Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2009
Disciplines
Buddhist Studies | Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Abstract
When I first encountered the Buddhist teachings, they vastly expanded my evolving ideas about life and helped me to recognize the limitations of my own perceptions. As a child, I suspected that perception was an individual process and that misunderstandings between people were based on different perspectives. Human beings' backgrounds and experiences seemed so diverse; it came as no surprise that they saw the world differently. Buddhist views on perception not only confirmed my suspicions, but also explained in depth the processes involved in human cognition and the ways in which our personal biases and preferences colour our images of the world. Learning about Buddhist theories of cognition and how perceptions are linked to human emotions helped me understand more about how the mind works and how it can be disciplined to achieve greater happiness.
Digital USD Citation
Tsomo, Karma Lekshe PhD, "Being Buddhist" (2009). Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship. 22.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/thrs-faculty/22
Included in
Buddhist Studies Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons
Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction | 1
Why be a Hindu? | 10
Being Buddhist | 24
Why I am a Jaina | 75
Why I am a Believer | 127
Enjoy in the Breeze of Spring - Living in the Confucian Tradition | 150
Daoism Today: Ancient Craft in the Modern Age | 191
Analysis and Appreciation: The Case of Judaism | 235
Why I am still a Christian | 282
Why I am a Muslim | 325
Notes on Contributors | 362
Copyright Acknowledgements | 366
Index | 367
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Original publication information:
"Being Buddhist." In Arvind Sharma (Ed), Why I Am A Believer: Personal Reflections on Nine World Religions. India: Penguin Books, 2009, pp. 24-74.