Religious Field Research
Report on Religious Field Research
James E Kirk
Professor Joe Flowers
REL 212 - World Religions
August 24, 2011
Report on Religious Field Research Buddhism is one of the most popular religions in the world. It can be traced back to 563 B.C.E. with the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. He is more commonly known as the Buddha, meaning the “Awakened One”. Buddhism spread quickly throughout Asia and other regions of the world but it remained virtually unknown in the West until the last fifty years. The teachings and practices of Buddhism were spread through three main channels: “Western scholars; the work of philosophers, writers and artists; and the arrival of Asian immigrants who have brought various forms of Buddhism with them to Europe, North America and Australia” (BuddhaNet.net, 2008). My mother, Nguyen Thi Lien Kirk (Lien), and her two close friends, Nhu Lan Nguyen (Lan) and Cuc Pigeon (Cuc), are three examples of immigrants from Vietnam who brought the ideals of Buddhism to the United States following the Vietnam War. Buddhism arose as a monastic movement during a time of Brahman tradition. There were many important Hindu views and beliefs that Buddhism rejected. First and foremost, it did not recognize the validity of the Vedic scriptures. In addition, it expressly questioned the overall authority of the priesthood. Further, Buddhism rejected the idea of the caste system found in Hinduism as it believed that all people should be treated equally, denying that a person’s worth could be judged by their blood. There are many beliefs associated with Buddhism. One of the core beliefs for a Buddhist is the three marks of reality. These three beliefs that Buddhists hold are constant change, a lack of permanent identity, and the existence of suffering. Inner peace can be achieved by keeping these three beliefs in mind at all times. From the three marks of reality comes the belief in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The First
James E Kirk
Professor Joe Flowers
REL 212 - World Religions
August 24, 2011
Report on Religious Field Research Buddhism is one of the most popular religions in the world. It can be traced back to 563 B.C.E. with the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. He is more commonly known as the Buddha, meaning the “Awakened One”. Buddhism spread quickly throughout Asia and other regions of the world but it remained virtually unknown in the West until the last fifty years. The teachings and practices of Buddhism were spread through three main channels: “Western scholars; the work of philosophers, writers and artists; and the arrival of Asian immigrants who have brought various forms of Buddhism with them to Europe, North America and Australia” (BuddhaNet.net, 2008). My mother, Nguyen Thi Lien Kirk (Lien), and her two close friends, Nhu Lan Nguyen (Lan) and Cuc Pigeon (Cuc), are three examples of immigrants from Vietnam who brought the ideals of Buddhism to the United States following the Vietnam War. Buddhism arose as a monastic movement during a time of Brahman tradition. There were many important Hindu views and beliefs that Buddhism rejected. First and foremost, it did not recognize the validity of the Vedic scriptures. In addition, it expressly questioned the overall authority of the priesthood. Further, Buddhism rejected the idea of the caste system found in Hinduism as it believed that all people should be treated equally, denying that a person’s worth could be judged by their blood. There are many beliefs associated with Buddhism. One of the core beliefs for a Buddhist is the three marks of reality. These three beliefs that Buddhists hold are constant change, a lack of permanent identity, and the existence of suffering. Inner peace can be achieved by keeping these three beliefs in mind at all times. From the three marks of reality comes the belief in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The First
References: Buddhanet.net. (n.d.). Retrieved August 24, 2011, from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/to-west.htm Fisher, M.P. (2011). Living Religions (8th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. LivingDharma.org. (n.d.). Retrieved August 24, 2011, from http://www.livingdharma.org/Misconceptions.html SikhiWiki.org. (n.d.). Retrieved August 24, 2011, from http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh_Basic_%26_Misconceptions UrbanDharma.org. (n.d.). Retrieved August 24, 2011, from http://www.kusala.org/udharma3/holidays.html