Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Buddhist Stereotypes
The stereotype is not really one of Buddhism alone but of all religions, and it is to say that all religions pray to some kind of lord to help them. My understanding of Buddhism was that they were more focused on reaching enlightenment through various rituals and a system of beliefs and not necessarily praying to one singular God. Buddhism is more focused on compassion for the self and others, and it focuses on the teachings of Buddha, unlike Christianity which focuses on the teachings of one God and we've been taught to ask His forgiveness when we sin. Lisa ascribed herself to Zen Buddhism, which focuses on zazen, koan, and sanzen, none of which include praying to "Lord Buddha" to ask for things, so the Simpsons singlehandedly encouraged the western idea of Buddhists as people who are just like "us," obeying a singular Lord and praying to him for whatever it is you need that day.
Not only does the Buddhist cosmology consist of more than just one almighty Buddha, the purpose of Buddhism has nothing to do with earning His forgiveness or his help in times of need, the religion is one of self-focus and following his teachings to reach the ultimate goal of enlightenment (whether it be in another part of the cosmos or here on earth before death).
The Tao of Pooh
"When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun."
I enjoyed the Tao of Pooh, I loved how Hoff used childhood characters to exemplify the nature of the religion to make it relatable and understandable to people of all ages. After reading it and my knowledge of Taoism from class I think I really like Taoism and I think a lot of people could benefit from learning about it and possibly taking it up as a philosophical belief (or even their full-time religion). Taoism really opened my eyes to the level of non-Taoist actions and activities that much of American society takes part in. Hoff’s book helped me to fully understand concepts such as wu wei, I also finally understand the Uncarved Block (p’u). This book made me look more closely at my own life and my life choices and I feel like if I embraced these Taoist concepts my life would be so much less stressful.
This leads into the topic of the Bisy Backson and how it represents American culture as whole. Our society is obsessed with taking matters into our own hands to better our situation, and that is not always a bad thing, but it is the exact opposite of the way of the Tao (or rather wu wei). The Bisy Backson is so busy trying to “save time” that he eventually ends up wasting all of it. I’ve noticed about our culture that everyone is always rushing to do one thing or another, and in the end the cause of the rush is usually not worth it. For example, I’ve noticed a lot of people my age or younger have been trying to rush their growing up process far too quickly, and from my experience it always ends up negatively, or the experience backfires on them. If we all could embrace the concept of unmeddlesome action and let life take its course as it is supposed to we could not only come out on the other side having enjoyed life thoroughly, we can breeze through the process without a care or worry, letting life lead us instead of the other way around.
I enjoyed the Tao of Pooh, I loved how Hoff used childhood characters to exemplify the nature of the religion to make it relatable and understandable to people of all ages. After reading it and my knowledge of Taoism from class I think I really like Taoism and I think a lot of people could benefit from learning about it and possibly taking it up as a philosophical belief (or even their full-time religion). Taoism really opened my eyes to the level of non-Taoist actions and activities that much of American society takes part in. Hoff’s book helped me to fully understand concepts such as wu wei, I also finally understand the Uncarved Block (p’u). This book made me look more closely at my own life and my life choices and I feel like if I embraced these Taoist concepts my life would be so much less stressful.
This leads into the topic of the Bisy Backson and how it represents American culture as whole. Our society is obsessed with taking matters into our own hands to better our situation, and that is not always a bad thing, but it is the exact opposite of the way of the Tao (or rather wu wei). The Bisy Backson is so busy trying to “save time” that he eventually ends up wasting all of it. I’ve noticed about our culture that everyone is always rushing to do one thing or another, and in the end the cause of the rush is usually not worth it. For example, I’ve noticed a lot of people my age or younger have been trying to rush their growing up process far too quickly, and from my experience it always ends up negatively, or the experience backfires on them. If we all could embrace the concept of unmeddlesome action and let life take its course as it is supposed to we could not only come out on the other side having enjoyed life thoroughly, we can breeze through the process without a care or worry, letting life lead us instead of the other way around.
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