Buddhism in Japan from Prehistoric to Kamakura Period

Buddhism in Japan might have been brought by early merchants traveling the Silk Road from India, to China, to Korea and to Japan. Because of the constant interaction between these countries, many Buddhist teachings and practices, particularly the Mahayana Buddhism, together with some Chinese cultural traditions became integrated with Japan’s own cultural development.At first, conflicts with Shinto belief caused delay in the spread of the Buddhist religion. Ancient Japanese people regarded Buddha as one of the kamis yet many were attracted to the beauty of its arts and the promises of concrete benefits such as â€Å"wealth and longevity†. As time went on, more and more people recognized that Buddhism has its own belief that was thought to be complementary with the existing Shinto religion, Japan’s native religion.During the Nara period, some Buddhist monasteries built around the capital Nara gained political influence in the ruling government. Because of this ambi tious and militant movement of monasteries, the government was forced to move the capital from Nara to Nagaoka (784AD) and then to Kyoto (794AD). This issue remained a problem for many centuries in the Japanese history. During the Heian Period (794-1185), many sects were grabbing popular attention over the Japanese population.These sects presented Buddhism in a way that best suited the ancient Japanese culture and tradition as seen from these three sects: Shingon sect (774-835AD) by Kukai; True Pure Land Sect (1173-1262) by Shinran; and, Lotus Hokke or Nichiren Sect (1222-1282) founded by Nichiren. The acceptance of Buddhism can be attributed from the works of these sects, which still have millions of followers as of today. In conclusion, Buddhism in Japan became popular since its core practices and teachings were complementary with Shinto religion as shown by popular Buddhist sects named above.References (â€Å"Buddhism in Japan†; , â€Å"Japanese Buddhism†, 2004; , à ¢â‚¬Å"A View on Buddhism: History of Japanese Buddhism†) Buddhism in Japan. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 6, 2007, from http://afe. easia. columbia. edu/japan/japanworkbook/religion/jbuddhis. html Japanese Buddhism. (2004). Retrieved April 6, 2007, from http://www. japan-guide. com/e/e2055. html A View on Buddhism: History of Japanese Buddhism. (November 30, 2006). Retrieved April 6, 2007, from http://buddhism. kalachakranet. org/history_japanese_buddhism. html

How to Organize Your Financial Paperwork in 10 Minutes

How to Organize Your Financial Paperwork in 10 Minutes It’s almost tax time, but your desk is a nightmare zone and your financial papers are scattered everywhere. You have no idea how to pull together all your necessary documents, so you put it off- and delay your tax return!- for weeks, if not months. Here’s a 5-point plan for you to change all that. And it should only take you 10 minutes a week.1. Knowledge is powerKnowing what you need is the most important step to having an organized financial filing system. You want to keep everything just in case of an audit, but you can’t keep everything- or you’ll be buried in paper and end up a hoarder. Here’s a better system:Keep for 1 year: pay stubs, paid bills, bank records, investment statements. Once you get your W2, you can ditch the pay stubs (after you cross-check them to make sure everything is accurate). And unless you need your bills or bank statements for business purposes, you can shred those once a year.Keep for 3 years: tax returns, charitable g ift receipts, mutual fund reports, and other supporting documentation. The only exceptions are initial purchase documents of stocks or mutual funds and house records for as long as you live there or own the property.Keep for 7 years: any documents related to a loss claim for worthless securities or a bad debt deduction. And if you rely on cash tips or don’t report up to 25% of your gross income, hang on to your records for at least 6 years.  2. Make 3 foldersYou’ve thrown out what you don’t need, now it’s time to organize what you have to keep. Take three empty folders and label them: â€Å"NOW,† â€Å"10 MIN A WEEK,† and â€Å"FILE.† Leave these prominently on your desk and sort things the minute they arrive in the mail.NOW folder: bills to pay, insurance stuff, license renewals, registrations, etc. Once a week, you’ll go through it (hopefully in about 10 minutes or less) and move things into the other folders, or to the shr edder.10 MIN A WEEK folder: subscription renewals, paperwork you can’t complete on your own, etc. These are actionable (but not quite as time sensitive) items. You’ll sort this stuff once a week. Just don’t let things pile up too much from week to week!FILE folder: Everything you need for the future. This one can get pretty big, especially as the other two shrink. But you can easily move things from this folder into other financial folders in your once-a-week organizing burst.3. Sort tax documents into three sub-foldersOrganize these by year and then divide everything between Income (paystubs, records of honoraria, bonuses, and payments for freelance work), Expenses/Deductions (receipts, statements, paid bills, etc. with sections for business, charitable giving, medical expenses, childcare, etc.- sorting your receipts now will make things much easier to parse come tax time), and Investments (records of contributions to retirement accounts, dividend income, capit al gains, losses, etc., distribution records, and annual statements- even if you don’t need this stuff for this year’s return, you might need it in the future).4. Go alphabeticalRather than sift through multiple bills under â€Å"Utilities,† try sorting by company name. It will make finding those documents much easier when you need them fast.5. Keep it realWe all have dreams of keeping all of our paperwork out of sight and out of mind, but if you have a place where you naturally dump your mail and where papers tend to pile up, put your organization system there.Most of all, make a schedule and stick to it. If you follow all of the above, you can make a serious organizational difference in just 10 minutes a week.How to Organize Your Paperwork in Just 10 Minutes a Week

Last Chance to Join the Freelance Writing Course

Last Chance to Join the Freelance Writing Course Last Chance to Join the Freelance Writing Course Last Chance to Join the Freelance Writing Course By Ali Hale This is your very last chance to join the freelance writing course. We’re going to be closing the doors at midnight (GMT) today, Friday 6th May. We’ve already got an amazing group of students signed up (over 200!), but there’s still room for you to join us too. Heres what one student said about it: What you supplied has far exceeded my expectations both in content and value for money. I congratulate you on a job well done. (Margaret Huggins, Australia) If you’d like to make a full-time living – or a great part-time income – from freelance writing online, then come on board. You’ll get in-depth lessons on everything you need to know, plus an exclusive forum where you can get all your questions answered. We’ve even got a 60-day money back guarantee: you can take the whole course and, if you decide it wasn’t right for you, just let us know and we’ll give you a no-hassle refund. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll receive lessons each week for the duration of the course – and you’ll get lifetime access to all the materials, so you can revisit them whenever you need to. Click here to read all the details and join us!. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Does [sic] Mean?40 Synonyms for â€Å"Lie†Conversational Email

The 5 Best AP Chemistry Books Full Expert Reviews

The 5 Best AP Chemistry Books Full Expert Reviews SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The more challenging the subject, the more helpful it is to have a good review book. Since AP Chemistry is considered one of the most difficult classes in the AP canon, it's smart to pick up some additional resources to aid in your studying. There are quite a few popular review books out there, but some are more useful than others. In this guide, I'll provide detailed descriptions of the best AP Chemistry review books so you can choose the right one based on your needs as a student. What’s in This Guide? These are my recommendations for the best books students can use to prepare for the AP Chemistry exam (and review concepts throughout the year). For each book, I’ll list pros and cons, sum up my opinions, and provide a rating out of 10 based on how helpful it is for students. The first three AP Chemistry books are your best bets for a comprehensive and effective review of the course material. The last two supplemental review books are ones that you might consider buying for extra practice materials or additional study strategies on top of a couple of the more essential review books. At the end of this article, I’ll sum up my findings and tell you which review book or books you should get based on your goals, studying timeline, and familiarity with the material. The Best AP Chemistry Book for Long-Term Review 5 Steps to a 5 (McGraw-Hill) Price: $12 print, $10 digital Pros Four practice tests (two in the book, two online) Provides study plans that you can customize to fit your needs Gives you access to an AP Planner app that can be used alongside the book (the app also includes daily assignments and extra practice questions) Important equations are listed at the beginning of each content chapter Sticks to covering only what you need to know for the test Has friendly and understandable explanations of complex concepts Practice quizzes and a glossary are included at the end of each chapter Cons A few typos in the questions and answer explanations Summary This might be the best AP Chemistry review book available. It’s aligned well with the current format of the test, and it isn’t too skimpy or too dense with information. It also provides great instructions for structuring your studying, which is helpful if you consider yourself less of an organized student. You could also throw down some extra dollars for the elite version to get a set of five-minute activities designed to reinforce important AP Chem facts and ideas, but honestly, the regular version is perfectly adequate for most students' needs. Rating: 9.5/10 The Best AP Chemistry Book for Short-Term Review Crash Course (REA) Price: $13 print, $10 digital Pros Good test-taking tips for both multiple-choice and free-response questions Focuses exclusively on what you need to know for the exam Thorough in its explanations while sticking to the point and not becoming too long-winded Aligns well with the most recent updates to the AP Chemistry curriculum Cons Doesn’t offer many practice materials May have too narrow of a focus for students who want a review book that will help them on smaller in-class tests Summary This is a strong AP Chemistry review book due to its intense focus on the most important concepts to understand before the test. There’s a reason why it's called "Crash Course": it's meant to be used for a quick review, so it covers the material as efficiently as possible without any fluff. If you’re looking for help with more specific in-class assignments, you should probably supplement it with another book, but overall it’s a great tool to have in your arsenal. The only complaint I’ve seen is that, similar to 5 Steps to a 5, it doesn’t contain a ton of practice problems. You may have to turn to additional resources to test your knowledge further. Rating: 9/10 The Best Book for Practice Questions: AP Chemistry Practice Questions (Sterling Test Prep) Price: $24 print Pros 900 practice questions Great coverage of all the topics and types of questions you’ll see on the exam Useful test-taking tips at the beginning Online resources frequently and consistently updated (every 4-6 weeks) with user feedback! Cons It’s basically just practice questions with a couple of testing tips, so there’s no content overview or advice on how to structure your studying Summary This book is exactly what it says it is. It's an awesome practice resource that can be used alongside other review books. It’s also great if you already feel confident about the concepts but are looking for some extra practice. Rating: 9/10 for quality of questions, but you need to get another review book if you still don’t fully understand the material Supplementary AP Chemistry Review Books Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam (Princeton Review) Price: $14 print, $12 digital Pros Good advice on how to create a study plan and approach different types of questions Content is organized by the six "Big Ideas" of the course (major themes of AP Chemistry that were established in the most recent updates to the curriculum) Two full-length practice tests as well as practice multiple-choice and free-response questions at the end of each content chapter Sticks to what you actually need to know for the exam Practice problems are high-quality and replicate the content of the exam fairly well Cons Some students complain that it’s too sparse on answer explanations, particularly for math calculations It goes through the content relatively quickly and tends to skim the surface on a lot of topics People have noted that there are some factual errors in the book Summary This book is good for practice problems and light review if you already have a solid handle on the material. It's not so good if you’re still confused about complex concepts. Overall, it's a useful review book, but it's not one that will cover all of your bases if you're looking for more guidance. Rating: 7/10 Barron’s AP Chemistry 8th Edition Price: $25 print Pros Six practice tests (three diagnostic tests, three full-length practice exams) Helps you to effectively identify where you need improvement Cons Some errors in practice tests Goes outside the scope of the material you need to know for the test so could be a bit of a time-waster Questions more difficult than the real test (although this could be a positive depending on how you see things) Summary This review book has a big problem with errors in its practice tests. It also covers too much material, so it will over-prepare you for the AP exam. If you want a challenge and are really interested in chemistry, you could potentially benefit from this book, but I don't think it's as strong as the other titles on this list. Rating: 5/10 Which AP Chemistry Book Is Best for YOU? If you plan on buying a review book, you should make sure it fits your needs first. Most students will find the 5 Steps to to a 5 or Crash Course books helpful. I’d recommend 5 Steps to a 5 if you have at least a few months before the test and are still feeling confused about many of the concepts. Crash Course is better if you have less time to prepare and want a quicker review of everything you need to know. If you get the Crash Course book, you should also consider buying the book of practice questions from Sterling Test Prep to hone your skills. In fact, I think anyone would benefit from having a book of practice questions as a resource in addition to a traditional review book. The books from Princeton Review and Barron’s are moderately helpful, but they wouldn’t be my top choices. If you’re an intense student and are interested in learning more detailed information about chemistry, you might like the Barron’s book. If you’re just looking for an efficient review of the topics on the test, however, it's not the best resource. Cracking the AP Chemistry exam is slightly more helpful, but it goes a little too far in the opposite direction and skims over some of the material. I don’t recommend it for students who are still struggling with complex concepts in chemistry. Overall, I think you should start with one or two of the first three books in this article, and branch out into the others if you need more practice materials! What's Next? Read this article to learn more about the AP Chemistry exam, including its format, content, and scoring guidelines. Taking the Chemistry subject test in addition to the AP exam? Find out how subject tests and AP tests differ and which are more important for college. Need some help organizing your AP Chem studying? We have the ultimate AP Chemistry study guide and notes to study with, along with this primer on how to balance chemical equations. Still not sure whether you should sign up for two or three AP classes next year? This guide will tell you how many AP classes to take based on your goals for college. Considering the pre-med track in college? We have advice for how to start preparing for pre-med in high school here, along with this rundown of the 7 books you should read as a pre-med student. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Development in the English Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Development in the English Language - Essay Example The essay "Change and Development in the English Language" talks about the various socio-historical influences on the development of the Old English such as the separation of the land from the Continental influences, conversion of the English to Christianity, the assimilation of the Scandinavian colonizers on the English language, the veritable beehive of scholarly activity in England following its conversion to Christianity in the sixth century etc had pertinent linguistic effects which contributed to the development of Old English.In the development of the Old English, there were several socio-historical elements which influenced the linguistic progress of the language. The advent of the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians in the British Island in the year 449 proved to be a major event in the history of the land and the language. They occupied Great Britain and converted the major population of the land to English speakers. The following separation of the land and language of the Old English from the influences of other Continental nations and languages helped in the development of a distinctive language in Great Britain. The external influence on this language cannot be ignored. It is of paramount relevance that the conversion of the English to Christianity was one of the major socio-historical influences that shaped Old English. Christianity introduced the influence of Latin on Old English and the linking of the English culture with mainstream Europe through the Synod of Whitby.

Economy and Health Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economy and Health - Research Paper Example There is also a general bust in the infrastructural development with efficient resource allocation to the active macroeconomic sectors (Rodrick & Rosenzweig, 2009). Health sector on the other hand is a key component of any existing economy. Any existing economy stands because of the number of individuals that it supports. This population supports the given economy. Population has to exist for an economy to realize economic development and growth. The existing population must be managed well to facilitate the above objectives (Layard, 1986). Health ensures that a country operates with a healthy population in the process of striving to achieve economic growth to compete other nations. Other sectors that can be compared to the health sector include the education sector, agricultural sector and many others. The fundamental states or proves beyond reasonable doubt that at no point any of the above can survives if health does not exist because the all depend on a healthy population. From t he definition of economics, therefore we can easily define health economics as the study of scarce resource allocation to the health industry (Culyer, 2000). ... It is also the duty of any government in the contemporary world to ensure the health of its citizens at all costs. Health economics sees on how the few resources can be allocated to ensure that provision of health benefits is maximized (Rodrick & Rosenzweig, 2009). The optimization point is the point when the marginal cost of providing health is equal to the marginal benefits of the healthy provision itself. In trying to analyze the cost allocation of the various resources to be allocated to the healthy sector a thorough cost analysis has to be done and then a cost effectiveness statement be developed (Wise, 2004). Several research works have been undertaken relating to wealth and health. The researches have been conducted in both developing countries and developed countries as well. In the developed countries, it is found out that senior citizens can comfortably afford healthcare and in fact, the most appropriate care since they have the wealth and since they keep increasing their l evel of disposable income as they age (Culyer, 2000). The developing countries it is the reverse since majority of citizens in such countries are extremely poor. Only a few rich individuals can afford the health care services in such states hence a great burden on the government. Millennium development goals advocate for six major pillars as follows; that the world will be in the position of providing adequate healthcare, that food will be in abundance, industrial and technological advancement will be at the peak, that the level of education will allow people to be able to perform or engage themselves in basic reading (Henderson, 2011). In addition, it advocates for international peace through peaceful coexistence among nations,

Database Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Database Management - Assignment Example The wild wood company offers fair rates to employees who live and maintain the apartments. It is the tradition of the wild wood apartments to ensure that they meet to discuss on how to improve the standards of their apartments and plan to expand their business in real estate. Tenants fill questionnaires every end month to air out complaints or suggest on new ways to maintain the apartments. The introduction of a database will be to meet the daily needs of the employees and the tenants who live within the Wild Wood apartments. It will also help in keeping of records of the apartments such as expenditure and the rents paid by the tenants. The database may also have records on the margin of profits and losses of the apartments. 4. Building the physical database: The data model will be translated to the Relational Database Management system. Tables, Columns with specific data types and Relational and other constraints created. Time allotted 2 days. 5. Testing and security: Sample data will be entered and each of the business rules and requirements will be tested. General database security and security related to business rules will also be tested. Time allotted 3 weeks. 6. Database completion and installation: Final changes and corrections are made. Sample data will be removed and the database installed on a server. Final testing for server access and connections. Time allotted 2