Thick Face Black Heart Summary

The quest towards developing the ideal human character is sought after in both the Bhagavad-Gita and Confucius’ The Analects. In the Bhagavad Gita, the concept of sacred duty is prevalent throughout the text, as the warrior-prince Arjuna faces a moral dilemma throughout the story. In Confucius’ The Analects, filial piety is a virtue which impacts an individual’s character in relation to the Confucian religion. Sacred duty within the Gita requires the protection of one’s dharma, which is defined as the religious and moral law that manages an individual’s actions. Within Confucian thought, filial piety is a virtue of respect for one’s elders, ancestors, and parents within a community. Despite the differences between the contextual meanings of developing the ideal human, both the Bhagavad Gita and The Analects utilize their teachings towards developing ideal human character within the themes of sacred duty and filial piety with the goal of establishing a set of communal ethics to be maintained through different caste systems, essentially protecting the existing social structure. To argue this claim, I will begin by analyzing the similar intentions of deviating from selfish actions and thoughts to develop ideal human character. I will then express how the nature of this character leads towards the development of one’s sacred duty and filial piety. I will then connect these two ideas to show how together they work to develop a communal set of ethics aimed at maintaining order

Tzu believed in action through inaction, Hsun Tzu linked "dull and determined effort" with "brilliant achievement" (18). Hsun Tzu also emphasized self-improvement through "conscious activity" (158), but Lao Tzu believed that the ideal human "disregards himself" (Lao Tzu, 7) and "does not want to be anything for

Reading this book I found it to be very intriguing. It is a story about men from the 101st Airborne Division’s legendary 502nd Infantry Regiment known as “the Black Heart Brigade. These men were deployed to the country’s worst and most unfavorable location at the most dangerous time. The platoon the book talks about the most would be the Bravo Company First Platoon. They were constantly in a rough patch throughout the entire book, facing constant leadership changed and trying to survive the Triangle of Death. Being in this hostile environment caused many of the soldiers to lose discipline and not even care about life or death for their own sake. Their mentalities were at an all-time low, causing them to do crazy things like rape a fourteen year old Iraqi girl and murdering her and her family cold blooded. It was a tragic deployment and we can clearly see and feel the motions they had during their time in Iraq.

In Larissa Macfarquhar’s book, Strangers Drowning, she provides character studies of various real-life extreme do-gooders and of some could be considered moral saints. One of them is a Buddhist monk, Nemoto, who dedicates his life to a cause of helping people who want to commit suicide. He is a moral saint in the sense that he draws no barrier for when this work ends and begins. He works tirelessly by taking on the suffering of these individuals he is trying to help, taking calls any hour of the day or night, and helping anyone who wants it. He learns a very important aspect that actually changes the empathy he feels into a separation of himself an the other. In order for him to help, and truly help, he needed to stop empathizing so much and start sympathizing with emotional distance from the other. This is a similar concept in the Bodhisattva method because while empathy breaks a barrier between ‘self’ and an ‘other’, it makes working for their benefit nearly impossible. The

Even when we are presented with answers or guides to the many questions we have about life and to how we should live, as inquisitive animals, we strive to enhance our understanding and so begin to learn that perhaps, ultimately, the answers don’t simply come from outside but also from within us. This is then perhaps the greatest implication of this paper, finding new ways in understanding what the true way of life is for human beings and what the true way of life is for ourselves. In the discussion of Zen Buddhism, William A. Young’s framework’s itself must first be explained and understood.

The importance of taking steps in life betterment can be seen in Ethan Frome. Although one may lack a history of “making moral decisions,” the human instinct to do so is always there (from Morality

The writer describes “the means of acquisition” as a life contrary to the Buddhist lifestyle and therefore the followers of Buddhism should “not delight in receiving esteem”. Instead they should seek “another the way leading to Nibbana”. Nibbana, or nirvana, is the final goal of the Buddhist religious quest. This results in the psychological extinction of greed, hate, delusion, and other things. This extinction of vices and suffering leads to nirvana. The lesson goes on to say that “having recognized this” the “bhikkhu who is a disciple of the Buddha” should “cherish disengagement”. A bhikkhu literally means one who begs for alms. Buddhist monks or people of religious orders usually lived on alms provided by the normal society. It was part of the lay society's religious duty to provide for the religious class. The followers of the Buddha sought disengagement or the freedom from detachment. This was done by shunning the life of acquisition and leading a life that led to Nibbana.

This formulation introduces the concept of doing something for the right reason not for an ulterior motive. The character of the motive is what dictates the adherence to the imperative. This is possible with autonomy, the decision to act according to moral duty without outside influence.

Thick Face, Black Heart is the secret law of nature that governs successful behavior in every aspect of one’s life. Often we are so concerned with what makes us feel good that we forget what makes us great. Not dwelling on the negatives and turning that determination and drive around into positive action is a great virtue to have. Also, understanding how to surmount pain, doubt, and failure is an important aspect of the game of winning at

“The Dharma is so effective that even a great sinner like myself has reached a stage not

In his argument, Hinman (2007) asserts that every action that people engage in is motivated by self-interests or pleasure or direct benefits the agent or to avoid living with guilt in the future. This is the nature of human beings. Even the most altruistic action is in actual sense motivated by the egocentric desire of the actor (Hugh, 1898).

He says that there must be a framework within a society, which is mutually agreed upon by the existing society. Dharma is embedded in that comprehensive framework which is to be followed by the society without asking any questions.

In this sense, a person can do the “right” thing, but if it is not done by his own will or choice, it is not morally virtuous. The claims of Books II and III directly contradict each other. The former argues that force must play a part in the development of moral virtue, while the latter explicitly states that what is done by force is not at all morally virtuous.

The ethical dimension describes how its followers should carry out their lives in accordance to the religions beliefs and virtues. It gives direction to it’s devotees by laying out the path of what it means to be a model adherent, why one should devote themselves to the religion and what a believer will attain from dedicating themselves to the teachings (Lecture, 8/28). These features are relevant to dharma in that it designates to its followers a duty in which they must abide by in order to maintain balance within themselves and society. An example in Hinduism where dharma is pertinent is within the

Buddhism does not regard ethics as a particular set of duties, rights, imperatives or obligations that should be used to evaluate the actions of a person. Instead, Buddhism views as the “accumulated wisdom” that one acquires in the areas of life and that are related to the fundamental problem that every person encounters—suffering (Voorst 2007; Becker & Becker, 2013). This paper will attempt to argue that the four noble truths are the basis onto which Buddhist ethics are founded; therefore, understanding the truths reveals the prominent elements of Buddhist ethical concerns.