Hinduism lays out two paths one can take to fulfill the ultimate desires of mankind, the Path of Desire and the Path of Renunciation. However, only one path truly leads down the path to the true goal that all of mankind actually holds and the other path only leads to fleeting superficial feelings of happiness. It’s important to know which path leads to realizing and achieving which goals in order to have a satisfying and rewarding life. The Path of Desire is the path that ultimately leads to superficial feelings that fade with time, only leaving one to crave for more. The first goal down this path is the goal of Pleasure which according to the Hindu faith is a natural, good thing and as long as the basic rules of morality are followed you are allowed to seek as much pleasure as your heart desires. The problem of the goal of pleasure is that it only focuses on oneself which is too small of a focus and so, will eventually not be enough to keep oneself content. The craving that is leftover from the first goal leads …show more content…
The first goal down this path is the Goal of Duty which states what one should do for their community based on their age, personality, and social status. However, even this goal ends up becoming insufficient to truly reflect the inner desires of humanity and the rewards from serving one’s community eventually become hollow as once again the rewards along with the community itself is only temporary. The final goal is the Goal of Liberation and is named that because with the achievement of this goal one truly understands what they want out of life. The goal states that what humanity truly wants is to exist, to have knowledge, and to have joy. However, that in itself is not enough as humanity also craves these things in endless, they want an infinite being, infinite knowledge and infinite joy. Once one realizes this fact, they can achieve
According to dictionary.com a goal is “the result or achievement toward which effort is directed.” A goal is a checkpoint that you strive to accomplish throughout life. Reading Dillards quote makes me think of never giving up on your goals and aspirations because if you have realistic goals and work hard towards them they can be achieved. In “Living Like Weasels” Annie Dillard says humans need to live more like weasels, “noticing everything, remembering nothing” (879). This portrays the weasel as living
The self is empty” (Demoss 1).5 The Four Noble Truths provide a conceptual framework for all Buddhist thought. According to the Four Noble Truths, craving leads to suffering, but craving can cease if one cultivates a path of mental discipline, wisdom, and moral conduct (Demoss 309).6 An understanding of Buddhism is... ... middle of paper ... ... 11): 309.
goal. It is only us who have to walk the final path of attaining our
Buddhism in India was born and would eventually rank as the world’s fourth major religion. The Buddha preached his first sermon in Deer Park, still a definitive text for all Buddhists. He proposed a path to enlightenment very different from the elaborate ceremonies and colorful myths attached to the Hindu deities of his youth. The Four Noble Truths: Recognizing and understanding suffering, letting go of self-centered cravings, realizing liberation, and cultivating the path. (Gach) Pain is inseparable part of mankind’s everyday life, our cravings of all kinds are the cause of this pain, and the way off this treadmill is to free oneself of these cravings. This can be achieved by following the Eightfold Path of: Right view, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration. The goal is to break the cycle of reincarnation based on your Karma and to reach Nirvana, the final goal of Buddhism. (Gach) The Buddha said that desire is the cause of suffering, and any kind of over indulgence may lead to addiction. Addicts and alcoholics are experts on desire; addiction is desire run rampant. (Griffin) In his book, Buddhism and the Twelve Steps, Kevin Griffin relates the steps with the practices of
I am often bombarded with a seven word question in life as I am sure many other people are. “What is your ultimate goal in life?” Many answers may differ, but my answer seems to always be the same; to seek happiness. If one can’t seek happiness what is the point of living? If you are miserable all the time and not living life with a positive mindset is there any so called “value” to your life? I’m not saying that you have to be happy all of the time because that is hard to achieve. Sometimes there are so called “punishments” in order to seek happiness, but once one achieves happiness it is a feeling that is indescribable.
The Dhammapada speaks a universal truth, that “desire is unquenchable,” and explains that “he who wishes to awake, consumes his desires joyfully” (Chapter 14). These statements prove similar to the four noble truths, that to live is to suffer, and desire causes suffering; therefore, one cannot avoid temptation because it is ubiquitous. When explaining the outcomes of “craving pleasure or nursing pain,” the Buddha articulates that “there is only sorrow” (Chapter 16). Desire clearly only causes difficulty when attempting to achieve Nirvana, and the Dhammapada seeks to convey the importance of clearing the mind and purifying one’s thoughts. Continuing to contrast lust and happiness, the Buddha explains that “there is pleasure and there is bliss, forgo the first to possess the second” (Chapter 21). One cannot have genuine jubilation while yearnings and allurements cloud the mind. Expressed throughout Buddhist teachings and a main religious text, the action of overpowering desire and lewd thoughts proves a crucial step in eventually reaching
I will now examine what it means to be religious with a critical enquiry into Buddhism, Hinduism and
The common goal of Christianity is to spread faith and good morals, and we give inspiration. We try to be a good influence in the world and try to make an impact on people lives. Our ambition is to be like God. Everyone is not perfect, so we also try to improve ourselves as well as others. Another goal is to be
Throughout the history of humankind, man has always searched to find answers to the many existential questions. Numerous different religions and denominations have developed around the world over time. Though, most wonder about the origin and purpose of our existence. Buddhism was founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama about 2,600 years ago in India. After he had experienced that everyone was subject to “birth, sickness, death, and old age”, he tried to find a way to break from the cycle of rebirth (Bloom).
Nirvana is a word that is commonly used in Buddhism with varied meanings depending on the use. It means the state of blowing out from certain detractors in life. To “blow out” has great meaning and refers wholly to the extinguishing or dispelling of oneself from certain characters that are considered to be iniquitous. It is characterized by peace of mind and it saves man from the sufferings, the cycles of rebirth, and death. Nirvana could only be achieved by individuals who observed the laid down rules and detached themselves from sin. Moksha is a common belief in the Hindu religion and it describes a state where one’s soul connects with god’s soul. In the Hindu religion, achieving moksha removes one from the cycle of life and death, which is the state of reincarnation as one moves from one life to the next. In essence, moksha is a state of unification of one’s soul with that of the creator, therefore achieving oneness of atman and Brahman. This essay discusses the various similarities and differences that exist between Buddhist Nirvana and Hindu Moksha.
Throughout literature, subject matters of desire and destruction often go hand in hand. From desire of destruction to the destruction of desire, there are many ways the subject matter of desire and destruction are constructed into themes. Tennessee Williams in A Streetcar Named Desire and William Shakespeare in Macbeth take similar stances in this discussion throughout the ages, focusing their views on the destruction of desire. They claim that absolute desire, desire with complete disregard for the consequences of their actions, or at least without through consideration, leads to absolute destruction, whether it be destruction of their life, their self, or hope of obtaining their goal.
Happiness is perhaps the only clear ultimate end. Happiness is what we strive for by itself and not to get anything else. "So it appears that happiness is the ultimate end and completely sufficient by itself. It is the end we seek in all we do.';(Aristotle, 461) Mans' good is related to his purpose; the purpose of a man involves the actions of his soul (the soul being a part of his reasoning). By carrying out the activities of his soul and doing so with proper excellence and virtue, man is able to reach a desirable end.
I agree with Aristotle in the thought that man’s telos is to acquire knowledge and that our inherent human nature is to be “happy.” However, I believe that human nature is driven by a desire to find the answer to one question: what is the meaning of life? I believe that through everything we do, whether it seems like we are learning or not, we are being taught more and more about the world and our purpose in it. Striving to put everything together and creating a sense of understanding of the question “why” leads us to behave and act the way that we do. Although finding an answer is an unattainable goal in a human’s lifetime, the act of living out their lives in a way that was constantly questioning and searching for the meaning of our existence is enough to achieve total happiness.
The first part of the statement simply says that an end that requires nothing else but itself is closer to the ultimate end then an end that is a subordinate to other ends. For instance, if I go to school simply to get a better job once I graduate and make more money than I am pursuing an end that is less complete. On the other hand if I go to school simply to educate myself because I love knowledge and wish to improve myself then that end is superior to going to school for money. Since knowledge is not a subordinate end to other ends then it is more complete. The goal is also always mor...
...es us how to free our minds from these negative desires. In order to free our bodies from karma attached to us. We have to realize the purpose of our lives and what we have to do in order to please God. Finally, in the Book of Job, Job eventually lets his desire take over his mind and turn down his trust in God. Desire is a feeling that’s naturally in human beings and if an individual can rid themselves of the negative desires. It will ultimately benefit that individual but in the Book of Job, The Letter of Abelard and Heloise, and The Bhagavad-Gita. Desire is presented not only as a bad thing but a desire can ultimately ruin our life.