Risk Management Of Ambuja Cement Economics Essay

Risk Management Of Ambuja Cement Economics Essay Ambuja Cements was set up in 1986. In the last decade the company has grown tenfold. The total cement capacity of ACL as on CY07 is 18.5 million tonnes. Its plants are some of the most efficient in the world. Its environment protection measures are on par with the finest in the developed world. ACL follows a unique home grown philosophy of giving people the authority to set their own targets, and the freedom to achieve their goals. This simple vision has created an environment where there are no limits to excellence, no limits to efficiency. It has presence in the North, East and Western regions of India. Its domestic market share stands at 10.2% as on CY07. ACL has developed a unique homespun channel management model called Channel Excellence Programme (CEP). Over 7,000 dealerships and 20,000 retailers across India are covered under this model. This program emphasizes the relationship management approach to build strong business ties with the dealers and retailers. ACL largely expor ts to the Middle East. ACL was one of the first companies to be equipped with shipping fleet and make use of sea as a medium to transport cement across the globe. Sea transport costs one-third of road transport. It has a port terminal at Muldwarka, Gujarat that handles ships with 40,000 DWT. It is also equipped to export clinker and cement and import coal and furnace oil. ACL is the one of the most profitable cement companies in India, and one of the lowest cost producers of cement in the world. GACL has bulk cement terminals at Muldwarka (Gujarat), Panvel, Navi Mumbai and Surat. Risks in Company- Demand-supply mismatch could take time to stabilise, thereby putting further pressures on margins- Recently due to Slowdown of the cement demand a mismatch come into effect so due to excess production and supply of the cement company is bearing on the front of lower margins. Cement price / realisations to dip on account of demand slowdown- As mentioned above the demand slowdown impacted the prices to take it lower so company is having less profits which is adversily effecting the future growth projects lead out by GACL. Rise in input costs affecting OPMs- GACLs OPMs were at its peak in Q1CY07 after which it has seen a constant fall due to the rising prices of commodities like fly ash, gypsum, coal, crude oil, etc, rise in power fuel costs and rise in other expenditure. Higher clinker purchase pulls down margin- Higher clinker purchase pulled down the margin of the company. Ambuja is trading at a steep premium to its peers despite the fact that it does not have the best return ratios and best margins in the industry. Thus, we are maintaining our UNDERPERFORMER rating on the stock. Demand-Supply gap, overcapacity: The capacity additions distort the demand-supply equilibrium in the industry  thereby affecting profitability. Risks in Industry- Increased cost of production due to increase in coal prices. High Interest rates on housing: The re-pricing of the interest rates in the last four years from 7% to 12% has resulted in the slowdown in residential property market. Imports from Pakistan affecting markets in Northern India: In 2007, 130000 tonnes in 2008, 173000 Metric tones of  cement  was exported to India. This was done to keep the price of cement  under check. Effect of global recession on real estate: The real estate prices are stabilizing and facing steady slowdown especially in metros. There has been drastic reduction in property prices due to reduced demand and increased supply. Shifting supplies from export market to domestic market: ACL is the largest exporter among the Indian cement players. Its exports account for nearly one-third of the total exports from the country by listed players. ACL witnessed reduction in exports by 28% to 1.3 mn tonnes in CY07 vis-à  -vis 1.8 mn tonnes in CY06 due to diversion of exports to the domestic market on account of more lucrative prices in the domestic markets. The recent lifting of the ban on export of cement in the backdrop of waning demand for this crucial construction input from the real estate sector will have marginal impact on exports from India as the government had allowed export of cement from ports in Gujarat (accounting for 85% of the exports from India) on May 27, 2008. The ban was imposed on April 11 this year to curb the rapidly rising inflation. Competitors:  The Indian cement industry has a large number of fragmented firms. There is also a dearth of new players as incumbents have already procured key raw material sources, like limestone reserves on long-term leases. Further, large firms are continuously consolidating by acquiring smaller ones that find it difficult to attain minimum efficient scale of production. Product: Cement is a bulk commodity and a low value product. It is sold in 50 kg packs as OPC grade 33, 43, and 53. It is used in all construction activities as a primary constituent of concrete. Due to similar raw material inputs and production processes, there is no significant differentiation in the cement produced across firms. Environmental Issues:  Greenhouse gas emissions from cement manufacturing pose a serious environmental threat. Currently, the cement industry generates 5% of Indias total carbon-dioxide emissions.2  With stringent emission norms, the production process needs to be made environmentally sustainable. The cost of implementing new production processes that help reduce emissions can be offset by trading certified emission reductions (CERs). CERs are a component of national and international emissions trading schemes, implemented through Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, in an attempt to mitigate global warming.3  Credits obtained through implementation of such projects can be traded in international markets. Risk Techniques used by Company- Company is expanding its operations by purchasing more units and invreasing the production capacity to further lower down the overall production costs to remain competitive in the industry. It also is reducing costs by making to reach to the Big suppliers which can provide quality materials in less prices. It is how company responded to the challenges. Post Impact of Risk Management techniques- Company has come forward in the industry and increased the operations in many states, also enhanced its exports and has posed a challenge before other companies.

Use of Night and Darkness in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

Use of Night and Darkness in Macbeth Shakespeare is known for his descriptively rich plays. He also ways does an excellent job of describing both the characters as well as the setting. One specific area of the play MacBeth is the use of night and darkness to show evil or happening that are not right. Examples of this are the many appearances of the witches, the murders that occur, and the conflicts that MacBeth faces with his mental health. The following three paragraphs will further discuss these topics. The first example of Shakespeare’s use of night and darkness in the appearances of the three witches. The witch sisters are the main sources of evil within the play MacBeth. When the witches are in an act, storms or the darkness of the woods always accompanies them. This shows great evilness. " Thunder and lightning. Enter three witches." This is the opening scene description just before the introduction to the witches. This shows their evil nature as the are followed by rough storms in dark conditions. Another quote is " Fair is fowl and fowl is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air." This is another example of the disgusting and dirty, dark atmosphere around the witches. Then, towards the end of Hecate’s, queen of witches, speech, she says "Hark! I am called. My little spirit, see: Sits a foggy cloud and it stays for me." This shows a clear mental picture of the fogy, ugly conditions, which are prominent, when the witches are around. So this is a very good exampl e of Shakespeare being able to link darkness and stormy conditions with evil. The second example of Shakespeare writing techniques to show evil as darkness is the number of murders and when it was that they occurred. When there was a murder, it was often committed at night or in the dark. This then also ties in with the entire connection of darkness with evil, murder being the source of evil. The most known example of murder is when MacBeth kills Banquo. During his speech where he is proceeding to kill Banquo he says " ...Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse the curtained sleep. Witchcraft celebrates pale Hecate’s offerings , and withered Murder , alarumed by his sentiel , the wolf , who’s howl’s his watch....." The references to the dreams, sleep, witches and the wolf’s howl all depict the nighttime as this is when most of those words are seen.

Cohabitation and Marriage

In the past 40 years there has been a dramatic change in the amounts of marriage and cohabitation, for example 60% of first time marriages end in divorce, which means the amount of second marriages have increased because everyone always wants someone to hold onto in life and you can never be too old to find that someone.Firstly, when a male and female are married, there is important factors to consider. Traditionally it was important for the male to be the ‘Breadwinner’ in the family and bring in the income, and for the female to be a housewife and tend to the children’s needs as well as the household, cooking every meal and cleaning the house. It was important for the family to have a function in society.But now tradition has been pushed aside and now women have careers, Sue Sharpe discovered this change in women’s views on life when she first visited a school in 1976 to see that the girls at the school only had visioned of being a housewife in the future, she then returned to the same school in 1994 to observe that all the girls had dreamed of having careers, this shows that women now having more of a role in society could prove a struggle for men not being the leader anymore.Also in a marriage men and women moreover look for not just love, but friendship. If friendship is not found or one partner doesn’t open up to their lover, then a marriage can start to crumble. Plus divorce is also frowned upon by functionalists. Furthermore in the past 40 years there has been an increase in cohabitation (living together but not being married). There can be many reasons for this, from economical and not being able to afford a wedding seen as the average church wedding costs ? 15,000 or not being ready.One of the most popular reasons is that couples want to in a sense ‘try out’ living with somebody before they spend massive amounts of money and vow to spend the rest of their lives with someone who they might not even like, th is gives them a chance to back out of proceedings and find their soul mate. Moreover another reason that cohabitation is increasing is because of stability. Cohabitation is very rare cases lasts longer than ten years, therefore first marriages are more stable and cohabitation is generally safer for younger couples as they don’t have to rush into the rest of their lives.Feminist’s note that women’s expectations of marriage have radically changed, compared with previous generations. In the 1990s, most divorce petitions were put forward by women. This may support Thornes and Collard’s (1979) view that women expect far more from marriage than men and, in particular, that they value friendship and emotional gratification more than then do. If husbands fail to love up to these expectations, women may feel the need to look elsewhere.This would also support the fact that, on average, the number of divorce proceedings started by women is about 70%. In the past 40 years also, the standard of living has increased greatly, which means people are living longer, this includes; Scientific and medical advances, the welfare state, safer and healthier working conditions, higher accommodation standards, improved education and health awareness, better food and food technology e. g. microwaves and toasters, better hygiene and sanitation and improved medical care.All these factors are huge reasons why people have started living longer, and with people living longer there is more of a chance of marriage in their long lived lifes and more than just one. . On the other hand there has been a decrease in family size, this is because of; More child-centeredness, increasing geographical mobility, improved and ease of access contraception, declining death and infant mortality rate, the welfare state, the changing role of women, compulsory education of children and the change of norms and values.These are all elements in which influence the decline in average fam ily size. Lastly, there has been an increase in marriage because of growing secularization, the changes on the views of religion meant that people from different countries have integrated from their foreign countries and settled in Britain, where they have found love, and for them it is more traditional for them to marry before living together. The basic development of cohabitation is that it is on the increase and has been for the last decade.The proportion of non-married people cohabiting has risen sharply in the last 20 years from 11% of men and 13% of women in 1986 to 24% and 25% respectively. In 2007, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggested that cohabiting couples are the fastest growing family type in the UK. In fact, around 2. 2 million families are cohabiting couples with or without children. This family type has grown by 65% since 1997, and really, the numbers are likely to be higher than this because the ONS data did not include same-sex couples living together. In addition, the ONS data suggested that a third of teenagers in 2007 were destined to cohabit rather than marry compared with one in ten of their grandparents. As we gathered that the general trend is on the increase, it’s good to know the reasons why. One of the first reasons, which I mentioned earlier on, is that people like to cohabit to â€Å"test the water. † During this period, they will assess whether they (the couple) are compatible with each other and whether they will be able to live with each other before making any sort of commitments.After all, cohabitation on average lasts for 5 years, which then 60% of cohabitees will then marry. Another reason for the said trend is that there are a significant number of people who live together whilst waiting for a divorce. For example, in 2005, 23% of cohabiting men were separated from a previous partner whilst 36% were divorced. So although a person may be married, they may have separated and moved into another house to live with a person they have met. They will then be counted as a cohabitee.

Free Essays on Buddhism

Buddhism Buddhism to me has always seemed to be something similar to that of a fairytale. Not knowing much about the religion, I couldn’t understand how you could live happily ever after by looking up to a fat guy and making weird chanting sounds to who knows who. Needless to say, for my exploration of culture, I chose Buddhism. To pursue my study, I attended a class at the Heruka Buddhist Center on October 17, and talked, afterwards, with a Western Buddhist nun, Gen Kelsang Losel, who came to Fort Collins from England for the center. The class was on contemplating the faults of attachments, a core belief among Buddhists. The session began with a half hour of meditation to relax the muscles of the body and release tension. Then for forty-five minutes she lectured. She talked about how all of our attachments and desires in our life lead us to pain and suffering. So in order to be happy, one must let go of our attachments. Following, was another session of meditation. Siddhartha Guatama, the founder of Buddhism, was born into a Hindu family where he was sheltered from pain and suffering. At age nineteen, he married his cousin and had had a son. At twenty-nine he left his wife and began a quest of inner illumination, recognizing that much of the world experiences suffering. Six years later he concluded that a life of self denial was futile. He sat under a tree and meditated for the first time, for this reason, Siddhartha was called Buddha which means enlightened one, and he realized that the cause of suffering was desire, attachment to material things. He spent the next forty years preaching the message of humility and compassion. He emphasized nirvana, which is what all Buddhists strive to achieve. It signifies the end of suffering and craving, the attainment of perfect peace. An Arahant is someone who has attained Nirvana. He said anyone can reach nirvana, by avoiding all extremes in accordance with the eightfold p... Free Essays on Buddhism Free Essays on Buddhism THE story of Gautama, the Buddha (the enlightened one), is well known. He expounded the four noble truths (Arya Satya) concerning suffering, its cause, its destruction and the way to the elimination of sorrow. He was against the extremes of both self-indulgence and self-mortification. A Middle Path was advocated consisting of right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right contemplation. He rejected the authority of the Vedas, condemned ritualistic practices, especially animal sacrifice, and denied the existence of gods. Buddhism flourished for more than a millennium and spread to foreign lands also. But a decline set in after the Golden Age of the Guptas (4th to 5th centuries AD). Foreign historians, with limited knowledge of Indian philosophical systems, have attributed the decline of Buddhism in the land of its birth to the advent of Adi Sankara. The 68th Sankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Math, Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, has effectively nailed this canard. According to him, Sankara was more concerned with setting right the errors in Saankhya and Meemaamsa philosophies of Hinduism which denied the importance of Isvara though basically subscribing to the Vedas. Even where he specifically dealt with Buddhism, he condemned only its denial of the existence of God. Then how did the religion decline? It was because of the vehement opposition to Buddhism on philosophical and religious grounds by Meemaamsakas and Taarkikas (logicians). The point is also that, even as people admired Buddha and turned to his religion, they did not give up their old beliefs and ritualistic practices. To give a contemporary example, many call themselves Gandhians but in their lives, official or personal, they follow a path just the opposite of what he showed! King Ashoka (2nd century BC) did much to propagate the religion within India and without. Still in his rock edicts ... Free Essays on Buddhism Buddhism was introduced from India into China in 6th Century AD. One of the Hen Emperors sent a mission to the west of China and brought back the scriptures, Indian monks and the images of Buddha. Since then Chinese translation was made available and the further exchange of scholars among China, India and other Asian countries brought about the rapid development of Buddhism in China. Buddhist monasteries and temples were built to promote the Buddhism and some of the Emperors were also the followers of Buddhism. Buddhism, just like Confucianism and Taoism, guides people to behave, to be honest and responsible. It promotes harmony and peaceful mind, sharing and compassion. Buddhists never force people into their belief. Buddhism emphasizes in "awakening of mind". Through learning, one will develop intellectual capacity to the fullest so as to understand, to love and be kind to other beings. Buddhism does not believe in God. It believes in People. In Buddhist teaching, there is no aggressive promotion of Buddhism or strong rejection of other religions. All these make Buddhism fall into the same scope of Confucianism and Taoist. Its ability to co-exist with any other religions makes it being developed into one of the largest religions in China. The basic Buddhist concepts base on Four Noble Truths: First Noble Truth - life is suffering mentally and physically in the forms of sickness, injuries, aging, death, tiredness, anger, loneliness, frustration, fear and anxiety, etc. Second Noble Truth - all these suffering are caused by craving. A self-centered person with continuous wanting from others will cause mental unhappiness. In turn, it will cause physical exhaust and fatigue in life. Third Noble Truth - all sufferings can be overcome and avoided. When one gives up endless wanting and endures problems that life evolves without fear, hatred and anger, happiness and freedom will then be obtained. Overcome the mentality of self-center a... Free Essays on Buddhism To summarise, once we are able to recognise what suffering really is, then we can start to remove its causes. To stop these activities that have no merits, we have to â€Å"dig out the root of defilement† (Cush, 1994). To eradicate personal defilement, one needs to remove their heart, which is this belief in a self. If one does that, then one will eventually come to realise the wisdom of non-self. Through understanding â€Å"the absence of a self, we should no longer create bad actions and bring an end to the whole process of ruining ourselves,† (Francesconni, 2001) and this is the cessation or end to suffering. We begin to see a prevailing optimism in Buddhism that the human spirit, with the right understanding of the self, can begin to make themselves pure of thought. The fourth noble truth is the path leading to the end of suffering. To achieve this, one must progressively go step by step, stage by stage in order to complete their journey. The Noble Eightfold Path is the set of actions and attitudes that can lead to the cessation of suffering. The eightfold path can be thought of as simply the Buddha’s handbook for attaining nirvana, â€Å"that mysterious state of pure consciousness in which suffering ceases because there is no Self to experience it.† (Sumedha, 2001). This state can be difficult for the western mind to describe and grasp, however, the idea behind it is pure and therefore should be seen as optimistic. High in the mountains of the Himalayas chants ring out from the Tibetan monastery. For most this is a dream-like vacation to a far away land. For some of the people who live in Tibet and India this is everyday life as a Buddhist. Buddhism revolves around a strict code of daily rituals and meditations. To an outsider they can seem mystical or even odd, but these are the paths to enlightenment and spiritual salvation. Throughout the centuries, Buddhism has evolved into a major religion in Asia and other parts of th... Free Essays on Buddhism Let’s begin with some text book terms of the eight fold path which include: 1. Right aspiration-which is to rid yourself of attachment and hate because the minds intentions are the key link. 2. Right speech is to not lie, or talk down about people because â€Å"bad speech† is instigation for wars or enemies. 3. Right action- is to do good deeds, not to go out and kill someone, steal, or commit â€Å"adultery† which is sexual misconduct. 4. Right livelihood- to avoid dishonesty and refrain from hurting all living things. 5. Right effort- to rid bad qualities, and do well, to develop compassion. 6. Right mindfulness- is to focus on what’s right, and to overcome ignorance/hate. 7. Right concentration- meditatecomplete focus of truly understanding the meaning of imperfection. 8. Right view- is to understand the four noble truths. The four noble truths that need to be understood are as followed: Life is suffering Suffering is due to attachment Attachment can be overcome There is a path for accomplishing this. I partially agree with the belief that â€Å"Life is suffering†. Yes, there are the rough points of life which you must suffer though. However, all that suffering eventfully leads to joy. You wouldn’t know what suffering was if you had never experienced happiness. Happiness is just an emotion, and emotions are not permanent. Therefore, the suffering or emotion you feel can not be permanent either because life will end at some point. Suffering may be do to attachment, but also you will receive happiness from whatever this attachment is. Attachment I feel can be over come to an extent. No matter how strong of a person you may be you’re still going to have a need or passion for something regardless. The eightfold path can not completely release all your need for attachment regardless how much you focus on doing good deeds or the â€Å"right actions†. Humans were created with a need for attachment or a commitmen... Free Essays on Buddhism The Bhagavad Gita is a very unique scripture. When I read it, it showed me in a very comprehensive way, the very soul of the ancient vedic religion of India. In its seven hundred verses, it holds a very important message for us and for all mankind to come. It contains a revelation of an age-old mystery of man (existence of universe and God). It gives us practical instructions on the processes for attaining God-experience. No wonder therefore, that all true seekers after divine experience praise the Gita as one of the most valuable treasures in the common wisdom-heritage of mankind in this world. For, it has a timeless message and its teachings are of eternal power. If studied in detail, Gita could make our daily life divine, and it would lift it up to a new physical and spiritual level. Gita explains that Lord, it seems, in His Infinite generosity, as though crazy in His maddening love for us, gave all of us an important gift at our birth. This very important treasure, freely offered to each one of us as 'His birthday present', has been, in our ignorance and innocence, often misused, sometimes abused, and almost never rightly applied. A 'hand-book of instructions' was needed to explain how best we can use our personality, and to give tips on how to get the best performance from our abilities. And that handbook, in Hinduism, is the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible or the Koran of the Hindus. I especially enjoyed chapter number three. This Chapter details the error of placing oneself outside the totality of creation, which defeats the purpose of every form of effort. Man within and the world without, and the Supreme Divine Principle above, are to be taken in their togetherness, which is the principle of right understanding. The application in life of this right knowledge is Karma Yoga, or the Yoga of Action. Most of us only react to compulsions of basic (primal) hungers and desires, and so we do not recognize the beauty of a selfless, and therefo... Free Essays on Buddhism Buddhism Buddism is one of the world`s fastest spreading religions. At this time there are 313 million Buddist in Asia. And approximatley 500 thousand in North America. Buddism is not just a religion, but a way of life. It is a religion that helps the people that beleive in it to, search the deepest recuses of their souls to find what the true way to peace is. Buddhism was founded by a wealthy prince, Siddhartha Gautam, of the Sakya clan. After many years of practicing Hinduism. At the age of 29 Gautam left the old Hindu traditions. For seven years he meditated and reflected on the evils of the earth. One day while sitting under a fig tree he received Enlightnment. he gained the title of the Budda. And disscovered the four noble truths. The four noble truths, were principles that Budda beleived would lead to true happiness. The first noble truth was. That all things and people suffer. The second is, people suffer, because they desire. The third is, that suffering will end once people let go of there desires. And the fourth noble truth is, that the only way to end craving is by following the eight fold path to perfection. There are four main types of Buddism. Theravada, Mahayana, Tantic, and Zen. Theravada is the oldest form of Buddism. And is to this day practiced by many Buddist monks. Mahayana is a popular form of Buddism in the West. Tantic combines both Theravada Buddism and Mahayana Buddism with indian practices. The last form of Buddism is Zen Buddism. Zen buddist put a great emphasize on contemplation. And strive for satori (a glimpse into enlightenment). In all Buddism is a search for peace in ones self. Through contimplation, meditation, the four noble truths and the eight fold path. As a person goes from a selfcentered existance to a existance of enlightenment, commpassion and thought. And after years of searching. It may payoff with the arrival at Nirvana. Th... Free Essays on Buddhism Buddhism Buddhism was developed from the teachings of the ,Buddha, Gautama (or Gotama) who lived as early as the 6th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played a central role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of the Eastern world and during the 20th century has spread to the West. Buddhist worship consists mainly in reciting prayers and sacred texts and chanting hymns to the accompaniment of horns, trumpets, and drums. For this worship, which takes place three times a day, the clergy are summoned by the tolling of a small bell and are seated in rows according to their rank. The supreme position is occupied by two lamas- namely, the Grand, or Dalai Lama, and the Panchen, or Bogodo, Lama. Before the Chinese invasion of the area in 1950, both lamas theoretically had the same authority, but in actuality the Dalai Lama, possessing a greater temporal jurisdiction, was considerably more powerful. Next in rank are the Hutukhtus, or spiritual dignitaries. The third order is that of the Hobilghans, or bodhisattvas, those who have undertaken various ethical and spiritual disciplines with a view to achieving Buddha hood, or complete enlightenment. These three orders constitute the so-called higher clergy, the members of which are regarded as the incarnations of Bud dhist saints. A lower clergy is recruited on the basis of probity and theological proficiency. The lower clergy has four orders: the novice, the assistant priest, the religious mendicant, and the teacher or abbot. The members of each order must take a vow of celibacy. Most live in monasteries. The scriptures of Tibetan Buddhism are divided into two great collections: the canon, or sacred books, and the exegetical commentary. The canon, consisting of counsels and injunctions of the Buddha rendered from Indian and Chinese texts, contains more than 1000 works, which in some editions fill more than 100 vol... Free Essays on Buddhism Introduction In considering all of the world’s religions, I chose to do my research and paper on Buddhism. I chose this religion because it seems very interesting to me, and also because Buddhism is a completely different religion than my own. I visited the An Lac Temple on Sunday September 28, 2003 from 10-12. It is a Mahayana Buddhist temple. My boyfriend went along with me on this visit. When we first arrived, we were greeted and I explained to them who I was and that we would be visiting their temple for the day and they kindly took us to a sister who could speak English and was happy to answer my questions. Her name was Thanhtrang and she proceeded to give us lots of information about their temple and the Buddhist religion. Location and Affiliation: The An Lac temple is located at 5249 E 30th Street in Indianapolis. The neighborhood that surrounds the temple appears to be pretty run down. In the area there are a lot of trailer courts and tattered homes. The temple has been there for 10 years and it consists of 2 house-like buildings. One of them is the actual temple and the other is a building in which teachings for the children are held and the dinner after the service also takes place there. The meal after the service takes place to remind them where the food came from and the hardships it took to get the food. They always know what they are eating and will eat the food even if they do not like it because it helps them practice not to discriminate, even with something as little as food. The purpose of the temple is to offer a place where people are able to come and learn about the Buddhist beliefs, and also to learn and to keep cultures from the country where they originated. The temple hopes that with their teachings, when their children grow up they will know virtues and not bring bad habits into the world. In schools, they never learn how to take care of his or her soul. In the working world, all people care about ... Free Essays on Buddhism Buddhism Buddhism to me has always seemed to be something similar to that of a fairytale. Not knowing much about the religion, I couldn’t understand how you could live happily ever after by looking up to a fat guy and making weird chanting sounds to who knows who. Needless to say, for my exploration of culture, I chose Buddhism. To pursue my study, I attended a class at the Heruka Buddhist Center on October 17, and talked, afterwards, with a Western Buddhist nun, Gen Kelsang Losel, who came to Fort Collins from England for the center. The class was on contemplating the faults of attachments, a core belief among Buddhists. The session began with a half hour of meditation to relax the muscles of the body and release tension. Then for forty-five minutes she lectured. She talked about how all of our attachments and desires in our life lead us to pain and suffering. So in order to be happy, one must let go of our attachments. Following, was another session of meditation. Siddhartha Guatama, the founder of Buddhism, was born into a Hindu family where he was sheltered from pain and suffering. At age nineteen, he married his cousin and had had a son. At twenty-nine he left his wife and began a quest of inner illumination, recognizing that much of the world experiences suffering. Six years later he concluded that a life of self denial was futile. He sat under a tree and meditated for the first time, for this reason, Siddhartha was called Buddha which means enlightened one, and he realized that the cause of suffering was desire, attachment to material things. He spent the next forty years preaching the message of humility and compassion. He emphasized nirvana, which is what all Buddhists strive to achieve. It signifies the end of suffering and craving, the attainment of perfect peace. An Arahant is someone who has attained Nirvana. He said anyone can reach nirvana, by avoiding all extremes in accordance with the eightfold p... Free Essays on Buddhism Primitive man found himself in a dangerous and hostile world, the fear of wild animals, of not being able to find enough food, of injury or disease, and of natural phenomena like thunder, lightning and volcanoes was constantly with him. Finding no security, he created the idea of gods in order to give him comfort in good times, courage in times of danger and consolation when things went wrong. To this day, you will notice that people become more religious at times of crises, you will hear them say that the belief in a god or gods gives them the strength they need to deal with life. You will hear them explain that they believe in a particular god because they prayed in time of need and their prayer was answered. All this seems to support the Buddha’s teaching that the god-idea is a response to fear and frustration. The Buddha taught us to try to understand our fears, to lessen our desires and to calmly and courageously accept the things we cannot change. He replaced fear, not w ith irrational belief but with rational understanding. The second reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is because there does not seem to be any evidence to support this idea. There are numerous religions, all claiming that they alone have god’s words preserved in their holy book, that they alone understand god’s nature, that their god exists and that the gods of other religions do not. Some claim that god is masculine, some that she is feminine and others that it is neuter. They are all satisfied that there is ample evidence to prove the existence of their god but they laugh in disbelief at the evidence other religions use to prove the existence of another god. It is not surprising that with so many different religions spending so many centuries trying to prove the existence of their gods that still no real, concrete, substantial or irrefutable evidence has been found. Buddhists suspend judgement until such evidence is forthcoming. The third reason t... Free Essays on Buddhism Buddha taught that in order to live a life that is free from pain and suffering people must eliminate any attachments to worldly goods. Only then will they gain a kind of peace and happiness. They must rid themselves of greed, hatred, and ignorance. They strive to cultivate four attitudes, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. The basic moral code prohibits killing, stealing, harmful language, sexual misbehavior, and the use of intoxicants. Morality, wisdom, and samadhi, or concentration form the cornerstone of Buddhist faith. By observing these, lust, hatred, and delusion may be overcome. This is known as Nirvana. It is a realistic goal only for members of the monastic community. The most devoted followers of the Buddha were organized into the monastic sangha. They were identified by their shaved heads and robes made of unsewn orange cloth. Many early monks wandered from place to place, settling down only during the rainy season when traveling was difficult. The Buddhist have lasted because they have the ability to adapt to changing conditions and to a variety of cultures. Monks are expected to live a life of poverty, meditation, and study. They must avoid all sexual activity. They devote themselves to work, study, and prayer. They all dress in special robes. Monks play an important part in preserving and spreading Buddhism.... Free Essays on Buddhism Buddha taught that in order to live a life that is free from pain and suffering people must eliminate any attachments to worldly goods. Only then will they gain a kind of peace and happiness. They must rid themselves of greed, hatred, and ignorance. They strive to cultivate four attitudes, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. The basic moral code prohibits killing, stealing, harmful language, sexual misbehavior, and the use of intoxicants. Morality, wisdom, and samadhi, or concentration form the cornerstone of Buddhist faith. By observing these, lust, hatred, and delusion may be overcome. This is known as Nirvana. It is a realistic goal only for members of the monastic community. The most devoted followers of the Buddha were organized into the monastic sangha. They were identified by their shaved heads and robes made of unsewn orange cloth. Many early monks wandered from place to place, settling down only during the rainy season when traveling was difficult. The Buddhist have lasted because they have the ability to adapt to changing conditions and to a variety of cultures. Monks are expected to live a life of poverty, meditation, and study. They must avoid all sexual activity. They devote themselves to work, study, and prayer. They all dress in special robes. Monks play an important part in preserving and spreading Buddhism.... Free Essays on Buddhism â€Å"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religions for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology, it covers both the natural and spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.† (Albert Einstein) Known as one of the world’s great religions, it is professed by over 3500,000,000 people, most of whom live in the Far East. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddharta Gautama, who is more commonly known as Buddha, the â€Å"Enlightened One†. It was developed during the fifth and sixth centuries BCE around 535 BCE, which was the date Siddharta Gautama reached enlightenment and became the Buddha. The Buddhist doctrine of tolerance, pacifism, and the spiritual equality of all men has been a great civilizing influence in the far East. It has adapted itself to the impact of the West, and its insights have in turn in fluenced many Western thinkers. Buddhism is based on a rational analysis of man’s condition, and it attempts to show the way to salvation. Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later be known as Buddha, was born in Lumbini, Nepal around the year 563 BC. He was the son of two important great people. Siddhartha’s father’s name was Shuddhodana, the King of the Sakyas. His mother, Queen Maya, was a lady â€Å"of perfect form and bee-black tresses, fearless in heart and full of grace and virtue.† Siddhartha got his name from one of his mother’s dreams. Her dream was that an elephant with 6 tusks, carrying a lotus flower in its trunk, touched the right side of Queen Maya’s body. That was when Siddhartha was miraculously conceived. When she told her husband about her dream, he called Brahmins, or learned men to interpret it. They predicted that the child one-day would be the greatest king in the world or the greatest ascetic in the world. So that’s why they called him Siddhartha,... Free Essays on Buddhism Buddhism is one of the biggest religion founded in India in the 6th and 5th cent. B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha. One of the great Asian religions, it teaches the practice of and the observance of moral precepts. The basic doctrines include the four noble truths taught by the Buddha. Since it was first introduced into China from India, Buddhism has had a history which has been characterized by periods of sometimes awkward and irregular development. This has mainly been the result of the clash of two cultures, each with a long history of tradition. Most of the difficulties have arisen due to the transplanting of an Indian religious/philosophical system onto a culture strongly dominated by indigenous secular, philosophical and religious systems. In spite of these difficulties, Chinese Buddhism has come to have an important influence on the growth and development of Buddhism in general and this has occurred largely because of its own innovatory contributions.(Eliade, M. p .16-29) The spread of Buddhism into China began in Central Asia and was facilitated by the efforts of the Indo-Scythian king Kanishka (Encyclopedia Britt. 273-274) of the Kushan dynasty which ruled in northern India, Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia in the 1st and 2nd centuries (Encyclopedia Britt. 274). He is said to have undergone an Ashoka-like conversion upon seeing the slaughter caused by his campaigns. Around the beginning of the common era, Buddhism started to filter into China from Central Asia via the Silk Road, brought by monks, merchants and other travelers. It also entered later via trade routes around and through Southeast Asia. It was nurtured in the expatriate community of Loyang and other northern cities. (The Encyclopedia of Religion p58-62) Siddhartha (Buddha) was born around 563 B.C.E. in the town of Kapilavastu, located in today's Nepal. Siddhartha's parents were King Shuddhodana and Queen Maya, who ruled the Sakyas. His history is...

Learn the Italian Word Quando

Learn the Italian Word Quando The English translations of quando are:  when,  once, and after. If you want to be able to ask â€Å"when† something is happening in Italian, you’re going to have to get cozy with the word â€Å"quando†. Below are a handful of examples to help you become familiar with how and â€Å"when† to use â€Å"quando†. Esempi Quando parti per l’Italia? - When do you leave for Italy? (informal)Quando torni dall’Italia? - When do you return from Italy? (informal)Quando inizia il film? - When does the movie start?Quando à ¨ il compleanno di Giulia? - When is Giulia’s birthday?Chiamami quando torni. - Call me when you return. (informal)Arrivo da te quando ho finito di lavorare/col lavoro. - I’ll come over to your house once I’m done with work. (informal)Ci vediamo stasera quando arrivi. - We’ll see each other tonight after you arrive. (informal) Common Expressions Di quando in quando - SometimesQuando vuoi - Whenever you wantQuando mai? - Since when? Pop Culture Reference Quando, quando, quando - Tony Renis

Outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 56

Outline - Essay Example For example, I have interacted with friends currently in this school and have admitted that they have never visited their families in years. Some even admit to forgetting their native languages. Education makes us better than our parents, and with time, most students tend to distant themselves from the parents (Rodriguez, 600). This is because they want to continue to have more education so as not to be like their parents. In this sense, education enlightens in ways that make us see our parents and our past to be outdated, and we imitate our teachers and those around us. Personally, I have had problems interacted with some members of my family who do not have the same level of education. This has distanced me from them and my traditions. Although education is good in preparing one for the future, it has a negative effect on the family life of the student. It distances us from our families and our traditional values by taking most of our time. The need to fit into the modern society has made education an important aspect of human development today. One of the most important aspects of education is its ability to expose us to different worlds and different people, thereby expanding our knowledge. This exposure helps us to connect with our families better, and provides us with opportunities to enrich our cultures and values. In the article by Richard Rodriguez (1982), the author argues that education has distanced him from his parents and traditional culture. For example, he notes that he started to spend more time reading, and began to â€Å"idolize† his teachers and started to imitate their accents (Rodriguez, 601). Unfortunately, the author does not recognize how education brings people closer to their families. For instance, I have used the time in school to read more about my culture and way of life. I have used this knowledge to interact with my parents and other family members. Unlike what is reported in the article, having new knowledge can

A Critical Analysis of Article 5 of UCP 600 Essay

A Critical Analysis of Article 5 of UCP 600 - Essay Example More especially the fact that banks are not concerned with the terms of the contract to which it is attached, means that regardless of whether or not the goods are delivered or not or conform to the terms of the contract or not, the letter of credit must be honoured by the bank. This paper will analyse the consequences of Article 5 of UCP 600 and the potential for fraud and other forms of injustice to the parties impacted by a letter of credit. Letters of Credit In its simplest form, a letter of credit is a device by which a bank or other similar party agrees to provide credit to a specific party on behalf of another party upon receipt of the relevant supporting documents.4 A standard letter of credit is comprised of at least four parties: the vendor (exporter); the purchaser (importer) and each of their banks.5 The importer/purchaser’s bank typically issues the letter of credit which imposes a duty on the importer/purchaser’s bank to pay the specified sum to the vendor /exporter once the particularized documents are received.6 A key feature of the letter of credit is the fact that it is independent of the underlying contract to which it applies. In other words, the bank’s responsibilities under the letter of credit are segregated from any other contractual duties existing between the parties to the letter of credit. This would include contractual duties between the vendor and the purchaser or any duties on the part of â€Å"reimburse the bank for payments made† by virtue of the letter of credit.7 The banks involved in the letters of credit are typically referred to as the â€Å"issuing bank† and the â€Å"conforming bank†.8 The issuing bank is asked by the purchaser who is commonly referred to as the applicant to assume responsibility for paying the vendor who is commonly known as the beneficiary, a specified sum upon the presentation of specific documents. The conforming bank is the bank selected by the beneficiary tha t acts as a â€Å"correspondent of the issuing bank to advise the beneficiary on the terms of the credit† and usually assumes the â€Å"same liability towards the beneficiary as the issuing bank†.9 The autonomy of the letter of credit was fortified in the case of Gian Singh & Co. Ltd. v Banque de L’Indochine in which the court ruled that the autonomy doctrine obliges an insuring bank to make payment to the beneficiary even if the specified documents submitted by the beneficiary pursuant to the letter of credit were forged.10 It was also held in IE Contractors Limited v Lloyds Bank Plc that the duty of issue payment under a letter of credit is not conditional upon ascertaining whether or not the supporting documents presented by the beneficiary are correct.11 The autonomy of the letter of credit is justified in the grounds that contractual disputes occur quire frequently. It would therefore be obstructive to international trade to permit one party to use a contra ctual dispute to delay payment and thus the â€Å"assurance given to the beneficiary would be severely undermined† and thus â€Å"documentary guarantees would become unacceptable†.12 The autonomy principle of the letters of credit therefore illustrate that indeed, banks are only concerned with documents and not the underlying transaction to which it is attached. Although the rationale for the autonomy principle rests on limiting the risks of delaying or stopping payments in international trad