Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Religion buddhism reflection buddhism reflection The book Buddhism Plain and Simple, by Steve Hagen, caught my attention and became more interesting to me than I thought. I have always heard of the religion Buddhism, but I never knew what it was all about. I never thought that Buddhism was as huge as it is. I knew that it existed in other countries, but I never knew what exact countries. Many of the views in this book surprised me and the book taught me a lot about morals and better ways to live your life. The word “ Awareness” is talked heavily all through this book. For Buddhists, this is probably the most important aspect in their religion. Unlike the other books I have read, this book left out a lot of elements like ritual, prayer, clothing, and all of the trappings of religion. I really do not agree with this part of the book. I find this part of religion interesting and I was looking forward to reading and learning about it. I am still not disappointed, but I would have liked the book better if it was expressed. I never knew that, “ Buddhism is sometimes called a non historical religion. In other words, it does not tell a story of creation, or speculate that we are heading toward a heaven or afterlife of some kind” (p.10). For me it is hard to imagine not believing in any of this like people who practice Buddhism do. It is difficult to understand how they might see where they will be when they die. I look forward to being in heaven after I live and complete my life. I could not imagine dying and not having any kind of afterlife. I know that one day when I die I will see all the people that died who I love and dearly miss. I had a best friend die and I cannot wait to be with him after I die. One view of Buddhism that I strongly agree with is awareness. Buddhism believes you should be conscious of reality; know what life is, and live life to the fullest. “ It’s about examining and exploring the most basic questions of life” (p 3). This idea sounds accurate in my mind. Everyone should be conscious of what is around him or her and what is happening. Believe it or not, life is too short, and we have to live it 100%. This is a concept that I have always considered. Whenever there is a chance to do something different, strange, or having a one-time opportunity to do it, I more than likely take advantage of the situation. I know that I have only one life and I need to take advantage of that particular situation, or I might regret it later. Trying to do as many things possible, in my opinion is good because is it living life to its fullest by taking advantage of all of life’s great opportunities. The more that you do in life, the more knowledge you will have about it. Taking advantage of life lets you free your mind. The followers of Buddhism observe nature and take in all the beauty of it. I know that I need to achieve this. There are times where I judge people for the way they look, act, or talk. This is a wrong way to judge people, and unfortunately it is something most people are adapted to in our society. We must treat everyone with compassion for one another. This is a lesson that is greatly practiced in the Buddhism religion. “Furthermore, when we speak about people based on what we think, feel, or hope rather than on what we observe and experience, we deprive them of their humanity. We have replaced what the are, in all their fluid vitality, with our own crystallized ideas, opinions, and beliefs” (P 82). If this is true, everyone around us robs one another of their humanity. I always hear other people talking about others, usually in a negative way. I can admit that I do occasionally talk about other people. I always get caught in a conversation where other people are talking about one another, usually in a negative way. I did not realize that I was robbing them of their humanity. I now take in how much people are talked about. Since I read this book this is one idea that has really stood out, and I want to try to fix this part of my life. I know that I would not want to be talked about in a negative way, so I should not talk negatively towards others. The concept “we rely on what we think (conception), rather than on what we see (perception), there’s unrest in our mind. Underneath it all, we’re uneasy- and, furthermore, we know it” (p 110) is another problem I can see in our society. I know that everyone thinks something about everything before it happens or before they actually see and experience it. We need to tighten down our judgments better and base our decisions on what we see, not what we think. Not everyone is perfect, and there are going to be times when we think is wrong. There is a fine line between what we see and experience and what we think. Unfortunately, this is just another problem we all face in our society and it is something everyone has adapted to. I do not agree with how Hagen says we are uneasy – and furthermore, we know it. It is not something we know and do on purpose; it is something we have adapted to. It is a problem that we all face and know in everyday society. Finding a solution for this would be great but would be hard to accomplish. The Buddhist concept of meditation is interesting to me. Meditation is where they find enlightenment. “ We can say that meditation is nothing other than the intention to wake up” (p 74). I like how meditation begins and ends with your intention, you do not have any set time or order. Meditation is all in how you want to practice it. Whenever you lose your intention to be awake, you are no longer in meditation. Overall I value this book, and I am glad that I read it. I now know more about the Buddhist religion, and I want to change certain aspects of my life. I like how this religion is so forgiving and laid back. I really wish other things in my life were so forgiving. The idea of oneness with your self sounds very peaceful and understanding. I am going to try to have more oneness with myself. I can now see people from a different standpoint. We are all created equal, and we should all help each other. Bibliography: Religious Persons and Traditions Buddhism- Plain and Simple Father Piszker 4-8-02 Word Count: 1134
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