Bodhi

Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, was written to follow the path of a young man who is on a spiritual journey of self-discovery surrounding the time of the Buddha. Many themes can be taken away from this novel. The story has three main messages to be considered. The first of these focuses is Mortality; the book does a lot to try and explain the matters of life and death. The second is love; the story helps to explain the pressures and hardships of love under challenging circumstances. Final Hemann…

Brahman (2 meanings) 1- A concept found in the Vedas and Upanishads. A Sanskrit word for the ultimate reality/principle in the universe. 2- Top of a caste system which include priests. Bhagavad Gītā- A Hindu scripture written in Sanskrit. It is a part of the Mahabharata. The Bhagavad Gita is a story of Arjuna and the difficult decisions he has to make. Thus he is guided through them by Krishna. Buddha (word meaning and historical figure) The meaning of buddha is one who has been awakened…

Siddhartha is apart of a Brahmin family where he excels at all the prayers and rituals and everyone especially his father knows he is the ideal image of a Brahmin. For Siddhartha this isn’t what he wants. He has dedicated his life so far at memorizing the prayers and rituals, but feels like he has learned everything he can from them and that he won't reach Nirvana if he continues this path. Siddhartha decides he must leave and find his path to Nirvana ,but first he needs his father's blessing.…

The most important aspect of this chapter was the setting which was the river. Siddhartha asked the ferryman if he could learn about the river as the ferryman’s apprentice. Vasudeva graciously accepted. Siddhartha was astounded by the ferryman’s profound ability to listen. The key to learning from the river, according to Vasudeva, was listening. The river taught the two men about life. Siddhartha learned to listen to the river, and his emotions continued to open up and embrace the world, without…

Dukkha means suffering from both the physical or the mental part of the body. Buddhists that follow the Buddhism way of life understand that suffering is part of life and the only way to end suffering is to understand the truth of dukkha through the four noble truths taught by the Buddha Dharma. Many people see suffering in a pessimistic way, but Buddhists see suffering in a more realistic point of view; neither pessimistic nor optimistic. They understand that every living thing will experience…

Of the lines of inquiry within Indian Philosophy, two popular yet often opposed viewpoints are Cārvāka and Buddhism. Thus, this paper will begin with an analysis of the two schools, outlining their differing methods of thought. Next, I will show that Cārvāka could respond to the beliefs of Buddhism by arguing that a self, in at least a limited sense, obviously exists, especially if one accepts perception as a reliable means to knowledge. Finally, Buddhism could rationally respond by arguing…

Sei Shonagon draws her court life and sophisticated culture with warm atmosphere in The Pillow Book. Sei Shonagon was a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Teishi and lived most flourished time of the Heian Period that aristocrats established and introduced the new cultures to the court. The Heian culture emphasized appearance. In fact, Sei Shonagon vividly deserves how people set a high value looks. For example, She mentions how a person wears or piles up the colored clothing again and again, such…

Iconography The Amida Buddha is identified as Buddha rather than an anonymous man because of religious details and icons. The position he is sitting in and the way his hands are folded represents the traditional position of meditation. His position identifies him as a holy and religious man. More key details that identify the image as Buddha include the top knot on his head that symbolizes enlightenment. Along with his long ear lobes, which entail a wealthy person who wore expensive earrings…

Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or a way of life. The Buddhist way of life of peace, love, kindness and wisdom is relevant today, just as much as it was in ancient India. All of our problematic sufferings arise from the confusion that causes a negative state of mind, and all of our good fortune arises from a peaceful state of mind. Buddha taught methods so that negative states of mind, such as jealousy, anger, and ignorance, could be gradually overcome. Having done this…

Siddhartha has made many travels in the pursuit of reaching Nirvana, to have many questions answered, and to rid himself of his ego. He started out with being a member of the Brahmins as a child for he was the son of a Brahmin. He learned many hymns and verses and knew the ways of the Brahmins better than most others his age. However, he felt that “the wise Brahmins had already imparted to him the bulk and the best of their knowledge” (Hesse 5). Thus, it can be supported that teachings have a…