Both the Dalai Lama and Pope John Paul II discuss the relationship between religion and morality in their writings. The Dalai Lama clearly states in his book, Ethics for the New Millennium, that his views on ethics are not influenced by any religion, including his own: Tibetan Buddhism. The Pope openly believes that morality and his religion, Catholicism, go hand-in-hand, and one cannot work without the other, which he explains further in his Veritatis Splendor letter. In this paper, I will argue that the Dalai Lama and Pope John Paul II are both influenced by their religions, though not equally, in their discussions of morality. Other than the actual religious differences, they view morality in very similar ways.
The Dalai Lama and John Paul II acknowledge that all people, regardless of religious background (or lack thereof), long for happiness in life, and in some cases, after life as well. They also agree that happiness is not found in material possessions or progress. The Dalai Lama conveys this through his observation that “materially developed countries…are
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less happy, and to some extent suffer more than those living in the least developed countries.” Similarly, John Paul II brings up Jesus and the rich young man. The man asks Jesus, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life…what do I lack?” Jesus replies, “Go, sell your possessions and give your money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” “In the young man,” John Paul II writes, “we can recognize every person.” That statement highlights the universal truth that all people desire happiness. The Dalai Lama draws a line of distinction between religion and spirituality by portraying religion as more concerned with faith and salvation after death and spirituality as focused on qualities of goodness, like love, compassion, and patience. He continues on to say that religion and spirituality can, and often do, go together, but do not have to. Somebody could have deep morality and spirituality by solely having concern and compassion for others. John Paul II, conversely, defines morality as loving God with heart, might, and soul, and he takes the side that the only real and true goodness is found through Him. That ideology is based on Matthew 19:17 (“There is only One who is good.”). Therefore, the act of seeking goodness, whether the seeker identifies as a Christian or not, equals the act of turning to God. Asking about “what good” he must do, the young man, in the Pope’s eyes, asked a “religious question.” John Paul II continues to explain that the “ultimate purpose” of life is living to praise God’s glory and acting in a way that reflects the splendor of that glory. Despite the Dalai Lama’s protests that his “universal ethical principles” for achieving happiness are not shaped by his beliefs, he acknowledges different Buddhist concepts and ideas throughout his book.
For example, he brings up the “Maydhyamika,” or “Middle Way,” an idea that says the world is essentially a connected organism led by cause and effect. Everything is dependent and nothing stands alone. Good and bad deeds all effect something else and each life links to other lives, forever blurring the distinction between the “self” and the “other.” He then says that, due to the Madhyamika and its notion of connectivity, everybody’s individual happiness depends on the happiness of others, and everyone must act accordingly. He also discusses the idea that “life is suffering,” and that the goal of human nature remains the desire to avoid or end that suffering, a part of the Buddhists’ Four Noble
Truths. Both the Dalai Lama and John Paul II agree that, despite popular belief, real happiness does not equate to that short-lived sense-satisfying state of temporary ecstasy. In fact, according to the former, that feeling contains the seed of suffering. “We may feel we have found the perfect happiness…[it] turns out to be as ephemeral as a drop of dew on a leaf, shining brilliantly one moment, gone the next.” Genuine happiness, though, comes from contentment, inner peace, and concern for others. According to John Paul II, “the source of man’s happiness” is God. To truly achieve that happiness, man should attempt the impossible act of becoming like God and having unconditional love for everybody. The first step to that would be keeping the commandments that Jesus mentioned in the rich young man parable: “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” A person simply restraining him or herself from those acts, however, is passive. They do not do this, they do not do that. The next step towards unconditional love involves a more active approach. “The commandments must not be understood as a minimum limit not to be gone beyond, but rather as a path involving a moral and spiritual journey towards perfection, at the heart of which is love.” For example, the commandment “you shall not murder,” goes from the passive not killing to the active protecting the life of the neighbor. The Dalai Lama sees “nying je,” or compassion, as the “supreme emotion.” It is the feeling of being connected to others and empathizing with them. Reaching “the great compassion” is much like reaching John Paul II’s goal of unconditional love. Beginning with the empathy connection, which everybody naturally has, one must perform ethical and spiritual acts. Ethical acts are more passive, which involve not stifling other peoples’ experiences or happiness. One must also perform spiritual acts, involving active contributions to other peoples’ lives through love and forgiveness, among other qualities. The next step would be to master universal love and having a feeling of intimacy with all sentient beings. Then finally, the great compassion is having an overwhelming responsibility for even the slightest suffering of any feeling being on the earth. The Dalai Lama and Pope John Paul II have an overall similar view of ethics and morality, though their differences remain largely in that the Pope is openly inspired by his Catholic faith. The Dalai Lama, however, is more closeted about the impact his Buddhist religion has on his beliefs.
In this paper, I will be explaining how Siddhartha had arrived at the Four Noble Truths. The first paragraph contains how Siddhartha’s life was full of suffering, pain, and sorrow. The second paragraph will be the cause of suffering is the desire for things that are really illusions in Siddhartha’s life. Following, in the third paragraph I will be explaining how the only way to cure suffering is to overcome desire. Finally, I will be explaining that the only way to overcome desire is to follow the Eightfold Path.
The teachings of buddhism, the Dalai Lama and the Temple Puja can all impact a Buddhist adherents on the ethical issues of the individual. The buddhist teachings consist of lists of rules that can be followed in order to live a peaceful and humble life, which nirvana can be met. Temple Puja are acts and ways the buddhist teaching can be applied to the life of Buddhist adherents. The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader of the tibetan people who expand on the teachings of Buddhism worldwide. All these factors influences the decision making of challenging ethical issues of Buddhist adherents.
Morals are usually the standards by one which lives in, whether them being good or bad. However, how about when religion influences ones morals? Religion isn’t or it doesn’t work for everyone, and that’s okay. But, there are many people out there that religion influences their morals; and the most common reason for that is that religion was influenced into them and into their morals as a child. Iri...
He also makes reference to the long history of religious intolerance and persecution within the Christian tradition, brought about by greed, mistrust, and ignorance. He emphasizes the need for continuous practice, prayer, meditation, mindfulness, and personal growth within individual religious traditions and cultures. We must make the spirit of the Buddha and the spirit of Christ part of our everyday lives. He explores the “Five Wonderful Percepts of Buddhism”: reverence for life, generosity, responsible sexual behavior, speaking and listening deeply, and ingesting only wholesome substances; comparing them to the teachings of Christ. These precepts are without a doubt, very similar to the principles thought by Christ and his apostles. Each precept or teaching works with the next, interconnecting and building upon each other toward the same goal to end suffering, bring about personal and worldly understanding, world peace, and spiritual
Buddhism’s approach to ethics and practices are centred upon the principal beliefs of; the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts. By adhering to these guidelines, Buddhists are ensured that they are taking a step closer to escaping Samsara, and attaining the revered state of Nirvana,
When the experiences of mind, body, and spirit are united inner direction is found and meaning is given to life. Herman Hesse documents specifically the Buddhist inner journey but this path is applicable to all faiths. He implies that we must all acknowledge the unity of everything and understand how we belong to it. Our inner journey is very personal but our goals to achieve complete love and compassion are one and the same.
Morality derives from the Latin moralitas meaning, “manner, character, or proper behavior.” In light of this translation, the definition invites the question of what composes “proper behavior” and who defines morality through these behaviors, whether that be God, humanity, or an amalgamation of both. Socrates confronted the moral dilemma in his discourses millennia ago, Plato refined his concepts in his Republic, and leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi would commit their life work to defining and applying the term to political reform. Finally, after so many years, Martin Luther King’s “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” reaches a consensus on the definition of morality, one that weighs the concepts of justice and injustice to describe morality as the
Religion and morality exist together in parallel according to Alan Keyes. Alan Dershowitz stated that if religion and morality are not separated, it could have negative discourse. James Fowler followed Piaget, Kohlberg, and Erickson when selecting the stages to his development of faith across the life span. These three men all selected different ways to look at religio...
In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, a classic novel about enlightenment, the main character, Siddhartha, goes on a lifelong journey of self-discovery. Along the way, Siddhartha encounters many who try to teach him enlightenment, undoubtedly the most important being the Buddha himself. Although Siddhartha rejects the Buddha's teachings, saying that wisdom cannot be taught, we can see, nevertheless, that along his journey for understanding Siddhartha encounters the Four Noble Truths that are a central theme in Buddhism: suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, and the middle path.
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
Ashley Janowiak Human Happiness and External goods Happiness is a goal every human pursues, yet the ways in which it is pursued differs amongst people. Some believe prosperity will bring them happiness. Others believe material, power, fame, success, or love will bring them happiness. No matter what one believes is the right way to conquer this goal, every person will take their own unique path in an attempt to find it. But what is happiness like?
The four noble truths are the main teachings of Buddhism, along with the eightfold path. The four noble truths are meant to be the steps to end suffering. The first noble truth is life means suffering. Suffering is going to happen in life and many believe there is nothing you can do about it. Second, the origin of suffering is attachment. This means suffering is caused when people cling to things, ideas, or even other people. Thirdly, the cessation of suffering is attainable. Which can be translated to mean there is a way to end suffering. And finally, there is a path to the cessation, which means the path to end suffering, is meditation and the eightfold path.
Interestingly enough, the moral codes of the world's religions bear a striking resemblance to each other, with only minor variations. Religions as different as Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism all have proscriptions against killing, lying, cheating, stealing, etc. This is not an accident, for reasons we shall explore below.
What exactly is happiness anyway? Happiness is when you feel complete and satisfied. It is when you’re content with where you are and what you have. It is the joy of doing something you love, or spending time with someone you love. It is an emotion and the best one yet. Money can easily make a person temporarily happy with the possessions it can buy, but true happiness is more than that. People can have everything material wise and still not be happy. Sure it can buy you many things, but the happiness from it is only temporary and limited. There’s only so much happiness you can buy with money. Money can easily buy you food, a clock, a house, education, make-up or medication; however it can’t buy you nutrition, time, a home, knowledge, beauty or health. It can buy you infatuation, but not love, acquaintances but not friendship and hierarchy but not respect. People spend their entire lives trying to make more and more money thinking that it means success. They neglect family and friends, don’t care about who they take down to reach their ...
When considering morality, worthy to note first is that similar to Christian ethics, morality also embodies a specifically Christian distinction. Studying a master theologian such as St. Thomas Aquinas and gathering modern perspectives from James Keenan, S. J. and David Cloutier serve to build a foundation of the high goal of Christian morality. Morality is a primary goal of the faith community, because it is the vehicle for reaching human fulfillment and happiness. Therefore, great value can be placed on foundations of Christian morality such as the breakdown of law from Aquinas, the cultivation of virtues, the role of conscience in achieving morality, and the subject of sin described by Keenan.