Buddhism Ignorance And Craving Essay

What do you believe Buddhism should identify as the fundamental problem of sentient existence: ignorance or craving? In answering this question, one must delve deeply into the ideals of Buddhism and assess the ways in which the ideology acknowledges our existence as a whole. To clarify, I will define the terms ignorance and craving. Ignorance can be defined as “the state or fact of being ignorant : lack of knowledge, education, or awareness;” whereas craving can be defined as “an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing” (Merriam-Webster). In determining the answer to this question I will discuss Buddhism and its relation to psychology, biology, and philosophy. Therefore, I will delve into the conceptual beliefs rooted within Buddhism. First, Buddhism relies on the teachings of the Buddha, being born in 563 BC. Buddha’s fundamental teachings were entangled in the aspects of: the Four Noble Truths, Anatman, Karma, and Nirvana. Through these teachings, Buddhism could be interpreted by its many followers and …show more content…
Indeed, everyone is different biologically, but we are all born with brains which allow us to perceive consciousness and dictate and interpret the world as we please. However, with this immense power of consciousness, we are driven by our bodies to strive according to nature. From a Darwinistic standpoint, humans evolved through natural selection, promoting behavior regulated by survival of the fittest. With this approach, we can assess that humans act solely for the purpose of survival, promoting the idea that craving is the problem of existence. This is because we crave survival, and the persistence of our genes through our offspring, leading to a simple explainable goal that leads our consciousness on a subliminal passage to Nirvana. Therefore, craving is key in determining the biological aspects of