Buddhist philosophy - Essay Example

Buddhist philosophy Buddhism, along with Western Christianity and Islam, represents one of the major world religions. In considering the nature of this ancient religion, there are a complex and diverse variety of philosophical elements related to its internal religious tenants. While Islam and Christianity offer salvation for the believer, Buddhism is unique in that it indicates a path of personal development that indicates a means the individual can achieve Nirvana, or the highest good in their lives; in these regards, Buddhist thought presents the Noble Truths as a means of achieving this good. The Noble Truths refer to essential realizations Siddhartha Guatama is believed to have attained on his path towards spiritual enlightenment. They demonstrate a spiritual concern with the resistance of material longing, the cessation of suffering, and how to apply Siddhartha’s teachings to help achieve the highest good. This essay examines the highest good humans can achieve in regards to Buddhist thought and considers whether I agree with this as an ideal. Buddhist philosophy argues in that in achieving the highest good individuals should accept suffering as an indelible part of the human condition (Humpherys 53). Buddhism argues that the positive value of life isn’t diminished by the truth of suffering, but by acceptance of life’s evanescence the human attains a higher degree of good (Davids 165). The Buddhist path to enlightenment has an answer to the problem of suffering. The Buddha found that when we experience happiness and joy, it is our spiritual duty to objectively remove ourselves from these experiences and become consciously aware of their impermanence. Buddhist philosophy contends that the human experience of joy and happiness is merely a reaction to a circumstance and not a permanent mental state. The very structural nature of happiness then includes the binary existence of unhappiness – the two are inseparable; therefore, even as happiness is impermanent, so is suffering. Ultimately, it’s believed that in recognition and acceptance the suffering, the human achieves a more relaxed mental state that leads to their realizing the highest degree of good. Another Buddhist element related to achieving the highest good is the belief that since suffering is a result of material longing and desire by eliminating material longing and desire, one can eliminate suffering and move towards achieving this highest good. While this is a simple formulation, the actual challenge of eliminating desire is extremely difficult. Craving can also be extended to include the gratification of the passions, or the longing we have for an abstract sense of accomplishment of success in our earthly lives. The Second Noble Truth states that if we persist in allowing our lives to be dominated by desire and ignorance we will always be haunted by an unachievable longing and pervasive suffering. Therefore, the Buddha states that to achieve the highest good one must be guided by what is, not what is desired. One must fight against their preconditioned ways of longing and desire and accept the world and their place as it currently exists, as this is the only path to the highest good. In following these Noble Truths the individual is able to achieve the highest good, or Nirvana. This is a spiritual state that transcends all traditional concerns with material existence. In considering these means of achieving the highest good I recognize that I generally disagree with this ideal. To begin with, I disagree with the idea that all of life is suffering, as one might argue that such a characterization of the human condition is overly pessimistic. When Buddha developed the Four Noble Truths the Indian people faced considerable difficulties in life. Their subsistence was harder earned than we experience today, and I believe that this element of Buddhist philosophy can be seen to be a response to this challenge of existence, rather than an accurate reflection of the human condition. While all humans experience suffering, to claim that this is one of the all pervasive factors that should guide our life is an extremely pessimistic outlook on existence. Assuredly, there are many people who have lives of sustained bliss for which suffering is but a marginal emotion they experience when they lose out on a role in a movie, or only make 3 million dollars instead of 5 million. The Buddha is almost saying that we should expect the worst, but hope for the best, and this outlook might not be the best paradigm to hold to achieve Western standards of success. Of course, the Buddha would also deride Western standards of success as shallow and impermanent desires that should be spiritually transcended. Another objection I have to the Buddhist ideal of the highest ideal relates to the issue of desire and craving. Desire is an incredibly vague and abstract concept that can effectively be applied all human thought – do I desire to end this sentence with a question mark? Do I desire to eat because I am hungry or breathe because I am alive? In this regards it seems that the Buddhist chastisement of desire isn’t specific enough. Perhaps, Buddha’s message is solely restricted to material desire, or certain types of desire, but at this point where is the categorical distinction made. Should a truly enlightened Buddhist fight his desire to eat cereal instead of corn, or does this desire actually reflect internal body mechanisms that help sustain a healthy individual? In this regard, desire is actually beneficial and the denial of this craving could potentially result in nutritional deficiencies. And what about subconscious desire? One must question if it is even possible to transcend unconscious impulses through conscious reflection to achieve a higher state of goodness. In conclusion, this essay has considered Buddhist philosophy as it argues how an individual can achieve the highest good in their lives. In these regards, it has examined the Noble Truths as they relate to accepting suffering, and ridding oneself of desire and craving as a means of achieving the greatest good, or Nirvana. While I recognize that these ideals contain a number of powerful and effective elements for an individual’s life, I ultimately recognize that they are ineffective as an ideal for achieving the greatest good. References Davids, Mrs. Rhys. Buddhism: A Story of the Buddhist Norm. London: Thorton Butterworth, 1928. Humphreys, Christmas. An Invitation to the Buddhist Way of Life. New York: Schocken Books, 1969. Read More