Why Did Buddhism Fail to Take Hold in India - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1356 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/09/17 Category Religion Essay Type Argumentative essay Topics: Buddha Essay Buddhism Essay Did you like this example? It comes as a phenomenon at how Buddhism was driven from the land of its birth place due to Hinduisms ultimate triumph. It is difficult to say what specifically led to Buddhist decline from India; however, it is clear that Hinduism corresponded more elaborately with human needs, and established more direct connections with deities. The philosophy that Buddhism denies the importance of gods and emphasizes on expectations that people find their own ascetic paths in life may have been too heavy a burden for the ordinary person. The traditional religion of India was Brahmanism, which offered little comfort to the common people. The Brahmins were the highest of a four level social caste system. They had become extremely powerful due to their crucial role in the execution of sacrifices and mystical potency. Nonetheless, few could afford to pay for these sacrifices. Brahmanism and its teachings were understood only by the uppermost elite, and had little appeal to the common perso n. Many were dissatisfied with Brahman society, and a number of philosophical sects began to arise. Buddhism arose in the sixth century B. C. E. and demanded no intense physical austerities; the teachings of the Buddha were successful because they were simple and empirical, and most importantly accessible to all. Unlike Brahmanism, which was essentially ritualistic and mythological, the Buddha’s teachings were based upon the eightfold path. The Buddha stated that each person could achieve Nirvana, the ultimate spiritual fulfillment. Buddhism effectively ignored the social strata and it stressed that all castes could follow the Middle Way and eventually gain enlightenment; no matter how low they were in society. The religion’s optimistic outlook on the potential of each individual to transcend suffering and its accessibility and democracy rendered it immensely appealing to the people. (Barnes 1:113) A system of nuns and monks was established; creating a pervading notion of social equality that gave the religion strength. The establishment of the Sangha, the community of monks and nuns which linked all Buddhist monasteries together; served as a spiritual example for the community which played an important role in the religion’s rise and success. The Sangha were determined about spreading the Buddha’s message, and some monks even risked their lives by travelling out of India to preach the way out of suffering. (Eliade 2: 283) The appeal of Buddhism also seems somewhat economical. Vedic sacrifices had taken its toll on many; monarchs had often taxed their subjects for funds and those in poorer circumstances had no means of assuring their personal prosperity by sacrifice. However, by Following the Eightfold Path of the Buddha, it cost virtually nothing for the common man to practice his religion. Furthermore, the royal patronage Buddhism gained from its very inception further strengthened the religion. The Buddha was a Kshatr iya prince who had forsaken his former life to gain enlightenment;† these actions attracted the notice of many kings. Bimbisara and Ajatasatru of Magadha and Prasenajit of Kosala were only a few of the numerous rulers who converted to the new religion of Buddhism. † (Shean, Vincent) Political support of the ruling class proved to be very significant to the rise of Buddhism. It is evident that by the 7th century C. E. that a decline in Buddhism is seen. For instance, Theravada Buddhism was on the verge of non-existence in most of the Indian subcontinent and Buddhism as a whole was on a steady decline. The religion was becoming tainted in many ways because â€Å"during the Gupta period onwards, Indian religion became more and more permeated with primitive ideas of sympathetic magic and sexual mysticism† (Shean, Vincent) affecting Buddhism because to these developments in its native land. The direct result of this was the birth of a new sect known as the third veh icle which misinterpreted religious tenets and allowed the use of intoxicants; it was also lenient in the upholding of celibacy. Furthermore the fall of Buddhism continued with the corruption of the Sangha. From the many donations they received, they became rich, and monks began to ignore the tenth rule of the Vinaya and accepted silver and gold. The Mahayana school introduced expensive rituals and ceremonies into the religion, causing it to cease to be economical. Much of the decline of Buddhism was caused by its own failings; it could not meet the popularity of the re-emerged Hinduism. As an essentially non-theistic religion, it could not achieve the same success with the masses as Hinduism, which possessed a pantheon of gods that could intervene in the affairs of men if appeased. The moral corruption of Buddhism also caused degeneration in its intellectual standards; the Hindus, on the other hand, had a strong scholarly foundation. After the renowned Buddhist king Ashoka, t he majority of Indian rulers supported the new Hinduism. It had the patronage of the Gupta rulers and most of the Rajput rulers, ensuring it prosperity and success among the people. To make things even more appealing, Hinduism also incorporated many Buddhist elements, such as preaching monks and religious processions; it further claimed the Mahatma Buddha as one of the incarnations of the lord Vishnu. † (Parrinder 1:319) Therefore the common man did not make any great distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism; the new Hinduism embraced some of Buddhism and allowed for the belief of gods. Lastly, persecution of Buddhists played a final part in the downfall of the religion. Muslim invasions left India damaged; the invaders destroyed Buddhist monasteries and universities. A large number of Buddhist priests and monks fled retreating to the mountains of Tibet. â€Å"This left the Buddhist remnants of India with no priesthood to direct them, making it easy for Brahmins of the ne w Hinduism to pick up the pieces and reform Hinduism with Brahmins at top of the caste. † (Shean, Vincent) Though Hinduism was able to sustain itself through these times, Buddhism had been increasingly weak and these raids dealt a final blow. Buddhism captured the enthusiasm of the rich and poor alike. It was a religion that preached a way out of suffering, in a simple and direct fashion that could be understood by the common man. Unlike the Brahmanism that had become too recondite and scholarly for the masses, Buddhism fulfilled the spiritual needs of the people; every person could work their way towards enlightenment. Its notions of social equality earned it much success and the establishment of the Sangha gave it strength. It flourished for centuries, but eventually, the corruption of the Sangha, the rivalries between sects, and the lack of protection from the ruling class weakened Buddhism and made it unable to compete with the reformed Hinduism. The anti-Buddhist ca mpaigns led by the Muslims caused its final downfall, and Buddhism eventually entirely disappeared from India between 1000 and 1200 C. E. It left India with a rich legacy that was partially incorporated into Hinduism. Works Cited Barnes, Trevor. The Kingfisher Book of Religions: Festivals, Ceremonies, and Beliefs from around the World. New York: Kingfisher, 1999. Print. I found this book useful because it creates parallels between the origins, developments, beliefs, festivals, and ceremonies of Hinduism and Buddhism. Eliade, Mircea, ed. The Encyclopedia of Religion. Complete and Unabridged ed. Vol. 1-2. New York: Simon Schuster Macmillan, 1995. Print. ENC. I found the encyclopedia to be very useful in providing facts to supporting my own path or thesis to understanding why Buddhism diverged from India and why Hinduism took its place? Parrinder, Geoffrey, ed. World Religions : from Ancient History to the Present. New York, 1983. Print. I found this to be a useful and reliable sou rce that went into depth on the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism. Comparing the two religions I was able to draw tangible conclusions on the emergence of both theologies. Sheean, Vincent. THE BUDDHISM THAT WAS INDIA. Foreign Affairs. 1 Jan. 1951. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. The article focuses on the spread of Buddhism in India while discussing its clash with Hindusim. It describes the decisive struggles of which took place between Buddhism and Hinduism for control of India, and it goes into the results that are still being seen in the evolution of the Asian peoples. I found this source to be very useful because it focuses directly on my topic. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Why Did Buddhism Fail to Take Hold in India?" essay for you Create order

Victimization A Postcolonial Reading Of George...

Beyond the Obvious Victimization: A Postcolonial Reading of George Orwell’s â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† In my short teaching career, I have experienced two paralyzing instances of student tears in class that required my response. One of those such instances was in response to reading George Orwell’s essay â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†: my sensitive student was so sad about the elephant’s fate that she needed to leave class to recover from her grief. Such a reaction is not unreasonable to Orwell’s tragic essay, the story of a British soldier’s experience attempting to support and maintain colonizing efforts in Burma that results in the tragic and painfilled death of the animal. A postcolonial perspective is not necessary to see the tragedy in†¦show more content†¦He claims he was hated, yet he seems to ignore that the minor discomforts of his life, the jeers and taunts and negligible hurts and humiliation, constitute the ext ent of Burmese ability to express their unhappiness. He notes, â€Å"No one had the guts to raise a riot† (2605), failing to recognize that not bravery is lacking but rather knowledge of the punishment sure to follow such action. He regrets that he must kill the elephant, but he elides further exploration of potential alternatives, immediately rejecting other ways such as testing the elephant’s behavior to predict its reaction (2609). Not only does Orwell’s own essay reveal that he is not victim but rather someone in power, but also, scholars agree that Orwell is not the victim he perceives himself to be. Criticism of â€Å"Shooting an Elephant,† especially postcolonial criticism, recognizes that Orwell is not the victim he believes he is. Ouzgane and Coleman note that â€Å"the rifle, the symbol of colonial power . . . makes George Orwell the inauthentic authority† (paragraph 16), correctly assessing that he is both the one in charge and further the one who should not be in charge. They do not describe him as a victim, they describe him as compulsive, power-wielding, and superior (paragraph 16). Further in support of Orwell’s non-victim status are Moosavinia, Niazi, and Ghaforian. In their postcolonial work applying Said’s Orientalism to Orwell’s works, they mention that Orwell â€Å"wrote Burmese Days,

The Hijacking of Food and Farm Policy Free Essays

Diet For a Small Planet, that I made my way from Vermont to California to volunteer for her Institute for Food and Development Policy, also known as Food First. There has been a lot to celebrate since then. In every corner of the country, demand for locally and sustainable grown food is rising, with farmers and ranchers growing more chemical-free, healthier food for our nation’s schools, universities, restaurants and supermarkets. We will write a custom essay sample on The Hijacking of Food and Farm Policy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Since 2005 the number of farmers markets has doubled, with more than 8000 markets open for business round the country. New local ownership and distribution structures are popping up everywhere, including more than 200 food hubs that are working in innovative ways to get more local, sustainable food to market. More than 180 local food policy councils are transforming food systems from the bottom up. The organic sector, with more and organic acreage has been growing steadily In recent years. More Information on these Impressive trends can be found In the slides that I presented during my keynote speech to the Women Food and Agriculture Network Conference in Iowa earlier this month to a wonderful crowd of mostly women farmers, landowners and loathe food system advocates. As great as these accomplishments are, the tens of thousands of projects and farms that are building a healthier, more sustainable food system around the country cannot grow quickly enough to counteract the tremendous damage to public health and the environment caused by the existing profit-driven Industrial food system. Two key messages In Lap ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s book remain more relevant today than ever. The first?and the basis for my lifelong commitment to eating low on the food chain— is that it is inefficient and resource-intensive to rely on meat as our primary rotten source. It is clear that we cannot solve our global water, energy, climate change and public health challenges without changing how we produce meat and drastically reducing how much of it we eat. While we still have a long way to go, we are making slow but steady progress in reducing Americans’ meat consumption?which is down four years in a row?mostly driven by consumers’ concern for health and animal welfare. Yet It’s clear that we wont achieve the far-reaching reforms needed to Improve the way produce feed and raise animals?until we fix the bigger problem plaguing our DOD system?a problem that struck me as the second and most important message not caused by scarcity of food but scarcity of democracy. Nearly forty years later, the lack of democracy not only continues to be a fundamental cause of hunger, but also a source of many other serious problems in our food system. Big food and industrial farming interests are hijacking our democracy and public policy at a huge cost to public health and the environment. And sadly, the Obama administration is complicit in this hijacking scheme. On several fronts, the administration is ignoring civil society calls for reform on several fronts and is giving rarity to industry financial interests over those of public health, the environment and welfare of animals, workers and consumers. Despite a clear and compelling need, it has failed to ban antibiotic use in well animals, pass effective factory farm regulations, or enact federal labeling and stricter regulation of genetically engineered food. No recent example of the administration’s failure to put the public interest ahead corporate interests is clearer than the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed poultry rule. This rule would reduce the number of USDA inspectors in poultry acclivities by 75 percent, accelerate assembly lines pace to 175 birds per minute and intensify the use of toxic chemicals to clean the birds being processed. Who profits from this appalling proposal? No surprise there. As Tom Philter reported in Mother Jones magazine, Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride, Purdue, and Sanderson, the nation’s leading poultry companies, stand to gain more than $1 billion over the next 5 years. As well, Congressional lawmakers are ignoring the public interest as they hash out a farm bill that will continue to give away billions to wealthy, profitable farms and agribusiness while slashing programs that promote nutrition, conservation, healthy food and organic agriculture. Because the good food movement lacks political muscle, there is far too little investment and effective federal policy to support?and help scale up good food projects and organic farming. And because big food and industrial agriculture companies have so much power, the federal government has too many bad policies that are doing far too much to support and enshrine the status quo, making it harder for sustainable agriculture to compete. The proposed farm bill is a perfect case in point. The bill currently being negotiated n conference committee would channel more than $13 billion a year to support and promote chemical-intensive, diversity-destroying monocots that mostly provide feed for animals and vehicle fuel, with less than $200 million annually going to support local and organic diversified agriculture. The dominance of corporate and large-scale commodity interests in our political system is nothing new?but as the economic power of these industries has become more concentrated, their political clout has grown stronger, and the consequences, Just recently, the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health published an in-depth analysis to assess the status of industrial farming five years after the publication of the seminal Pew Commission Report on Industrial Farm Animal Production. It found that the problems have actually gotten a lot worse. When Civil Eats asked Ralph Logics, an author of the Pew Commission report, to explain the lack of progress, he blamed † the overwhelming influence and power of the animal gag industry†¦ Whether it’s affecting members of Congress, whether it’s denting and nearly breaking the regulatory process, or whether it’s too much influence over academics. Everywhere you look there’s too much influence by the industry. In order to counteract that influence and put the public interest back into policy- making, the good food movement must channel more of the energy it devotes to building a healthy food system into blunting the power of industrial agriculture and building a healthier democracy. Otherwise, we will fail to make our vision for a healthy, Just and sustainable food system a reality for everyone. Stay tuned for Part 2, in which I explore the steps that are needed to blunt the power of indu strial gag and build greater food democracy. How to cite The Hijacking of Food and Farm Policy, Essays

Astronomy And Japanese Myths Essay Research Paper free essay sample

Astronomy And Nipponese Myths Essay, Research Paper Throughout history different civilizations have let astronomy determine their beliefs and imposts. One such civilization that has traditions rich in uranology is the Nipponese civilization. Since I am half Nipponese, I thought I would discourse some of the traditions found in Nipponese civilization. Further, I will explicate how these aincient traditions and beliefs are still present in modern twenty-four hours society in Japan. I found some truly great web sites which I will utilize to compose my essay. The first web site focuses chiefly on Nipponese festivals/traditions and how astronomy plays a portion in Nipponese festivals/traditions. The # 8220 ; Astrologers Union of Japan # 8221 ; home page is great, but the whole web site is written in Japanese. Astroarts has a great Nipponese uranology page which offers a horn of plenty of astronomical info # 8230 ; .the links are great excessively! Please bear with me as I am larning new things excessively. I. Orihime, Kengyuu, and Tanabata Orihime, Kengyuu, and Tanabata Tanabata is a Nipponese festival based on the fable of Orihime and Kengyuu. This narrative uses the stars of Vega and Altair for it # 8217 ; s chief characters. The Nipponese refer to Vega as Orihime Boshii which means weaving princess star. Kengyuu Boshii means puller of cattles star and refers to Altair. The other characters are Orihime Boshii # 8217 ; s beget the emperor which is the star centered at the north pole ( polaris? ) , the boater which refers to the Moon, and Kasasagi which are a group of magpies. The writer of the fable begins by stating his readers that Orihime Boshii ( Vega ) would see the # 8220 ; river of Eden # 8221 ; ( milky manner ) everyday and weave beautiful cloths. Her male parent the emperor loved these cloths and grew really fond of them. One twenty-four hours, Orihime Boshii became really sad because she had spent wholly her life up until that twenty-four hours weaving cloths and had non found the clip to fall in love and acquire married. The emperor loved his girl and felt sorry for her # 8230 ; he arranged ( where the thought of ordered matrimony in Japan comes from? ) for her to get married Kengyuu ( Altair ) , a prince who lived across the # 8220 ; river of Eden # 8221 ; . As the matrimony of Orihime Boshii and Kengyuu blossomed, Orihime Boshii neglected her weaving and this disquieted and worried her male parent. The emperor eventually decided to divide the twosome by agencies of the # 8220 ; river of Eden # 8221 ; , nevertheless, for one twenty-four hours out of the twelvemonth ( 7th twenty-four hours of the 7th month ) the twosome would be allowed to be together. On that twenty-four hours a boater ( the Moon ) would ferry Orihime Boshii across the river to see her hubby Kengyuu # 8230 ; the boater would merely come to ferry Orihime Boshii across the # 8220 ; river of Eden # 8221 ; if she had finished her weaving # 8230 ; id she had non finished her weaving it would rain and the river would be excessively flooded to traverse by boat. The Gods took compassion on Orihime Boshii and allowed for a group of Kasasagi ( magpies ) to wing into the milklike manner and do a magpie span for Orihime Boshii to traverse over to the other side and see Kengyuu. Tanabata, the festival based on this fable is celebrated every twelvemonth on the seventh twenty-four hours of the seventh month of the Nipponese lunar calendar. During this festival people write wants to the Gods on strips of paper, tie these strips of paper to newly cut bamboo, eat seasonal veggies, and decorate Equus caballus and cow figures made out of straw or H2O oats. Over the old ages H2O purification ceremonials, a matrimony between a weaving lady and a H2O God, and other such ceremonials were added to the tanabata festival jubilation. II. Setsubun Setsubun, Oni Out, Happiness In Setsubun is a Nipponese lunar new twelvemonth festival to free the approaching twelvemonth of bad liquors. In short, beans are thrown all over the house, on people, on concern, and whatever else people want guarded from the devastation of evil liquors. Peoples are so suppossed to eat the beans. Let # 8217 ; s expression at how astronomy plays a function in the Setsubun tradition: 1. Setsubun occurs on the twenty-four hours before Risshun ( spring ) . 2. # 8220 ; The setsu of Setsubun ( literally # 8220 ; sectional separation # 8221 ; ) originally referred to the Eve of any of the 24 divisions of the solar twelvemonth ( see The Lunar Calendar in Japan for an account of these divisions ) .† 3. Lunar Calendar in Japan 4. # 8220 ; Setsubun achieved the position of an imperial event and farther took on symbolic and ritual significance relation to its association with chances for a # 8220 ; returning Sun # 8221 ; , associated climatic alteration, reclamation of organic structure and head, ejection of immorality, symbolic metempsychosis, and readying for the coming planting season. # 8221 ; 5. # 8220 ; Setsubun by and large ever precedes the lunar New Year, and in the ancient ideal was frequently really referred to as New Years # 8217 ; Eve. In 2000, solar and lunar rhythms coincided plenty to do the ideal about existent in that February 4th marked Risshun ( Spring Begins ) , and February 5th was the existent lunar New Year in both China and Japan. # 8221 ; III. Happy New Year New Year in Japan [ ] This is the Jappanese symbol for the term # 8220 ; happy new twelvemonth # 8221 ; . It is a combination of the chatacters for Sun and Moon. Harmonizing to the Japanese # 8230 ; Sun+Moon= new morning and alteration # 8230 ; therefore happy new twelvemonth. 1. This character sometimes refers to the planet Venus # 8230 ; Venus is either # 8220 ; Kinsei # 8221 ; ( gilded star ) or # 8220 ; Myou Jyou # 8221 ; ( bright clicking star ) . 2. # 8220 ; Akema*censored*e Omedetou Gozaimasu # 8221 ; is the term for happy new twelvemonth but it literally means: # 8220 ; The twelvemonth is altering # 8230 ; darkness gives manner to visible radiation # 8230 ; new life begins # 8230 ; Congratulations! # 8221 ; Why? # 8220 ; In antediluvian traditional knowledge ( under the lunar calendar ) , the New Year was seen in relation to alter in both the Sun and Moon every bit good as the symbolism of their luminosity # 8221 ; 3. The Chinese and Nipponese calendars are based on a 12 twelvemonth rhythm # 8230 ; this 12 twelvemonth rhythm is # 8220 ; based on places of Jupiter with its 12 twelvemonth orbit ( and attendant place about the ecliptic # 8221 ; . IV. Yowatashi Boshii # 8230 ; Nipponese Lore Associated with Orion Japanese Lore Associated with Orion 1. Orion is a Yowatashi Boshii star # 8230 ; one of the # 8220 ; go throughing the dark stars # 8221 ; # 8220 ; This phrase was applied to outstanding star groups which would look in the East at sundown and set with the clicking Sun ( Uchida, 1973 ) . # 8221 ; 2. The first refers to kabuki play in which a membranophone ( tsuzumi ) with caputs on both sides is beaten with the fingertips # 8230 ; the membranophone is in an hourglass form and is tied with strings # 8230 ; this membranophone comes from the constellarion Orion. # 8220 ; The stars Betelgeuse and Gamma Ori organize one terminal of the membranophone while the stars Rigel and Kappa Ori form the other. The three belt stars represent the cord that is used to bind the strings snugly in the middle # 8221 ; 3. The Nipponese usage wooden blocks as portion of amusement and spiritual ceremonials. Wooden blocks are said to cite assorted Gods. # 8220 ; Nipponese have found the # 8220 ; play # 8221 ; of this simple instrument and its # 8220 ; sound # 8221 ; in Orion as Kanatsuki no Ryowaki Boshi ( literally striking both sides stars ; Uchida, 1973 ) . # 8221 ; [ ] This subdivision of the web site on Orion contains many more fables and things based on the stars of Orion, but for deficiency of infinite, I will stop it here. Please see the website # 8230 ; I am larning most of these things for the first clip. I was amazed to larn that the Nipponese position Orion as many different things whereas in western civilization Orion is viewed as a remarkable thing. I am running out of room so I will stop it here. As you can see Japan has an copiousness of fables and folklore based upon the stars and uranology. This web site that I found is amazing # 8230 ; it discuses all of the major Japanese beliefs, traditions, civilizations, and folklore as it relates to astronomy. In this paper I have tried to sum up some of the Nipponese fables, festivals, traditions, and folklore based on uranology, and what I found out is that I will necessitate much more infinite than this text window offers in order to discourse this subject. I learned a great trade and hope to analyze this out farther and larn a batch more Bibliography 1. Renshaw, Steve and Ihara, Saori. # 8220 ; Astronomy in Japan # 8221 ; . 10 October 2000-14 October 2000. Other sites that I found but did non utilize ( non inbibliographical signifier ) . 1.http: //www.astroarts.co.jp/index.html 2. hypertext transfer protocol: //jin.jcic.or.jp/kidsweb/japan/d/q9.html 3. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nao.ac.jp/