Nathan GrakowskyProfessor DunaganPhil 1311 – 007February 18, 2014I am a BuddhistI am a Mahayana Buddhist living in Japan. We call it “the Great Vehicle,” which means we come from early Theravada Buddhists, but we are philosophical and compassionate. We are compassionate and helpful to each other because of the Bodhisattva path, for our enlightenment to one day achieve Nirvana. What is most important to me in my religion is being a bodhisattva. Once we reach Nirvana, instead of ending the cycle of rebirths, we answer the prayers of those who need our help; we are compassionate even in death. The family of a deceased person should also pray for a long time to facilitate the process of rebirth. We accept the Pal Canon as our sacred scripture, but we have many additions such as Sanskrit and the Sutras. We may not believe that we need to be monastic like our Theravada elders, which is why we are considered “liberal” Buddhists. The Buddha generously delayed Nirvana until perfection to help those who seek enlightenment in and throughout their lives. The way my religion affects my daily life is the constant help of those who one day reach the Pure Land, a land where one sees no suffering, but must forget all the suffering of the natural world. Our scriptures and Buddha tell you what to do and seek inspiration when you forget your daily despairs. Buddha is the icon of all Buddhists, which means that he is not a God, nor an incarnation of God. Buddha is just a man, a mortal being who could face suffering like us. The Buddha is therefore not to be worshipped, but only followed to the extent that he shows his direction, and a teacher to the extent that he shows us the path to enlightenment. We have no God, but just happiness, illusion and absolute reality... middle of paper ...... some countries condemn homosexual acts, but Western cultures like America, American Buddhists accept homosexuality. Divorce is not common in Buddhism, but it is not denied either. As conventional as religion itself, so are the role of the spouse since women are the caretakers and men work to provide for the family. Well, we live in a modern society, so I was asked what types of occupations do we do? not allowed to work. It is quite simple because we must make reasonable and conscious decisions to avoid leaving the path of the eightfold. Buddhists are not allowed to play or practice pornography because it damages our karma when we influence and show the world what we are not supposed to be. We cannot practice any profession in fishing, hunting or anything of that nature that is not permitted in our dietary supplement. We cannot be arms dealers because we do not believe in violence.