Zarina Turtulova
Alexander Izrailevsky
Philosophy 1000-008
Individual Paper
The greatest sage and monk who has enlightened people with his philosophical
thoughts and concepts of life style in ancient India was Buddha. Buddha was awakened by his
meditation and he found himself. His philosophy has involved and led millions of people around
the world. Buddha’s enlightenment has been called Buddhism. Buddhism goes beyond religion
and is more of a philosophy or “way of life.” Buddhism implies a “way of life”, because it
explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, which provides code of practice
that lead to true happiness.
Buddha’s existence is consider more as a legend and myth rather than real story,
however many sources and evidence indicate his existence. Buddha was born in 560 b.c.e, in
India Kapilavastu (present day Nepal). The name ‘Buddha’ was given him when he became a
sage; his birth name was Siddhartha, given by his parents. Siddhartha grew up in a famous
wealthy royal family. He was very intelligent, smart, and athletic boy. He was an only son;
therefore his parents raised him as a spoiled child. Siddhartha did not need anything - he had
everything. Therefore, the way how he was raise he became a hedonist and womanizer (J.Socio
chapter 2,pg 44). At the age of sixteen he married on his cousin, however, the marriage did not
prevent his life of pleasures.
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During life with parents Siddhartha was isolated from real life of people. They did not
wanted to destroy his imagination about “sweet” life. They desired to see Siddhartha being
happy and living in a carefree life with pleasures that he prefer, without knowing about real
people’s poverty life. However, Siddhartha’s young aspiration and passion brought him to
discover a new world from what his outlook to life changed his life forever.
One day Siddhartha escaped from his parents’ palace to Kapilavastuim city to see the
life there. He was shocked at what he saw. The poverty, beggars, grief and tears, sickness and
death of people completely shocked him. All the time he was a blinded “fetus” who had
chained in artificial cocoon that invented by his parents, but after he became However, he was
scared of everything he had seen, the anxiety would not leave his mind. (J. Soccio chapter 2
page 43.)
After everything he had seen in city, Siddhartha asked himself and his servant with
questions why people suffer in this world. He was absolutely disappointed that world created
the life with sickness, poverty, and disasters for people? “…His anxiety grew. How, he asked
himself again and again, could anyone be happy if-ultimately-there is absolutely no escape from
suffering, disappointments, sadness, and loss? If no one escapes, why be born at all?” (J.Soccio
chapter 2,pg 43.) He wanted to find an answer for the question: Why life gives people such
conditions without prosperity and happiness but adversity and pains of their body and spirit?
“What is the real meaning of life?” (J.Soccio chapter 2,pg 44)
After long time of disappointment, Siddhartha decided to leave his family, palace, and
chic life to search for the true. He isolated himself from society, which could not help him and
did not understand him. He isolated himself to find his true ‘ego’, to control his cravings and
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fears, and answer his questions. He became an ascetic who was seeking and craving the ‘truth
of life’.
Siddhartha spent years of his journey seeking the truth of ascetic life. During this
journey he meets with many masters, monks, and gurus to get an answer for his basic
questions like purpose and meaning of life. They were very wise and truly respectful, because
of their time experience; however no one could give an appropriate answer to Siddhartha.
Siddhartha was completely devastated physically and mentally. Poor Siddhartha almost lost his
hope and himself in this long search, but suddenly he realized that he follows in a wrong
direction. He reconsidered his thoughts and changed his point of view of his life style.
“…Siddhartha realized that his body was an important instrument in his search, and he realized
that he must honor the spirit by honoring the body that houses it.” (J.Soccio, chapter 2, pg 44.)
He decided to go back to his family, ate in a normal way, and dressed up with good
clothes etc. He also, at the same time, kept doing his meditations and wandering. However,
monks were shocked such a behavior, and as a result they renounced him. After with such an
experience he came up to a conclusion on what he has seen. As a result this is one of his wisest
lessons: “We must to stop worrying about what other think of us and quit trying to impress
people if we are ever to find wisdom.” (J. Soccio, chapter 2, pg45)
At he age of thirty Siddhartha has finally enlightened. He has enlightened under the
Bodhi Tree-the Tree of Wisdom. It happened when he had a bowl with rice milk, after he threw
a golden bowl to the river by but how mysteriously bowl floated upstream. He bathed in that
river as always, before did his meditation he sat in a lotus position under the fig tree with saying
phrase: “Here I shall remain until I am answered or dead.” (J. Soccio, chapter 2, page 45.)
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Finally, the miracle happened. Seeker Siddhartha truly enlightened. “The greatest event in
human history” happened in the full moon of May, c. 524 b.c.e. (J. Soccio, chapter 2, page 45.)
Siddhartha became- Buddha.
Buddha named his philosophy religion as Buddhism. Buddhism is unique and unlikely
from any philosophy and religion. Buddhism established with own conception. Buddhism does
not believe in any God, but it does not mean that Buddhism is atheism. Buddhism defines as
“way of life”, the “wheel of life”, or “destination of life”. Buddhism is a life. The life where we
can solve our problems that bring us sufferings, by finding a solution to reach a truly happiness
in life. People’s sufferings is not about the continually strive after things that do not give lasting
happiness. Everyone has an own destination where human lives in their life by building it self,
but not follows by rules destiny.
Buddhism has “Four Noble Truth”, it is a foundation of a Buddha’s teachings: 1) to esist
is to suffer
Some religions consider to believe that those suffers - poverty, illness, death, or bad
luck send to people by the God because of people or people’s ancestors sins. This such believe
is completely unlikely from Buddhism. Buddhism understands and defines differently people’s
life conditions and situations. It calls Karma. Karma defines as a “cause and effect” transaction.
Because, God does not exit in Buddhism they consider that human being is a “builder” of his
own life. “...past and present actions and is not to be confused with fate or predestination:
good or bad karma results from our own action.” Karma literally means “action” that produces
results in accordance with the principle of cause and effect.
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An example of Karma: An alcoholic is not an alcoholic because of his parents were
alcoholics. It is because he became an alcoholic by himself. In Buddhism, this is one of the
important natural laws which govern existence. In my point of view Karma is one of the most
aspects in our life. We people are builders of our life. For instance, a young man who got a
good degree he might does a good salary, but that guy who drug addicted he would not a get
more that a daily plate of meal in shelter. Life is a easy to understand with Karma but probably
her rules are harder.
The first good reason is Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern materialistic
societies. It also includes (for those who are interested) a deep understanding of the human
mind (and natural therapies) which prominent psychologists around the world are now
discovering to be both very advanced and effective.
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Work Cited
J.Soccio, Douglas. Archetypes of Wisdom An Introduction to Philosophy. 8th. 20 Channel Center
Street Boston,MA 02210: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
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