buddhism in america
The stresses and intensity of modern American society have influenced many people to adopt and adapt the principles of Buddhism and other Eastern religions. Some recent statistics from the US department of Health and Human Services show that 75% of the General Population experiences at least "some stress" every two weeks (National Health Interview Survey). Half of those experience moderate or high levels of stress during the same two-week period. It is common knowledge that stress can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, and other illnesses in many individuals. Stress also contributes to the development of alcoholism, obesity, suicide, drug addiction, cigarette addiction, and other harmful behaviors. It was reported that tranquilizers, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications account for one fourth of all prescriptions written in the US each year. With so many mental health problems, it is almost reassuring that Eastern religions are steadily growing.Eastern religions have been practiced in Asia and the Subcontinent for thousands of years longer than Christianity. Buddhism, a main religion of Asia has been practiced in Tibet for Millennia. Buddhism, Zen and Hindu were first in
What young men need is initiation, someone to whom they can show their stuff and prove it - otherwise they do it on the street. Its priests and adherents are recognizing that Buddhism must be shown to have relevant approaches to the problems which plague American Society. and there to fulfill the prophecy come Westerners looking for guidance and eager to develop their own spiritual lives and transplant the flowering tree of enlightenment to their own lives. "(Das, 29) The first westerners to begin to adopt Eastern principles were often people on the fringes of society or in the avant-garde of the arts, literature, and philosophy. These concepts work with us, because they are easily adaptable and understandable to the Western way of life. "(Toms, 143) Unlike Western religions, Eastern religions do not teach commandments, rather, natural ways of ordinary human practice. What is new to Western thinking is the Buddhist idea that ethics and spiritual development are also governed by universal laws. You find the way that you want to live, open up that way, and then pursue that way. Buddhism, on the other hand, can help by providing psychological bridges that will reinforce the spiritual side. Many who seek enlightenment in this day and age may not be able to fulfill their destiny within a purely monastic lifestyle. Nor do they teach right and wrong - correct and incorrect or wise and ignorant.
Common topics in this essay:
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Culture Buddhism,
Jack Kerouac,
Zen Eastern,
Nhat Hanh,
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Oliver Stone,
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richard gere,
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ties traditional,
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