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Japanese Culture Vs American Culture

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Japanese culture is very different than the American culture we are used too. The vast majority of Americans are Christians, while in Japan only about 1% are Christian. The most common religion in Japan is a mix of Shinto and Buddhism. Buddhism was originally founded in India by Siddhārtha Gautama or the Buddha and came to Japan in the Nara Period, or about 710 AD. Buddhism does not worship a God, but is a religion of traditions and beliefs and focuses on meditation and enlightenment.
Buddhism teaches a way of life that focus on the positives of life such as kindness and love for each other and to avoid desire and pain. Buddhist believe that after you die, you are reincarnated and then reborn into someone or something else and this process …show more content…

The next step is Samma-Sankappa or Right Thought, and it is your attitude towards life and Nirvana. The third step is Samma-Vaca or Right Speech and it is using your voice to express the positives and to set a good example for others to follow. The fourth step is Samma-Kammanta or Right Action, which means not causing harm to others because we must understand that all of life is precious. Then Samma-Ajiva or Right Livelihood is living your life with the purpose of helping others. Samma-Vayama or Right Effort is directing your life to be able to free yourself of evil thoughts or feelings. Samma-Sati or Right Mindfulness is the appreciation of yourself and the feelings and to realize that the craving of the things we want will not satisfy us. The final step in the Eightfold Path is Samma-Samadhi or Right Concentration or Meditation and it is about the ability to enable yourself to become selfless and to allow yourself to become enlightened or awoken into the spiritual …show more content…

The Eightfold path is similar to the Ten Commandments, not in what they say, but they are both a guide to living a happier life. Both religions believe in creating a better world through peace. Although Buddhism believes in reincarnation, they believe they will eventually reach Nirvana, which is the final goal of the Buddhist path. In Christianity, although there are many different interpretations on how you get to go to heaven, it is generally believed that if you are a good person and follow God you will go to heaven, and that if you live a life of sin, you can be forgiven. Although the two religions are very different they both preach living your life to be a good person and to help

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