Many people who make Buddhist art regard it as a spiritual practice, for in order to make trulysublime work, it helps if one meditates and has the right view and intention from the outset. . It also serves educational purposes in areas of low literacy, helping people to understand the teachings and reducing suffering.
It is important not to confuse the Buddhist spiritual path with a particular culture. As
mentioned earlier, the culture may influence practices and outer forms, but the essential
teachings are the same, regardless of culture.
As with visual art, there is a wide range of contemporary Buddhist and Buddhist influenced
performing artists in theatre, film, music, dance and performance art by both emerging and
well known artists.
Buddhist cuisine is an which is primarily ; in order to keep with the general Buddhist precept of (non-violence).East Asian "Buddhist" cuisine differs from Western vegetarian cuisine in one aspect, that is avoidance of killing plant life. Buddhist monks and nuns prohibits harming of plants. Therefore, strictly speaking, such as potatoes, carrots or oniona re not to be used as this will result in death of vegetable. Instead, vegetables such as beans or fruits are used.
The food that a strict Buddhist takes, even if not a vegetarian, is also specific. For many Chinese Buddhists beef and the consumption of large animals and exotic species is avoided. One restriction on food that is not known to many is the abstinence from eating animal innards and organs. Alcohol and other drugs are also avoided by many Buddhists because of their effects on the mind and "mindfulness". The definition of "addictive" depends on each individual but most Buddhists consider alcohol, and drugs to be addictive
Buddhist vegetarian chefs have become extremely creative in imitating meat using prepared , (such as or ), , and other products. Some of their recipes are the oldest and most-refined in the world. Soy and wheat gluten are very versatile materials, because they can be manufactured into various shapes and textures, and they absorb flavourings, whilst having very little flavour of their own. With the proper , they can mimic various kinds of meat quite closely
Buddha's delight, is a dish well known in and . The dish is traditionally enjoyed by monks who are vegetarians, but it has also grown in popularity throughout the world as a common dish available as a vegetarian option in Chinese restaurants. The dish consists of various vegetables and other vegetarian ingredients (sometimes with the addition of seafood or eggs), which are cooked in -based liquid with other seasonings until tender. The specific ingredients used vary greatly both inside and outside Asia.
The goal of Buddhist education is to attain wisdom. One of the way to carry out Buddhist education is to teach Buddhism in schools and institutions so as to enrich the youth with Buddhist teachings. This is a good way to train the youth to be good person and purify their mind with moral merits. But it doesn’t mean that we will make Buddhism as the basis of the system of education, but to reinforce the existing education system.
The prospect of teaching kids to pay attention is far more likely to spark educators' interest than suggesting, that meditation will connect them to a deeper understanding of experience.It's been said that Buddhism will establish itself in the west as a psychology rather than a , and that seems to be the case here - many of those introducing meditation to wouldn't identify as Buddhists. Among other benefits, meditation to foster attention skills, reduce aggression, and increase pro-social behaviour and relational abilities, as well as .
In the eyes of Buddhism, the student nowadays is an expert on finding the faults of others and society in general, but fails to revaluate themselves. The modern educational system fails to educate students to learn to be sensitive, caring, and even-minded individuals.
The original language seems to have been Magadhi, which used in preaching. Of all the Indic language versions are used as Buddhist texts today, those written in Pali are the most numerous and are widely used in the Southern Buddhist countries Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand. According to Southern Buddhist tradition Magadhi influence is still evident in the Pali language, the basic characteristics of the two languages are different.
Buddhists generally classify themselves as either or . This classification is also used by some school and is the one ordinarily used in the English language. An alternative scheme used by some scholars divides Buddhism into the following three traditions or geographical or cultural areas
At the present time, the teachings of all three branches of Buddhism have spread throughout the world, and Buddhist texts are increasingly translated into local languages. While in the Buddhism is often seen as exotic and progressive, in the East it is regarded as familiar and traditional. Buddhists in Asia are frequently well organized and well funded. In a number of countries, it is recognized as an official religion and receives state support. Modern influences increasingly lead to that significantly depart from traditional beliefs and practices. Overall there is an overwhelming diversity of recent forms of Buddhism.
Tolerance is not always seen as a virtue and often misunderstood. From a Buddhist perspective, tolerance is extremely important feature of Buddhism down the twenty five centuries of its history. Tolerance is the acceptance that other people hold different views from ourselves. It is the willingness to allow others to be different in their views and actions and to absolute avoidance of using power, violence or coercion to force other people to think and believe as we do.
Fascists, racists and extremists; it will be argued that we surely cannot be tolerant of those who preach violence and prejudice. Being intolerant means using force, violence and coercion to make others change, therefore if we practise intolerance towards those whose views we find despicable, we will be joining them, descending to their level and in that way giving them a victory. ‘Hatred is not appeased by hatred, by love alone is hatred appeased’. The truly Buddhist attitude towards those who hold repugnant views is one of compassion, because they live in a hell realm.
The Buddhist stance on chanting, can be analysed to see how far Buddhism is socially oriented to bring about togetherness and integrity in society .Chanting performed in connection with the significant events of day-to-day life has enabled Buddhists to maintain social cohesion and the Buddhist identity even in modern society that is changing rapidly.
As with any religion, belonging can make an important psychological difference to people's lives. It provides informal support networks, as well as social opportunities. However, it is important to remember that Buddhism teaches that all things are characterised by the impermanence, suffering and not-Self. This means that while a sense of community and belonging has its benefits one should not become attached to it. The same is taught of the Buddhist religion as a whole.
Cultural diversity is a reflection of people’s connection to their local environment, to the living world. Globalization is bringing every corner of the planet a cultural landscape dominated by fast food restaurants, Hollywood films, fashion.
National Buddhist temples, scriptures were introduced from China and without much modification they were studied by the Japanese monks. Buddhist images and ornaments were made by the Japanese artisans, some of which can still be seen in the older temples in Japan.
Buddhist temples in those days were the center of culture; they were not only used as places of worship, but also as schools, hospitals, dispensaries, orphanages, and refuges for older people. The monks were also school teachers, physicians, engineers, and developers of many construction projects. Therefore, the Japanese government encouraged and supported the Buddhist institutions and monks spiritually and materially, so that they could work with the government and the people more effectively