One of the most controversial topics in our world today is the idea of God. I will write my paper on how His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama and rabbi Abraham J. Heschel address the issue of a transcendent. People struggle with the continuous issue of whether or not God is real. They also struggle with the thought that if God is real, what is the purpose or what are you supposed to do with God in your life? Do you believe you were created by a supreme being with a specific purpose on how to live your life? Do you believe that there is a transcendent reality without a God? Or do you believe you were simply created by chance and the world just has a scientific reason for everything? “Christianity is a religion seeing a metaphysics while Buddhism is a metaphysics seeing a religion” (Runzo 60). Hechel and his holiness the Dalai Lama are both unique in their methods and proposals. The both go into deep detail of the importance of the self when it comes to experiencing religion and they both recognize that religious experience is more than sitting in a church. Similarity—Both Buddhists and Jews Share the basic principle of how people are supposed to live their life in accordance with the transcendence. The teachings of both the Dalai Lama and Abraham J. Heschel both address this topic living the correct way. Let me start off by discussing Heschel’s stand point on this topic. “An awareness that man dwells on the tangent of the infinite, within the holy dimension; that the life of man is part of the life of God. (Heschel, I Asked For Wonder 11) After reading this statement from Heschel I take it to mean that he believes when a person believes in a holy God, that in his case- is infinite, that means that our individual lives are lived for God because God is a part of us. “We start with a personal concern and live to feel the utmost. For the fate of the individual is a counterpoint in a larger theme” (Heschel, Man’s Quest For God 15). I feel that this also reassures myself that Heschel considers himself part of a larger plan that is beyond him and that he feels the need to live his life for God. Which leads me to say if we humans and God are intertwined, should not we live our day to day lives for this said God? “The deepest wisdom man can attain is to know that his destiny is to aid, to serve….This is the meaning of death; the ultimate self-dedication to the divine.” (Heschel, I Asked For Wonder 8) Heschel believes that in order to truly follow our God, if you truly believe, then you should have standards on how you live your everyday life. “The emphasis in traditional Judaism on laws, on practices and on a system of rules that encompasses the whole of life, form the prayer said after going to the bathroom in the morning to the
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He says, “Religions that have the concept of such a God prohibit their followers from questioning “the word of God” or even rejecting it- even if it should contradict their critical common sense…. For us the focus is not on God but on enlightenment” (Grimm 140). Unlike the Dalai Lama, Heschel uses his Jewish beliefs to emphasize that there is one transcendent he refers to as God. He says, “God is not a hypothesis derived from logical assumptions, but an immediate insight, self-evident as light.” (Heschel, I asked for wonder 25) Their beliefs on the transcendent as a single God or a state of mind are both quite different for obvious …show more content…
Heschel. I found many things interesting while I was researching for this topic. Most of all I found a love for both of their strong passions for their beliefs. I love how Heschel explains God as ineffable. I have honestly never heard this word before I was in this class reading this book. I also enjoy his holiness’s peace about everything. “Of the many problems we face today, some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others, however, are of our own making, created by misunderstanding, and can be corrected.” (That no matter how bad a situation is he teaches that our reactions could cause suffering and that we must think of the greater
He says, “Religions that have the concept of such a God prohibit their followers from questioning “the word of God” or even rejecting it- even if it should contradict their critical common sense…. For us the focus is not on God but on enlightenment” (Grimm 140). Unlike the Dalai Lama, Heschel uses his Jewish beliefs to emphasize that there is one transcendent he refers to as God. He says, “God is not a hypothesis derived from logical assumptions, but an immediate insight, self-evident as light.” (Heschel, I asked for wonder 25) Their beliefs on the transcendent as a single God or a state of mind are both quite different for obvious …show more content…
Heschel. I found many things interesting while I was researching for this topic. Most of all I found a love for both of their strong passions for their beliefs. I love how Heschel explains God as ineffable. I have honestly never heard this word before I was in this class reading this book. I also enjoy his holiness’s peace about everything. “Of the many problems we face today, some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others, however, are of our own making, created by misunderstanding, and can be corrected.” (That no matter how bad a situation is he teaches that our reactions could cause suffering and that we must think of the greater