Ethics and Values Through Religious Perspective Have you ever taken a moment to think of how and why people live and interact as they do? Why do we make decisions and what underlying morals lead us throughout our lives? Throughout the years humankind has evolved and changed many of the ways in which they view the world and much of this has to do with their religious standpoint. Because people often rely so heavily on religion it has been known to be the most widely used way of passing down ethics and moral to children throughout the centuries. Cultures have been using religious standpoints as a way to articulate morality and ethical values as far back as humankind can recall. For example the excerpt from the Bible; Genesis. Genesis …show more content…
Although this excerpt is taken from The Epic of Gilgamesh, this is relevant to both early Mesopotamian culture as well as later Buddhist cultures. In early Mesopotamian cultures, people sought the meaning of life through storytelling. These stories were passed on through generations in the way of an epic. “An epic is a long narrative poem that celebrates the deeds of a legendary hero” (Gilgamesh, 8). In this case The Epic of Gilgamesh tells us of a man who seeks out immortality because he is afraid of what the afterlife has to offer …show more content…
Siddhartha was a man of high caste who was born and raised in a palace. When he grew older he learned of the suffering of the world and decided to go out and learn why these things happen to us. In this text Siddhartha, later known as “the Buddha, the Awakened, or the Enlightened one”(The Buddha, 78) tells us of what 's called the middle path. The Buddha explains to his monks that in order to follow this path “We must give up two extremes of the natural world, that of pleasure and and a life given to mortification” (The Buddha, 79). The Buddhists believed that the world is full of pain and suffering, and when we die we are only to be born again as something else depending on one 's Karma. Causing people to forever have to relive the suffering of existence. Because of this they felt that the way that they lived their lives would determine what they were reborn as and if they succeeded in reaching Nirvana , an end to desire and suffering (Hill, 02/03). “And this knowledge and insight arose in my mind: The emancipation of my mind cannot be lost; this is my last birth; hence i shall not be born again!”(The Buddha,
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,
From the beginning of time, mythology has appeared to be one key method of understanding life’s confusions and battles. Within these myths lies a hero. From myth to myth and story to story, heroes experience what may be called a struggle or a journey, which lays down their plot line. Bearing tremendous strength, talent, and significant admiration, a hero holds what is precious to their audience, heroism. Over time however, no matter the hero, the hero’s role remains indistinguishable and identical to the position of every other hero.
After many years of seeking answers to his questions, particularly about suffering and death, Siddhartha came to a revelation and decided to adopt a path of moderation known as the Middle path, which found ground somewhere in between self-indulgence and asceticism. According to legend, Siddhartha sat under what is known as the Bodhi Tree and meditated intensely until at last he achieved Enlightenment when he reached a state of profound understanding. From that point on he was known as the Buddha. (Molloy 127)...
The fear of death and the search for eternal life is a cultural universal. The ideology surrounding immortality transcends time and a plethora of cultures. The theme, immortality appears in stories from the Epic of Gilgamesh, which was composed by ancient Sumerians roughly around 600 B.C., to present day works of fiction in the twenty first century. Gilgamesh, a figure of celestial stature, allows his mortal side to whittle away his power after the death of Enkidu. Undeniably, defenseless before the validity of his own end, he leaves Uruk and begins a quest for Utnapishtim; the mortal man who withstood the great deluge and was granted immortality by the gods (Freeman 36). The search for immortality is a universal concept that has presented itself many times throughout the world; it is a concept that stands in hearts of mankind; The Epic of Gilgamesh illustrates humanity’s innate desire to break free from the constraints of the civilized world, while at the same time trying to find the meaning of existence; a theme that that is perpetrated many times throughout the epic. With that being said, The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story that should not be simply viewed as a text that was written by ancient human civilization thousands of years ago; it should be viewed as a text that highlights humanity’s struggle to overcome the limitations of mortality, and the acceptance of death. This is a theme
This paper will provide a unique, psychological perspective on a timeless story that is alive with mythological and religious splendor. I must state clearly that this is not the first time that Gilgamesh has been viewed in the light of the philosophy of Jung. One of two Jung essays I happened upon while preparing my research was the Psychology of Religion. Although I initially felt that this source would provide little help with my paper, I was very mistaken. On the seventeenth page, I have discovered Jung directly referencing Gilgamesh himself.
Buddhism is currently the fourth most popular religion in our society today, following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Its major ideologies are based on the philosophies of Siddhartha Guatama, also known as “Buddha”, who began his teachings in 598 BCE at the age of 35, according to Buddhist texts. A Buddhist’s foremost aspiration is the obtainment of Bodhi, or enlightenment through meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of the breath). Buddhism shares many ideologies with India’s Hinduism and Yoga such as non-harming, non-violence, and self-awareness. In many instances, people regard Buddhism as a way of life rather than a religion, for it has no clear belief in the idea of a God or Gods. Its structure is built upon a hierarchy much like Christianity where superior orders such as Lamas or the Dalai Lama are said to be chosen by nature through the process of reincarnation rather than by a council like Christianity’s Pope. Though these “higher level” Buddhists are rare (not everyone is a reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist “priest”), all are permitted to follow “The Middle Way” either as a Buddhist monk or the simple attendance of a weekly teaching session from time to time. Throughout the last few hundred years the Buddhist population has blossomed into a healthy 381,611,000 and over fifteen different sects including Zen, Mahayana, and Theravada.
The king of Uruk, who lived around 2600 B.C.E, Gilgamesh, was one-third man and two-thirds god (Gilgamesh, 61). Known as present day Iraq, Mesopotamia was where the ancient sto-ry “The Epic of Gilgamesh” was originated. The story talked about Gilgamesh’s relationship be-tween his close companions. Meeting the immortal flood survivor and giving him eternal life was Gilgamesh's long journey. The Epic of Gilgamesh teaches about the Sumarian society.
Myths have been a great example of the hero’s journey. Many heroes have journeys and trials to face throughout their life. Most of their journeys start out with their origin and end with the return. However, the hero’s role remains identical to every other hero. Most heroes like Gilgamesh has heroic traits because of the stages in the hero's journey. Gilgamesh is a man who can turn into a hero by changing himself, even when he has unusual circumstances surrounding his birth. Gilgamesh is viewed as a hero due to the stages of the hero's journey.
This story teaches that death is an unavoidable and inevitable circumstance of mortal life, which is the most significant precept Gilgamesh learns. Gilgamesh is resentful that only the gods can exist eternally. Gilgamesh is frightened by the idea of his own destiny. Mesopotamian divinity proposes a perception of an afterlife; the deceased spend their period being dead in a netherworld. Death is inevitably entwined within the structure of creation. Life is also entwined, although mortals die, humanity maintains to live. The message that Gilgamesh returns with from his adventure is not primarily about death, but about life. Fragment of a tablet of The Epic of Gilgamesh is figure C down
Gods and Humans Relationships Throughout Greek mythology it is known that some gods have priority over others. The twelve Olympians are among those. The relationship between humans and Greek gods is revealed through several myths. These gods are not only born with special skills and gifts but are also worshiped in several places such as Athens, where Athena is greatly worshiped . Not only do human beings look up to these gods but they respect and aspire to be like them.
Perhaps one of the main reasons the Epic of Gilgamesh is so popular and has lasted such a long time, is because it offers insight into the human concerns of people four thousand years ago, many of which are still relevant today. Some of these human concerns found in the book that are still applicable today include: the fear and concerns people have in relation to death, overwhelming desires to be immortal, and the impact a friendship has on a person’s life. It does not take a great deal of insight into The Epic of Gilgamesh for a person to locate these themes in the story, and even less introspection to relate to them.
Pursuit of Eternal Life The “Epic of Gilgamesh” is a historical story of the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh. The story portrays the short-lived friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The story begins as Shamat, the prostitute, seduces Enkidu and convinces him to go to the city of Uruk and meet Gilgamesh. From that moment on, the two were very close.
Throughout time, people of all cultures have told stories of heroes and kings. The most ancient story we have on record is the tale of King Gilgamesh. This story is an account of the King's journeys and accomplishments. Although it was written over four thousand years ago, many comparisons can be made between the society in which the story was written and our own modern society. In this essay, differences and similarities between the two societies will be examined.
There are many strange similarities between ancient texts of different cultures. Within these narratives, there are different trappings, but many of the stories remain eerily similar across cultural boundaries; within The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament of the Bible, for instance, there are a number of different stories that are remarkably similar. The story of Gilgamesh and the plant of eternal life are very similar to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. However, perhaps the most similar of the stories contained within the Gilgamesh epic and the Old Testament of the Bible is the shared stories of a Flood. Even the Qu’ran, another ancient text from the same region shares a great flood story with Gilgamesh and the Old Testament, however, this discussion will focus on Gilgamesh and the Old Testament, and the various similarities and subtle differences between the texts.
Through the many of mankind’s tales of adventure the search for immortality is a very common theme. Many heroes have made it the objective of their travels and adventures. This is no different in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey. The heroes in both are tempted by the offer of immortality, however each of them turns it down for their own reasons.