Buddha
April 23, 2008
During our travels in Myanmar it was impossible to not be inspired/captivated by the Buddhist faith. Everywhere you looked you saw its daily cycle peacefully being carried out within society, and the longer we were there the more comfortable its routines became. Now, growing up I was raised in a household where religion was not really discussed in an open forum and it was certainly never practiced, which basically makes me a purebred heathen. Yes, I am quite embarrassed to say that it was not until my grade 12 year when I truly learned what Easter was all about - and it was Pastor Sam Kinison who taught me that lesson! But as I have grown older I have found myself drawn to mysteries of religion and the many stories that they have. Now, my exploration is not an attempt to find divinity, it is purely a quest in trying to understand the concepts of each and attempt to actualize the differences between them. To be be frank, I am not a religious person but I do find them (at the least the oldies) to be very interesting, at least in a historical sense; and quite simply, I want to understand them more. So, I have decided to begin a year-long quest where I will only read books that deal with religion (and it is my hope to draw upon as many different religions as possible throughout this year). I want to learn the different histories and crazy cast of characters all religions have so I can try to understand the basic principles around them - I’m not looking for their answers, just their stories. First up on the list is Karen Armstrong’s Buddha, which is a fascinating look at the very early stages of Buddhism and how one Siddhartha Gautama (the big guy himself) traveled his path to enlightenment. This book details very richly, and academically, the historical conception of Buddhism and how it has grown throughout time. This book has been a great introduction into Buddhism and I am now looking for another book to compliment it. Karen Armstrong is ridiculous in her knowledge of religion and will be a huge source of insight during my little quest. Anyways, I am not too sure where I will travel next but hopefully I will learn something and be the more wiser for it.
Craig, my third year of university I had to take a religion class…. (they force that upon you in the bible belt that is Indiana…) Anyway in a 300 person lecture hall I raised my hand and asked the professor who Adam and Eve were… 298 sets of eyes turned to look at me like I was about to burst into flames as they pulled their bibles out… and my friend elbowed me and told me to tell the prof that I was kidding…
Yup pretty sure I was raised with the same religious (or lack thereof) beliefs as you!
Comment by Kristy — April 24, 2008 @ 6:46 am
Craig this is interesting. I was just thinking of putting together a post about all the Buddha images we have seen in se asia over the years. cool timing. Anyway, this is a fascinating project you have undertaken. I’m looking forward to reading about it. I remember in grade 5 we all got bibles at school (public school. pretty sure that doesn’t happen anymore!) A few years later I thought to myself. I should read this thing! I think I only got through about half of it, but I thought that was pretty good. You might have to tackle it!
Comment by Kev — April 25, 2008 @ 10:02 am
I agree, it will be on the list of books to read when I get to that section, and yes, I think half way is pretty damn good! Loved the pictures of Laos and can’t wait to see more.
Comment by Administrator — April 25, 2008 @ 5:10 pm
Hi Craig
May I suggest The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche as a next step? It is very accessible to Westeners and may you lead you into some interesting musings.
Comment by Gramma Judy — April 26, 2008 @ 12:30 am