Comparing Buddhism And The Noble Eightfold Path

1830 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Celibacy in modern day

Buddhism began with a man named Siddhartha Gautama who had lived in northern India in the sixth or fifth century B.C.E. The religion has its teachings in two forms; these are the Four Noble Truths and the eight fold Path. The four noble truths teach that life is full disappointment and suffering; that suffering is a result of one's desires for pleasure; that in order to stop ones suffering one must stop desiring; and finally the way to stop desiring and thus suffering is through Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path is the way of living through good intentions, right action, being awareness, and meditation/ reflection on doing good. These lessons were taught for people to discover the state of release called nirvana meaning blowing …show more content…

The Buddhist religion views sex a natural part of human life, but as something that is associated with craving and temptation. The view of sex is that it is something that leads you into suffering and away from the goals of the taught by Buddha. The Buddhist path is about overcoming these cravings and temptations; this means there should be no sex involved in ones life. Most Buddhist practice the tradition of celibacy which means that the individuals will not participate in sexual activities. “Celibacy traditionally signifies a noble, yet mystifying devotion that is difficult to understand and has become the subject of much critique.” This essay will give information on the subject from various traditions, with an emphasis sexual orientation, action and celibacy within the Buddhism …show more content…

This forces the individual to find a different sense of independence from temptation. It teaches the celibate individual that he or she does not need to depend on such temptations to be themselves and to be happy. The Buddhist tradition shows the importance of meditation and reflection of good and bad. Celibacy teaches oneself patients, pride, and self restraint of temptation. But it is not in itself celibacy that reflects the traditions of Buddhism; instead it is the realization of the truth that a person does not need sexual desire to be happy. The point of Buddhism is that the individual lives a life away from suffering which is caused by desire; and the individual wants to avoid suffering by living the right way. Celibacy is just one way a person can realize the truth and become aware of needless

Show More
Related

  • DBQ Essay On Religion

    643 Words  | 2 Pages

    Buddhism teaches that humans have a repetitive cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. Each reincarnated life is decided into a better, worse, or a similar life, depending upon the person's Karma. The goal is to escape from this cycle and reach Nirvana, and once this is attained, the mind is free from suffering. Buddhism teaches a lesson through its followers in order to make them fully understand that one lives for a reason, which is to eliminate all their desires. Document 6 it quotes,

    Read More

  • The Temptation of St. Pigsy, final paper

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    Buddhism is one of the prominent and influential religions and philosophies of the world. A basic tenet of Buddhism is that worldly desires and possessions cause all suffering. To absolve one’s self of necessities beyond basic human survival is one of the many plateaus that Buddhists strive to achieve. Furthermore, Buddhists free themselves from temptation via seclusion from society and attempt to allow nature to support them. They believe that Nirvana, the ascension to heaven, can be achieved by freeing oneself of earthly desires.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Hinduism And Buddhism

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    Buddhism was originated in India in the fifth century B.C.E by Siddhartha Gautama. In today estimation there are about three hundred and seventy six million followers, which is the sixth most practiced religion in the world. The founder of this religion was born a Kshatriya, which was the military or ruling class in the caste system. The caste system is a Hindu tradition. Buddhist does not believe in this system. Instead Buddhist believes in the four noble truths. The four noble truths teaches that everyone suffers, selfish desires causes suffering, suffering can be overcome by destroying selfish desires, and if man follows the Eightfold Path, he will destroy selfish desires and end all suffering. Buddhist also believes in Nirvana which is a release from selfishness and pain. Karma is also part of the Buddhist belief. Karma is interpreted in many ways around the world. But in the Buddhist religion Karma refers to the good and bad actions a person does in his or her life. The good actions will bring about good things in the future. Unlike the good actions, if...

    Read More

  • Buddhism: Annotated Bibliography

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the comparison with other class of Chinese faith , the study of Chinese Buddhism benefits. First, the International range of Buddhism allows for fruitful comparison with developments in other neighboring finish such as India and japan and the contemporary identicalness of Buddhism as a missionary. Buddhism is a way of breakthrough repose within oneself. It is a organized religion that helps us to find the happiness and contentment we seek. Buddhist develop inner peace, kindness and wisdom through their daily practice; and then share their experience with others delivery real number benefit to this humankind .They try not to injury others and to live

    Read More

  • The Spread of Buddhism and Christianity

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    Buddhism was founded by one man, Siddhartha Guatama. He was born into royalty around 563 B.C.E. in a Kingdom near the border of India and Nepal. He was raised in wealth and luxury, and at the age of 16, he married a wealth woman and they had a child together. Around the age of 29, he began to realize that all humans were in a cycle of suffering, dying, and then being reincarnated only to suffer and die over and over again. It was then that he decided to leave his wife and child to find a way out of this repeating cycle of life and death. First he studied with teachers, but found he was coming to no conclusions, so he turned to more extreme things such as self-mortification, but he was still left unsatisfied.

    Read More

  • Asoka and the Buddhist Faith

    1774 Words  | 4 Pages

    Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world, which began in India. The origin of Buddhism is traced back to the experience of single man, Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. Born around 563 B.C.E., legend follows that Siddhartha was the son of a prince in a kingdom near the border of what is now India and Nepal. As such, he was sheltered from the world and lived a life of luxury and comfort. (Molloy 124) However, at age 29 Siddhartha left the royal grounds and witnessed the suffering of ordinary life for the first time. What he saw deeply affected him and caused him to question everything in his materialistic life. Siddhartha made the decision to give up his possessions and embark on a search for enlightenment, an event known as the Great Going Forth. (Molloy 125)

    Read More

  • The Four Noble Truths Summary

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    A man of noble birth, living in the time before the Common Era, preached a way to extinguish the fire of self-centered delusion. This state of Nirvana can be achieved by understanding The Four Noble Truths, suffering in life, he explains can be avoided by following an Eightfold Path. Sounds simple? This must have been an awaking for people of his time seeking a more personal religion, away from the rigidities of a priest-dominated Hinduism of India. The man, the Buddha, spent the rest of his life teaching the religion he discovered and its doctrine based upon his Dharma (cosmic law and order). The first written evidence of the existence of Buddhism is found over 400 years ago after the life of the Buddha. (Kozak) Historians pose the

    Read More

  • Buddhism and Islam

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    Buddhism originated from India, and was founded by Prince Siddharta Gautama, who later came to be known as Buddha, or the enlightened one. Born of a princely caste, he later renounced his comfortable life in search for nirvana. In order to do that, he joined a band of ascetic, who was a group of Hindu priests. In his teaching, the Buddha taught his followers to follow "the middle way", that is, not the way of extreme asceticism. He attained full understanding of the nature of being by meditation and after his success, decided to impart his knowledge to those who follow him .

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Hinduism And Buddhism

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    Unlike Hindus, Buddhist follow Buddha’s four noble truths. The four noble truths provide a pathway to enlightenment; they teach what causes suffering in life and how to stop it. The noble truths are very simple and easy to understand. The first truth is that all existence will suffer no matter what, the second truth is the understanding of craving, the third truth is the cessation of suffering, and the final truth is following the noble eightfold path. Practicing Buddhism isn’t complex or difficult, unlike Hinduism. As long as one gives love and acceptance to everyone and everything, is mindful, practices Ahimsa, and detaches themselves from materialistic items one can be a successful Buddhist. Unlike the simplicity of Buddhism, Hinduism is very strict and complex. It is male oriented and difficult to follow through. To practice Hinduism one must follow the four stages of life. The first stage is being a student and study the Vedas. The second stage is being a house holder; support a student and have a family. The third stage is being a Hermit; withdraw from family for many months and prepare to become an ascetic. Finally, the last stage of life is becoming an ascetic. These stages are only allowed to be done by men and an extremely small percent of

    Read More

  • Evaluate The Influence Of Buddhism On Neo-Confucianism

    561 Words  | 2 Pages

    the light of Buddhist understanding. To limit the topic of study, this paper will examine only the

    Read More

  • A Life of Celibacy; Buddhism and Sex

    1901 Words  | 4 Pages

    Buddhism which just may be the most tolerant religion in the world, constitutes teachings that can coexist with almost any other religions. Buddhism began with Siddhartha Gautama who lived in northern India in the sixth or fifth century B.C.E. The religion has guidelines in two forms in which Buddhist followers must follow. These are the Four Noble Truths and the Eight fold Path. Buddha taught that man is a slave to his ego and that the cause of suffering is desire, essentially the way to end suffering is to overcome desire. Buddhist views toward sex are those constituting that it is a natural part of human life, but also something that is associated with craving. As the Buddhist path involves overcoming these cravings this also means becoming less oriented towards sex. In most Buddhist traditions, devoted practitioners become celibate monks and nuns, and in traditional societies this was the only alternative to a family life. Celibacy traditionally signifies a noble, yet mystifying devotion that is difficult to understand and has become the subject of much critique, especially within the realms of Catholicism. But what are the origins of this tradition? this essay will present various sources of information on the subject from various traditions, with an emphasis on celibacy within buddhism.

    Read More

  • Siddhartha Life Essay

    1926 Words  | 4 Pages

    The name Buddhism comes from the word "budhi" which means "to wake up." This philosophy originated from the life of a man named Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha. “At his naming ceremony, priests foretold that his life could go in one of two directions”( Molloy 125). He would either follow his father's footsteps and become a world ruler or he would become a spiritual leader, if he got exposed to the sight of suffering. As Siddhartha grew, his father kept him away from all the suffering of the outside world. He got educated and trained inside a luxurious palace, preparing to eventually become the ruler his father wanted him to be. All was going as planned until Siddhartha decide to visit a town close to his palace without...

    Read More

  • Impact Of Augustine On Christianity

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    From Concubines to Celibacy Upon converting to Christianity, Augustine made numerous changes to his life. One of these included giving up the worldly pleasure of sex. Augustine did not believe that celibacy was necessary for everyone, in fact he believed that a marriage for the purpose of procreation was a good thing; however, he believed that in order to maintain the closest relationship possible with God and resist all temptation, he must entirely give up sex and the possibility of marriage. Upon adolescence Augustine found himself in a “tumultuous sea of. . . fornications,’ even though, at the time, he would be unaware of what a problem his lust would become to him in the future (II.2.2).

    Read More

  • Women In Buddhism Essay

    1720 Words  | 4 Pages

    The earlier proposal of the five obstacles of women in Buddhism (Anālayo 2009, 142), which stated women’s incapability of becoming a Buddha, was seen as a key element in Buddhism that discriminated against women and prevented women from participating Buddhism practices. However, if people read the context more carefully, they can find out that the reason why the Buddha proposed that women should be restricted from practicing was due to their “sexual desire, illness, ignorance…” (Anālayo 2009, 142). Under such definition, the boundary of men and women can be divided into physical and psychological aspects. In psychological aspect, as long as people possess more “sexual desire, illness, ignorance…”, the five obstacles should be applied, no matter they are women or men. In another words, people should not judge women as inferior and sustained and men as superior and pure because of their physical gender. When encountered the Buddhist texts, we should read critically and discriminate the underlying background in order to better understand the sutras. By emphasizing on the importance of concentration and gaining of wisdom, the importance of women as an external feature, has been downplayed and minimized. 'When one 's mind is well concentrated and wisdom never fails, does the fact of being a woman make any difference? ' (Thero, 1994, 711). This quote clearly indicates that the external appearance has no effect in practicing Buddhism. Thus, the right to participate is important and equal for all beings. For normal women, the right to participate are regulated by the rights and responsibilities for citizens regulated by laws, and reflect in all fields, including politics, culture, and economics. Of course, the right also includes the freedom to choose and practice any religion. Buddhism, act as the first religion granted the possibility for women to ordain, played an important role in gender

    Read More

  • Reflection On World Religion

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    Buddhism was founded around 520 BC by Siddharta Gautama, who was an Indian Prince. Buddhism emphasizes practice over belief. In reality, however, Buddhism centers on correct understanding of human nature and ultimate reality. The Buddha was, after all, called the "Enlightened One." He taught that the way to eliminate suffering began with understanding the true nature of the world. In Buddhism, the purpose of life is to end suffering. The Buddha taught that humans suffer because we continually strive after things that do not give lasting happiness.

    Read More

More about Comparing Buddhism And The Noble Eightfold Path

Open Document