Buddhism The Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, And...

Buddhism is an important philosophical tradition because it focuses on how each of us can be a better person, and to reach our best potential through three key cornerstones: The Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, and the idea of the attainment of Nirvana. Siddhartha Gautama, who was the son of a very wealthy regional king of the Sakyas, founded Buddhism about 2500 years ago. In order to help him to reach his prophesized goal of being a â€Å"Chakravartin† or Universal King of India, his father kept him â€Å"shielded from contact with sickness, decrepitude, and death,† (Smith, 84). He later became disillusioned as is told in the â€Å"Legend of the Four Passing Sights†, in which he encountered a decrepit old man who showed him old age, a person with disease, a corpse that showed him death, and finally a monk from which â€Å"he learned of the life of withdrawal from the world,† (Smith, 84). It was this chain of events that led him to leave his lavish world and family behind to pursue other interests when he turned 29. This event came to be known later as his â€Å"Great Going Forth†. During his journey to attain enlightenment, he went through 3 phases. â€Å"His first act was to seek out two of the foremost Hindu masters of the day and pick their brains for the wisdom in their vast tradition. He learned a great deal- about raja yoga especially, but about Hindu philosophy as well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith, 84). He would later use what he learned about raja yoga during his time under the Bodhi Tree. His next stageShow MoreRelatedEssay on Budism by Huston Smith1605 Words   |  7 PagesBuddhism As a college student that has lived and grown up in western New York, I do not have too much experience with the other religions of the world. I have grown up a Christian Protestant my whole life, and I am a firm believer in my religion. 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Therefore Buddhists dont pray to a creator god(Buddhism FAQs pg.1). Consequently, Buddhism is catagorized as a philosophy, but is still regarded it as aRead MoreThe Fundamental Principles Of Buddhism And Islam1585 Words   |  7 PagesThe following paper is going to discuss and describe the fundamental principles of Buddhism and Islam, consider the common and distinctive attributes and outline their influence and presence in modern Asia. The notion of religion is the fundamental foundation, and later the central body, for all past, present and future societies and cultures. The majority of the world’s population fabricates their own unique identity through the values and morals of the religion with which they follow. The present