Buddhist Dharma Teaching Service - Assignment Example

? I watched a Buddhist Dharma Teaching Service in the internet as a part of this assignment. I had several misconceptions about Buddhism going into this assignment. Watching this video helped me to see through some of these misconceptions. The first misconception that I had about Buddhism is that the settings and teachings were somehow more exotic than what I witnessed on the internet. Buddhism brings to mind flowing saffron robes, dark monasteries high in the mountains, and for some reason, many candles. Maybe that is a leftover from some of the kung-Fu movies I watched on Saturday afternoons as a kid. The setting for this Dharma teaching was bright clean and modern. The teacher did indeed wear traditional robes, but I was surprised to note that not a single attendee wore anything even resembling a saffron colored robe. Jeans, sweatshirts and western dress was the norm. I learned from watching this that there is no proscribed dress code for attending a Buddhist teaching service, at least not with this teacher. The setting looked like a conference room that was equipped with a microphone so the teacher’s voice filled the room. The room was bright and airy without a single candle. A second misconception I had about Buddhist teaching was that it was more interactive. For some reason, I always pictured the teaching of The Buddha occurring as conversations under that tree. I was surprised to find that the flow of the teaching ceremony closely resembled that of other religions I have attended. In a Christian church, a rough outline of the worship service consists of an invocation, a hymn; the pastor’s message another hymn and then a benediction. The same was true for this teaching session. The session opened with chanting, the teacher spoke for about an hour and a half on the link between common sense, philosophy and realization, and then several sessions of meditation concluded the meeting. The purposes of the meditation and chanting seemed to serve the same purposes as prayer and congregational singing in a Christian service. I was surprised to see that the two religions operated in such similar ways. A final misconception that disappeared by watching this video was the idea that Buddhist teachings were somehow delivered in riddles. I expected the instruction to be more mystical, more open to interpretation and opaque. What I witnessed was clear instruction on the link between unhappiness and want, desire and ego. The teacher clearly taught how common sense without philosophical depth leads to a shallow existence without a realization of one’s self and the world around us. The teaching was clear, even though the teacher had limited English proficiency. After watching this service, I feel that I have a better grasp on how Buddhists apply the principles of their religion in the modern world. I understood the basic teaching of the Buddha, but I understood them in abstract. This teacher was very adept at using real life situation that occur in modern times to illustrate how to apply the teachings in the lesson. Following the themes of common sense, philosophy and realization, he spoke candidly about applying the teachings of The Buddha in our interpersonal relationships, our relationships with material goods and out perception of ourselves. I learned that Buddhist teachings are compatible with everyday life in a way that I did not understand before viewing this video. The teacher used humor often in his teaching, which was unexpected for me and seemed to make everything updated. I understood that The Buddha taught about how to be happy by overcoming our own desires for wealth, fame and power, but I don’t think I realized just how incredibly ingrained these desires are in each one of us, including myself. I gained a deeper understanding through this video of the mindset that is expected in Buddhism. The teacher taught that depending on common sense alone to get us through difficult times alone could lead us to unhappiness because we become self-satisfied and self-centered. We must also have a philosophy that takes out natural abilities and puts them in the proper context if we are going to gain a realization of our true self and how we fit in the world around us. I also have a better understanding of the role meditation plays in Buddhist teachings. The meditation at the end of the lesson was occasionally accompanied by a voice over that instructed the watcher on how to meditate and the reason for the meditation. Like learning in any setting, secular or spiritual, meditation allows time for reflection and summary. It is the time when the new learning is incorporated deeper into the mind so that I can be recalled and applied in daily life. I believe that misconceptions, large and small, are very common about other people’s religions. As someone growing up in the West, things from the East always have appeared mystical and somehow otherworldly. Differences in simple things such as diet and dress can cause people to form misconceptions about other cultures. This obviously can spill over into religion because religion is such a big part of culture. Misconceptions due to a lack of experience do not always need to be negative and are not an indication that the person is somehow biased against a certain group. Misconceptions are natural. We have to attempt to order our world in some way and having misconceptions about things we do not understand fully helps us to make sense of the world. It is only when we have more experience with another religion that we can eliminate or alter the misconceptions that we have put into place. I do not feel badly that my concept of a Buddhist teaching ceremony was much different from what I witnessed on the internet. I now understand that you do not need candles or special robes to sit and listen to a Buddhist teacher. Some of my misconceptions have melted away, but I am certain that I still have many inaccurate ideas about how Buddhism works in everyday life. I do not believe that most people set out to have misconceptions about other religions. I think it is a natural outcome of the fact that we are human. We are only able to experience so much in the time that we have when we are not earning a living and attending to other duties. Misconceptions come largely from a lack of experience and interaction with people of other faiths. The interaction necessary to dispel religious misconceptions may be as simple as a conversation during break-time at work or may require a more intimate encounter with the religion. The best way for people to overcome their misconceptions about a religion is to first, conquer any fear or bias they may have towards the religion caused by those misconceptions. The next step is to interact with the adherents of that religion in some way. I enjoyed watching the Buddhist teaching on the internet and found it enlightening. I believe that I would have gained even more insight if I were actually there in person so I could feel the energy in the room, ask questions of the other adherents and the teacher and actually participate in the chanting and meditation. I feel that experience is the only real cure for misconceptions. Misconceptions about religion are like dandelions, however. It seems that once you pull out one by the roots, another springs up to take its place. As a result, the only way to root out misconceptions about religion is to be a spiritually minded individual that is open to inspiration and guidance with a commitment to new and enlightening experiences. Contact with adherents, study and experience will ultimately conquer all religious misconceptions. Reference https://dharmasun.org/ Read More