http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/buddhism Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Thu, 14 May 2026 08:15:26 -0400 Thu, 14 May 2026 08:15:26 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1426/nagarjunas-idealism-as-a-metaphysical-justification-against-ignorance By Rocco A. Astore - The revered Madhyamika Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna is a central figure in the history of Eastern thought. In his Seventy Stanzas, Nagarjuna shares his views on many eternal questions including inquiries into what it means to have a proper understanding of the mind and the objects that it perceives. Though counterintuitive, he believes that one should regard all objects as being ultimately immaterial because if objects were not ideational, one’s immaterial mind would not be able to perceive them (1). Nagarjuna’s view derives from his belief that the mind is an immaterial sense organ... Tue, 28 Jun 2016 06:58 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1426/nagarjunas-idealism-as-a-metaphysical-justification-against-ignorance http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1370/understanding-nirvana-in-theravada-and-mahayana-buddhism-in-support-of-nagarjunas-mahayana-perspective By Rocco A. Astore - The path towards and the meaning of Nirvana have been central issues to many theorists of the Buddhist Tradition. With this paper, I will describe the path toward and the state of Nirvana from a Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist perspective. By doing so, I hope to show that Mahayana Buddhism’s view of Nirvana, or the altruistic compassion that results from one’s spiritual flawlessness in this life, outdoes the Theravada belief that once a person reaches Nirvana any facet of the human condition can no longer phase them.[1] Finally, by drawing on the writings of Nagarjuna, I argue that... Thu, 25 Feb 2016 02:41 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1370/understanding-nirvana-in-theravada-and-mahayana-buddhism-in-support-of-nagarjunas-mahayana-perspective http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1142/the-kakawin-sutasoma-a-look-at-bhinneka-tunggal-ika-and-perceptions-of-the-texts-religious-implications By A. H. Aghababian - This study is an analysis of the religious aspects of the epic Sutasoma. Written in the 14th century CE during the height of the Majapahit Empire of East Java, this kakawin has raised several questions about its religious orientation, messages, and motives; questions, which, given the religious ambiguity of the time, are extremely difficult to answer. The Sutasoma also contains the famous line, “bhinneka tunggal ika,” which, often translated as “unity in diversity,” has since been adopted as the Indonesian national motto. The context and meaning of this passage has also... Wed, 16 Sep 2015 10:11 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1142/the-kakawin-sutasoma-a-look-at-bhinneka-tunggal-ika-and-perceptions-of-the-texts-religious-implications http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/286/women-in-ancient-japan-from-matriarchal-antiquity-to-acquiescent-confinement By Mallary A. Silva - These spiritual attitudes can be found in the literary works of the time. The thirteenth century Buddhist morality tale The Captain of Naruto emphasizes the concept of female submission and male dominance. In the tale a wife of a captain is the object of the emperor’s desire.[xv] The captain orders his wife to go to the emperor and she agrees, illustrating an act of submission. The Tale of Genji also provides examples of Buddhist values. Genji imitates the Buddhist credence of the time, Heian Japan, by stating, “If they were not fundamentally evil they would not be born a woman at... Wed, 15 Sep 2010 06:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/286/women-in-ancient-japan-from-matriarchal-antiquity-to-acquiescent-confinement http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/237/the-dalai-lama-buddhism-and-tibet-reflecting-on-a-half-century-of-change By Maria T. Otero - Throughout history, there have been several ways in which people perceive Tibet. Since it has traditionally been isolated from the world, culturally and geographically, the mystery it provokes has shaped most people’s beliefs into viewing it as a Shangri-La, or sacred land. This popular view is supported by the fact that Tibet is a place where its people see Buddhism as so important that it is not only their religion, but also the essence of their identity. The Dalai Lama is their most important figure as a religious and spiritual leader. Due to the circumstances in which he came to his... Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:59 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/237/the-dalai-lama-buddhism-and-tibet-reflecting-on-a-half-century-of-change http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/213/differences-and-similarities-between-buddhist-monks-and-nuns By William K. Boland - These differences presented extra obstacles that Maechi Wabi as well as other Buddhist nuns have had to overcome in order to pursue the lifestyle of their choice. Though the question of equality between the two religions gender groups has often been addressed with the monks clearly emerging as the better treated, a gap still exists today between the two. After analyzing the similarities and differences between the “going forth” of Siddhartha Gotama and Maechi Wabi, it is clear that women wishing to become maechi nuns are often faced with more barriers and plagued with more issues that... Wed, 24 Mar 2010 09:10 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/213/differences-and-similarities-between-buddhist-monks-and-nuns http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/179/exploring-the-american-immigrant-experience-through-literature By Brian Richards - In “Amor de lejos: Latino (Im)migration Literatures,” B.V. Olguin writes, “Latino/a (im)migration narratives…often illustrate the traumatic aspects of displacement by focusing in part on how immigration, migration, exile, and colonization place people in a state of national limbo” (333). Similarly, in “The New Immigration and the Literature of Asian America,” Hye Suh and Robert Ji-Song Ku write, “Asian American literature bears the traces of global capitalism, technology, migration from south to north, new possibilities for national identity in... Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:48 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/179/exploring-the-american-immigrant-experience-through-literature