the massive amount of land encompasses all or part of many U.S. states and a pair of Canadian provinces. The modern day states with all or sections of their area within the purchase include; Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North ... ...ht the land from France it was agreed upon that the land extended as far as the 50th parallel. In the Anglo-American Convention of 1818, however, the land from the 49th parallel to the 50th was traded to the British in a deal for the Red River Basin, which is located just under the 49th. Much further south, the southeastern boundary of the Purchase was rather ambiguous as well. The United States wanted the land until the Perdido River and Spain wanted it as well. The United States truly just wanted the whole region and passed the Mobile Act in 1804, which recognized the western sections of Florida as part of the United States’ land. True resolve would only be found in the aforementioned Adam-Onis Treaty of 1819, with Spain. In this treaty, the United States really made further progress in defining boundaries and making their newfound lands as expansive as possible. Essays -- In 1803, Thomas Jefferson, the president of the United States of America at the time, acquired an enormous amount of land from France in what would later be dubbed the Louisiana Purchase. The newly received land covered about 828,000 square miles and it was bought for roughly 15 million American dollars. In basically doubling the United States land, a simple 15 million for the land is considered one of the most rewarding political trades made in history. Previous to American ownership, France controlled this land for most of history with Spain having it for several years as well. France is documented to have held the land from 1699 to 1762 when it gave the territory up to Spain who was an ally at the time. However, under Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign, France recaptured it in an effort to create a global empire. Jefferson, however, realized the potential of the land west of the Mississippi and additionally the area of New Orleans. He arranged a settlement with Napoleon to fund Fra nce $15 million on their home front in return for the land of the purchase, which the French leader agreed to. Jefferson identified Napoleon’s desperate need for capital at the time, as the war versus Britain in Europe was on the brink of occurring as well as a French slave revolt in Haiti during the early 1800’s. Napoleon recognized this as well and gave up on ambitions for a secondary North American empire. In retrospect, this acquisition was incredibly beneficial to United State’s expansion and now the massive amount of land encompasses all or part of many U.S. states and a pair of Canadian provinces. The modern day states with all or sections of their area within the purchase include; Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North ... ...ht the land from France it was agreed upon that the land extended as far as the 50th parallel. In the Anglo-American Convention of 1818, however, the land from the 49th parallel to the 50th was traded to the British in a deal for the Red River Basin, which is located just under the 49th. Much further south, the southeastern boundary of the Purchase was rather ambiguous as well. The United States wanted the land until the Perdido River and Spain wanted it as well. The United States truly just wanted the whole region and passed the Mobile Act in 1804, which recognized the western sections of Florida as part of the United States’ land. True resolve would only be found in the aforementioned Adam-Onis Treaty of 1819, with Spain. In this treaty, the United States really made further progress in defining boundaries and making their newfound lands as expansive as possible.

Gustav Flaubert and Ivan Turgenev

The Romantics is a culturally inclined book written by Pankaj Mishra. The publication deals with life's differences and how people came to know more about their own respective cultures. It brings out every reader into a journey of culture. life and the true meaning of existence. The main character Samar, made his move while he is in a juxtaposition of cultures. One may find himself in the shoes of Samar who wanted to engage in more discoveries. Samar, is a fresh graduate who arrived in Benares, also known as the holy city in 1989.He wanted to continue with his solitary life with his book as he chose to stay in a room there. Samar loves to deal with his friends namely Edmund Wilson, Gustav Flaubert and Ivan Turgenev. But on the place where he stays, he lives adjacent to a woman from the west, Catherine. She is a French young woman who had a great impact on Samar's life. She made a vast change on his outlook in life and dealing with what the good world awaits for him. He was able to re cover from the past that he wanted to escape but then the conflicting part is that he falls for the wrong woman.Catherine is already committed which made the story interesting. It was really a big frustration for him to know the truth since he fall in love for the first time since he never believe in the set up of love before. In Benares he discovered many things that changed his life. Starting from the ancestors Brahmin down to practices and political issues. He was able to contemplate on the commonality of people who are there. They all wanted to escape their past. Going back to Samar and Catherine, the two had a chance to become lovers but then Catherine decided to cut their relationship off.Good thing Samar was able to recover and took a teaching job for young Tibetan children. When he was reunited with an old friend from Benares after seven years, he told himself that he is apart from those people who lives there. He is now far from the old tradition and on his way to recuperat ing for a better future. The Romantics tells about the clashing of culture in contemporary India. The author attempted to explore how people during the time differ from their backgrounds, culture and how it is romanticized to unveil the mysteries of India.

The Decision For And Against Privatization Of Public...

INTRODUCTION As most consumers assume, typical product pricing relies on the basic rules of supply and demand. But you may sometimes pay more or less for a product because the company that produces it has implemented different, highly strategic pricing tactics. One of these tactics is called product-cost cross-subsidization. Through cross-subsidization, the government is able to harmonize the divergent socio-economic groups in society in providing their basic needs. This paper seeks to explore the consequences of cross-subsidization. The argument for and against privatization of public enterprises is brought to the fore as the paper examines the effect of equity and efficiency on national social security systems. CROSS-SUBSIDIZATION This is a situation where the profits from one activity are used in paying for another activity that is losing money or bring less revenue. Product-cost cross-subsidization is the strategy of pricing a product above its market value to subsidize the loss of pricing a different product below its market value (Price, 2015). In order to cross-subsidize your products, you’ll need to have a good idea of how the product should be priced prior to cross-subsidization. While there is a plethora of pricing strategies that businesses employ, your pricing will depend on the goals of your business and the market. Because your profits will need to cover all of your expenses, your pricing will need to reflect your product cost, operating expenses, rent, siteShow MoreRelatedPrivatization of Irelands Commercial State Owned Enterprises1191 Words   |  5 PagesPrivatization of Commercial SOEs Irish SOEs are in a wide range of sectors, including monopolies and competitive sectors, and both growing and declining sectors. Their turnover amounted to 5.8% GDP in 2008 and employed over 41,000 people. 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