Key Challenges That Zen Practitioners Face in the West Essay Example for Free

Key Challenges That Zen Practitioners Face in the West Essay Zen is a specific form of Buddhism, which appeared in post-Heian period. Originally Zen became a hybrid of Indian Buddhism and Chinese Taoism and Confucianism. Zen is a Japanese name, which corresponds to Chinese Ch’an, Vietnamese Thien Buddhism or Korean S’on. All these kinds of Buddhism differ from each other but in the West they became confused and mixed together, forming one idea of Zen Buddhism. Generally, all Zen teaching is based on Buddhist scriptures, such as Perfection of Wisdom Sutras and Diamond Cutter Sutra. Zen tradition also appreciates the teaching of famous Zen masters of the past. Soto and Rinzai are two main schools of Zen Buddhism. In Soto school they pay special attention to the practice of Zazen of sitting meditation. This meditation consists of â€Å"doing nothing† sitting in the posture of lotus and making an attempt to stop thoughts. This is non-object meditation aiming to stop the activity of mind. Rinzai School makes stronger accent on the study of so called koans. Koans are short stories originating usually from the past which are used to pass the meaning of zen. Disciples of Rinzai School spend days and hours meditating on koans, trying to stop activity of mind and achieve the nature of Buddha. Both, Rinzai and Soto schools have practices of walking meditation. Zen is usually taught in Zen centers and monasteries. Zen tradition pays special attention to interaction between master and students. Teachers and students meet privately so that teacher can pass his experience directly to his students. Despite Soto and Rinzai schools have always being practiced separately in Japan; there is a tendency to combine these two schools into one in the West. There are two main ways of passing Zen traditions in the West (Seager). First of all there are Zen masters, who emigrate from China and Japan. These masters keep close to the original tradition of Zen Buddhism. At the same time non-Asian disciples, who popularize Zen in the west often pay much less attention to the traditions and philosophical elements of Zen. Western teachers of Zen make main emphasis on meditation practices and deemphasize rituals and customs of traditional Zen Buddhism. Soto school gives sixteen precepts of Zen way of life. These precepts are taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sanga, following the first three precepts, not doing evil, doing only good and doing good for others, living according to ten grave precepts, which are not killing, not stealing, write sexual conduct, telling no lie, keeping always from drugs and drinking, not judging others, being generous and being not angry. All these precepts shape everyday ethical rules of Zen Buddhism. In addition, Zen, which is based on the principle of spontaneous action often, turns to calligraphy, archery, poetry and marital arts as additional means. (Wallace) During last decades Zen Buddhist movements have moved from monasteries and gradually have become everyday practice. This can be explained by the peculiarities of Western mentality, where people got used to combining religious practices and everyday life, while in Japan and other Asian countries practicing Zen Buddhism required moving away from lay life and living work and family. As states Allan Wallance, â€Å"as Zen has been assimilated into the West, the traditional ceremonial life of the Japanese temple, together with its linguistic and social customs, has gradually become marginalized. Few Western Zen followers have chosen to make the commitment of entering full-blown Zen monastic practice by taking monastic ordination, or tokudoâ€Å" (Wallance, 8). Western Zen has become supplemented with views from other Buddhism traditions. Most Western practitioners of Zen are lay people, who practice short meditation sessions every day and turn to intensive practice during so-called retreats. In Zen traditional retreats are called sesshins and they last from three to several months. At the same time tokudo, or Zen monastic movement became the founder of Buddhist Peace Fellowship. This organization if preoccupied with helping needy, poor and homeless.

Internet and Research Essay -- Analysis Research Internet Essays

Internet and Research According to The Disappearance of Technology, by Bruce and Hogan, â€Å"(technological) tools become commonplace. Each literacy technique goes from unfamiliar to familiar, from visible to invisible.† Proof of this can be seen through even just one person, as he begins life prior to the house-hold computer, and witnessed the changes as the Internet become main stream, and finally to his uses of technology today while attending law school. To begin a research analysis on Brian Petrano’s literacy eco system, one must first analyze the beginnings of his technological life. At his current age of 25, he has only been exposed to computers and the Internet for about fifteen years. Of course, this means his experience with computers coincides with the initial stages of the home computer evolution. While in his sophomore year of high school, he began to assist a librarian, Mrs. Rulon. She eventually exposed him to the potential of the Internet and its abilities as a resource, along with the capabilities of the computer beyond a simple word processor. This was the beginning of his technological life. â€Å"You can learn anything,† Brian discovered, â€Å"and the name they gave it is exactly right, it is a ‘web’ that can branch off on whatever you are researching.† From this point, Brian has been all consumed with the possibility of the World Wide Web as a research tool. For Brian, a composition tended to be a culmination of literary works found on the Internet. Especially now, he has little use for creating new works. On the contrary, he typically researches in-depthly and pulls together the most important aspects found, into one article with Brian’s tone. Through the years, he has seen himself grow from visiting the... ...ch, with the Internet as his main resource. Lately though, things have seemed to change. The Patriot Act has him worried about the freedom of computers and the Internet. â€Å"I appreciate it, because so far, it is not censored. The free market place of idea and thought is what this country is founded on. It may be our downfall, but is paramount, and so important.† In the end, Brian has complete respect and admiration for technology, specifically the Internet, and the ease it offers him. His life has come to depend on it as it grows before his eyes. The old days of card catalog technology seem even humorous to him, â€Å"I remember helping Mrs Rulon organize the card catalog and thinking, ‘there has to be a better way then this.’† There is, and in the future there we will probably look back at the Internet of today and laugh while wondering how we ever functioned with it.

American History X and Racism

American History X is a film with racism as its overarching theme. Specifically, the subject of the film focuses not on the phenomenon of racism as we know it, slavery and the Malcolm X period, but on its current trends namely the neo-Nazist, white supremacist movement of the 90’s. This paper is determined to present the overt connections between American History X and Racism, after which the discussion will present some pertinent scenes in the movie. These scenes are analyzed from a racial discrimination standpoint. Lastly, a personal reflection on the movie concludes the argumentations.The film’s treatment is like a stereo—going back and forth from the present and the flashbacks. In the same way, the major scenes will be presented here in a non-linear fashion. One of the most important scenes in this film is when the film explains why Derek is mad with minorities. The underlying reason for this hatred is when Derek’s dad is shot by a Black drug dealer. H aving felt this injustice and being helpless in expressing his anger, Derek was approached by Cameron. This scene is important in presenting racism as not existing in a vacuum.There are always reasons behind actions, that even the most bizarre or illogical of behaviors can be explained by specific past experiences. Racism is rooted in intolerance and hatred towards others. Hatred is a sowed seed and here we begin to understand that a racist perpetrator has his own reasons why he is behaving in such a way. The abuses of the Nazism in Germany—killing Jews, concentration camps, widespread hunting of people with Jewish descent—will not take place without an idea, or a good reason, that the majority of people would buy into. People would be foolish to just wake up one day and decide to decimate 6 million people.Ideas are powerful, because ideas turn into acceptance and acceptance turns into actions, actions become behavior and behavior changes into a cultural norm in the lo ng run. Ideas, moreover, are only powerful because people buy into them. This is why the scene at the grocery store with Koreans is important. The scene portrays the power of ideas and its ability to change people. Moreover, the speech of Derek at the store presents surprising parallelisms with the ideas that people bought into during the Nazi movement. In Derek’s speech, he said that Koreans are stealing the opportunities that are supposed to be for Americans.The illegal immigrants that work in America creates the joblessness of the Whites. In the same way, the Nazis of Germany argued that the Jewish refugees from a devastated nation came to Germany carrying nothing but they thrived there—owning businesses, banks, etc—and became powerful while a bulk of the German population are poor and unemployed. The grocery store scene shows just how potent a dangerous idea is. People want to follow a passionate leader. Racism became accepted because people tolerate the act and follow the dangerous norm. Similarly, people with strong moral convictions are also heard. The scene of Dr.Sweeney and Danny is significant because it shows how racism can be challenged, not through hostility, but with reason. Dialogue fosters understanding, or at least, it presents a different way of looking at things. Sweeney’s assignment makes Danny think outside the box—outside his personal stereotypes and values on racism. Sweeney challenges his ideas and in a way, becomes a counter-force to Danny’s predisposition towards racism. The anti-racism movement is laden with Sweeney types of people such as Luther King Jr. who took the non-violent path of reasoning in pointing to the evils of racism itself.Sweeney is the personification of the challenge against the neo-Nazist trend. His moral courage and convictions made people think and listen. Another important scene in the film is the presentation of Derek and his change of heart. This took place in prison, where racism is also a strong force that binds and separates inmates. In prison, Derek is still resolved in his racist convictions and he bonded with fellow racists, until he was befriended by a Black guy. His previous stereotypes regarding Blacks was challenged by the good-natured behavior of the black guy.It is essentially a realization that people of different colors are still people sharing a common humanity. When fellow racist inmates raped Derek for befriending a Black guy, he came to understand that goodness and evil are not just seen by the color of the skin. There is blackness of the heart even in the whitest of white, and a whiteness of the soul in the pitch black-colored person. Every act of kindness and every act of violence has its ripple effects beyond what a person can control. This is seen in the scenes following Derek’s return. Derek’s little brother Danny had taken where he left off.Now Danny took the same convictions as Derek by being adamantly into lerant of minorities. The small anti-Black movement that Derek started became a great massive force, and now that he had a deeper realization of the evil of racism, he sees that he is responsible for this. Undoing things are more difficult that doing them, especially when we do things mindlessly such as when we resort to hatred and violence. It is easy to sow seeds of violence because it spreads like wildfire, but sowing peace is like planting a seed that needs to be nurtured. Danny also had his turning point. His brother made him realize that racism is a useless thing.Blaming others for the death of one’s father does not solve the problem, it just makes it worse. He understood that violence will only be met with violence. The symbolic image of the brothers’ turning point is the cleaning up of their Nazi-decorated rooms. Writing the American History X paper also supports Danny’s non-violence approach towards the hostilities of the world. He writes â€Å"analyze and interpret† on the computer. Racism is phenomenal because not many people analyze and interpret before acting on something. In many cases, irrational and false interpretations create chaos.When there is no room for analysis, there is no opportunity for people to try and understand each other before rendering biased interpretations and actions. Racism presents to us that it is a very strong force, one that is rooted in hostility and intolerance. American History X depicts that degree of hostility and intolerance in the different cascading scenes of the past. When our small monsters of hostility become gigantic titans of racism, we are confronted by something intimidating. Derek’s solution is to run, leave the giant. Running from the problem of racism does not solve the fundamental personal and social issues.While running seems tempting, the reality of racism is still with us and it will never go away unless it is collectively confronted in modern-day America and ever ywhere else. Running is a temporary solution to a long-term problem. Derek runs with Danny, but eventually the giant catches on them—Danny is shot by the same guy he had a violent (although subtle) argument with the day before. What does the death of Danny imply? It tells us that violence, in all its forms and degrees, is foolishness, it is never a means to an end—thereby rendering racism not as a virtue, but as a moral evil.Racism is only one form of violence, just as making another human being bite the pavement is another. Unknowingly, many of us do not realize that violence exists both within us and also in our world. Violence does not just mean killing people, it also exists in intolerance over other people’s beliefs and skin color, it is harsh language spoken, it is a thought unspoken. Racism is not only seen but felt†¦ while America boasts of equality and human rights; racism is still seen and felt in its other subtle forms of violence. The path of no n-violence is a beautiful but difficult journey that we must all decide to take.I now end with the echoing words of Abraham Lincoln quoted during Danny’s death scene, his final words in the American History X paper†¦ â€Å"†We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearth-stone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. † Works Cited American History X. Dir. Tony Kaye. Perf. Edward Norton. New Line Cinema. 1998.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Alzheimers Disease - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2211 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/04/12 Category Medicine Essay Level High school Topics: Alzheimer's Disease Essay Did you like this example? Traumatic head injury increases effect of Alzheimer disease which disrupts activity of neurotransmitters and electrical charges travel within cells. Alzheimer disease is characterized by synaptic loss and neuronal death with gross brain atrophy. Falls are common in older population which lead to prolong hospital stay and serious medical complications such as traumatic brain injury. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Traumatic Brain Injury and Alzheimers Disease" essay for you Create order Traumatic head injury cause brain tissue to swell which prevent fluids from leaving brain and broken pieces of skull can rupture blood vessels in head. Effect of traumatic brain injury is crucial due to the association of cognitive impairment, decrease motor function, and neuroinflammation with Alzheimers disease, especially in women with the APOE genotype. Reducing the onset with preventative measures including diet modification, physical activities, and continuous intellectual stimulation constituting a medical management and care plan. Neuroinflammation and Cognitive Impairment Neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment role on the brain is critical to traumatic brain injury with Alzheimer disease. Brains immune cells play an important role in healing process, removal of dead, and damaged neurons which doesnt occur cause of the traumatic brain injury. Amnesia is memory loss and different types include retrograde amnesia and anterograde amnesia. Retrograde amnesia hinders ability to retrieve memories that were already stored in brain and limited to period before head injury or before Alzheimer disease develops. Anterograde amnesia lose capacity to make new memories and present for events that occur or information that is present after brain injury or Alzheimer disease. Aphasia is impaired communication and apraxia is deficit involuntary motor skills. Neuroinflammation is cellular damage and loss of neuronal functions occurring when brain or spinal cord become inflamed cause by irritation and swelling of brain tissue or blood vessels. Brain swelling cause increased intracranial pressure (ICP) which prevent blood flow to brain and deprived it of oxygen need to function. Brain fog occurs due to decrease communication between neurons leading to damaged brain cells and brain decelerating. Inflammation cause deficits such as memory loss, decrease alertness, change in concentration and behavior, confusion, mood swings, and distortions in thought. Chronic cerebral inflammation associated with increased proinflammatory cytokines capable of mediating neural protection and regeneration. Traumatic brain injury follows by oxidative stress and hypoxia which stimulate microglia and astrocytes. Continuing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress occur in existence of brain damage and functional impairments (OBrien, 2015). Cognitive impairment is act of knowing, thinking, ability to choose, understand, remember information. Problems include attention and concentration, speech and language, learning and memory, problem-solving, decision-making, and judgment. First, unable to pay attention and concentration resulting in restless, distraction, difficulty working on more than one task at a time, problem carrying on long conversation or sitting still for long period of time. Second, problem with processing and understanding information slow down and result in taking longer to grasp what other say, more time to understand and follow direction, trouble following tv, take longer to read and interpret written information, slow to reaction such as driving, slow to carry out physical task like getting dress or cooking. Third, language and communication problems include difficulty thinking of right words, trouble starting or following conversation, rambling, misunderstanding jokes, difficult with more complex lang uage, trouble communicating thoughts and feelings using facial expression, tone of voice and body language, reading others emotions. Fourth, problem learning and remember new information that occur recently but remember information from long time ago. Fifth, problem with problem-solving, decision-making, and judgment include difficult recognizing problem, trouble analyzing information, or change way of thinking, difficult deciding best solution, and quick decision without thinking about consequences. Sixth, inappropriate, embarrassing or impulsive behavior occur with lack of self-control and self-awareness including denying cognitive problems, say hurtful or insensitive things, act out of place and behave in inconsiderate way and lack awareness of social boundaries and others feeling. Adrenal cortex produces the hormone cortisol and shows a high level in people affective by mild cognitive impairment (Battino, 2016 APOE Genotype The sex difference varies by APOE genotype which regulate aggregation and clearance in brain, neuronal signaling, and neuroinflammation. Traumatic brain injury reduce ability to repair and remodel synapses or protect neurons with APOE gene. Patient carrying APOE gene have high tau level, low cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and great brain atrophy particularly in hippocampal area cause loss in cortical thinness and hippocampal value leading to decrease cognitive performance. APOE-  µ4 gene more common in Alzheimer disease patient associated with increased risk for cerebral amyloid. Amyloid-related decline with presence of APOE- ? µ4 by assessing memory, cognitive, and executive function in participants with Alzheimer pathology and no pathology. (Donohue, 2014) Amyloid-b (A) peptides becomes accumulate and aggression causing injury to synapse and neurodegeneration. Microtubule-associated protein tau appear as neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer disease brain caused by overproduction of A. Low level of gonadal sex hormones is associated with decline in neurogenesis with memory decline and executive function difficulties. Female sex-linked to decrease longitudinal cognitive, advance hippocampal atrophy, and lower cognitive testing. Women with APOE-  µ4 have more pronounced brain pathology than men showing more buildup of sticky plaques called amyloid beta protein. APOE-  µ4 in women cause worse performance, greater brain atrophy and lower brain metabolism due to higher level of biological markers. Women with low CSF have greater left hippocampal atrophy, quicker decline in memory, and function performance while women with higher CSF have decrease in function performance and advance right hippocampal atrophy (Koran, 2016). Estrogen important for hippocampal memory consolidation, hippocampal-dependent spatial navigation memory, object recognition, and object placement which decrease with age and associated with cognitive decline. Preventive Measure Diet modification, physical activities, intellectual stimulation to help decrease cognitive impairment, neuroinflammation, and increase motor function. Research has showed that wearing a seat belt while in an automobile can reduce injury from occurring during accidents. Secure rugs and loose electrical cord to minimize risk of tripping over them which could lead to falls. Brain cells critical for memory is lose as brain shrink with age, and large brain volume association include diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, nuts, fish, and low in sugary beverage. Diet modification include nutrition which is an environmental factor, and proper nutrition can change biomarker level. Decrease oxidation in the brain cause decrease deacetylase activity (Athanasopoulos, 2016). Vitamin D has neuroprotector properties such as antioxidative, calcium homeostasis, neurotrophic regulation and anti-inflammatory action which regulate DNA methylation and modulate gene expression leading to decrease risk for developing Alzheimer disease. Vitamins A, C, and E has antioxidant properties which can reduce abnormal histone acetylation modification. Vitamin A group include retinol, retinoic acid, and b-carotene which have beneficial effect on memory. Vitamin C group require for recycling ? ±-tocopherol radical which acts as a reducing agent and induces epigenetic changes to protect against Alzheimer disease. Vitamin E group include tocopherols and tocotrienols associated with decreased risk for Alzheimer disease. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce cognitive decline in ol der adults by increasing the specialized pro-resolving mediators produce by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Omega-3 fatty acids benefit heart and blood vessels, anti-inflammatory effects, and protect nerve cell membranes. Inflammation and cognitive decline can be physical reduced with alpha-lipoic acid, curcumin, fish oil, ginger, resveratrol, and spirulina. Physical activities help brain cells increase blood and oxygen flow in brain encouraging new cell growth which stimulate brains ability to maintain old connection as well as make new ones. Muscle, joints, balance, and heart help maintain higher level of functioning and reducing risk of falls. Adequate exercise reduces restlessness and prevent wandering and cognitive decline improve with supporting cardiac function. Improve sleeping habits by maintaining a good sleep-wake cycle and facilitate sound sleep at night. Walking shows improvement with memory and weight training show improvement in selective attention, memory, and conflict resolution. Yoga decrease blood pressure and decrease risk of cardiovascular which improve brain function and decrease risk of Alzheimer disease. Overall quality of life improves with yoga with increase processing speed, executive function, attention, memory, and mood. Stimulating Activities Certain stimulating activities can reduce risk of mild cognitive impairment and show improvement in complex thinking and memory skills by staying engage and alert while enjoying vigorous memory workout. People with APOE ? µ4 genotype engage in intellectual activities show reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment and higher cognitive reserve is associated with cerebrospinal biomarker. Reduce risk of mild cognitive impairment by playing brain games, reading, using computer, and social activities. Puzzles or sorting object use hand-eye coordination to exercise problem-solving ability and make sense of shapes to complete pictures which help maintain neural connection of brain. Game encouraging verbal articulation of ideas strengthen mental capacity through word related activities, mental exercises, or question by stimulating mind to sharpen cognitive awareness. Reading stimulate both memories and emotion and more neurobiological demanding require vision, language, and associate learni ng all connection. Tackling new technologies is a way to learn new things. Remain interested, active and engage in life by staying social will keep brain active. Learn something new to challenge mind and stimulate brain stem growth such as new language, musical instrument, and painting which provide novelty, complexity, and challenge by disrupting brains habit and routines. Artistic hobbies such as drawing, and paint keeps senses fine-tuned by work part of the brain that might not have been utilized in past. Music stimulates specific part of the brain and has power to stir memories and elicit emotion. Practice memorization by creating rhymes and patterns to strength memory connection. Practice the 5 Ws. Who, What, Where, When, and Why by observing and reporting to capture visual details to keep neurons firing. Things already know how to do, try in new ways to create new brain pathways such as eating or styling hair with non-dominant hand and placing watch on opposite wrist. Medical Management and Care Plan Medical management and care plan help communicate and organize action needed for individuals needs. Neurological examination includes blood test, spinal tap, nerve function, electroencephalogram (EEG), and imaging test CT scan and MRI. Cognitive evaluated by neuropsychologist since many factors affect how cognitive can be improve and challenging to predict recovery. Cognitive rehabilitation focus on remediation focus on improving skills that have been lost or impaired and compensate learning new ways to achieve goal. Speech therapist to identify areas that need work Treatment Medication cant stop the damage Alzheimer disease cause brain cell but can lessen or stabilize symptoms by affecting certain chemicals involving with brain nerve cells. Neuroinflammation treatment include controlling inflammation with immunosuppressant. Cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine to treat cognitive symptoms such as confusion, problem with thinking and reasoning, and memory loss. Cholinesterase inhibitors prevent breakdown of chemical called acetylcholine essential for learning, memory, and support communication among nerve cells by increasing acetylcholine. Memantine regulates activity of a chemical called glutamate improved mental function and ability to perform daily activities. Oxygen therapy provide oxygen to help blood have enough oxygen and reduce amount of swelling. PROG treatment shows improved long-term cognitive and motor outcome with decrease brain damage (OBrien, 2015). MW 151 treatment Selective proinflammatory cytokine prevent cognitive impairment (Bachstet ter, 2015). Cognitive rehabilitation focuses on remediation by developing skills that have been lost or impaired and compensate for learning new ways to achieve goal. Ventriculostomy by drilling small hole in skull to drain cerebrospinal fluid from inside brain. Surgery to remove part of skull to relieve intracranial pressure or repair damaged artery or vein. Care Plan Cognition-focused evaluation is a comprehensive and interview with family member to obtain description of current issue, accurate patient history, exams, medication, and medical. Functional assessment includes activities of daily living, decision-making capacity, evaluation of safety and advances care planning with palliative care. Reminiscing will help with long-term memories and intellectual activities to keep cognitive skills active. Early detection can assist with more time to prepare for future, better chance of treatment such as increased chance of participating in clinical drug trials, participate in decision about care, transportation, living option, financial, and legal matters. Evaluation of safety and advance care planning with palliative care. Plans to help improve different changes that are occurring in mind and body. Attention and concentration problems improved by decreasing distraction, focus on one task at a time, practice attention skills, and take breaks when tired. Problem with processing and understanding improved with placing full attention on trying to understand, more time to think about information, re-read information, and ask to repeat themselves. Language and communication improved with using gentle tone of voice, dont speak quickly, limit conversation to one person at a time. Problems learning and remembering new information improved by putting together a structured routine of daily task and activities, be organized, review and practice new information, well rested and reduce anxiety, learn memory aids such as memory notebooks, calendars, daily schedules, and daily task list. Problem with problem-solving, decision-making, and judgment include teaching organized approach such as step-by-step problem-solving strategy, define problems, possible solution, pros and cons of solutions, pick solution, and evaluate success of solution. Inappropriate, embarrassing or impulsive behavior include think ahead about situation, clear expectation for desirable behavior, plan and rehearse social interaction, verbal and non-verbal cues. Conclusion Alzheimer disease is a complex neurodegenerative disorder which progressive due to traumatic brain injury. Effect of traumatic brain injury can be reduced by understanding neuroinflammation, cognitive impairment, APOE genotype, and sex hormones. Diet modification. Physical activities improve blood flow to brain and stimulate nerve cells growth. Ongoing intellectual stimulation improves complex thinking, memory, communication, and interaction.