RELI 448 N Week 3 Discussion: Buddhism

Week 3 Discussion: Buddhism

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 4
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook/lesson)

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, respond to only one of the following options:

Option 1

For this option, address the following:

Define Theravada and Mahayana forms of Buddhism.

Describe the Arhat and the Bodhisattva and explain how each achieves the goal of nirvana.

Examine how each ideal relates to one or more of the following key concepts/teachings: Four Noble Truths, Three marks of reality, Noble Eightfold Path.

Explain which of these ideals you believe best expresses healthcare ideals.

Option 2

For this option, address the following:

Explain the Buddhist understanding of dukkha.

Why do many scholars feel that “suffering” may be a misleading translation of the word dukkha? What might be a better translation?

What did the Buddha offer as a way to overcome dukkha and how does it explain his understanding?

In what ways does the Buddhist notion of dukkha challenge or affirm Western medical practice?

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to a peer who chose an option different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up)
Initial Post Length: 300-500 words
Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and one outside scholarly source)
APA format for in-text citations (include page or paragraph) and references

Grading

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage): Discussion Guidelines

Course Outcomes (CO): 2, 4, 5

Due Date for Initial Post: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday
Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Sunday

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You have made it to the Week 3 Discussion. You may begin posting on Sunday 11/08/20. This week’s discussion gives you the choice of two options. The first focusses on the Buddhist teachings concerning nirvana, and the second deals with issues surrounding suffering. Please make your TWO posts each week on any of the eight days allotted from preview Sunday to closing Sunday that work with your schedule. Both posts may be on the same day.

Remember to use an outside resource in the main post, and you should also be reminded that your follow-up posts are to do more than simply comment on what your classmate has written. Your goal is to work to further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification in a respectful and positive way.

You are once again encouraged to take a look at the discussion rubric as you are working on your initial post. And, again, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Here again are some articles that former students have found helpful on these topics.

Self-immolation and Martyrdom in Tibet - https://www-tandfonline-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/doi/abs/10.1080/13576275.2014.894011 (Links to an external site.)

Self-Immolation for Tibet: Why the Dalai Lama’s Silence is Costing Lives http://www.brownpoliticalreview.org/2018/03/self-immolation-tibet-dalai-lamas-silence-costing-lives/ (Links to an external site.)

Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America https://chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=216015&site=eds-live&scope=site (Links to an external site.) 

How does mindfulness transform suffering? I: The Nature and Origins of Dukkha https://doi-org.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/14639947.2011.564824 (Links to an external site.) 

Four Noble Truths of Buddhism https://www.school-for-champions.com/religion/buddhism_four_noble_truths.htm#.XL_L75hKjct (Links to an external site.)

Dukkah https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca1/dukkha.html (Links to an external site.) 

Not Misunderstanding Dukkha  https://brightwayzen.org/not-misunderstanding-dukkha/ (Links to an external site.) 

Three Marks of Existence https://buddhists.org/buddhist-symbols/three-marks-of-existence/ (Links to an external site.)

Understanding Nirvana in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1370/understanding-nirvana-in-theravada-and-mahayana-buddhism-in-support-of-nagarjunas-mahayana-perspective (Links to an external site.) 

The DIfference Between Buddhism and Zen https://buddhists.org/history-of-buddhism/the-difference-between-buddhism-and-zen/ (Links to an external site.)

The Four Noble Truths http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fournobletruths_1.shtml

According to Malloy (2020), “The third characteristic of reality, known as dukkha (Pali), or duhkha (Sanskrit), is usually translated as “suffering” or “sorrow.” It may also be translated as “dissatisfaction” or “difficulty.” It refers to the fact that life, when lived conventionally, can never be fully satisfying”. The understanding is that because in life things are always changing it is impossible to achieve permanent satisfaction. Many scholars think it is a misleading translation because suffering is typically associated with negative situations that arise in our life.

But as Durk (2012) explains, “Even the most positive, rewarding and enjoyable experience is at least slightly colored by the fact that it will end, or by the fact that at the same moment innocent people are in the midst of terrible suffering”. While I do not think there is one simple translation for this complex term, a better translation of the word may be discontent. Using this term, it does not isolate the meaning to only include sad and depressing situations but can also include the downside of even the positive feelings.  

What Buddha offered as a way to overcome dukkha is the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. By understanding the Four Noble Truths you understand that suffering is a natural part of life. The suffering that you experience comes from your desires. If you can cut off your desires, this will simultaneously end your suffering. And if you follow the Noble Eightfold Path you can reach nirvana. This path focuses on having the right understanding, intention, speech, action, work, effort, meditation, and contemplation. The following of this path is the key to reaching inner peace.  

The notion of dukkha challenges Western medical practices because in Western medicine there is a large emphasis on mental health practices. When focusing on our mental health we are taught to embrace our emotions and explore them further. We also focus on the fact that some emotions are out of our control if there is a mental health disorder. This does not align with the notion of dukkha in that we cannot simply end suffering by eliminating our desires.  

  References 

Burk, D. (2012, November 18). Not Misunderstanding Dukkha. Retrieved November 09, 2020, from https://brightwayzen.org/not-misunderstanding-dukkha/Links to an external site. 

Molloy, M. (2020). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (pp. 25) (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill 

The 4 noble truths are actually set apart inside the body of the Buddha’s teachings, not since they’re by definition sacred, but since they’re both a doctrine and a symbol and transformative inside the sphere of view that is right. As a single doctrine among others, the 4 noble truths make explicit the framework inside which one must find enlightenment; as a symbol, the 4 noble truths evoke the potential for enlightenment (Molloy, 2020). As equally, they occupy not merely a central but a singular placement in the Theravada canon and tradition. Once the 4 noble truths are viewed in the canon as the very first training of the Buddha, they perform like a perspective or maybe doctrine which assumes a symbolic feature.

The place that the 4 noble truths show up in the guise associated with a religious sign in the Vinaya-pitaka and the Sutta-pitaka of the Pali canon, they symbolize the enlightenment expertise of the possibility and the Buddha of enlightenment for all the Buddhists in the cosmos (Molloy, 2020). The 4 facts explain dukkha plus its ending as a way to reach out peace of imagination in this particular lifetime, but additionally as a way to stop rebirth.

Molloy, M. (2020). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (pp. 25) (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill 