Anna Jensen – Applying Buddhism to Your Life
Introduction to Buddhism
Why would someone want to study Buddhism? Over the course of several blog posts I plan to detail why one would be interested in applying Buddhism to their life, or even practicing Buddhism. I will integrate my experience (albeit very minimal) with resources I have found particularly useful in this spiritual quest. A brief tidbit about me. I am a sophomore in college at BU studying International Relations. I have not grown up in the Buddhist faith–nor any tradition in particular. Once I came to college and found a community that I cultivated I began to search for a similar community by means of religion. Christianity was initially very appealing–for most of my life I have gone back and forth in terms of my belief in the Christian values and spirituality. However, I became quite dissatisfied with what many Americans call Christianity and how they use the faith to discriminate and berate others. Thus my spiritual journey continued. As a fellow of Marsh Chapel we have weekly meetings, often with guests to educate us about the wide realm of spiritual activities and religions. One week we learned about the major religions of the East–Islam, Hindiusim and Buddhism. Buddhism particularly struck my interest. Dr. Brenda Phillips , BU Professor of Psychology shared her knowledge of Buddhism. She is working towards becoming a Buddhist practitioner. She led us in a few moments of meditation. I had never felt so relaxed as I did during meditation. All the traditional anxious thoughts and stress of school melted away while I listened to her calm soothing voice guide us through meditation. I thought that this experience would be beneficial to all BU students–I understand the anxieties that college students face. Thus, I set out on creating this blog to highlight both the religious and spiritual factors of Buddhism that can transform not just one’s anxieties but also one’s outlook and way of life. Buddhism is one of the only religions that has resulted in minimal conflict, save for the Rohingya crisis. But the way of life emphasizing peace and moderation is a great outlook to have and a way to live by. This is by no means a comprehensive guide, rather a complication of resources and analysis made by a college student.