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Buddhism Four Noble Truths

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All life is full of suffering. This fateful verity is expressed in the foundational scriptures of the Buddhist religion, and it continues to redefine the promises of alternative religions that argue life is an undeniably joyous privilege. By denying optimism and revealing the true brutality that life has to offer, the morals behind the east Asian religion known as Buddhism, and the Four Noble Truths it is centered around, strike its followers with dread and dejection. These so called “truths” serve as structure for the spiritual beliefs of people who follow Buddhism, as well as a scapegoat that can easily be condemned in a time of misfortune or when one is faced with adversity. These primitive beliefs are reflected through the eyes of many …show more content…

As Siddhartha’s spiritual and physical journey with the samanas begins, his mind and body begin adapting and adjusting to his drastic lifestyle changes. “He fasted for fifteen days. He fasted for twenty-eight days. The flesh wasted away from his thighs and cheeks. Dreams flickered hotly from his widened eyes on his shriveling fingers the nails grew long, as did the dry, stubbly beard on his chin...The world had a bitter taste. Life was torment.” (7) By giving up food, and other desires as well as reducing his actions to thinking, waiting and fasting, Siddhartha is able to relieve his suffering from the desires he used to hold and even though he was unable to find his enlightenment through the conversion to this lifestyle, his experience with the samanas helped build and redirect him on a new path to reach inner peace. Although he is unsatisfied with the path to enlightenment that the samanas were leading him on, he did learn and obtain many new skills on his journey with the samanas. For example the skills of thinking, waiting, and fasting, that prove to be very crucial later on in his journey. In a conversation between Siddhartha and his close friend, Govinda, who began his pilgrimage alongside Siddhartha, Govinda argues that by choosing to leave the samanas, he is …show more content…

These undeniable truths that provide an explanation for pain and suffering on a spiritual level, express a sense of irrepressible dread as they convey the thought that humans exist on earth not for a greater reason, but for the purpose of suffering through life’s challenges. Siddhartha discovers more about himself whilst searching for inner peace, than he could have if he had reached it before decided to leave his father, Govinda, and the samanas behind. As Siddhartha is faced with the pressures of desires and a materialistic lifestyle, his connection to his spiritual Om weakens as does his focus toward his lifelong goal of reaching enlightenment. These desires clearly verify the Four Noble Truths and their reasoning for why humans suffer. Desire causes suffering which plagues one's life until they reach enlightenment. But enlightenment is not a found in a place, nor is it given at a certain age. Enlightenment is achieved through experience and perspective. If there is one thing that readers should take away from Siddhartha and his expedition through suffering it is that it is not about the destination, but the journey that one must take to get

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