Buddhist Gifts
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Buddhist Refridgerator Magnet Gifts: Mandala, Lucky Symbols, Medicine Buddha, Samantabhadra, Green Tara List Price: $12.99 Sale Price: $9.97  |
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5 Magnets including: Medicine Buddha, Tibetan 8 Auspicious Symbols, Kalachakra Mandala, Green Tara & Samantabhadra. High Qualtiy 3" x 3" fridge magnets. |
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Chinese Wisdom Set of 4 Absorbent Stone Coasters Sale Price: $11.99 |
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Using your magazines and newspapers (or whatever you can find) to avoid those nasty rings on your furniture from drips and sweaty glasses? Here's a solution: absorbent tumbled stone coasters. They're made of porous stone and are cork-backed to prevent nicks and scratches to your furniture... |
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Om Symbol - Aum - 18"W x 15"H - Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys Sale Price: $19.99 |
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WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies... |
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Simple Best Quality Unique Overhead Lighting - 11" Capiz Sea Shell Hanging Ceiling Light Fixture Lamp Sale Price: $69.00 |
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A distinctive, beautiful, simple hanging lantern, a wonderfully simple alternative to installing a ceiling light fixture. Hand crafted with a spherical shape Capiz sea shell shade, with UL approved insulated powercord, US standard size bulb socket, and wheel switch... |
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Buddha Fine Porcelain Lithophane Curved Night Light List Price: $25.00 Sale Price: $23.75 |
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First invented in France in 1827, a LITHOPHANE ("Vision In Stone") is a porcelain engraving that virtually comes alive when illuminated from behind. The image is created by a panel of different thicknesses of translucent, kiln-fired porcelain... |
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The Buddha: The Story of Siddhartha List Price: $24.99 Sale Price: $12.37 |
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This revealing documentary explores the origins of Buddhism, the world's fourth largest religion, through a detailed chronicle of the renowned Indian sage who obtained enlightenment beneath a fig tree... |
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The Legend Of The 8 Samurai / Deadly Buddhist Raiders List Price: $6.89 Sale Price: $0.01 |
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Region Free** THE LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI (Running Time 53 Minutes) tells an ancient Japanese folk tale about a princess whose clan is destroyed by an army of phantom warriors. She rises from the dead and bands together with eight masterless samurai to defeat the ghostly swordsmen... |
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Buddhist Art Card Featuring the Healing Buddha Sale Price: $3.96 |
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Sacred Art Card featuring the Healing Buddha. The Medicine Buddha, deep blue in color, manifests on a colored lotus throne. In his right hand, the medicine Buddha holds a healing herb, easing the suffering of body and mind... |
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Peacock Gift wrapping paper Sale Price: $8.95 |
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Peacock gift wrapping paper, twelve (12) sheets 10 1/2 x 16 1/2" unfolded, special size for small gifts (cds, books etc). If you enjoyed the peacock wrapping paper, please have a look at the white peacock wrapping paper at http://www... |
A Gift is for Life, not Just for Christmas
With Christmas fast approaching, it's easy to consider the process of giving gifts only within the context of the forthcoming festive season. However, to do so would be to somewhat miss the point. After all, when it comes to gifts, a gift really is for life.
This being the case, it's probably apt to consider the gifts of life itself. From the second we're born, to the moment we die, the purpose of such gifts can remain quite illusive. Thankfully, philosophers, scientists and even the world's religions – both major and minor – have sought to answer the one nagging question that has no doubt plagued each and every one of us at some point in our lives: Why are we here?
For followers of the Hindu faith, an individual's soul – known as the atman – has an existence that will last forever. And, within the context of developing spiritually over a number of different lifetimes, there are a total of four potential reasons for our existence; the most significant reason being Moksha, or liberation from the cycle of reincarnation, although we could also be here because of morality or righteousness, or even wealth.
Buddhist doctrine differs slightly between traditions, but when it comes to the reasoning behind the gifts of life, the answer can be broadly – and simplistically – split into two: the path towards enlightenment, and the escape from the cycle of 'suffering' identified by Buddha in his Four Noble Truths of existence. Essentially, the four truths state that suffering exists, that there is a beginning, an end, and a path that can be followed that can lead to the end.
But what of Christianity? Although the faith has its roots in Judaism – which believes that, in addition to preparing for the world to come after we die, the purpose of life is to serve God – the meaning of life, according to Christian thought, is reportedly to live in a manner similar to Christ, and to serve Him; ultimately to obtain 'salvation' through God.
In more modern times, there are a number of contemporary perspectives on the meaning of life. Indeed, according to Pragmatists, life's meaning can only be ascertained through experience; Existentialists, on the other hand believe that we create our own reasons for living. And, according to Nietzsche, life can only have meaning providing that one is in possession of goals that can be described by oneself as inspirational – our own little gifts if you like.
Returning once again to Buddhism, the Zen school– to paraphrase on famous Zen philosopher – could be said to see human existence in terms of whirlpools. Using this analogy, if we consider ourselves to be the whirlpools within the stream, we might see ourselves – and our energy – to be unique things, but as these pools of energy must ultimately wane and once again form part of the stream, we cannot be said to exist as distinct beings in our own right. In that sense, all of the gifts of life could be said to be illusory, and only a product of the mind, thereby reducing the purpose of life to realising the illusory nature of the sense of self. Once we realise that the self does not exist, it could be argued that life and death are ultimately the same. After all, if one cannot exist without the other, how can they be real things with their own existence? And if all this is ultimately true, there is no existence for us to worry about; as there is no 'I' to be born, it cannot die.
However, no matter what our own philosophical or religious beliefs, life's many unique gifts cannot – or at least should not – be ignored. Rain, wind, snow, and even the sun, are all gifts. And when we wake up in the morning and have food to eat, and things to drink, these are also gifts.
So, maybe we shouldn't spend our time worrying about why we're here, and what life is about – perhaps we should just get on with living instead.
About the Author
Written by John Smith co-founder of GettingPersonal.co.uk
GettingPersonal.co.uk are one of the UK's leading on-line retailers of personalised gifts, Birthday Gifts, Unusual Gifts, Christmas Gifts and Gifts. Their website is packed with over 1,500 gifts for any special occasion.
For more go to www.gettingpersonal.co.uk
