... a while he left home and began wandering in search of "enlightenment." One day in 533, according to tradition, he met an old man, a sick man, and a dead body, and he suddenly realized that suffering is the common part of humankind. He then met a beggar monk who was calm and peaceful and decided to adopt his way of life and family, wealth, and power in the search for truth. This decision, known in Buddhism as the Great Renunciation, is celebrated by Buddhists as a turning point in history. Gautama was then 29 years old, according to tradition. Wandering as a beggar over northern India, Buddha first investigated Hinduism. He took teachings from some famous ...
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... up of two Chinese words meaning “the way of the gods”(Shen : “ spiritual power, divinity”; Tao : “the way or path”). The word for this in Japanese is kannagara : "the way of the kami ." Many things can be said about Shinto. First, it was a tribal religion, not a state one. However, even when the tribes were organized into coherent states, they still retained their Shinto beliefs. Second, all Shinto cults believe in Kami (“the divine”) Individual clans worshipped a single Kami which was regarded as the principal ancestor of the clan. As the clan spread, it still worshipped it's Kami, but when one clan conquered another clan-the defeated clan had to worship th ...
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... the void in the spiritual and moral life of the ancient Greeks, where in the same place other cultures had their belief in a religion. Wisdom, in the Greek sense, included not only a theoretical explanation of the world around them, but also provided a practical guide to life. From Homer to Hesiod, we see the reflections of the ancient Greeks and their use of Gods to fulfill their spiritual, social and psychological needs. A lot of temples were erected for Greek deities, and the ancient Greeks worshipped Gods to avert calamities, to secure the success of a certain harvest, or as thanksgiving for success in battle or deliverance in wants and wishes. Homeric songs ...
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... understanding of what being a Buddhist means. This exercise taught me the inherent difficulty in calming the mind, along with the negative effects outside influences like other people have on the practice. The first place I attempted to meditate was outside my dorm next to a tree. This proved to be a comfortable place, yet full of distractions. I have meditated before in my martial arts classes, yet it was difficult calming my mind. While concentrating on my breathing, I was easily distracted by outside occurrences such as leaves falling and people walking by. The more I attempted to shut out the outside world, the more my mind focused on the little things ...
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... If they would have all occurred at that time I would probably hold a different view. I really don't ever recall reading in the Bible about any natural disasters, other than the Flood. That is one point that really sticks out to me that really makes me believe this view, especially in the increase lately in all of the natural disasters happening. When Jesus comes down in the second coming, I feel that all nations will mourn, just like others have done when they learn of their wrongs. It is then in which all Christians will go up Heaven and begin to reign up there, at which at the same time down on Earth will be the great war, Armageddon. I do not know i ...
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... He certainly had to fight to have his belief accepted! In my opinion, Paul tried to follow the example of the original apostles (who knew Jesus) by "converting the multitudes." I think Paul understood human nature better than the other apostles preaching circumcision to the gentiles. Perhaps he thought that gentiles would accept Christianity more easily if it was natural to their lifestyle --I'm sure that the thought of circumcision, and strict dietary laws scared gentiles from Christianity! It seems that the "Judaziers" preached a God that was hard to please. Paul's major problem confronted in his letter to the Galatians is the preachings of the Juda ...
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... My grandpa has a farm with like forty acres of forest (woods). Anyway, I've been going down there ever since I was like six or seven. When I was big enough, my dad bought a dirt bike for me and my brother. After that, we owned the woods. We would go down there every Friday after school, and we would hit the woods as soon as we got down there to make some new trails to ride on. During the summer, there is nothing I like better than to sit back in the woods, with the sun shining through the trees, a nice cool breeze blowing, and think about stuff. You always see those Christian pictures of some proverb and then they have some nature scene in the backgroun ...
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... will be ruled by those who fight and win." Satanism challenges the biblical teachings regarding mans relationship to others. Young Satanist's believe that the strong will rule with Satan. Power has become an obsession with young Satanists. It is sought after on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels. Gaining knowledge that others do not posses is another aspect of the occult. When an individual has more knowledge it allows them a degree of power over those who do not have access to that knowledge. The Ouija Board has proven particularly useful. The Ouija Board is an instrument for communication with the spirits of the dead. The Ouija Board is an open door ...
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... teaches us that each living body, including animals, is filled with an eternal soul. Hindus say that the individual soul was a part of the creator spirit, Brahma. It is each soul's job and wish eventually to return to Brahma. It is not possible though because by a soul's sins, and impurities from the world, they are no longer pure and holy to return. Instead, a soul must become pure before returning to Brahma, who is absolutely pure. The process of becoming pure is so hard that no soul can become pure in only one lifetime. The soul is forced to live life after life until it is pure enough to return to Brahma. The cycles of rebirths are called samsara, or the ...
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... donate money to charities and throw stones into ponds. On the night before Yom Kippur, people prepare for the following day's fast by eating an enourmous meal. Following the meal candles are lit and the Shehecheyanu is recited to bless the candles. The following day is spent at the synogauge where services are conducted all day long. The most important part of the services is when the rabbi asks everyone to take time to seek forgiveness of anyone whom they may have hurt in some way in the past year. People must seek forgiveness because the Jewish feel that forgiveness is not something that may be given, it is something that must be sought after. Not wan ...
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