Research Paper on:
Comparing Buddhism's Different Forms

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
and similarities between various sects. On March 25, 2001, a student visited the Talaka Buddhist Pagoda which is in the Theravada tradition, a sect that is often found in Sri  Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia. During the visit, the student was given cursory information about Buddhism, and was told that Buddhism is not just a religion, but also a  way of life. While there, the Ven Rewata mentioned a number of key Buddhist teachings as well as the importance of meditation in controlling ones emotions and  feelings. The younger monk, named Nagasena, explained that Wesak is the full moon day in May, something that commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. Buddhists, according to  the students notes, only come to ceremonies because it is a tradition, but when people do not come, the monk sees it as problematic. Monks in general engage in the  meditative life, and stay away from the constraints of family, employment, and so forth, which can cause attachments. This thinking is similar to that of the Catholic church where Priests  are not allowed to marry. While that is the case in both areas, in Catholicism, some have said that the church just did not want to support the offspring of  the religious leader. Yet, whatever the reason, attachment is a concept that is very important in Buddhism and while is exists in Christianity perhaps, it is vital in understanding the  philosophy of Buddhism. In Buddhism it is believed that the state of material wealth may not last and so people must not develop undue attachment to material things (Pryor,  1990). This is a common idea to many religions and philosophies as materiality is seen as transient. Even in one lifetime, a person may be born poor and become rich,