The assignment that I was confronted was very different and as I read the material I realized that in a since I did not had much information about the Eightfold Path and little about the Buddha itself. Therefore, I decided to watch “Little Buddha” to guide me through this assignment. While watching the movie I realize that Buddha wanted to end suffering and by doing so he need to stop anything that could possibly bring him suffering. He was a prince and gave up everything in order to protect his family and achieved his goal. In the process of his journey he realized different things, at the beginning he believed that by restraining himself from anything he would be able to achieve to end suffering or find the answers. Later, he realized that he was never going to be able to end suffering but could find a balance. Once he was able to find the perfect balance and become one with nature he was able to reach enlightenment. Although, I will not be able to accomplish a quarter of what he did, I will try to restrict from myself from attachments and try to at least understand the true meaning of Nirvana by following the Eightfold Path. 1. Right of View I decided to give up my cell phone and music because I am attached to those things as far as material objects. My day normally starts with music, even my alarms are composed of songs. I also decided to give up my cell phone because we are all attached to the phones in one way or another. We rely on our devices for entertainment, time, news, communication, and much more. Though, I do not use social media as often as many other, I am addicted a specific game that I played during my breaks and it’s the firsts and last thing I do in my day (restaurant story). That is why I believed that this... ... middle of paper ... ...Path I have even more admiration for Siddhartha Gautama, whom eventually became known as the Buddha (the awaken one). One easily can think that if we put our minds we can easily accomplish this task, but in reality are very difficult. We either are weak in the mind or we seek accomplishment with food or entrustment. This assignment was very hard for me to accomplish, I do not think I can give up music, because it relaxes my mind and lets me forget of things. My cellphone, I can live without it, every time I went on deployment we were not allowed to take our cellphones, the longest I been without it it has been for a full year, but I was soo busy with other things that I did not had time to even miss it. With time I think these things can get accomplished. One thing that I do want to reach is the tem minutes of meditations, and will continue trying till I reach them.
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.
Jenna Wortham’s “Turn Off the Phone (And the Tension)”, most definitely brings the question, “what am I doing?” to mind. This article explains Wortham’s deep opinion on electronic use, and its affects on today’s society. Wortham’s article mentions the idea of going “screenless”, which is removing yourself from your phone or any other device to reconnect with what you’ve been missing in the world. I agree that this strategy is beneficial to those that are attached to their screens. Even though going “screenless” is a work in progress for those that that are completely attached, it is a positive way to view the world in the moment instead of having to capture it for someone else to see,
By learning from the Dharma, understanding The Four Noble Truths, three jewels, living by the five precepts, and following the eightfold path will assist to the completed path of enlightenment. Nirvana, which means to extinguish or unbind, is when a Buddhist has reached a state in which he has gained knowledge and freedom from what ever has bound him from reaching nirvana. Whether it be passion, desire, jealousy, egotism, or ignorance. When nirvana has been reached then there will be complete release from the samsara and karmic cycles.
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,
Every step along Siddhartha’s journey incorporates a concept from each of the Four Noble Truths. In order to understand the concepts of the Four Noble Truths, one needs to understand the aim of Buddhist practice. “The aim of Buddhist practice is to cure craving, the desire conditioned by ignorance that leads to suffering” (Demoss 1).2 Buddhism advocates meditation, and a “…goal of Buddhist meditation is to produce right mindfulness, an alert awareness of what is happening in body, mind, and world at the present moment” (Demoss 318).3 “Traditionally, ‘right action’ is defined in Buddhist ethics by the five percepts: do not kill, do not steal, do not engage in illicit sex, do not lie, and do not become intoxicated” (Demoss 319).4 “According to Buddhism a person does not have an intrinsic permanent changeless identity. There is no core self.
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
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.
Ashvaghosha’s Buddhacarita: The Life of the Buddha serves as one of the most relevant and profound texts regarding the Buddhist religion and it’s foundations. However, unlike other popular religious texts, this one does not serve as a historical document but rather a vessel for explaining the teachings of the Buddha, serving as a guide for the followers of the Enlightened One. Ashvaghosha’s descriptions of the Buddha, his life, and his actions provide an example of the Buddha’s disciplines and truths, giving his followers a detailed and structured idea of his way of life. The Buddhacarita’s descriptions in particular focus on the teaching of pervasive suffering, it’s causes, and the paths (both right and wrong) to breaking free from it.
Would that be possible to stay away from our technology’s devices for just a day? The answer for this question will bring a lot of negative answers, and of course if we ask this question in a survey, “NO” will be the winner of this survey. Talking about the use of technology reminded me one of the sources from my annotated bibliography by Amy Petersen, who is the Theatre and Media Arts Department Chair and Associate Professor in the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University. In her article which she wrote about the overuse of tech in our daily life and its affects, she said “If you would have told me a few years ago that I would feel completely lost without a cell phone, I never would have believed you. Now my iPhone is almost always within reach. My children likely believe that my most important possession is my MacBook Air, which is usually open and on whenever I am in the house. (“Jensen” par. 3)” Yes technology, internet, and cell phone became our best friends, and most of us can’t live without them.
Technology is getting more and more advanced. It is impressive that what back in the day people would make an extra effort to study, work, or to leave a certain habit. Mark Bittman mentions “It takes different formats for different people, and you have to build up to it; you can’t run five miles if you’ve never run at all (page 3).” Everyone needs courage to fight this addiction and if we preserve, we might defeat this horrible situation. In my personal experience, I’ve always said if you want something, you must give something in return. If we want peace, we need to absent ourselves from making any bad decision. If we want to take vacations, we will need to give time and get money at work. In this case if we want to be free from this terrible addiction, we need to put apart any electronic device little by little. Although, many people think that it is not necessary to leave our phones apart to have peace, other people who have practiced different methods to find inter peace affirms that putting any technology apart had a huge impact in their lives. Even though, Mark Bittman it is not a spiritual person, he found personal peace by making time to relieve his soul. If we give ourselves some more personal space and practice the beautiful hobby of a virtual break, we will find ourselves in a better
One day I had my phone taken away. It honestly seemed like the end of the world beings that it was my “whole world.” I used this device to communicate with my friends, watch ridiculous youtube videos, listen to my most favorite songs that was basically a part of my soul, and I even had it as an alarm. A part of me was gone I thought to myself, then it hit me. Undoubtedly, I relied too much on my phone to assist me, to entertain me. To be frank, I acted selfish, like a 4 year old who doesn’t get that stuffed animal after their mother said no a million times, when I had it confiscated. I know another particular story where two children rely too much on technology, an entire family actually. The story is called “The Veldt” and it stars two children,
Buddha believed that by following the Eightfold Path, one could fulfill and find legitimacy in the Four Noble Truths, and reach Nirvana; the release from selfishness and pain. Like the Hindu, Buddha believed in reincarnation, a major factor in achieving Nirvana, as...
...on but always from desire. People will not admit that nothing ever lasts, thus it is shunned and therefor beauty is left unappreciated. The philosophies of Buddha influence cultures and civilizations across the globe to embrace evolving, but to do so with celebration and optimism. If all positive was stationary, there would be little value which gives us nothing to live for. Each day should be lived by moving on and accepting the next obstacle, while still appreciating the fortunate past and enjoying the immediate presence. Without recognition of pain and sorrow, there is no initiation for solution. According to Buddha, one must accept suffering and live based on the laws of the Eightfold Path in order to achieve salvation. Because of the Four Noble Truths, people have been given a structural opportunity of hope that there is reason to live our lives to the fullest.
The Everything Buddhism Book: Learn the Ancient Traditions and Apply Them to Modern Life. Avon, MA: Adams Media Corporation, 2003. Print. The.
A beautiful commercial, “Disconnect to Connect”, which was made by Thailand DTAC Company, shows that there are many people always focusing on their cell phones. The commercial shows a man ignoring his girlfriend who is walking with him on the beach, another man neglecting his friends who are playing piano, and a father overlooking his children who are playing around. Then, they smile and find the happiness of life after they turn off their digital devices. These things happen constantly around us every day. Nowadays, the functions of digital devices are stronger, and our eyes and fingers contribute more time on it. There is no doubt that the digital devices make our life more convenient and easier because people can connect with each other immediately. Nonetheless, people should not spend too much time on digital devices for three main reasons: having less face-to-face communication, depriving people’s brains of needed downtime, and negatively influencing people’s health.