When Religious Beliefs Overpower Human Rights - 1489 Words

Free societies benefit from a separation of church and state, while others are greatly governed by a combination of the two. The problem arises when religious beliefs overpower human rights, and oppression takes over. At the center of its core, Buddhism emphasizes on meditation as the path towards liberation of the wheel of samsara. To further my understanding, I chose to focus on a Tibetan meditation practice known as Vajrayana, which is the most important practice from the Theravada schools as a means to the liberation of all sentient beings, hence, eliminating oppression and suffering (Lewis, 69). To gain a greater understanding and appreciation for this practice, I participated in a meditation service and lecture given by Buddhist monk†¦show more content†¦According to Lopon Wandgu’s lecture, visualization of self as an enlightened being is the reason why one meditates. Empowerment, which comes from the embodiment of the five wisdoms of the Buddha, allows for prai se and offering through recitation (mantra), which â€Å"rotates around the seed syllable at the heart† (Wandgu). Dissolution during meditation allows for the environment to be melted into the â€Å"seed syllable†, finally melting into emptiness. During the final stages of meditation, one must arise again â€Å"as deity.† The last part referred to as the dedication, requires the â€Å"practitioner to dedicate the merit [from the merit bank] of meditation to the benefit of all sentient beings† (Wandgu). After the main meditation section, the practitioner is required to try and keep the feeling of being an intrinsic deity. Lopon Wangdu, stated that meditation is not for ourselves, but for the liberation of all sentient beings and for the enlightenment of deities that are capable to help other sentient beings. Lopon Wandgu explained that that are three types of practitioners, inferior, middle person, and the superior. For the purposes of this paper, I will focus on the superior level, because at this level one knows that we are all on the same â€Å"samsara boat† (Wandgu), and the only â€Å"way out† is to help others reach a mind of enlightenment. In Vajarayana practice we also take refuge in the Dharma protectors, who are highly advanced beings capableShow MoreRelatedNietzsche And Murdoch s Theme Of Morality978 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom religion itself. A comparable theme from both Nietzsche and Murdoch is that humans derive their beliefs about human nature from morality. Nietzsche believes morality is living out passions, rather than suppressing them as religion does. Nietzsche denies religious moral values and believes that each individual’s conscience has natural passion to determine what is immoral or moral. Nietzsche believes that as human beings get morality from nature. 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