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Parfewski's Pursuing Happiness

Decent Essays

The second reading in the first chapter of the text, Pursuing Happiness edited by Parfitt and Skorczewski presents information on the beliefs of the Dalai Lama, who is a Buddhist monk. After acquiring sources and information and learning about the history and practices of Buddhism I ask the question of, “What are the origins and traditions of Buddhism?”
The Origins of Buddhism start with a boy named Gautama. Gautama was born on the northern edge of the Ganges River. He lived as a prince in a royal palace, protected from the outside world. Throughout his youth he lived in comfort and luxury hidden from the despair of outside world. After witnessing the pain and suffering outside the palace walls. He decided to renounce his title and fortune, …show more content…

Well after reaching enlightenment Buddha traveled the world teaching the basic beliefs and practices of Buddhism. However, most of Buddha’s teachings, practices, and traditions were passed orally for generation before being transcribed. Buddha is technically considered a deity, but many Buddhist consider but a teacher that they pray to for enlightenment (Britannica). In Buddhist belief the arrival of a buddha, which translates to enlighten one or teacher, signifies an important point in human history. The Buddha which the world knows about is famous for the reason of founding Buddhism and teaching the Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. Buddha taught his follower the Four Noble Truths that state that misery is real, misery is born from want and pleasure, this want can be controlled, and the way to do that was through the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold path is a list of way to lives one lives and purifies one’s self (Britannica). The Buddhist belief system states that life is suffering and a cycle of rebirth and the only way to escape this suffering is to purify one's mind and self through multiples of rebirths and the practicing of the Eightfold Path until one reaches Nirvana or enlightenment. Meditation is one way Buddhist does this (Baumann).
Buddhists have many practices that all mostly focus on the ideas of purifying one’s self through the eightfold path. The practice of meditation in the Buddhist faith

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