The Eightfold Path Research Paper

The word Buddha means The Awakened One, coming from the Sanskrit root budh – 'to wake'. He is a man who has woken fully, as if from a deep sleep, to discover that suffering, like a dream, is over. The historical Buddha was however a man like any other, but an exceptional one; what he discovered was a way that anyone can walk, providing that they are so inclined. He was not the first Buddha. Others had walked the way before him. He wasn’t a god, a prophet or any kind of supernatural being. He was simply a normal human being. He was never questioned and was no doubt a remarkable human being, who discovered a way of achieving true wisdom, compassion and freedom from suffering. He 'rediscovered an ancient way to an ancient city' that had been covered up and forgotten. Through his own efforts he was able to find the way out of suffering to liberation, and those that have followed him have kept that way open. The Buddha offered his followers guidance through the Four Noble Truths, about the meaning of life. In these, the Buddha taught that life was filled with pain and suffering, which ultimately was a symptom of unfulfilled wants and desires. As a result, the best way to end suffering was to put an end to desires and wants, which can be accomplished by following the eight steps of the Noble Eightfold Path. As you might expect from the name, there are eight guidelines in the Noble Eightfold Path. These are to recognize that the Four Noble Truths exist, commit to becoming a better person slowly over time, speak the truth, …show more content…
Reaching enlightenment, also often called Nirvana, much like Hinduism, would result in an end to the constant cycle of being born and reborn. Likewise, the failure to achieve enlightenment in a given lifetime would result in reincarnation, or rebirth of the soul in a different being, later, with the status of that rebirth based on karma, or the greater good or evil accomplished by the soul in past