Entries Tagged 'Comparisons' ↓

In a recent post I compared the seeker experience of Siddartra Gautama before he became known as the Buddha, “The Enlightened One” and Enos, the third writer found in the Book of Mormon. The reason I find their stories interesting is that I believe certain elements of their experiences are quite common in the personal religious dilemma of many in the modern world yet most in the modern world have not had the outcome of “enlightenment” or report “having their guilt swept away” or being able to say “my soul did rest.” Instead the common outcome is apathy. “It doesn’t matter” or “nobody can know, so why worry about it” are the responses of our day.  

Why is this so?  Am I wrong in regards to apathy?  

Siddarthra Gautama was a seeker.  He lived 2500 years ago but his experience and thought process parallels that of many sincere seekers in this modern generation–

He grew up in prosperity and abundance, oblivious to the poverty and suffering just beyond the walls of the royal compound.  In a radical move for royalty he ventured out and there he saw death, he saw pain and suffering, and also a wandering ascetic. Disturbed by it all, the great disparities, he left his previous life, including his young wife and two young children, in search of answers to this great dilemma.

Enos was also of royal blood being the grandson of Father Lehi.  He went alone “to hunt beasts in the forests”, an activity that has not been a safe venture for royal princes historically, it was often the place of “accidents” that led to changes in power in the ancient world.  He reports that his “soul hungered” and that he an internal “wrestle” before God for his sins.

Despite their similar predicaments, their conclusions were quite different.  Gautama Continue reading →

A friend of mine recently converted to Buddhism or at least embraced Zen teachings and asked for my opinion on some of the issues.  I am nowhere near being an expert but I have had a decent amount of exposure living among Cambodians for two years, getting an Asian Studies minor, and eating a lot of Chinese food.  So I speak primarily from my personal experiences.  My response over multiple exchanges:

I have a lot of respect for Buddhism. There is something quite beautiful about the mediation, concentration, and unity with the natural world found in Zen Buddhism. The traditional teachings of Buddhism are quite simple and beautiful, i.e. the 8 fold path, and when practiced are conducive to a harmonious society.

The Cambodians I worked with were Theravada Buddhists and for the lay people it was more a matter of culture than religion. A lay practitioner likely didn’t know the Continue reading →

Today, on the other side of the world, an estimated 2.5 million people are participating in a sacred ritualistic pilgrimage, the Hajj. It is the largest annual religious pilgrimage in the world and is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

I would like to look at the general outline of the Hajj in light of my own experience as a participant in the rituals of the Mormons in what is called the Endowment. I hope to do so in a way that maintains the sacred nature of the rituals in the eyes of their respective participants, again, I will be mainly comparing elements of the general outline of the experiences. All the quotes regarding the Hajj are taken from the related Wikipedia article.

Continue reading →