Soul - Bahá'í beliefs. The Bahá'í Faith affirm that "the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel." Concerning the soul or spirit of human beings and its relationship to the physical body, Bahá'u'lláh explained: Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above, and is independent of all infirmities of body or mind. That a sick person showeth signs of weakness is due to the hindrances ...

See also:

Soul, Soul - Etymologies, Soul - Philosophical views, Soul - Socrates and Plato, Soul - Aristotle, Soul - Religious views, Soul - Bahá'í beliefs, Soul - Buddhist beliefs, Soul - Christian beliefs, Soul - Hindu beliefs, Soul - Islamic beliefs, Soul - Jainist beliefs, Soul - Jewish beliefs, Soul - Other religious beliefs and views, Soul - Science and the soul, Soul - Materialistic Science and the Soul, Soul - Scientific approaches for study of a non-material soul, Soul - Other uses of the term, Soul - Movie, Soul - External references and links

Read more here: » Soul: Encyclopedia II - Soul - Religious views

See also:

Soul, Soul - Etymologies, Soul - Philosophical views, Soul - Socrates and Plato, Soul - Aristotle, Soul - Religious views, Soul - Bahá'í beliefs, Soul - Buddhist beliefs, Soul - Christian beliefs, Soul - Hindu beliefs, Soul - Islamic beliefs, Soul - Jainist beliefs, Soul - Jewish beliefs, Soul - Other religious beliefs and views, Soul - Science and the soul, Soul - Materialistic Science and the Soul, Soul - Scientific approaches for study of a non-material soul, Soul - Other uses of the term, Soul - Movie, Soul - External references and links

Read more here: » Soul: Encyclopedia II - Soul - Science and the soul

The Ancient Greeks used the same word for 'alive' as for 'ensouled'. So the earliest surviving Western philosophical view might suggest that the soul makes living things alive. Soul - Socrates and Plato. Plato, drawing on the words of his teacher Socrates, considers the soul as the essence of a person, as that which decides how we act. He considered this essence as an incorporeal occupant of our being. The Platonic soul comprises three parts: the reason (mind or logos) the appetite (body or passion) spirit (emotion or pathos). Each of these has ...

See also:

Soul, Soul - Etymologies, Soul - Philosophical views, Soul - Socrates and Plato, Soul - Aristotle, Soul - Religious views, Soul - Bahá'í beliefs, Soul - Buddhist beliefs, Soul - Christian beliefs, Soul - Hindu beliefs, Soul - Islamic beliefs, Soul - Jainist beliefs, Soul - Jewish beliefs, Soul - Other religious beliefs and views, Soul - Science and the soul, Soul - Materialistic Science and the Soul, Soul - Scientific approaches for study of a non-material soul, Soul - Other uses of the term, Soul - Movie, Soul - External references and links

Read more here: » Soul: Encyclopedia II - Soul - Philosophical views

The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the ethereal substance — spirit (Hebrew:rooah or nefesh) — particular to a unique living being. Such traditions often consider the soul both immortal and innately aware of its immortal nature, as well as the true basis for sentience in each living being. The concept of the soul has strong links with notions of an afterlife, but opinions may vary wildly, even within a given religion, as to what happens to the soul after death. Many wi ...

Including:

• Soul - Etymologies
• Soul - Philosophical views
• Soul - Socrates and Plato
• Soul - Aristotle
• Soul - Religious views
• Soul - Bahá'í beliefs
• Soul - Buddhist beliefs
• Soul - Christian beliefs
• Soul - Hindu beliefs
• Soul - Islamic beliefs
• Soul - Jainist beliefs
• Soul - Jewish beliefs
• Soul - Other religious beliefs and views
• Soul - Science and the soul
• Soul - Materialistic Science and the Soul
• Soul - Scientific approaches for study of a non-material soul
• Soul - Other uses of the term
• Soul - Movie
• Soul - External references and links

Read more here: » Soul: Encyclopedia - Soul

Buddhism: Funeral Rites as practiced in Thailand and other South East Asian Countries.

Funeral rites are the most elaborate of all the life-cycle ceremonies and the ones entered into most fully by the monks. It is a basic teaching of Buddhism that existence is suffering, whether birth, daily living, old age or dying. This teaching is never in a stronger position than when death enters a home. Indeed Buddhism may have won its way the more easily in Thailand because it had more to say about death and the hereafter than had animism.

Read more here: » Buddhist Rites: Buddhist Funeral Rites

Buddhism Beliefs: Buddhist Vegetarianism

The first lay precept in Buddhism prohibits killing. Many see this as implying that Buddhists should not eat the meat of animals. However, this is not necessarily the case. The Buddha made distinction between killing an animal and consumption of meat, stressing that it is immoral conduct that makes one impure, not the food one eats.

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Pali Chanting in the Theravada Buddhist Tradition

With translation to enlglish, including

Vandan a - Homage to the Triple Gems

Ti-Sarana - The Three Refuges

Panca-sila - The Five Precepts

Buddha Vandana - Homage to the Buddha

Dhamma Vandana - Homage to the Teachings

Sangha Vandana - Homage to the Disciples of the Buddha

Maha-Mangala Sutta - Discourse on Blessings

Karaniya Sutta - Discourse on Loving Kindness

Ratana Sutta - The Jewel Discourse

Read more here: » Buddhism: Pali Chanting in the Theravada Buddhist Tradition

Rituals in Buddhism: Buddhist Funeral Rites

Theravadins Buddhist follow the Indian custom of burning the body at death. The BuddhaÕs body was cremated and this set the example for many Buddhists, even in the West. When someone is dying in a Burmese home, monks come to comfort them. They chant verses to them, such as:

Read more here: » Rituals in Buddhism: Buddhist Funeral Rites

Buddhist Rituals: Traditional Chinese Funeral Arrangements

On the passing away of the father, the eldest son becomes the head of the family. f the eldest son passes away, his second brother does not assume leadership of the family. Leadership passes to the eldest son of the eldest son or the grandson of the father. He must assume the responsibilities and duties to the ancestors on behalf of the family

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The Purpose of Buddhist Prayer

Buddhist prayer is a practice to awaken our inherent inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom rather than to petition external forces based on fear, idolizing, and worldly and/or heavenly gain. Buddhist prayer is a form of meditation; it is a practice of inner reconditioning. Buddhist prayer replaces the negative with the virtuous and points us to the blessings of Life.

Read more here: » Prayers in Buddhism: The Purpose of Buddhist Prayer

Dharma: Path of Powerful Dharma Beings

One takes refuge in the Buddha's path because it allows the freedom to modulate it to one's self-awareness, provided one takes responsibility of one's own suffering. Buddhism's view of dependent origination and the inherent emptiness of all phenomena is a profound and radical one.

It dispenses with the existence of a Creator God or a Superior Being. The view is taught not as an article of faith or an exclusive revelation to a messiah or prophet, but is one that can be ascer-tained by study, debate, and direct experience.

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The main principles of Buddhism: The Three Jewels, The Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path, The Five Precepts, The three marks of conditioned existence and vegetarianism.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Principles of Buddhism

Buddhism Beliefs: The Three Jewels in Buddhism

Buddhists seek refuge in what are often referred to as the Three Jewels, Triple Gem or Triple Jewel. These are the Buddha, the Dharma (or Dhamma), and the "noble" (Sanskrit: arya) Sangha or community of monks and nuns who have become enlightened. While it is impossible to escape one's karma or the effects caused by previous thoughts, words and deeds, it is possible to avoid the suffering that comes from it by becoming enlightened. In this way, dharma offers a refuge. Dharma, used in the sense of the Buddha's teachings, provides a raft and is thus a temporary refuge while entering and crossing the river. However, the real refuge is on the other side of the river.

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Buddhism Beliefs: The Four Noble Truths

The Buddha taught that life was dissatisfactory because of craving, but that this condition was curable by following the eightfold path. This teaching is called the four noble truths:

1.    Dukkha: All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, containing suffering.

2.    Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire (tanha) rooted in ignorance.

3.    Nirodha: There is an end of suffering, which is Nirvana.

4.    Marga: There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path.

See also: The Four Noble Truths)

The Noble Eightfold Path

In order to fully understand the noble truths and investigate whether they were in fact true, Buddha recommended that a certain lifestyle or path be followed which consists of:

1.   Right Understanding

2.   Right Thought

3.   Right Speech

4.   Right Action

5.   Right Livelihood

6.   Right Effort

7.   Right Mindfulness

8.   Right Concentration

Read more here: » Buddhism Beliefs:: The Noble Eightfold Path

The Five Precepts

Buddhists undertake certain precepts as aids on the path to coming into contact with ultimate reality. Laypeople generally undertake five precepts. The five precepts are:

1.    I undertake the precept to refrain from harming living creatures (killing).

2.    I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not freely given (stealing).

3.    I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.

4.    I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech (lying, harsh language, slander, idle chit-chat).

5.    I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness.

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The three marks of conditioned existence

According to the Buddhist tradition all phenomena (dharmas) are marked by three characteristics, sometimes referred to as the Dharma Seals: Anatta, Anicca and Dukkha

Read more here: » Buddhism Beliefs: The three marks of conditioned existence

Buddhism Schools: The three main branches of Buddhism

Buddhism has evolved into myriad schools that can be roughly grouped into three types: Nikaya, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Of the Nikaya schools, only the Theravada survives. Each branch sees itself as representing a true, original teachings of the Buddha, and some schools believe that the dialectic nature of Buddhism allows its format, terminology, and techniques to adapt over time in response to changing circumstances, thus validating dharmic approaches different from their own.

Read more here: » Buddhism Schools: The three main branches of Buddhism

Buddhism after the Buddha

Buddhism spread slowly in India until the powerful Mauryan emperor Asoka converted to it and actively supported it. His promotion led to construction of Buddhist religious sites and missionary efforts that spread the faith into the countries listed at the beginning of the article.

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Buddhism: History of the Buddhist schools

Three months after the passing of Gautama Buddha, The First Council was held at Rajagaha by his immediate disciples who had attained Arahantship (Enlightenment). Maha Kassapa, the most respected and elderly monk, presided at the Council. Only two sections the Dhamma and the Vinaya were recited at the First Council. All Arahants unanimously agree that no disciplinary rule laid down by the Buddha should be changed, and no new ones should be introduced. At this point, no conflict about what the Buddha taught is known to have occurred, so the teachings were divided into various parts and each was assigned to an elder and his pupils to commit to memory. These groups of people often cross-checked with each other to ensure that no omissions or additions were made.

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