Answering Your Buddhism Questions

If you take a long look into history you would see that religion has shaped most of history's events. It may be the conquering nation that has one religion and wishes to spread its beliefs. In the past two thousand years Christianity has become one of the most popular religious choices. But it is not the most popular. Do you know what the most popular religion/spiritualism is in the world? It is Buddhism. This unique lifestyle and religion dates back centuries and has hundreds of millions of followers.

It is a spiritual journey into Nirvana that drives practitioners to lead faithful lives and do what is deemed correct. There are even many people who practice parts of Buddhism that are not Buddhist in any way. Yoga is a very popular activity but one that stems from this spirituality. In this article we will cover the basics of this spirituality and religion. Hopefully it will shed some light on a culture that has gained in popularity in Western Civilizations.

When did Buddhism originate?

That is a difficult question to answer. Some people believe that the start of Buddhism occurred when Buddha was born. Others consider the start to be when he actually achieved enlightenment and began teaching is followers. If you follow the belief that it began with his birth then that would put the date roughly at 556 BC.

If you follow the belief that it began at his enlightenment then it dates around 531 BC. As you can see it is a very old religion that dates back well before many modern religions. The story is a fascinating blend of fiction and fantasy. As with many noted spiritual leaders found in religions throughout the world, Buddha was said to have communicated with the gods.

How does someone become a Buddhist?

There is no right or wrong way in becoming a Buddhist. Usually most people are introduced to Buddhism through a friend or relative. It is quite normal to have questions when you are confronted by a faith that is entirely different than the one you had growing up. Knowledge is fundamental to understanding this spiritual way of life.

You can declare yourself a Buddhist but unless you know about the practices and philosophies, you are merely a shadow of what a Buddhist truly is. There are many great resources on the internet and in bookstores. Many Buddhist's have local chapters and they gather together to meditate and talk about their beliefs.

What are some of the Buddhist concepts?

One of the philosophies that Buddha strongly believed in and spoke of often was that nothing in this life is permanent. Everything goes away. He believed that attachment to physical goods and status were the downfall of man. There are other tenants such as not harming others that are practiced throughout the world. Many people believe that this is a pacifist's view of life but it is one that Buddhism embraces.

Why is meditation so important in Buddhism?

Meditation is very important to Buddhism. It is the cornerstone of the entire religion or spirituality. Meditation is how Siddhartha became Buddha. It was through carefully examining his life and the world around him that he became aware of the true path to happiness or enlightenment. Meditation is the one tenant of Buddhism that is found in all of the different sects. The sects may vary on the correct path or on what to indulge or abstain from but meditation is the key to finding the answers to death, sickness and happiness.

Learn more about Buddhism at Mike Selvon portal, and while you are there download your FREE gift on the teachings of Buddhism.

The Jewish Menorah - A History

The menorah is a seven branched candelabra which has come to represent the Jewish People and Israel. Its origins directly derive from the Torah and its symbolism has proven to be long lasting.

Early coins and pottery containing images of the menorah and dating back to biblical times have been recovered from archaeological sites.

The first menorah was originally made for the tabernacle and later placed in the first and second temples. The Torah records how the great artist, Bezalel, fashioned the menorah in accordance to detailed Divine instructions. These instructions are recorded in Exodus 25:31-40, see excerpt below:

"31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. 32 And there shall be six branches going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candle-stick out of the other side thereof..."

Listed below are some of the facets of the menorah:

- (as stated above) it was hewn out of a single block of pure gold

- it weighed approximately 150 pounds and just under 5 ft in height

- it had seven branches; a middle branch and three branches extending from each side

- according to Maimonides and Rashi, the side-branches extended from the middle branch in a diagonal line, not in a semi-circular arc as most drawings depict

- extra pure olive oil was used in the cups - gently pressed, not crushed and just the first emerging drops were considered pure enough

- it was positioned beside the southern wall of the temple, opposite the 'shulchan', the table which held the twelve show-breads.

The daily maintenance and lighting of the menorah was a task allocated to the Kohanim (priests). Interestingly, although only the Kohanim were permitted to prepare the menorah, there were no restrictions as to who could light it.

It is written that one branch of the menorah miraculously stayed alight continuously. Synagogues today have a 'ner tamid' (everlasting light) situated opposite the ark, which contains the Torah scrolls. This reminds us of the significance of the menorah during temple times. In addition many synagogues also display a menorah, or an artistic impression of one, in painted decorations or on stained glass windows.

After the fall of the Second Temple, Jewish historian Flavius Josephus recorded that the menorah was taken to Rome and carried along during the triumphant homecoming parade. A depiction of this event is preserved on the Arch of Titus that still stands today in Rome.

During the Jewish festival of Chanukah a menorah is lit on each of the eight nights. This menorah differs from the temple's menorah in that it has nine branches instead of seven.

The location of the original menorah is unknown today but the symbolism lives on; the national emblem of the State of Israel is a menorah, flanked by two olive branches.

The author of this article researched the origins of the menorah during the development of a range of Judaic themed homeware. http://www.judaicamosaica.com

Beyond Motivation - Passion

It seems that just as we shifted paradigms in the eighties, we worked synergistically in the nineties; now we are passionate in the naughties. Even my local petrol station has passion brochures at the pump! So what are we passionate for ?

Last October I got some unasked for, but expert, advice from an extreme extrovert to be more passionate. After I had calmed down, I took a long hard look at what I was doing and seriously questioned my passion level. This was after all, expert advice.

My research took me through a motley assortment of superficial pop psychology and self help books, all with Passion in the title and each more inane than the last. Finally I stumbled across a book by Sydney author Peter Wallman, The Wisdom of Passion. He appeared to get to the real core of what Passion is, and after meeting with him I was convinced that he had identified a simple but powerful process for identifying and capturing our core passions. I loved the simplicity of the process and the clarity it brought to me and my business. Now I assist others to identify what it is that gets their juices flowing.

Along the way through research, self analysis and questioning of my clients and others who have Passion Mapped I have identified some keys to passion.

Passion is very personal and unique to the individual.

Most of our strongest passions are kept internalised and rarely expressed outwardly.

The most powerful passions are not material (or sport).

Connecting strongly with our passions creates a magnetic effect We attract people and opportunities.

Eliciting deep passions requires skill, we have learned well from the school of hard knocks to keep this side of ourselves hidden.

When we express our passion, our voices change, our eyes sparkle, and our physical demeanor shifts.

Passion is contagious be very careful.

Passion comes before motivation and way before action.

Passion makes a difference.

I share my story of being told to be more passionate with colleagues and clients and generally get snorts of bemusement. As an introvert, I am not given to bounding into a room, leaping in the air, giving great shouts, or jumping up and down on a sofa Oprahs or anyone elses. So how do I express Passion? Tell me after you talk to me!!!

Passion is not something you have more (or less) of. Passion is inherent and intrinsic.

Last week I had the opportunity to coach 10 leaders and staff members of a niche organisation during three intense days.
Each of these individuals has a determination and a spark in their eyes, a tone of voice and a body posture which unmistakably conveys the depth of their passion about the work they do. Unsurprisingly, the organisations Director is passionately leading from the front - a true visionary leader. I felt honoured and very humbled to be coaching this particular team. Their common focus and harnessed energy, steered by their Director, is making a huge difference to their client base. Truly a high impact and passion based organisation.

One of our tasks as leaders is to uncover and unleash the hidden power of Passion in our employees, to harness and direct this passion towards a common shared goal. Just imagine, if you will, for a moment what your team could achieve this year if they were as passionately involved and focused as the organisation I mentioned earlier.

Kofi Annan said To live is to choose. But to choose, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go, and why you want to get there.
In business our Mission and Values statements spell out who we are and what we stand for, Our Vision statement gives where we want to go, and our Strategy gives us the how. But the why is missing.

Passion is the why!!

Liz Cassidy, founder of Third Sigma International is an author, Speaker, Trainer and Executive Coach and is passionate about facilitating results in the businesses, professional and personal lives of her clients. For more information http://www.thirdsigma.com.au

Spiritual Journal Video Help and Advice

This can make a difference in your life.

Question Your Religion

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a motivation help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Habits To Prevent Losing Things

Rethinking Today's Religions - Misleading Our Children

When I was a young man, my parents told me about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Every Christmas, there would be presents underneath the tree from Santa Claus and on Easter I would get a basket full of candy and eggs. However, when I was 11 years old, my parents broke the devastating news to me, there was no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny.

As you can imagine, I cried for hours over the frustration and disappointment. For one, I thought that I wasn't going to get any more Christmas gifts, but my parents provided me with the needed psychological relief and told me that they were going to provide Christmas gifts for me, until I died. Even though I was upset, I was relieved and confused.

If my parents lied about this, could they have possibly lied about something else, anything else. Have you ever thought about this and is there a situation in your life today that could be an old habit that never got corrected. Some theme that your parents told you when you were a child that was a lie and they never told you the truth. Maybe they never told you the truth because they don't even know themselves that it's a lie.

Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were obviously disappointments to me and most people that I've talked to about their experiences, with their parents and even their children. Why do we do this as parents to our children, even though we didn't like it when it was done to us. Hard to explain why we can't break certain habits and certain traditions.

I love Christmas and the joy of giving. Even though I am no longer a Christian, I enjoy going over to my relatives homes and spending Christmas or Christmas Eve with them. Now for the bad news, if you were raised to believe in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism or any other large religious organization. Let me ask you this, do you think that it could be like Santa Claus, do you think the religion you believe in so strongly could be a story that has gotten out of control over the centuries.

I've spent a life time rethinking today's religions and can't find very many facts to prove any one religion is superior over another. Do your own research and find your own answers. Enlightenment could be as simple as gathering the right information.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Suggestions For Lifes Problems

Religious Fundamentalism Can Create Problems

Religious groups can easily justify their actions by using religious text to benefit and promote their beliefs. The Muslims can sling quotes out of the Quran to justify their treatment towards women as second-class or even third class citizens in society, often removing certain rights from them because they weren't born men.

Shouldn't these women be treated equally. This is where religious fundamentalism evolves into religious fanaticism.

Christians can often use the same tactics to justify their beliefs and Christianity. This list goes on and on and has created hardships in the past on some people in our civilizations and will continue to do so in the future. As long as people continue to turn a blind eye to evil religious and government leaders, atrocities will take place and some of them will even be supported by those who eventually will become accused are victims of their own wrongdoings.

Does anyone remember the Ku Klux Klan? If you live in the south eastern part of the United States, there is a very good chance that you have heard of them or even know someone who belongs to this organization. The Ku Klux Klan was responsible for hanging African Americans throughout the early 1900s to prove that the white race was superior to the race of black people. Their religious beliefs fueled them with righteousness.

If this going on anywhere in the world today, may be issues about abortion or gay marriage. It seems like an oxymoron, if we allow gay people to get married, we won't have to worry about the abortion issue.

Some Christians, but most Americans look at this as a shameful part of our American heritage. It's not something that most Americans would ever support today. I would like to point something out about the Ku Klux Klan, they started out as a Christian organization and made examples out of other white people who weren't conforming to their ideal Christian society.

There are stories of people that abused their wives and the Ku Klux Klan set them straight, one way or another. If it required beating the crap out of them or killing them, something needed to be done and they are morally obligated to perform the task as Christians. These people took their Christian beliefs to an extreme.

When are we as a country and the world going to start fighting religious fundamentalism at its core and stop the atrocities that are going on today, using religion to justify their wrongdoings.

Create Personal Power

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Fear Based Motivation
Soren Kierkegaard

Overcoming Negative Self-Talk With Positive Affirmations

Motivational affirmations are a great way to lift our mood when things aren't going our way. Our mood is controlled by our internal dialogue which can be our best friend or our own worst enemy. It can limit us from doing what we want to do resulting in a lack of confidence even though we know that other people believe in our abilities. It doesn't have to be that way because we all have complete control over the way we think and feel (whether you believe that or not!) and can regain control by using a variety of methods, one I recommend is affirmations.

Using affirmations can change how you think about yourself and how you view the world around you. These positive statements can bring you the motivation you seek, as well as happiness, joy, and passion. When you're feeling down repeating affirmations can immediately improve your mood. Even though affirmations can work immediately don't think of them as a quick fix. Positive affirmations are most effective in the long-term so you can get what you deeply desire out of life.

When you use affirmations, you are literally reprogramming the way you think. You replace your negative self-talk and doubts with positive, motivating thoughts. Eventually, these positive thoughts become reality. These motivational affirmations work because they push away the negative thoughts that are limiting you day in and day out. You can leave your negative thinking in the past if you fill your current thoughts with positive, motivational affirmations.

Before you know it these positive affirmations will become second nature allowing you to change your life systematically, one thought at a time. Here are ten motivational affirmations you can use to improve your mood:

1. I welcome positive energy and I use that feeling to accomplish more.

2. I use my energy to live my life to the fullest.

3. No matter what I'm working on, I'm always committed to completing my goal.

4. I trust my thought processes. They are clear and I am very capable.

5. I can find my own intrinsic motivator.

6. No matter how hard I may fall, I get back up, dust myself off, and forge on.

7. No matter the challenge, I will see it through.

8. I enjoy being responsible for my actions.

9. My life is full of purpose, exciting chang, and many recognized deeds.

10. By commemorating the smallest nuggets of success I am motivated to complete the larger tasks.

Use this list of affirmations in those moments of frustration to help you find the motivation you need to continue. Repeat them in the morning when you first wake up, or make them your last thoughts at night before you sleep. Add your own energy into them by making them your own, change the words or add to them. Affirmations are far more powerful when you create them for yourself because they have special meaning for you. It doesn't matter where you get them, as long as they speak to your heart and are focused on the present.

We all need a motivational boost from time to time. Now you don't have to look to other people or situations to keep you moving forward. Keep your affirmation list updated with the thoughts you'd like to be thinking, repeat your affirmations several times a day, and soon you will easily be able to command and master your emotions rather than having them control you.

If you are on a journey towards self realization gain access to free personal growth resources information and audios at Inspirational Guidance. Sign up to receive our free ezine "Discovering Greatness Experiencing Joy" http://www.inspirationalguidance.com