Hopeless and Absurd - Existentialism and Buddhism Essay

As defined in The American Heritage College Dictionary, existentialism emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards existnece as unexplainable, and stresses free choice and responsibility for one's actions.  Existentialism is personalized from other schools of thought by its embodiment of three important criterion; 1) the emphasis of the individual as the centerpoint of his domain; 2) an accentuation of human choice and freedom; and, 3) a critique of social norm and its aim for individuals to congregate as merely part of a herd.  These three standards of action are present in all works defined as existential, and are absorbed in Achebe's Things Fall Apart.

“I took a test in Existentialism. I left all the answers blank and got 100”. This quote was said by Woody Allen, a comedian and actor. This quote explains existentialism well because through this philosophy people have their own free will to make any decision they want. The idea that the individual, not society or religion, is responsible for giving meaning to life is true as well as logical. Existentialism is the approach to understanding human existence, based on the assumption that individuals are free and responsible for their own choices and actions. It supports this statement because its saying that humans can think and choose whatever they want to be and it allows humans to understand that they have unlimited potential.

Existentialism is a philosophy that puts emphasis on the existence of a person’s freedom or life. In a human point of view, it means to believe in oneself, not a group or religion. (33)

Existentialists find value in a personal point of view (thou rather than it). Like atheistic existentialists they hold a distinction between the subjective and objective worlds.

In this article the meaning of Existentialism is explained as the author, Randall Niles, describes how existentialism is a 20th century philosophy that centers itself on the analysis of human existence. He explains the popular slogan “existence precedes essence” by the very first founders of Existentialism, Jean Paul Sartre. The notion of the slogan is described by explaining how humans come into existence when they are first born, and spend their lifetime changing their essence and nature so it satisfies them. The philosophy of Existentialism is further analysed by explaining how humans find themselves and the ultimate meaning of their life by acknowledging their responsibility and making decisions accordingly. Moreover, it also explains

In sum, the existentialists wanted to keep the transcendental horizon sponged-up while limiting and focussing the lex orandi; lex credindi fallout to the individual. For them, European nihilism becomes the springboard for the Superman. Life belongs to those who take responsibility for human freedom or do not craven but relishes existence awash in the Absurd.

The first attribute which unites Existentialism and Buddhism is their belief in a world of nothingness, and a following individuality of action. Buddhists firmly believe that all

The concept of self and selflessness is prime to all Indian philosophies. Two of India’s most popular religious systems, Jainism and Buddhism, teach renunciation of the self in order to reach Samadhi and Dharma (i.e. enlightenment, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and correct living) (Collins, 1990). While Jainism vehemently espouses denial of self, both as an ideological concept and as a tangible reality, Buddhism teaches renunciation of self by way of still using the self as a vehicle for such understanding. While this may seem paradoxical, Buddhism uses the Four Noble Truths to espouse how the mind and sensory system can be used by the budding Buddhist to learn that the phantasmagorical and phenomenological aspects of the world are truly illusory. In this sense, Jainism represents absolutist denial of the self while Buddhism represents paradoxical renunciation of the self by way of utilizing the self towards understanding the porous nature and falseness of such a construct. Thus, many Indian philosophies take the denial of the self as a prime tenet of life. However, the gradations between such systems are intriguing, as is the case with Jainism and Buddhism.

This anguish causes many critics of existentialism to question whether individuals should passively accept the actions of others. Although existentialism implies that things will happen as humans have decided they are to happen, Sartre offers an explanation to this dilemma by pointing out that to abandon oneself to “quietism” (Sartre 7) would be the exact opposite of the existentialist view. “There is no reality except in action” (Sartre 7). If one were to dismiss their own actions and allow the actions of others to determine their existence, they would be operating under a doctrine similar to that of many Christians or Communists—both of which he has already

There are three characteristics of existence. This is an important part of the teaching of Buddha. The teaching of the three characteristics is part of what we might call the doctrinal contents of wisdom. In other words, when we talk about the knowledge and the understanding that is implied by wisdom, we have this teaching in mind.

One of the most persistent, haunting dilemmas is the uncertainty of the meaning of life. Although there is no single answer to this enigma, there are countless theories concerning it. For example, one philosophical approach is known as Existentialism. Jean Paul Sartre, a well-known existentialist, introduced his 3-word ideology, existence precedes essence in his lecture titled Existentialism is a Humanism which was presented during 1940’s Europe, a time when people needed a new foundation of thinking. From then, the theory gained popularity and became the backbone of future pieces. For example, even Charles M. Shultz’s cheery cartoon series Peanuts has camouflaged existential crises through it’s characters, particularly Charlie Brown and Snoopy. According to The Atlantic journalist Sarah Boxer, Peanuts offers more philosophical insight than one might expect, “the strip’s cozy suburban conviviality, its warm fuzziness, actually conveyed some uncomfortable truths about the loneliness of social existence” (1). Both Charlie and Snoopy are much like the characters found in existential literature, as they are alienated by their peers and, “like the existential human in a world of silent or absent deities, Schulz’s characters exist in a world of silent or absent adult authority” (Radke).

The human tendency to seek meaning in life is invariably at odds with the human inability to find any (cite?). This fundamental disharmony necessitates an individual choice; according to 19th century Danish philosopher Kierkegaard (who developed existentialist philosophy to confront this disharmony), in order to resolve the dilemma one must either commit suicide, pursue belief in an objective meaning determined by some transcendent being, or accept the absurdity of the universe (Francis 16). Kierkegaard dismisses the first option as obviously inviable, and argues that the second, while not necessarily rational, is a feasible solution (Kierkegaard 171). Albert Camus, who regards the second as “philosophical suicide,” crafted modern absurdist

There are many philosophies that people use in their lives. Some of the ways of thinking are linked to some prominent people. There is idealism, naturalism, experimentalism, and existentialism among others. This essay explores existentialism, which has been postulated by Sartre among others. The other proponents of existentialism include Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, martin Buber, Martin Heidegger and Martin Buber. The weakness and strengths of existentialism are going to be discussed in this essay. The main facets of existentialism that are going to be discussed include the following: authenticity, existence precedes essence, being and nothingness, being-in-itself, being-for-itself and man being condemned to be

“The existential theory is concerned for the personal "commitment" of this interesting existing unique in the "human circumstances”.

The concept of self and selflessness is prime to all Indian philosophies. Two of India’s philosophical systems, Jainism and Buddhism, teach renunciation of the self in order to reach Samadhi and Dharma (i.e. enlightenment, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and correct living) (Collins, 1990). While Jainism strongly espouses denial of self, both as an ideological concept and as a tangible reality, Buddhism teaches renunciation of self by way of still using the self as a vehicle for such understanding. While this may seem paradoxical, Buddhism uses the Four Noble Truths to espouse how the mind and sensory system can be used by the budding Buddhist to learn that the phantasmagorical and phenomenological aspects of the world are truly illusory. In this sense, Jainism represents absolutist denial of the self while Buddhism represents paradoxical renunciation of the self by way of utilizing the self towards understanding the porous nature and falseness of such a construct. Thus, many Indian philosophies take the denial of the self as a prime tenet of life. However, the gradations between such systems are intriguing, as is the case with Jainism and Buddhism.