... before Buddha images and Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The monks would chant together and the lay family or laity (unordained members of the Buddhist religion) offers prayer. The flowers remind them that life is temporary; the odor of the incense calls to their mind the sweet scent of moral virtue that emanates from those who are devout and the candle-flame symbolizes enlightenment. Making these offerings brings ... merit for the future and blessings for this life, helps toward selflessness and ... compassion and also reminds them of the Buddha teachings. In Theravada Buddhism, ... ...

• Word Count: 3001
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography

... my view your soul dies with you. If there is a heaven, is it an unlimited hard drive that never fills up? Reincarnation is not a viable option. The belief that the soul returns into a different entity is absurd. But who knows? Those that believe go ever Sunday to congregate and pray to a "being- that may or ... may not exist. Or light a candle in front of a piece of plaster and rely on their faith. Faith is a good thing when it is all you have to ... go on, but we have a brain capable of thought and we should use it. Faith and all the religions that preach it are just forms of ... is."...

• Word Count: 5369
• Approx Pages: 21
• Grade Level: High School