Buddha and Confucius Essay - 830 Words

1. The founder of Buddhism was a man called Siddhartha Gautama, born to a wealthy family and destined for greatness; Siddhartha, however, left his family and the palace in search for religious truth and an end to suffering. Siddhartha tried many ways of reaching an enlightened stage; wandering the forest, joining the beggars, fasting, debating with religious leaders, but when none of these methods brought him a greater understanding of the world, Siddhartha sat himself down under a fig tree, and meditated. After forty-nine days of meditation Siddhartha was said to have achieved an understanding of the cause of suffering, he then became known as the Buddha, enlightened one. In the Buddha’s first sermon, he laid out the four†¦show more content†¦In my opinion, Buddha was greatly flawed in the belief that the four noble truths would lead to Nirvana because the third noble truth states that, â€Å"the way to end all suffering is to end all desires,† meaning that Nirvana can be gained by having no desires. The Noble Truth itself is an oxymoron because the desire to achieve Nirvana would prevent one from achieving it! The desire to have no desires, in order to gain enlightenment and understanding foils the purpose. Meaning that by following Buddha’s rules, no one could achieve Nirvana. 2. Confucius led an erudite life in the times of the warring lords in the Zhou Dynasty. Confucius believed that if society was organized around five basic relationships; social order, harmony, and good government could be restored in China. The five relationships were between: 1. Ruler and subject 2. Father and son 3. Husband and wife 4. Older brother and younger brother 5. Friend and friend The Duke of Lu was impressed by Confucius’s wisdom and appointed him as the Minister of Justice. The people were beleaguered by his kindness and courtesy, and crime nearly vanished overnight. However; when the Duke strayed from the path, Confucius resigned and spent the rest of his life teaching. The only record of Confucius’s ideas is The Analects, which was written by his students. ConfuciusShow MoreRelatedEmerson, Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus: Where Does the Self Stand? Ralph Waldo Emerson’s ideas from600 Words   |  3 PagesEmerson, Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus: Where Does the Self Stand? Ralph Waldo Emerson’s ideas from his essay Self-Reliance may sound absurd to some, though this also helps to ensure that his ideas on self-reliance are some of the most well known on the subject. Many people these days seem to be more inclined towards focusing almost entirely on the self, rather than going and pleasing other people. 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Two very important and influencing religions that have been around for over two thousand years are Confucianism and Buddhism. The founders of these two religions, Confucius and Buddha, respectively, lived different lives and had different thoughts. Although this made two totally differentRead MoreChin The Four Noble Truths1353 Words   |  6 Pages220 and 570 C.E., China experienced a political instability and disunity, which opened the way to the spread of Buddhism. Before this new way of life could take hold, however, the Chinese people had to learn the teachings of Buddha, such as the first sermon preached by Buddha in the fifth century B.C.E., known as â€Å"The Four Noble Truths.† Although Buddhism eventually became popular throughout China, there was opposition to the new beliefs and Chinese people struggled with replacing their old beliefs