Buddhism Philosophy - Essay Example

The first was that life leads to suffering in some form or another. He termed this suffering dukkha. The second was craving is what causes this suffering. The craving we feel is that we are clinging to a materialistic or some important construct in our physical world in which we derive pleasure. Third, once a state of enlightenment is achieved, the cravings stop so causally the suffering ceases. Lastly, the fourth noble truth is that in order to achieve enlightenment, one must follow the path that Buddha has laid out. In a sense, Gautama gives his followers a set of instructions and conditions in which a person can achieve nirvana (Matthews, 103-144).

Nirvana means “extinction” or “cessation”. This is the state in which one has achieved all four noble truths and followed the noble eightfold path. In doing this, they have ended the craving and suffering; thus, they have broken the cycle of death and rebirth.  In addition, one who follows the way of Buddha achieves great karma. Nirvana is extremely important in Buddhism because, in essence, this is “heaven” if compared to Christianity. This is a state of being that everyone who practices Buddhism wants to achieve so that they can attain freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth.

There are two main schools of Buddhism that exist: Theravada and Mahayana. Each is slightly different in how they organize and the philosophies they follow. In Theravada Buddhism, the focus is completely on self-liberation and the strength of the self in achieving nirvana. In Mahayana Buddhism, emphasis is placed on not only oneself working towards Nirvana, but also helping others along the same path. In Theravada, there is little to almost no emphasis on ritual and practices; however, in Mahayana, there are many rituals, which encompass their philosophy on Buddhism. There are many other distinctions, which can be made about these two sects in regards to the way they practice Buddhism.

The concept of happiness in Buddhism is very different compared to that in Western cultures and religions. Happiness is not derived from the pleasures of the physical world in that, according to Gautama, this is what leads to suffering and being changed to the cycle of death and rebirth. Happiness is a feeling, but in Buddhism, it is a feeling that should come from the inner locus of control. The will to achieve nirvana and follow the noble truths should be the energy behind the happiness, rather than the physical pleasures that exist.

For me, Buddhism is always an interesting point in the study of world religions. This is because I do not think it can really be classified as a religion due to the fact that they do not worship a particular deity. It is rather a philosophy, which is intertwined with a theory of how the universe is organized and works. The most interesting thing on the site was the Mandela. It is an artistic representation of how the universe would seem to appear. It is made out of sand that represents the ever-changing nature of the universe. They are believed to have healing powers and transfer positive energy ("BBC Religions").

Buddhism is an ancient philosophy that has been able to exist and grow just as well as some western religions. Buddhism is not only confined to Asia as it has expanded around the world. Many of the traditions of Buddhism have remained unchanged and only have been interpreted differently in different sects. In light of all of our new technologies and dependence on them, Buddha would probably say that our path to Nirvana would take much longer than those of his time.