'Life as a Buddhist Essay\r'

'Many flock all around this planet invite knowingly or unknowingly met heap of the Buddhistic community or crimson seen a Buddhist Temple. In any(prenominal) circumstances, hearing of, meeting with the real Buddhists or visiting their temple is not an issue. The natural question is, ‘what is Buddhism? ’ An article, The Buddhist Way coming into court in the Buddha solve (2008) defines Buddhism as, â€Å"…a pietism, a series of practices and a flair of deport ment based on the educations of Buddha who, after(prenominal) achieving enlightenment, taught that the genius of the world is constant change.\r\n” According to the teaching of Buddha, all things in this world atomic number 18 temporary and the inability to render manners’s nature is the source of flock’s unhappiness, trouble and their suffering. Buddhism is therefore a means to correct people’s views, expectations along with their conduct and bring happiness, peace, wisdom, promised land and end suffering. Buddha’s teachings ar a source of inspiration to people whose religion is Buddhism. Their receives have perchance been influenced by these teachings (Buddha Net 2008). This essay seeks to explore through the daylight to day breeding of Buddhist men, women and clawren\r\nThe males were the supreme figures in the Buddhist community. Their responsibility was to educate c be of the females in their community. They were the voice in their families and no cleaning lady could dare go against their wishes. The cleaning lady could only care the affairs of the house in the way that the con do dictated. The males could marry as many wives as their strength allowed (Buddha Net 2008). They could become monks to serve in the Buddhism religion where they were suppositious to live a celibate animation (Andrew, nd).\r\nTo lowstand the situation currently facing the Buddhist char char, it is important to look at the archeozoic life of th e Buddhist woman. The Buddhist woman seems to have g one and only(a) through so much than any other(a) vitality creature. Her life was that of submissiveness and servitude; as a child and y push throughh, a wife and an elderly woman, she had to result and serve her parents, husband and gr have children respectively. They had no right to chose whom to marry and would marry anyone chosen to them by parents. On very elevated occasions, they were given an opportunity to choose from a few suitors. Some of the women therefore were coerce to elope.\r\n once they were in marriage they were to succeed their husbands together with his parents without question. Like objects, they could seldom grass decisions; they were decreeed on what was to be through with(p) by men (Andrew, nd). Women’s power in the Buddhist beau monde was to manage household affairs such as cooking, cleaning the house, bearing and looking after the children. They only ate leftovers after the men had had their fill. Women were treated more or less(prenominal) same objects. Their husbands could beat them up if they were displeased to, an extent of universe thrown out from the family house.\r\nA woman could not single file for a divorce however a man could (Andrew, nd). Their role as give tongue to rather was to bring forth children for their honorable husbands and if the woman was barren, another wife was the split up option for the husband. As opposed to men, women who connected adultery were put to death. Men could similarly give away their wives to their men friends. The woman was the most degraded creature in the earlyish Buddhist community whose activates and decisions were under the remote control of men. Many women served as slaves and had to follow whatever their masters say compensate if it meant the sexual act.\r\nThey were in wish well manner vanquish up by their master and even murdered without anyone’s alarm. Due to these hard and regular beating s they occasionally commit suicide. The life of a traditional Buddhist woman was made of a dark veil of suffering. Andrews in her article Women in Theravada Buddhism joins Janice Willis in saying that women â€Å"…were helpmates at best and burdens at worst, only always they were viewed as being inferior, second class citizens” (Andrew, nd). The birth of Buddha to a fault marked the birth of the women’s freedom.\r\nAt one meter Buddha was asked about women by one of his disciples, Ananda and he replied that just the like men, they could also become enlightened. Buddha in an trial of lifting the woman figure founded orders for both Bhikkhus (monks) and Bhikkhunis (nuns). The practices and rules that governed the twain orders were similar. Buddha also taught anyone; male and females alike (Andrew, nd). hitherto it had not been easy for Buddha to establish the order of nuns. Had it not been for his disciple Ananda’s pleading, the women could not have been ordained.\r\nDespite their ordination, Buddha dictated octonary rules that setd the nuns as monks’ subordinates. To Buddha still, a woman was a lesser being. It was because of nuns’ ordination that his teachings would brook for only 500 years sooner of the expect 1000 years. Ordination of women was like a crime that he had committed (Andrew, nd). After the death of Buddha, the one time patriarch society wore back its earlier face. They could not deal with women nuns who were their equal and rules to let down the standards of women in the society were made.\r\nNo one was against Buddha’s teachings that women could in the same way as men attain enlightment but there were certain limitations made for Bhikkhunis to perhaps increase acceptance of monastic rules in the society. Despite these limitations, many women joined the Bhikkhunis as there was more freedom, no servitude; no doing of household chores and above all they had independence. Once liberated, they taught the same to other women. Bhikkhunism therefore was a way of escaping from the harsh realities of life. All women could not be Bhikkhunis; some established other movements such as the Lay Women (Andrew, nd).\r\nThe life expectations of a Buddhist child foundation be drawn from the teaching of Buddha to his own son Rahula. Parents and teachers were supposed to pass these teachings on to their children. A Buddhist child is expected to be truthful. If the Buddhist child precious to find truth the child must be truthful in the start-off place. Children are also supposed lift up with their actions as mirrors. They were advised not to perform any action that seemed harmful. Children were supposed to learn from their mistakes and be responsible for their actions. They were also supposed to be compassionate.\r\nBuddhist children are also trained to become monks from an early age (Talbot, 2010) Conclusion Just like in any other institution, the Buddhist community has had their own way of life. each(prenominal) and every group had a place it held in the society. However, it had been a patriarch society that infringed on the rights of women. Men were superior figures but women were expected to be in contribute submission of their husbands.\r\nWith the coming of Buddha the status of women was move but was not equal to that of men. Women are still below men in communities that practice Buddhism such as in India and Thailand. References Andrew, K. (nd). Women in Theravada Buddhism. Retrieved form http://www. enabling. org/ia/vipassana/Archive/A/Andrews/womenTheraBudAndrews. html Buddha Net. (2008). The Buddhist way. Retrieved from http://www. buddhanet. net/e-learning/buddhism/bs-s01. htm Talbot, M. (2010). groundwork: teaching your children Buddhist values. Retrieved from http://www. tricycle. com/special-section/introduction-teaching-your-children-buddhist-values\r\n'