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The description that Buddha will give concerning Nirvana
Nirvana
The description that Buddha will give concerning Nirvana is that it is a state of the mind being free from a number of worldly aspects like anger and cravings. It is an experience of peace achieved through the pacification of the volitional formations that have their establishment in the process of a number of incarnations and instead there is the removal of existing conditions hindering the formation of newer ones (Coleman 56). Accordingly, in nirvana, there is the discovery and the eradication of vices like aversion and craving that exist in the mind and that Buddha believes is the source of human being distress. Such existing dispositions moreover will be the cause of recurring incarnations and their eradication will have the meaning that the subject of additional rebirth ceases to exist in samsara. On the other hand, in Dhammapada, Buddha understands Nirvana to be the ultimate happiness and endurance that is very different from the happiness achieved through the usage of impermanent objects and things.
Nirvana also has the characterization of bodhi (transcendental understanding) that normal English will describe as having enlightenment. Seeing bodhi is having the required knowledge to understanding the complete form of reality. Individuals that will possess or follow the rules in bodhi are arahant or Buddha (Coleman 43). Research indicates that it is the belief of Buddha that it is an exceptional moral fiber of a mind in that state of enlightenment because of it having being ansankhata (or unconditioned), which means that it does not contain previously available volitional formations that were obscuring it. What is more, Buddha will describe this state as natural ensue in the completeness of time as a consequence of living a life that has the commitment of Noble Eightfold Path or threefold training.
Pali Canon will have additional perspectives from which to view the nirvana. In the first perspective, there is its linkage to the realization or the understanding of the emptiness character in all phenomena. Additionally, there is the view that nirvana is a fundamental reorganization of the awareness and the release of consciousness. Studies indicate that in nirvana the real human being and character will became a reality. An individual harboring liberation will perform actions that are neutral that do not produce fruits but will lead to the preservation of a given character, which will be a consequence of having the traces of their karmic legacy (Coleman 66). Moreover, the existence of a substrate that is psychophysical during the rest of the lifetime of arahant indicates the continuance effects derived from karma.
Concerning gnosis and more specifically, nirvana is that which brings to an end the minds identity with the means of empirical phenomena. In doctrine, nibbana is a mind that ceases to be going and coming but rather has the award of perpetual status, which will mostly include liberation. In addition it contains within it connotations of peace, cooling, and being still. Upon the realization of nirvana ignorance ends, which will cause mind incarnation that will pass forever through one life to another. There is no need of dying for a person to achieve nirvana. However, once an individual who attained nirvana dies Buddha refers to such a death as Parinirvana (Coleman 70). The reason of this being that this is that person’s fully passing on since their life was the final link they possessed to rebirth and death.
Maybe when Sangharakshita moved to the west in a bid to popularize Buddhism, he was unaware of the impacts. The religion is today continually overlapping with the new age. Consequently, nirvana is having an impact on the world while at the same time modern world is having an impact on the operations of nirvana. Buddhism is continually adapting to modernity but nirvana always reminds individuals of the traditions. Currently, the overlap of Buddhism and modernity is leading to the much-needed expansion (Vallee-Poussin 23). Modern bookshops are selling books that contain nirvana teachings and Buddhist leaders will continually appear in modern magazines. In return, to this, Buddhism offers continued advice from the concept of nirvana to world leaders and decision makers. Although there is the constant fear of erosion by modernity, the two are changing positively without the expected conflicts.
The contemporary trends that Buddhism has been experiencing are most in the spread of the religion. That is, there is an increase in the number of missionary activities in countries outside India. Nirvana hence will teach the world that Buddhism enters the virtues of having experienced enlightenment and Non-experienced enlightenment (Vallee-Poussin 29). One of the most important virtues in Buddhism is that of nirvana. That is why its impact on the trends that Buddhism is currently undergoing is enormous. Research indicates that a common meeting point between new age and the religion is that of having a self-religion. In these teachings, it would be better if modernity would view spiritual life as merely in experiences but rather look at it in more defined ways like work, duty, and growth. Moreover, it proposes that all individuals will at certain point experience change. Such teachings have had bearing on the modern Buddhism that heavily borrows from nirvana.
Nirvana is not only providing modern Buddhism with answers but rather it also provides difficulties to the growth of the religion in a contemporary world. With nirvana, there is no consensus that every other religion is simply an expression of some given reality. This is because this religion cannot view itself using the lens of reality. Nirvana is just a condition that will provide ways that will induce the realization of reality. In addition, happiness in the current world is through taking the right diet or certain medicine in cases of medicine, which is a contradiction in nirvana (Vallee-Poussin 34). With nirvana, the definition of happiness is contrary to that of the modern world, which has a negative impact on the growth of the religion. This is because the religion will have either to change this stance or convince the world of its beliefs both of which are very difficult.
It is clear that the impact of nirvana on contemporary trends of Buddhism dictates that there is caution handling of the new age matters. Leaders in Buddhism admit that the world is very complex and transforming it to believing in Buddha is not easy. However, there are ways of approaching the issue without necessarily attracting contention. Given that modern is trying to consume traditions such as Buddhism, nirvana is ensuring that this religion does not suffer (Vallee-Poussin 55). That is, even though there difficulty in blending new age practices to nirvana, Buddhism survives the current tide sweeping across the world. Accordingly, nirvana is a major defining factor of the current beliefs in Buddha.
Work cited
Coleman, James. The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Print.
Vallee-Poussin, Louis. The Way to Nirvana: Six Lectures on Ancient Buddhism as a Discipline of Salvation. California: SAGE, 2003. Print.
The depiction of Women in the Old testament
The depiction of Women in the Old Testament The Bible never says that women are evil, sexually wanton or inferior to men; instead, it says a lot of good things regarding women. In the Old Testament/ Hebrew Scriptures, most women are described as enterprising, resourceful, intelligent as well as, courageous. However, there are some many stories in the Old Testament that involve demeaning treatment of certain women. For instance, women were restricted to roles of no authority as well as, not allowed to testify in court. In summary, this paper will discuss on the depiction of Women in the Old Testament using two sources; Bible Harper Collins Study Bible and the Encountering Ancient Voices by Corrine Carvalho.
In Leviticus 12:1-5, a woman who gives birth to a boy is considered to be ritually unclean for 7 days. However, if the woman gives birth to a girl, the mother is unclean for 14 days. “If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days…But if she bears a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks…” Conversely, Exodus 21:22-25 describes a scenario where two men fought and one hit a pregnant woman, in this case if the woman miscarries, then the man would be punished as well as, pays a fine for his misdeed presumably because he has been deprived of a child. Exodus 21:22: “…he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.”
The Old Testament depicts a woman as a being of three distinct obediences; that is, at her youth she must obey her father, at marriage she must obey her husband and incase she becomes a widow, she must obey her son. For example, Leah and Rachel subservience to Laban their father, Sarah to her husband Abraham and thirdly of Rebecca to Laban (Willis, 1995).
Early books of the old testament including Genesis postulates a wife as a legal property of the husband upon payment of her bride price and is enjoined in number as ox and oxen and children. (Exodus 21:3, 22 Deut 22:22) hence we see a woman as a commercial exploit of the husband and his relation, consequently any damage to her person is seen as a depreciation of value and must be compensated according to the set rules as had earlier been discussed (Carvalho, 2006).
In Leviticus 18:20 adultery was defined as a man having sexual intercourse with his neighbor’s wife. Leviticus 20:10 as well as, Deuteronomy 22:23 extend this prohibition to a man sleeping with a woman who is engaged to be married. If a man has an affair with an unmarried woman, the act is not considered adultery (Willis, 1995). Married men were free to visit prostitutes. A man who committed adultery did not commit a wrongful act against his own wife, but rather against his male neighbor. In this we can conclude that women were of a lower stature compared to her male counterpart and was never accorded the same respect in society (Carvalho, 2006).
Numbers 5:11-31 describes a lengthy magical ritual that women were forced to perform if their husbands suspected them of having had an affair. A priest prepared a potion composed of holy water mixed with sweepings from the floor of the tabernacle. He proclaimed a curse over the potion and required the woman to drink it. There is no similar magical test for husbands suspected of having an affair with another woman. Divorce was as well a preserve decision of husbands and woman consent was never necessary (Carvalho, 2006).
References
Carvalho, C. (2006). Encountering Ancient Voices. A Guide to Reading the Old Testament Second Edition. Retrieved September 24, 2014, from http://www.anselmacademic.org/Excerpts/EncounteringAncientVoicessampler.pdfWillis, M. (1995). The Role of Women As Revealed In the Old Testament. The Role of Women As Revealed In the Old Testament. Retrieved September 24, 2014, from http://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume39/GOT039034.html
Porter Industry Analysis
Porter Industry Analysis
Student’s Name
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Porter Industry Analysis
Introduction
Companies and businesses continue to live and operate with the informal impression on their competitors, gathering information that is not analyzed. This poses a great threat to the business since a competitor in the industry undermines the profitability of a company. A competitive analysis is required in order to understand the competitors and come up with better ways of handling customers. Porter developed a framework that analyses the competition within the business development and industry. This framework derives its information on five forces that ensure attractiveness in the market thus ensuring high competition. These forces are close to the business and affect the profitability and the sustainability of the business. This paper analyses the Mother Bear’s Pizza business using the Porter’s five force model of industry analysis. The analysis is used to determine the sustainability and profitability of the business (Arons & Waalewijn, 1999).
Competitive Strategy of the Business
A competitive analysis is an important corporate part of the business. The competitive strategy determines the weaknesses and the strengths of the business competitors within the market. Mother Bear’s pizza is located in the Indiana university Bloomington campus and is widely known for its delicious pizza (Mother Bears Pizza, 2014). Mother Bear’s Pizza faces the threat of competition from other joints that serve Pizza in the town. The competitive business strategy will help the company to offer more pizzas effectively and gain a competitive advantage. The competitive business strategy focuses on the threat of bargaining power of suppliers, the industry rivalry, and the bargaining power of buyers, the threat of substitutes, and the threat of entry into the industry or business. Competitive strategy of Mother Bear’s pizza business focuses on these factors, and the analysis indicates the profitability and sustainability of the enterprise in competition.
Bargaining Power of Customers
The buyers determine the competitive advantages of businesses. This represents the capability of customers or the buyers to exert pressure to the business, and this affects their sensitivity to changes in the prices of the products. The customer bargaining power is also referred to as a market of output. BIP business should take measures in order to control the bargaining power of their customers. The buyers possess this ability to minimize the prices of products and increase the quality of the same commodity at the same cost, and this, therefore, reduces the profitability and sustainability of the business. The bargaining power of the MBP customers is since they are not in large numbers. The business has not expanded so much and hence the customers are tied into using the supplier’s products. The company receives large volume orders since it’s in a specific location, hence stronger bargaining power. This affects the profitability of the Mother Bear’s Pizza business since the customers can find inexpensive and easy switch of suppliers.
Threat of Substitutes for Business
Substitute products meet the customer needs the same way as another product. The production of the substitutes is done in a different industry. The existence of another outside the business that satisfies the customers provides cheap alternatives for the customers to switch and thus reducing the profitability of the business (Arons & Waalewijn, 1999). In the case of the Mother Bear’s Pizza business, the presence of a substitute will harm the business as the customers will find it easy to shift. If the price performance of the substitute is attractive and the quality is high, this poses a peril to the business, as it will lose the profits due to the imposed threat by the substitutes. If the cost of changing is low, customers are also likely to shift. The business will have to offer high-quality products with relative prices compared to the substitutes in order to secure the sustainability of the business.
Bargaining Power of Suppliers
This represents an important force in the competitive analysis of business. All industries and businesses need raw materials in order to carry out production. The raw materials include inputs, labor, and other components. This requires a strong relationship between the buyer and the seller. If the suppliers are fewer, they tend to wield significant power to the business and industry. When the suppliers attain the bargaining power, they exert pressure on the business, as they will charge high process for the raw materials and components, thus increasing the prices of the products (Porter’s Five Forces Model, 2014). They will also control the delivery timelines of the companies thus inconveniencing the customers and the business resulting in lower sales and hence e low profits. The MBP business experiences strong bargaining power of the suppliers due to the competition from other companies selling pizza in the Bloomington town. The business should can find substitute raw materials in order to lower the transaction power of the suppliers and maintain the sustainability and profitability.
Threat of New Entrants
The force of new entrants in the business determines how it is easy or hard to enter into the industry. If the industry continues to experience more profits and has few barriers to entry, more companies will enter the industry in search of profits. This will result to more competition in the industry, hence the profits of the business will start to fall affecting the sustainability of the business. In the case of MBP business, the entrance of a new business in the industry will mean that the company will experience high competition and the profits will drop since some of the customers will shift to other alternatives. The business requires a low amount of capital to start hence more entrants that are new are bound to join the industry. The MBP business should ensure that the switching cost to their business from other competitors is low in order to earn a competitive advantage. The business should also establish a customer loyalty program in order to stop the customers from shifting.
Rivalry
When the there are many competitors in the industry, they engage in stiff competition in order to achieve and attain a market share (Porter’s Five Forces Model, 2014). Companies rival each other, especially when the exit barriers are high, when the industry growth is slow, or even when the competitors are of equal size. The MBP business will have to compete aggressively since the pizza market has many competitors in order to maintain its market share. The business will have to engage in price competition in order to win a large market share ensuring the sustainability and profitability.
Conclusion
The availability of critical information on the important forces that affect the profitability of a business is crucial. The competitive analysis of business helps it to gain competitive advantage by exerting power on its capabilities and weaknesses of their competitors by overcoming their strengths. By understanding the factors that determine the competitiveness of the business as indicated by the Porter’s model of industry analysis, companies can maintain their profitability and sustainability in the industry amid stiff competition.
Reference
Arons, H. d., & Waalewijn, P. (1999). A knowledge base representing Porter’s five forces model.Rotterdam: RIBES, Rotterdam Institute for Business Economic Studies.
Mother Bears Pizza. (n.d.). Mother Bears Pizza. Retrieved October 24, 2014, fromhttp://www.motherbearspizza.com/Porter’s Five Forces Model: analysing industry structure. (n.d.). Porter’s Five Forces Model:analysing industry structure. Retrieved October 24, 2014, fromhttp://www.tutor2u.net/business/strategy/porter_five_forces.htmThe Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy. (n.d.). Harvard Business Review. RetrievedOctober 22, 2014, from http://hbr.org/2008/01/the-five-competitive-forces-that-shapestrategy/ar/1