The Buddha And Buddhism

To the bourgeois man, London appeared to be an exhilarating urban scene, brimming with diversity and culture. Many upper-class

Answer: The key moment is the last discussion between Siddhartha and Govinda. For Siddhartha, finding

These humanists felt that wealth could be used for the immoral activities and can even be corrupting. Since wealth was seen as unable to bring happiness, the upper class elite were urged to garner knowledge and virtue instead. However Bruni felt that private wealth improved quality of life because it beautified cities by allowing for ornate architecture, creating employment opportunities, improving defense and increasing the overall infrastructure. He illustrated this in his Panegyric when he discusses the homes of private citizens. He describes them as “designed, built and decorated for luxury, size, respectability and especially for magnificence” (140). He argues that extravagance and comfort is pleasing to the

“I did not tell half of what I saw… for I knew I would not be believed…” -Marco Polo. Marco Polo was a famous merchant from Venice, Italy in the the mid 1200s. Marco Polo traveled on various explorations with his brother, father, and uncle. He also took the historic journey to China that caused him to become a worldwide celebrity. Marco Polo became a celebrity with the help of his famous book about his adventures throughout Asia with the help of his friend, Rustichello. Many people did not believe the stories that were in this book, but they were later proven to be true. Marco Polo suffered through many explorations, turning him into a national star. Marco Polo inspired many future explorers by traveled to Asia, and fought through his many struggles, and writing his book.

Different editors choose to include or not include information for many reasons, but the main overlying goal is to give their target audience the information that is most important to them. In his introduction, Ronald Latham writes in his edition of The Travels, “The present translation is intended to provide a straightforward and readable version, related as closely as possible to modern knowledge but making no claim to meet the requirements of the specialist” (Latham, 27). This sentence is the reason the Latham makes all of the editorial choices in this edition. He wants the reader to be able to clearly read and understand Marco Polo’s travels as much as possible without giving them too much complex information. Latham also writes, “He has tried, however, so far as this can be done without undue violence to modern idiom to convey some impression of the style of the original,” (27). This shows that however much Latham wants to make this easy for the modern reader, he still wants to preserve as much of its authenticity as possible so that he can give his readers a view into what Marco Polo felt when he saw the sights of the East for the first time. Latham preserves the

Merchants and bankers were the most socially mobile group in the renaissance. The often started from humble beginnings- as peddlers or craftsmen, for example- and exploited new commercial opportunities to become very wealthy. Once they were rich, they tried to behave like the nobility. Many became patrons and leaders of society (“Social Order” pp.58).

The grandeur of European society created a façade for travelers, especially when encountering government wealth as Twain explained, “As far as I can see, Italy, for fifteen hundred years, has turned all her energies, all her finances, and all her industry to the building up of a vast array of wonderful church edifices, and starving half her citizens to accomplish it” (Twain 182). All that glittered certainly failed to be gold, and the irony applied by Mark Twain morphed The Innocents Abroad from one of expectation to a sad reality.

In the middle classes, the passion for wealth was closely connected with the desperate need for respectability. By 1880, a generation had passed into manhood with an outlook which made them ideally suited to govern the empire. In itself, wealth alone was hardly enough to make a Victorian respectable. When everyone at the time was busy making money and working to better themselves, someone with money who just laid back and enjoyed the pleasures of life was not a winner. It was said that to be a merchant prince was a far finer thing than to be a gentleman. This means

Unfortunately, a few people today still view prosperity as a means of contentment and an incentive for marriage. Another important aspect in Padua was status. Padua was a rich area and people were known for their wealth and status. When Petruchio came to Padua he said, “I come to wive it wealthily in Padua” (Shakespeare 26). Baptista told Tranio, “Tis deeds must win the prize, and he of both that can assure my daughter greatest dower shall have my Bianca’s love” (Shakespeare 45).

They wanted to spend all their money on their homes because the way there house represented there dress and their personality. If your house was nice it probably meant that you had money or was rich. If you had money or was rich you was treated with kindness or you were treated proprly. If you wasn’t rich you wasn’t treated with kindness or proprly. If u wasn’t treated properly you was treated poorly. The rich people had horses with carriages or a sometimes if u were rich you had a car. If you was poor you either walked or rode in a broken down old carriage. Also if u had a big nice fancy house then u probably had a fancy horse and carriage. Most people back in the victorian era was treated by their personality and there looks. Your personality and looks were the main thing. and by looks i mean clothing. The women wore big poofy dresses tall hats and bellbottoms. The men wore Tuxedos long coats shiny shoes and big

The City of Luxury is the city depicted by Socrates, Glaucon and Adeimantus in the Republic. It is a city they believe to be as perfect any city could potentially be. Utopia on the other hand is described by Thomas More who wrote about Utopia. When comparing and contrasting The City of Luxury and Utopia I believe Utopia is as complete as possible. I believe Utopia has hardly any flaws, if not any. Utopia provides a fair life along with equal opportunities as well as realistic standards. I believe The City of Luxury is a web of lies with a weak foundation that would sooner or later crumble.

with in the early modern era. Venice was a veritable feast for the senses. It was an unusual

Buddhism stands as a philosophy and a religion founding itself on the theory of a possible eternal soul. Until awakening is achieved, this eternal soul is locked in the vicious cycle of rebirth (Samsara). According to the Four Noble Truths preached by the Buddha, life is a perpetual suffering caused by desire and attachment, and freedom from suffering is only possible by practicing the Eightfold Path. The World is suffering in a succession of temptations and negative experiences from birth to death. Therefore Buddhism advises on searching to go beyond suffering, and only aspire to rest, nothingness, and liberation, into a final state called Nirvana. Happiness or Nirvana can eventually be achieved in a hereafter, another life, if man abandons any desire or perspective of action within his present life, in order to go past suffering.

Enormous personal fortunes were created and the aristocracy turned their attention to the improvement and embellishment of their estates. Many were educated and well versed in the arts and classics. It was the age of the grand tour, a journey of artistic refinement through France and Italy. ”They came back enthralled with Palladian architecture and seeing visions of Claude’s ideal landscapes in their own domains, where they proceeded to create an Elysium, their interpretation of the age-old ideal of the paradise garden.”

Over the course of our lectures, we have seen how it is possible to recognise family resemblances among different Buddhisms. Using the three keys taught in the lectures, and with reference to the readings, describe how this poem might be recognised as part of the scholarly object “Buddhism,” and how it might not be recognised as such.