Buddhism in East Asia Essay

Many people will choose Confucianism as the most important factor in understating East Asian culture. Confucianism, indeed, is crucial in understanding the culture. However, one should not overlook the influence of Buddhism on Confucianism and many areas of East Asian culture. Buddhism, one of the world’s oldest religions and a philosophy, is shared by East Asian countries, thus in order to fully appreciate the East Asian culture, one should learn about Buddhism and its significant influence on the culture. This paper will discuss Buddhism shared by East Asian culture and how the religion played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of people affecting their culture. Buddhism started approximately in the 6th century BCE, starting with the birth of the Buddha in India. The religion then spread through Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia (Keown). Among many branches of Buddhism, Mahayana has been diffused from first west, north, and east throughout East Asia (Skilton). The fundamental principles of Mahayana are liberation from suffering and the belief in the existence of Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva is someone who achieved Nirvana, the state of being free from both suffering and the cycle of rebirth (Keown). One can find a carved wood elongated figure of Bodhisattva Guanyin (1999. 13. 0003) from Spurlok Museum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL . In this wooden figure, Guanyin is barefoot with hair wrapped in knot, wears ornate robes and holds a basket with flowers (Spurlock Museum). One can also find a photo of Bronze Seated Buddha in National Museum at Kyongbok-Kung, Seoul, South Korea (1986. 27. 0017) in Spurlock Museum . These are an important artifact and a photo because one can easily find very similar artifacts of Guanyin or Buddha in China, Korea, and Japan. It shows one how Buddhism was shared by East Asian countries (Yu). Upon first encountering Buddhism, many Chinese scholars regarded it as merely a foreign religion. This caused Buddhism to transform itself into a system that could co-exist within the Chinese way of life. Thus, filial devotion, one of the most valued by Confucianists, in Buddhist teachings became the core texts in China. It further strengthened the Confucian value by claiming that the salvation of an individual was a benefit to the society and family. Therefore, Buddhism could spread well in the Chinese population (Chen). From this point, Buddhism spread to Korea and Japan, and Buddhist ideology began to merge with Confucianism. This caused many Confucian scholars to redefine Confucianism as Neo-Confucianism (Chen). While Neo-Confucianism adapted Buddhist ideas, many Neo-Confucianists strongly opposed Buddhism. Nonetheless, Buddhism offered Confucianism important ideas such as the nature of the soul and the relation of the individual to the cosmos, ideas not explored by Confucianism (Chen). Again, Neo-Confucianism was spread through Korea and Japan, and they were all deeply influenced for more than half a millennium (Chen). Moreover, many other indigenous religions and philosophical systems in East Asia integrated the ideas and teachings of Buddhism, so it came to be a natural part of living. In conclusion, the teachings of Buddhism not only influenced in shaping the mindset of East Asian people, but also affected their philosophy of life.

Developmental Theories Essays

Developmental Theories Essays Developmental Theories Essay Developmental Theories Essay â€Å"All developmental theories can be distilled into one powerful statement – if there is no development, there is no learning. † Do you agree? Use examples from some of the theories that you have encountered to justify your response. Over the years, many psychologists, scholars, mathematicians, teachers and counsellors have pondered this exact statement. I, at the risk of being predictable, agree with this statement but then also think that the idea can be reversed – saying that without learning, there will be limited development. This is not a hasty decision, the studies of Piaget and Vygotsky, along with numerous others cited in Educational Psychology (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and academic journals all point to the conclusive outcome that development is essential to learning. Development, on a biological, social, emotional and cognitive level is defined in Educational Psychology as â€Å"certain changes that occur in human beings†¦between conception and death† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and â€Å"[these changes] are generally assumed to be for the better and result in behaviour that is more adaptive, more organised, more effective and more complex† (Mussen, Conger and Kagan, 1984). Development is therefore essentially PROGRESSION. Another source even says â€Å"the development of children unfolds along individual pathways whose trajectories are characterized by continuities and discontinuities, as well as by a series of significant transitions† (Shonkoff and Phillips 2000), showing that development is a process and a period of transition. Jean Piaget (1954) is explained in Educational Psychology to believe that â€Å"our thinking processes change radically, though slowly, from birth to maturity because we constantly strive to make sense of the world† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). Piaget also â€Å"began to suspect that the key to human knowledge might be discovered by observing how the childs mind develops† (Papert, 1999). He then went on to discuss the term â€Å"social transmission† which means learning from others, and commented that â€Å"the amount people can learn from social transmission varies according to their stage of cognitive development† (Piaget in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). Piaget essentially believed that â€Å"cognitive development has to come before learning – the child has to be ‘ready’ to learn† (Piaget in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and Diana Fox repeated this in her essay, Ages and Stages – â€Å"it is often said that the early childhood years are the getting ready phase of development and learning† (Fox, 2002). Jean Piaget pioneered the concept of the four major stages of cognitive development, the sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete-operational and formal-operation. All of these stages are very closely linked to the idea that development and learning go side by side, for instance, in the pre-operational stage, Educational Psychology states that you can â€Å"see the rapid development of that very important symbol system, language† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). The child therefore needs to â€Å"develop† the capacity to learn the language and if they didn’t develop, they wouldn’t learn. So from Piaget’s teachings about the stages of operation and the way in which we learn, it is clear that learning can only come about with cognitive development. Lev Vygotsky (1978) recognised that â€Å"the child’s culture shapes cognitive development by determining what and how the child will learn about the world† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007), thus confirming the other statement being made in this essay – that the lack of learning will affect the development of the child. Vygotsky said that â€Å"interaction encourages development by creating cognitive conflict that motivated change† (Vygotsky in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). This shows that through social interactions between peers (learning), it fosters development to a higher learning level – hence moving into the territory of Piaget’s work. Vygotsky had the theory of â€Å"the zone of proximal development† which is â€Å"the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers†. He shows that â€Å"the key to hearty intellectual growth was for children to be supported in this zone. That way, learning could actually shape development† (Thurber, 2003). For the child to be assisted by a supportive and non-judgemental elder, the potential development is far greater then if the child was left to perform in his or her own capacity. For a child trying to learn un-assisted, cognitive development that is â€Å"more adaptive, more organised, ore effective and more complex† (Mussen, Conger and Kagan, 1984) would be lesser than learning with an experienced other because, according to Thurber, â€Å"physical and sensory exploration boost cognitive development† (Thurber, 2003). The statement, â€Å"children are active participants in their own development, reflecting the intrinsic human drive to explore and master ones environment† (Shonkoff and Phillips 2000), can also support the notion that development and learning go hand-in-hand. The drive to explore and master is obviously a means of learning about ones surroundings and the statement shows that through this learning, development occurs. Furthermore, Shonkoff and Phillips (2000) also go on to say that â€Å"human development is shaped by a dynamic and continuous interaction between biology and experience†. Therefore children require â€Å"continuous interaction† with wiser mentors (Vygotskyan theory) and their development occurs while they attempt to â€Å"master† their environments (Piaget). When commenting on Piaget’s work, another source commented that â€Å"as children grow older, they develop progressively better rules and strategies for solving problems and thinking logically† (Seigler in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). He then went on to say that teachers can help students develop their capacities for learning. This infers that students or children need to develop in order to learn. Without the development of these learning capacities, learning will not take place. But as we look at Vygotsky, we can see an extension of Piaget’s theories, detailing that without learning, development will be limited.

Violin and Pitcher essays

Violin and Pitcher essays Georges Braques Violin and Pitcher shows a combining of ideas and the beginning of analytical cubism. This work is perhaps Braques first break away from faceting purely to display subject matter and towards a style where facets flow of a logic of their own. The work of Paul Cezanne led the way for paintings like Violin and Pitcher. Cezanne was interested in the way light reacted to form rather than what it was lighting: the form itself. Cezanne also began to explore the object that the viewer knows to exist in the painting; not just the view of the object gained by looking at it from one angle. Cezannes work was largely known as impressionism. His impressionist paintings such as Basket with Apples, Bottle, Biscuits and Fruit were the beginning of what would become Violin and Pitcher. The unnatural tilting of the plates surface made way for the multiple viewpoints in the violin and the lack of form or outline in the fruit the eventual faceting. The subject matter of Violin and Pitcher cant be read immediately due to the rather heavy fragmentation. An obvious clue is the paintings title and upon inspection the viewer can soon find the violin in the foreground and the pitcher somewhere in the midground. Beyond the violin and pitcher the paintings subject matter is less obvious. What the two objects are actually placed on, their base, either doesnt exist or has been fragmented to the point where it can no longer be seen. What does eventually come through are the walls of the room the painting is set in. Fragmented architecture draws the strong vertical lines of intersecting walls as they disappear into a sea of facets. Violin and Pitcher jumps straight from the formative early period of cubism and straight into analytical cubism. The work Braque painted before Violin and Pitcher such as his Harbour in Normandy of the same year help illustrate the transition between early and analyt ...

Developing a Balanced Scorecard Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Developing a Balanced Scorecard - Term Paper Example r creating a balanced scorecard and how the scorecard would enable me to evaluate progress, assess the impact of my proposed change, and determine if the costs are justifiable in terms of the outcomes. A balanced scorecard, as defined by Balanced Scorecard Institute (2013, para.1), is "A strategic planning and management system that is used to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals". Further explication by Dr. Carol Huston in this weeks media denotes a balanced scorecard as a tool that can be used in nursing to help establish how assessment and appraisal of accomplishments or achievements will be conducted (Laureate Education, 2013a). Based on these definitions, my first step will be to assess the mission and vision of the my organization in order to identify an unmet need. The second step will be to consider whether the needs of the customers have been met in relation to quality and safety of care. After identification of an unmet need and assessment of customers needs, the next step will be to formulate and outline objectives for proposed change. This will involve identifying strategies and action plans to achieve the proposed change. This will be followed by identifying how performance will be measured. In regards to the elements of a balanced scorecard, data to measure performance will correlate to fiscal, stakeholders, business practices, and learning and growth measures (Laureate Education, 2013a). Fiscal data will be gathered primarily from annual financial reports. To measure performance in relation to customers needs, direct interviews will be conducted whereby patients will be asked to describe their level of satisfaction with services provided. Secondly, patients will be asked to fill questionnaires detailing whether their needs have been met. Data relating to business practices and growth will be gathered through

Global Economies according to Friedman's The World Is Flat Research Paper

Global Economies according to Friedman's The World Is Flat - Research Paper Example This has allowed other growing economies to collaborate irrespective of the geographical distance separating the collaborating countries. Based on the past and current trends in the U.S. economy, Flanders presents that as compared to some of the ten major recessions that have hit the U.S, those that have occurred in the 21st century have been the worst. This is indication that the in the next five years, another heat is likely to have even more serious impacts on the U.S economy. For instance, the 2000-2001 and the 2008-2009 economic downturns have had some huge effects, especially in major areas such as employment, growth, investment and personal disposable income. The rate of employment trend has continued to fall over the years with the invention of more new technologies that replaced human labor. Today, the 85% rate of employed men and women in 1960 has reduced to only 64%. This has also been marked by the reduction in the share of all men and women entering the workforce. Subseq uently, Flander further explains that from the year 2000 to 2009 the average income per household fell by 3.6% and has continued to fall up to date, especially with an increase in the inflation rate. Do you believe China will surpass the U.S. as a world economic power? According to Smith, although the United States, Germany and Japan are the greatest economies in the world, most model projections indicate that China and India will surpass some of these huge economies. For instance, Smith points out that as per the Goldman Sachs model projection, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the U.S will rise to $35.1 trillion from $10.1 trillion whereas that of China is expected to rise from $1.4 trillion to a massive $44.1 trillion. I agree with this idea, especially taking into consideration that during the 2008-2009 economic downturns, whereas the U.S. economy was rapidly shrinking, China’s economy was still growing at a rate of 9% per annum. The recent performance of China’s economy also shows that China is on track towards its long-term goal. For instance, the GDP grew 7.5% in 2001 and accelerated to 8.3% in 2002 and 9.5% in 2003. Moreover, China’s trade links as well as the fact that China is a well known net creditor puts her economy in a good position of becoming one of the strongest economies globally.  China is also known to be a great buyer of the U.S. bonds implying that to some extent it has the capacity to determine the deficit that the U.S. can run considering the fact that the U.S. is among the biggest net debtors (McEachern). Friedman documents that China is the world’s greatest â€Å"offshoring† country to the extent that even the U.S is one of the beneficiaries of the attractive production prices in China. The Chinese education system, with its emphasis on technical areas such as mathematics and sciences, has resulted in a situation where the wages of highly skilled workers in the U.S. are starting to compete again st Chinese workers who can do a similar job at a low price. According to Flanders, one of the latest forecasts by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reveals that perhaps by 2016 the economy of China will surpass that of the U.S. The forecast predicts that there is a current wrangle of the budget in Washington. This in turn leads to the emergence of a number of questions

US Airways Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

US Airways - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that in the diversified airline industry that the developed world is experiencing, it is clear all types of challenges that the general economy has also affect the airline industry. The role of the management team in the midst of such challenges will continue to have a huge bearing on the operations and profitability of the players. Challenge identification coupled with the appropriate solution finding mechanism will prove to be the solution in the market marred by several uncertainties. Throughout the report, management intervention is informed by the identification of a specific challenge that the firm’s operations seem to be linked to. Offering a response to the challenges in a flexible management age is the way to handle these challenges. The US Airways is a merger of two players in the US airline industry since 2005 yet some of the challenges that characterize the market continue to pose operation threats to the firm. In this di scourse, an analysis of the challenges is made after highlighting the origin of the modern situation of the American commercial airline industry. From the highlighted challenges, a list of possible managerial interventions is introduced and briefly discussed. In another section, some of these interventions are discussed in detail, to clarify their relevance within the scope of US Airline Group. Finally, a roll-out plan of these alternatives is included, with clear timelines and projected expenditure. An order of merit is applied in the presentation of the practicality of the interventions.

Title Essay Example for Free

Title Essay The first 5 marks are based on your tutor’s monitoring of your contributions to the TGF discussions associated with B120 Book 2. Your tutor will introduce these at the appropriate time. We expect you to participate in all TGF discussions for Book 2. If your tutor does not feel you have participated in at least two of these, the 5 marks will be lost. The second 5 marks for Part II are based on another piece of work which will be a short report you will submit in the same file as Part 1 of the TMA, at the end. This will be a brief summary of one of the TGF discussions relating to Book 2 and what you have learned from it. It should not be any longer than 200 words. Remember that you must submit this short report at the end of your TMA through the eTMA system. demonstrate your understanding of HRM ideas by being able to show how they are relevant and useful to a particular example. This part of the TMA is worth 30 marks. Part (d) The final part of the TMA asks you to perform a simple web-based information search about the concept you have chosen and to present information succinctly. You need to include the URLs, the date the websites were accessed and why you chose them, and also state how trustworthy this information is to gain the full 5 marks available. 3. 4 TMA 02 Part II Part II of TMA 02 is worth the other 10 marks (the TMA is marked out of a total of 100). The first 5 marks are based on your tutor’s monitoring of your contributions to the TGF discussions associated with B120 Book 2. Your tutor will introduce these at the appropriate time. We expect you to participate in all TGF discussions for Book 2. If your tutor does not feel you have participated in at least two of these, the 5 marks will be lost. The second 5 marks for Part II are based on another piece of work which will be a short report you will submit in the same file as Part 1 of the TMA, at the end. This will be a brief summary of one of the TGF discussions relating to Book 2 and what you have learned from it. It should not be any longer than 200 words. Remember that you must submit this short report at the end of your TMA through the eTMA system.