Buddhism Essays - Nondualism, Nstika, Buddhism, Gautama Buddha

Buddhism Essays - Nondualism, Nstika, Buddhism, Gautama Buddha Buddhism Buddhism is one of the major religions of the world it was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who lived in northern India from c.560 to c.480 BC. The time of the Buddha was a time of social and religious change, the development of trade and cities, the breakdown of old tribal traditions, and the rise of many new religious movements that answered the demands of the times. These movements came from the Brahmanic tradition of Hinduism but were also reactions against it. Of the new sects, Buddhism was the most successful and eventually spread throughout India and most of Asia. Today Buddhism is divided into two main branches. The Theravada, or "Way of the Elders," the more conservative of the two, it is mainly found in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand. The Mahayana, or "Great Vehicle," is more liberal, it is found mainly in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, and among Tibetan peoples, where it is known by its emphasis on the Buddhist Tantras. In recent times, both branches, as well as Tibetan Buddhism, have gained followers in the West. It is almost impossible to tell the size of the Buddhist population today. Statistics are difficult to obtain because some individuals may have Buddhist beliefs and engage in Buddhist rites while maintaining folk or other religions; these people may or may not call themselves Buddhists. Nevertheless, the number of Buddhists worldwide is estimated at more than 300 million. The matter of what Buddha's original teachings were cause of major controversy. Even so, it is said to have centered on certain basic doctrines. The first of the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha held, is suffering. By this, he meant not only that human existence is occasionally painful but that all beingshumans, animals, ghosts, hell-beings, even the godsare caught up in samsara, a cycle of rebirth, a maze of suffering in which their actions keep them wandering. Samsara and karma are not doctrines specific to Buddhism. The Buddha, however, specified that samsara is characterized by three marks: suffering, impermanence and no self. Individuals not only suffer in a constantly changing world, but what appears to be the "self," the "soul," has no independent reality apart from its many separable elements. The second Noble Truth is that suffering itself has a cause. At the simplest level, this may be said to be desire; but the theory was fully worked out in the complex doctrine of "dependent origination," which explains the interrelationship of all reality in terms of an unbroken chain of causation. The third Noble Truth is that this chain can be brokenthat suffering can cease. The Buddhists called this end of suffering nirvana and thought of it as a rebirth, an escape from samsara. Finally, the fourth Noble Truth is that a way exists through which this reversal can be brought about, the practice of the noble Eightfold Path. This combines ethical and disciplinary practices and training in concentration and meditation with initial faith, which is finally transformed into wisdom. With the death of the Buddha, his followers immediately faced a crisis, what were they to do in the with their master gone? The followers who had remained householders proceeded to honor his bodily relics, which were monuments called stupas. This was the beginning of a cult of devotion to the person of the Buddha that was to focus not only on stupas but also on many holy sites, which became centers of pilgrimage, and eventually on Buddha images too. On the other hand, those Buddhists who had become monks and nuns took on the gathering and preservation of their departed master's teachings. According to tradition, a great council of 500 monks was held at Rajagriha, immediately after the Buddha's death, and all the Buddha's sermons and the rules of the discipline were remembered and recited. In the years that followed, the monks gradually unified their communal life. Like many other wandering mendicants of their time, they were always on the move, coming together only once a year for the three months of the monsoon. Gradually, these rain-retreats grew into more structured year-round settlements. As new communities developed, it was inevitable that some differences in their understanding of both the Buddha is teaching and of the rules of the order should arise. Within

Biography of Lee Krasner, Abstract Expressionist Artist

Biography of Lee Krasner, Abstract Expressionist Artist Lee Krasner (born Lena Krassner; October 27, 1908–June 19, 1984), an American painter of Russian-Jewish descent, was a pioneering Abstract Expressionist of the New York School. For decades, her reputation was overshadowed by that of her late husband, painter Jackson Pollock, whose superstardom and tragic death distracted from her own career. Years after Pollocks death, however, Krasner received recognition for her own artistic accomplishments. Fast Facts: Lee Krasner Occupation: Artist (Abstract Expressionist) Also Known As: Lena Krassner (given name); Lenore Krasner Born: October 27, 1908 in Brooklyn, New YorkDied: June 19, 1984 in New York City, New YorkEducation: The Cooper Union, National Academy of Design Spouse: Jackson PollockKey Accomplishment: Krasner remains one of the few women artists to have her work exhibited in a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. Early Life Lee Krasner was born in 1908 to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. Krasner was the first in her family to be born in the United States, just nine months after her parents and older siblings emigrated due to growing anti-Semitic sentiment in Russia. At home in Brownsville, Brooklyn, the family spoke a mix of Yiddish, Russian, and English, though Krasner favored English. Krasners parents ran a grocery and fishmonger in East New York and often struggled to make ends meet. Her older brother Irving, to whom she was very close, read to her from classic Russian novels like Gogol and Dostoevsky. Though she was a naturalized citizen, Krasner felt connected to her parents’ homeland. Later in life, she often bristled at the suggestion that she was a fully American artist. Lee Krasner (American, 1908-1984). Untitled, 1948. Oil on canvas. 18 x 38 in. (45.7 x 96.5 cm). Promised gift of Craig and Caryn Effron, P.1.2008. The Jewish Museum, New York.  © The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Education Krasner always showed a sense of initiative. At an early age, she decided that the arts-focused, all-girls Washington Irving High School in Manhattan was the only school she wanted to attend, as its arts focus was a rarity at the time. Krasner was initially denied entry to the school due to her Brooklyn residence, but she eventually managed to gain admission. Perhaps ironically, Krasner excelled in all classes except for art, but she passed because of her otherwise exceptional record. During high school, Krasner abandoned her given name Lena and took on the name Lenore, inspired by the Edgar Allen Poe character. After graduation, Krasner attended the Cooper Union. She was very popular (though not necessarily academically successful) and was elected to various school offices. At Cooper Union, she changed her name once again, this time to Lee: an Americanized (and, notably, androgynous) version of her given Russian name. Having attended two art-centric girls schools, the idea of being a woman artist was not remarkable to the young Krasner. It was not until she went to the National Academy of Design that she encountered resistance to her chosen career path. She was riled by the idea that women were sometimes kept from doing what the male artists were permitted to do at the traditionally-minded institution. Ernst Haas / Getty Images Life as a Professional Artist 1929 was a notable year for Krasner. That year marked the opening of the Museum of Modern Art, which exposed her to the Modernist style and the enormous possibility it represented. 1929 also marked the beginning of the Great Depression, which spelled disaster for many aspiring artists. Krasner joined the Works Projects Administration (WPA), which employed artists for various public art projects, including the many murals on which Krasner worked. It was on the WPA that she met critic Harold Rosenberg, who would later go on to write a seminal essay on the Abstract Expressionists, as well as many other artists. Krasner lived with Igor Pantuhoff, a fellow painter of Russian origin and an alumni of the National Design Academy, for most of their ten-year relationship. However, Pantuhoffs parents held anti-Semitic views of Krasner, and the two never married. (Pantuhoff realized his mistake after he left the relationship, and he eventually went to New York to win Krasner back. By that time, Krasner had already taken up with Jackson Pollock, who, in his typically bellicose fashion, physically chased Pantuhoff from the premises.) Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollack in east Hampton, ca. 1946. Photo 10x7 cm. Photograph by Ronald Stein. Jackson Pollack and Lee Krasner papers, ca. 1905-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Relationship With Jackson Pollock In the late 1930s, Krasner took classes led by the expressionist painter and famed pedagogue Hans Hofmann. She also joined the Artist Union. In 1936, at an Artist Union dance, Krasner met Jackson Pollock, whom she would meet again several years later when they both exhibited their work in the same group exhibition. In 1942, the couple moved in together. Pollock’s rise to fame, stewarded by his wife, was meteoric. In 1949 (the year he and Krasner married), Pollock was featured in Life Magazine under the title, â€Å"Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?† Some accounts suggest that Krasner spent so much time promoting her husband’s career that she did not have time to dedicate herself to her own work. However, this version of history is misleading. In Springs, Long Island, where the couple bought a house soon after they married, Krasner used an upstairs bedroom as her studio while Pollock worked in the barn. Both were known to work furiously, and would (when invited) visit each others studios for advice and critique. However, Pollocks alcoholism and infidelity damaged the relationship, and the marriage ended tragically in 1956. Krasner was away in Europe, and Pollock was driving under the influence of alcohol with his mistress and another passenger. Pollock crashed his car, killing himself and the other passenger (though sparing the life of his mistress). Krasner was bereft at losing her husband, and ultimately channeled this emotion into her work. Lee Krasner (American, 1908-1984). Gaea, 1966. Oil on canvas. 69 x 125 1/2 in. (175.3 x 318.8 cm). Kay Sage Tanguy Fund. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.  © 2010 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Artistic Legacy It was not until after Pollock’s death that Krasner began to receive the recognition she deserved. In 1965, she received her first retrospective at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. She experienced a surge of interest in her work in the 1970s, as the feminist movement was eager to reclaim art history’s lost women. The appeal of the sidelined wife of a storied American painter made Krasner a cause to champion. Krasners first retrospective in the United States opened in 1984 at the Museum of Modern Art, just months after her death at the age of 75. Her legacy lives on at the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center at Stony Brook University. Her estate is represented by Kasmin. Sources and Further Reading Hobbs, R. (1993). Lee Krasner.  New York: Abbeville Modern Masters.Landau,  E. (1995). Lee Krasner: A Catalogue Raisonnà ©.  New York: Abrams.Levin, G. (2011). Lee Krasner: A Biography. New York: Harper Collins.Munro, E. (1979). Originals: American Women Artists. New York: Simon and Schuster, 100-119.

Management information systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management information systems - Essay Example The external identities are outside the applications, but interact with it to facilitate the entire process. For example, Kitchen is a significant for the external identity in the design since it represents the source of food to be ordered. In order to make ideal the food ordering process, there must be customers who make orders. Customers are represented as external identities in the design (Oz 65). The restaurant has to be managed; therefore, the manager identity is also represented as an external identity. From the food ordering system, certain data elements are represented in data flows. Food order is the information represented in the data flow from the main system to the kitchen. From the customer identity, another data flow represents the customer’s order while the center of the process has to produce a receipt back to the customer. After the entire process, the management report is taken to the restaurant manager. This is represented in a data flow which contains the reports directed to the restaurant manager. The entire design is a simple representation of a food ordering system in a

Informal report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Informal report - Assignment Example As a point of departure, the procedures for the survey process were agreed between the company management team and the union, which represents the workers. For instance, the issue of testing employees at mid-contract was ruled out since it undermined the workers’ rights in terms of initial appointment regulations. However, the 63% of the production and 82% of the white-collar workers agreed to have workers tested during hiring time. On the other hand, the 62% of the production and 72% of the white-collar workers agreed the workers to be tested when they appear to be under the influence of drugs. This is an indication that, the policy drafting should be flexible to accommodate the wishes of the majority workers in order to avoid the crash with the worker’s union. The survey was done using questionnaires that were distributed between the two categories of workers because they were perceived to offer lucid and reliable information (Employee Drug Testing, 26). The data coll ected was then analyzed and percentages calculated. Some of the primary areas investigated include the production and transport sections. These areas serve a fundamental role in the company in its bid to achieve the corporate citizenship. Some of the instances investigated and considered in the drafting of this policy include non-violent and physical approach to workers in convincing them to take up the drug testing exercise. In case a worker refuses to undergo a drug test, he/she should not be forced to avoid the risk of civil and criminal complaints that involves assault. Procedural consultative avenues were considered to greater extent in removing the excesses that may come along with this process of drug testing (Cresce, 23). Another factor considered during this survey is the circumstances, in which the testing should take place. In case of Random and cause, they should be clearly spelled out in the policy such that the employees can be able to know when they can be called for such

The narrator’s jealousy of Rebecca Essay Example for Free

The narrator’s jealousy of Rebecca Essay The narrator’s jealousy of Rebecca permeates the majority of the novel. Because of her youth and insecurity, the narrator is unable to understand why Maxim chooses to marry her. As she learns more and more about Rebecca, she begins to compare herself to Maxim’s first wife, who seemed to be far more beautiful, elegant, and sophisticated than she could ever hope to be. The narrator’s preoccupation with Rebecca develops to the point that she concludes that Maxim is still in love with her. With this revelation, the conflict between the narrator and the memory of Rebecca becomes a competition for Maxim’s love. Yet, with her desperate love for Maxim and jealousy of Rebecca, the narrator has no recourse until Maxim tells her the truth about Rebecca. Only then can the narrator overcome her jealousy and approach her marriage as the sole Mrs. de Winter. Jealousy also appears on Maxim’s side of the narrative, specifically in his relationship with Rebecca and her many lovers. Maxim confronts Rebecca in the boathouse and ultimately kills her because she manipulates his jealousy into a tool for her own destruction. In both cases, jealousy is a destructive force that has the ability to destroy both Maxim and the narrator if they let it. Escaping the past One of the main conflicts of Rebecca revolves around Maxim and the narrator’s efforts to escape the past. From his first entrance in the novel, Maxim is tormented by the memory of his marriage to Rebecca and his eventual murder of her. Even though the narrator never knew Rebecca, she is equally haunted by her presence at Manderley through her physical representative, Mrs. Danvers. The characters are only able to move forward with their marriage after each one has come to terms with the past in their individual ways. For the narrator, Maxim must reveal that he never loved Rebecca in order for her to assume her position as mistress of Manderley. Maxim, on the other hand, must own up to the consequences of his actions and stop running from the memory of what he has done. In the end, Maxim and the narrator triumph over the memory of Rebecca but only after Manderley, with all of its memories of her, is destroyed. Good versus evil. Du Maurier plays with the dichotomy between good and evil in the way that she  presents the main characters. From a general perspective, it is clear that the narrator and Maxim are on the â€Å"good† side, while Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers are on the â€Å"bad† side. Yet, Du Maurier adds complexity to each character so that all sense of good and evil becomes purely subjective. For example, Maxim is the primary male character and the narrator’s love interest and thus, is presented as the hero of the novel. At the same time, however, Maxim is a murderer who shot Rebecca in a fit of rage, an act that is hardly appropriate for a hero. Similarly, while Mrs. Danvers is presented as the antagonist of the novel who actively strives to undermine the narrator, she is also an individual who is overwhelmed with grief at the lost of her friend and mistress. By blending the concepts of good and evil, Du Maurier creates a set of characters that are truly human in their complexit y and motivations. Love vs. hate Love and hate serve as crucial motivational tools for the primary characters in Rebecca. In most cases, characters exhibit both emotions—sometimes even a blend of the two—and use their love or hate to justify their actions in the novel. For the majority of the text, Maxim is motivated by his love for the narrator and Manderley, as well as his hatred for Rebecca and her memory. Mrs. Danvers and Jack Favell, as the seeming â€Å"villains† of the piece, are both prompted by their love for Rebecca and hatred for those who seem to have forgotten her. In Mrs. Danvers’ case, Rebecca is the object of an obsessive love that Mrs. Danvers uses to justify her hatred of the narrator and her attempt to undermine Maxim’s second marriage. Jack Favell, on the other hand, had hoped to marry Rebecca, and he uses his disappointed love to justify blackmailing Maxim. As the object of both love and hate, Rebecca is the only character who seems to be motivated purely by se lf-love in her behavior. As a result, she manipulated the emotions of those around her to her own advantage and maintained power over Manderley both in life and in death. Identity One of the major themes of the novel is the narrator’s search to establish her own identity. Du Maurier establishes this theme from the very beginning by maintaining the narrator’s anonymity, as only Maxim learns the narrator’s â€Å"lovely and unusual† name. When she marries Maxim, the narrator is  automatically given a new identity as Mrs. de Winter, but she does not feel comfortable or suited to the role. The narrator’s uncertain identity worsens during her time at Manderley because the constant reminder of Rebecca, the â€Å"real† Mrs. de Winter. The narrator is quickly overwhelmed by the strength of Rebecca’s presence and even considers given up all claims to an identity as Maxim’s wife. The climax of the narrator’s identity crisis is at the Manderley costume ball when even her physical appearance is overshadowed by the memory of Rebecca in the same costume. In the end, the narrator must learn the truth about Rebec ca’s nature before she can feel assured of Maxim’s love and her identity as Mrs. de Winter.

An Inspector Calls :: English Literature

An Inspector Calls 'An Inspector Calls' was written by J.B Priestley in 1944. The play was set 32 years before the play was actually written. It was set around the year 1912. Britain in the early 1910's was very much a strong, powerful business nation, one of the richest in the world. For large factory and business owners, it was a time for great success. When J.B Priestly wrote the play in 1944, World War 2 was occurring and Britain was involved. The world was turned into chaos and the ideas of highly powered people of the past had been one of its majoring contributing factors. 'An Inspector Calls' is about a family called the Birling's which consist of Mr. Arthur Birling and his wife, his daughter Sheila and her fiancce Gerald and Eric, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Birling. They are a middleclass family in a town called Brumley. The play is based on a girl called Eva Smith who committed suicide by drinking disinfectant. The inspector then visits the Birling's house on the night of Sheila and Gerald's engagement. He interviews all the members of the family and without them realizing, they all have an awful story to say and they all have part to play to her death. At the end of the play, it ends with a very mind thinking twist which you end up asking yourself, how did he know? The twist is the inspector is telling this story about a girl who swallowed disinfectant and questions all the family and they all have something to say about themselves and Eva Smiths relationship. When the inspector leaves, Mr. Birling phones up the police to see if girl has died tonight. The police reply no there hasn't been but when Mr. Birling hangs up the phone, the police call straight back and say someone has just reported a girl committing suicide by swallowing disinfectant. How did the inspector know that the girl was going to die? J.B Priestley's aims are to show the audience that middle classed families in the 1910's were not as clever and capable as some may think. They can be in fact very foolish. Priestly puts across a clear message in the play is that being responsible for you is not enough to make the world a better place. Mr. Birling does the opposite to this in the play by when he says 'a man has to mind his own business and look after himself.' Also the message about power comes across quite clearly in the play. Priestley's view on having power is to use it carefully. You can relate this to Mr.

French and Indian War Essay

The French and Indian war has altered the relationship between Britain and its American colonies in many ways. The three main ways their relationship had been altered were politically, ideologically and economically. After the French and Indian War the British passed a series of laws and taxes that the colonist didn’t agree with. As a result of these laws and taxes being passed the colonist began to rebel against British rule. This rebellion would eventually lead to the Revolutionary War which would allow Americans to gain independence. Ideology is the combination of ideas that affects goals, actions or expectations. After the French and Indian war American ideology greatly changed. Before and during the war Britain had a lot of support from the American colonies. This is shown through document B as George Washington a typical colonist at the time was willing to support Britain in the war. As the war continued the ideals that the colonist lived by began to change. The colonist started to feel that Britain wasn’t doing enough to help them out. This is seen in document D, where colonist began to feel that they were â€Å"debarred [denied] English liberties† even though they were English citizens. This causes the British to begin to lose the support of the American colonist. Economics is the effects of money on a country. At this point in time the colonies were still under control of British rule and their money went mostly to the British government. During the war Britain went into debt and expected the colonist to repay the debt. Britain would make the colonist pay through taxes like the stamp act. The colonist strongly voiced their opinion on the stamp act even though they remained loyal to the British government, as seen in documents G and H. Although the colonists were against the taxes forced on them the British government continued to find different ways to raise taxes against them, as shown in document F. The French and Indian war was greatly influenced by political involvement. All of the groups involved felt they had rights to North American land. The first of these groups that felt that they should control the land were the Native Americans this is shown through document B as a native chief argued  the natives rights to the land. After the war the British had overwhelming control over North America as shown in document A. Even though the war was over there were still conflicts west of the Appalachian Mountains that led to the proclamation of 1763 which banned the colonist to settle on the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonist did not support this they felt they deserved it after they helped defeat the French and Indians in the French and Indian war. This is shown in document E. During and after the French and Indian war ideological, political and economic views between the colonist and the British would greatly change. This change would eventually cause the colonist to rebel against British laws and taxes. The British would try to take control of the colonist and to make sure the colonist listened Britain passed the intolerable acts. This brought more anger among the colonist and would eventually lead to the revolutionary war only 12 years after the French and Indian war ended.