Buddhism

Concepts

Authority – power exercised through the consent of others, implies legitimate use of influence, a person in authority has the accepted right to make decisions for the group they were elected by.

Beliefs – Shared principles among a group of people, they indicate a particular way of perceiving the physical world and cosmos

Change – any modification in the social and cultural organisation of a society brought about by changes to social structures and processes. It’s the understanding that some things are different from the way it has been before.

Conflict - Social interaction in which individuals or groups of people struggle with each other for some commonly prizes object, value or ideal, covers disagreements and my lead to change

Continuity - refers to those social and cultural factors that are retained and unchanged within a society, creating stability. Traditions which define a belief system, the passing down of beliefs, laws and doctrines reserve the belief system over time

Customs - Established ways of thinking and acting, represented in behaviour which will be noticeable to an outsider

Gender – the socially constructed differences between men and women, refers to the value placed on physical and biological differences placed on men and women by society.

Globalisation - emergence of a global culture, brought about by a variety of social and cultural developments such as; the existence of world information systems, emergence of global patterns on consumerism, the growth of transnational corporations, emergence of global sport, spread of global military and economic systems

Hierarchy – the system of placing persons or things in graded order, imlies greater value on one thing above another.

Ideology – A unified set of ideas that bind together a set of beliefs. Refers to the body of doctrine, myth and symbols of a social movement, a social class or institution. Maps of meaning that are represented as universal truth but are historically specific understandings that obscure and maintain power. Many sociologists use the term with particular reference to the set of beliefs, attitudes and practices that overtly or covertly serve the interests of one particular group, government or social class as opposed to serving universal interests.

Language - A system of communication using sounds or gestures put together in meaningful ways according to a set of rules, feature of culture and may give belief system meaning and difference

Life Cycle – transition between life stages, often marked by particular events, responsibilities change through these stages and in some belief systems, a soul my have more than one cycle, or a different one than the physical.

Myth – Traditional stories about supernatural beings and events that comprise key elements in belief systems

Norms – those values, beliefs and behaviours that are accepts and shared as ‘normal’ by the majority of people in a culture, these will reflect the micro cultures of particular organisations as well as surrounding culture

Philosophy – system of principles and thinking that guides practical affairs which help us to interpret and understand the world, partially referring to the ideas underpinning a belief system.

Power - The capacity to influence others to a point of view or action to which they would not normally accede. It often implies the use of force or control over individuals or particular social groups by other individuals or groups.
Power Structures – the way power is organised and institutionalised within the belief system, men traditionally holding power? Bodhivistas have power over un-enlightened?

Rituals – the prescribed procedures that people in a belief system must follow, for worship or lifecycle ceremonies

Symbols – Abstract principles represented by images in a belief system

Technology - Knowledge directed toward practical applications into the physical and social worlds. It may refer to techniques of manipulating raw