Religious Studies Essays Example

How would a Buddhist describe the nature of the sacred?

Buddhists define the nature of the sacred according their principles and philosophy based on teachings of Buddha. The Buddhist teachings consist of the words of the Buddha that provide teachings, the rules of conduct and the transitional states after death. Buddhism asserts that all things are compound and impermanent except space and Nirvana. If one analyses the body and takes away the body and mind, the permanent entity that remains is the soul that is identical with the absolute and eternal. Buddhism believes in humanity and the methods of right living with a self-guided mind that has been trained with meditation. According to Buddhist teachings, the present life is based on the past lives and deeds. The goals of our life are to become detached and get free of sufferings. There are very few who can reach enlightenment via right living and through meditation.
Every human life is precious and carries the potential to develop into a Buddha, the perfect human being. However, one lives a life of ignorance and is not able to see the impermanence of the things around. They need to follow Buddha examples and teachings to discover the truth within. Looking at it, on a spiritual level, Buddhism is quite similar to Christianity. Buddha urges people to gain Nirvana and lose oneself and motivates them to follow the path of charity. Hatred and anger in the world cannot be overcome by hating back or being angry, but by loving, sharing and giving.
The primary activities followed by Buddhists is to listen to the teachings of Buddha, mentor his life and spend his time meditating and chanting. Buddha says that by controlling one, thoughts one can control his actions and keep away the sufferings. The endless existence of the world is the ultimate reality, but it is also impermanent and ever changing. To the Buddhists, the nature is not sacred, and it is only when one gets enlightened that they can understand the true reality of nature.