Term Paper on "Compare and Contrast the Philosophy of Siddhartha With a Philosophical Tradition in Sophie's World"

Term Paper 2 pages (732 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

philosophy of Siddhartha with Philosophical tradition in Sophie's World

Siddhartha Gautama is the name given to the Indian prince who later came to be known as the traditional, or first Buddha. Throughout its childhood, his father raised Siddhartha in a wealthy and pleasure-filled palace in order to be shield from any experience of human misery or suffering. But when Siddhartha saw four sights: a sick man, a poor man, a beggar, and a corpse, he was filled with infinite sorrow for the suffering that humanity has to undergo. After seeing these four things, Siddhartha then dedicated himself to finding a way to end human suffering. Sophie, on the other hand, is a 14-year-old who has a batty mother and an inquisitive mind. Anonymous letters start to arrive for her, sparking a tour through the history of philosophy.

The philosophy of Siddhartha Gautama is a kind of therapy. It was not rigid and was made accessible to people from all different classes. Siddhartha pointed to the fact that a person social standing or appearance is less important than their actions. Consequently a ragged monk who did not meditate successfully would be leading a less productive life than a rich man who lived a luxurious life but did meditate consistently. Nonetheless, Siddhartha did stipulate that living a life of comfort would impede spiritual advancement. In addition, the Buddha was unsure as to the capability of women in understanding and practicing his teachings. He found most women to be superficial and vain, yet he did not exclude women from his audiences or refuse to teach women who sought his guidance.

We think of Buddhism as a religion, which is unquestionably became, but Siddhartha was less concerned with theology or ritual or prayer as he was with providing a tool for individuals to use to escape suffering. The goal of Suddhartha Eightfold Noble Path method is the elimination of one's desires and one's attachment to one's self. Once one has understood correctly the nature of the universe (Right Understanding) and devoted one's life to selfless and altruistic actions (Right Action) and, finally, by losing all sense of one's self and by losing all one's desires, one then passes… READ MORE

How to Reference "Compare and Contrast the Philosophy of Siddhartha With a Philosophical Tradition in Sophie's World" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Sophie's Character in Gaarder's Novel Sophie's World Term Paper

Sophie's World / Foucault Theories

Sophie's World - like many novels and human stories as well - can bring truth to light in the mind of the reader and observer… read more

Term Paper 2 pages (871 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Philosophy / Logic / Reason

---

English Literature Compare and Contrast Richard Connell Essay

English Literature

Compare and Contrast Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" with DH Thesis

Both Connell and Lawrence's stories involve masculine characters; although the two would appear on the surface… read more

Essay 3 pages (1096 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Philosophy / Logic / Reason

---

Compare and Contrast Philosophers Essay

man or a mouse? Victims and leaders for Plato and Nietzsche

One very interesting aspect of the human experience is the manner in which certain themes appear again and again… read more

Essay 3 pages (870 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Philosophy / Logic / Reason

---

Comparing and Contrasting WWI and WWII Term Paper

WWI & WW2

Comparing and Contrasting WWI and WWII

World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) were the most devastating military conflicts in human history which caused untold… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1852 words) Sources: 3 Topic: World History

---

My Philosophy Over Different Philosophers Scientists Term Paper

Philosophy

My philosophy over different philosophers/scientists

In a book by that title, Paul Kurtz asks, "science and religion: are they compatible?" His answer is that though both may be valid,… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (2818 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Philosophy / Logic / Reason

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>