Tampa Buddhism And Kadampa Meditation Center

By Maria Williams


While the Christian faith is often considered the cornerstone of America, freedom of religion is still a basic right afforded to all Americans. In fact, Tampa has one of the largest populations of Buddhists. For, the Kadampa Meditation Center has a five star rating and is considered one of the best places to practice tampa buddhism.

Buddhism is the world's fourth largest religion with over five hundred million people practicing on a regular basis. In most cases, these individuals encompass a wide range of spiritual beliefs, including, in some cases, Christianity. For, there are a number of Christians whom now see Buddhism as a spiritual practice which can be incorporated into the Christian lifestyle rather than a religion.

Most often, those subscribing to Buddhism as a religion are following the original teachings of the first Buddha. Like with individuals whom study the bible, this has to led a number of different interpretations and philosophies with regards to Buddhist theology. For, whether an individual believes Buddhism to be a practice or religion, it remains one of the oldest on earth.

The primary goal of Buddhism is to eliminate suffering during each cycle of death and rebirth while working towards Nirvana. Buddhists believe this can be achieved by following a path to enlightenment, neither of which are easy tasks. While this is the case, there are different schools of thought as to the process or possibility of doing so.

While Buddhist practices often vary, individuals identifying as Buddhists often cultivate virtue, meditate, observe moral dilemmas and consequences, eat a vegetarian diet, believe in Dharma and reincarnation and take refuge in the Buddha. Whereas, most Buddhists also attend long guided or unguided meditation sessions at various meditation centers and temples.

It is believed that the first Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama. In many early Buddhist texts, the given name appears to have been Gautama without any reference to other names. While the details of the first Buddha's life are featured in a number of early writings, the text is inconsistent while the details of life and social background have been difficult to prove. As such, like with Jesus, the precise dates of Gautama's birth and death remain a mystery.

According to Buddhist sutras and teachings, Gautama was inspired by the innate suffering and endless cycle of humankind due to death and rebirth. As such, the Gautama set out on a quest to eliminate the suffering. It was through the teachings of Alara Kalama, Uddaka Ramaputta and others that the young spiritual guru learned the art of meditation and the true meaning of nothingness.

As a result of these teachers and the first Buddha, a number of people, including Christians have been incorporating the art of meditation into daily or weekly routines. For, meditation has not only proven to assist in spiritual growth but also provides health benefits. Whereas, in the Buddhist philosophy, it is believed that by clearing the mind through meditation on an ongoing basis, an individual will eventually reach a state of Nirvana.




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