Interest In The Buddhist Religion example essay topic

One of the reasons why I took the course of for religion this semester is to perhaps come closer with my God again. After growing up in an Episcopalian household, it seemed that Christianity was the only accepted religion. I was very much encouraged by my parents, family, and society to say my prayers, attend Sunday school and church services, and be involved in the youth groups within my church. Religion, in some way, became a tedious event for me, and I slowly lost interest in church and Christianity as a whole. As I got older and began making my own decisions, it seemed religion's importance in my life waxed and waned, and I never completely gained my excitement back -- in all honesty, I was bored and I needed something new to try. With the intentions of learning something new (not to convert, ) it was then that I began to research Buddhism and its practices.

Although I had read about many other religions from Taoism to Mormonism, it was Buddhism and its core ideals and beliefs that appealed to me most intensely. Buddhism (which has many roots of Hinduism) began more than 2,500 years ago by an Indian Prince named Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha became dissatisfied with the beliefs of the Hindu religion and sought to find the peace of mind he wanted; Siddhartha left his home and went to search of inner peace. Through much meditation under a Bo tree, he became Buddha, or "The Enlightened One", and could then enter nirvana, the Buddhist place for eternal bliss. Buddha didn't believe in the idea of a soul, but he did believe that there was something eternal in people, and that they cannot be born again, but rather be alive partially in all living things. He called this eternal part of humans karma.

Karma is the sum of one's good and bad deeds, as in the Jainism religion. Karma determines what a person will come back as in the next life. The idea of karma was the most appealing to me, because it causes one to be cautious of their actions and instills the idea of "what comes around, goes around". From the beginning of human life, humans have been fighting with each other for what it was that they desired.

Peace was destroyed because people were fighting for something they wanted, and most wars broke out because people were fighting for land, etc. This interested me very much because it is completely true that people place more importance on material things much in consideration rather than feelings. I believe that one is not happy with themselves if they place high importance on material objects, and will only find happiness in life if they find happiness within themselves. In his first sermon, Buddha revealed the Four Noble Truths which form the basis of the Buddhists beliefs.

They are as follows: 1. Life means suffering 2. The origin of suffering is attachment. 3. The cessation of suffering is attainable. 4.

The path to the cessation of suffering. Basically, to live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression. One of these beliefs is that "all lives, from birth to death, are filled with sufferings" and this suffering is the cause of desire; this belief is truly a reality. Basically, the Noble Truths outline the path of enduring suffering, and the idea that to end suffering completely, you must endure suffering. I was also drawn to Buddhism by that fact that it is a non-theistic religion.

Unlike Christianity, there is no one God who created everything and to whom prayers are directed. It is common to believe that the Buddha statue was an idol to be worshipped as a god, however, Sakyamuni Buddha was only the founder of Buddhism, and not a god. He was a normal human being who, in search for peace in mind through meditation, showed people spiritual awakening and freedom. Buddha thought that in order to live a life that is free from pain and suffering, people must eliminate any attachments to worldly goods and possessions -- only then will they gain a kind of peace and happiness. They must rid themselves of greed, hatred, and ignorance, and strive to live a life full of devotion, joy and equanimity.

Even though I am Christian, by taking an interest in the Buddhist religion I learned to believe many of the Buddhist teachings to be very helpful in human life. I agree that in order to be a good person you need to keep your mind clear and pure. Being human it is natural to make mistakes, have feelings of pain, and desire. It is proven that the longer you keep pain inside your mind and body, the more it hurts, therefore a great way to release pain is through meditation. All human beings have experienced the feeling of pain, however, there are many different ways or outlets to release that pain. The best way for me to deal with such feelings is to spend time alone in a quiet place to keep my mind clear and relax; this is a method I learned from the Buddhist religion.

On the whole, I find Buddhism to be a very interesting religion because many of its beliefs are based on the human existence, and humanity in general. I especially found it fascinating that it focuses on human reality and how one can clear and purify their soul to become a better person in the present day and be rewarded for it later in life.