Why is S’s wealth seen as a burden? Isn’t wealth and prestige what most persons seek? Aren’t these the things that make a person happy?
In today’s society, the wealthy have more power, generally. I have noticed that most of the people I encounter who have more money, tend to have a higher comfort level. However, this comfort is simply materialistic. The rich people often put money first and foremost as a priority and forget what is really important in life: love. This constant want to have more money and more possessions creates dissatisfaction and leads to problems such as depression and unhappy marriages.
Siddhartha suddenly becomes very wealthy and loses perspective of what he was really in search of. He was already dissatisfied with his and therefore was seeking answers. The only answer he got from being wealthy was that constantly wanting more and more possessions and money was clouding his thoughts and judgment and he lost track of who he really was.
Money does not bring someone happiness. People should view money as a means to get by in life, not as means to acquire more things. Material wealth is worth nothing compared to the bonds one can create with people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCF4wrjItRg
http://www.nowpublic.com/opinions/mystery-how-wealth-creates-poverty-world
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/invest/forbes/P95294.asp
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Siddhartha, Chapter 6: Question 1
When Siddhartha says that he can fast, wait and think and he believed that it was because of these qualities that he could work for the merchant. To him, fasting seemed like not giving into hunger so easily because to get food, one must first work. Siddhartha would have had to get a job if he could not fast for long. Without the ability to think, he would not be able to perform any task that is handed over to him. As for patience, it is a virtue. Without patience, then Siddhartha would not be able to complete long and stressful tasks as well as fasting for it requires a lot of patience.
Fasting can be a very good thing for anyone to try out, whether it is for religion or even weight loss. Many religions tend to fast at some points during the here to experience what their saviors went through when fasting. Some people like to fast to lose weight but if they do it too much then it can become a major problem for them. One thing that I would like to say is that fasting requires a lot of patience because it is very hard to not eat any food of the sort when your refrigerator is full of it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e1er86VQXA
http://www.quran-islam.org/167.html
http://fasting.ygoy.com/hazards-of-fasting/
http://ramadankareem.blogspot.com/2006/10/fasting-and-gandhi.html
http://www.billbright.com/howtofast/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu-CVAycK7U
Fasting can be a very good thing for anyone to try out, whether it is for religion or even weight loss. Many religions tend to fast at some points during the here to experience what their saviors went through when fasting. Some people like to fast to lose weight but if they do it too much then it can become a major problem for them. One thing that I would like to say is that fasting requires a lot of patience because it is very hard to not eat any food of the sort when your refrigerator is full of it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e1er86VQXA
http://www.quran-islam.org/167.html
http://fasting.ygoy.com/hazards-of-fasting/
http://ramadankareem.blogspot.com/2006/10/fasting-and-gandhi.html
http://www.billbright.com/howtofast/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu-CVAycK7U
Siddhartha, Chapter 4 Response
Siddhartha did not return to his father because he thought that he had changed too much. He was no longer a Brahmin, he was the awakened Siddhartha. He knew that if he returned to his father, he’d go back to studying, sacrifices and meditation. If he were to go back, he’d only be lying to himself and his father because he wants to find answers to his questions. Also, what would his father think? Would he be able to really forgive Siddhartha for leaving the Brahmin and joining the Samanas?
This kind of situation doesn’t have to be so troubling to Siddhartha. He just has to tell his father that he has completely changed his ways. Everyone changes as they grow older and they do not have to be the shadows of others. A real life situation of this would be visiting a friend that you have not seen in over twenty years. He will
most probably have changed and maybe it will be for the better or the worse but it takes courage to do such a thing.
http://www.iowafamilycaregiver.org/tips/PM1440A1.pdf
http://www.openeducation.net/2008/04/08/risk-taking-part-of-growing-up-part-of-the-learning-process/
http://www.artofloving.com/relationships/lettinggo.htm
This kind of situation doesn’t have to be so troubling to Siddhartha. He just has to tell his father that he has completely changed his ways. Everyone changes as they grow older and they do not have to be the shadows of others. A real life situation of this would be visiting a friend that you have not seen in over twenty years. He will
most probably have changed and maybe it will be for the better or the worse but it takes courage to do such a thing.
http://www.iowafamilycaregiver.org/tips/PM1440A1.pdf
http://www.openeducation.net/2008/04/08/risk-taking-part-of-growing-up-part-of-the-learning-process/
http://www.artofloving.com/relationships/lettinggo.htm
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Siddhartha, Chapter 3: Knowledge, Question 1
In Buddhism, the main goal of a believer is to reach enlightenment and to seek knowledge/wisdom. Enlightenment can be identified as the opposite of ignorance. In order to reach enlightenment, one must understand the root of suffering, which is ever-present in life. Gautama Buddha, also known as the Enlightened One, taught his disciples that to become enlightened, one must understand and accept the Four Noble Truths and follow the Eightfold Path. Doing so results in possible enlightenment.
Four Noble Truths:
1) Life is suffering
2) The cause of suffering is desire
3) There is a remedy/cure
4) The Middle Way/Budhist path –> To follow the eightfold is to free yourself from suffering.
Eightfold Path:
Three Qualities Eightfold Path
Wisdom (panna) Right View
Right Thought
Morality (sila) Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Meditation (samadhi)
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Contemplation
source: http://www.buddhaweb.org/
To become enlightened means to avoid Samsara (a cycle of birth and death). Remaining in the cycle of rebirth is not being completely free of worldly desires. Therefore, reaching enlightenment is extremely important, especially for Buddhist ascetics.
The following is a video about how Buddha reaches enlightenment, but from a quite humorous perspective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTbVVbDpGzM
This particular site explains Buddha’s path to enlightenment and the Buddhist teachings.
http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/footsteps.htm
Four Noble Truths:
1) Life is suffering
2) The cause of suffering is desire
3) There is a remedy/cure
4) The Middle Way/Budhist path –> To follow the eightfold is to free yourself from suffering.
Eightfold Path:
Three Qualities Eightfold Path
Wisdom (panna) Right View
Right Thought
Morality (sila) Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Meditation (samadhi)
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Contemplation
source: http://www.buddhaweb.org/
To become enlightened means to avoid Samsara (a cycle of birth and death). Remaining in the cycle of rebirth is not being completely free of worldly desires. Therefore, reaching enlightenment is extremely important, especially for Buddhist ascetics.
The following is a video about how Buddha reaches enlightenment, but from a quite humorous perspective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTbVVbDpGzM
This particular site explains Buddha’s path to enlightenment and the Buddhist teachings.
http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/footsteps.htm
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Chapter 2: Nirvana (...not the rock band!)
Nirvana is known as a state of freedom from suffering and individual existence. Buddhists see the state of Nirvana as enlightenment. Achieving it is their ultimate goal. It is fundamentally freedom from greed, ignorance and hate in the world. Nirvana cannot be described in words but it can only be learned through experience directly. An example of this would be achieving your most desired dream. By achieving your greatest dream or challenge, you’ve experienced, in a sense, a form of Nirvana. People who have spent their whole lives climbing tall mountains, ultimately hoping to climb Mount Everest one day. When that day comes and they have reached the summit, they’ll be enlightened for conquering their dream and therefore, in a state of nirvana.
Nirvana is also known as a spiritual condition in which the person is freed from karma. Karma is, for example, when you do something bad to someone. You will keep carrying this karma or bad energy until you do something nice to someone. Until then, you’ll have the worst of luck on your side. Doing something nice for someone will just give you good karma and you will have great luck until you decide to be bad again.
These following links incorporate additional information about Nirvana:
http://library.thinkquest.org/28505/buddhism/nirva.htm
http://science.howstuffworks.com/nirvana1.htm
Nirvana is also known as a spiritual condition in which the person is freed from karma. Karma is, for example, when you do something bad to someone. You will keep carrying this karma or bad energy until you do something nice to someone. Until then, you’ll have the worst of luck on your side. Doing something nice for someone will just give you good karma and you will have great luck until you decide to be bad again.
These following links incorporate additional information about Nirvana:
http://library.thinkquest.org/28505/buddhism/nirva.htm
http://science.howstuffworks.com/nirvana1.htm
Monday, April 14, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Chapter 1: Knowledge, Question 3
Since Siddhartha seemed to have everything going for him, why would he be so discontent? Is he simply seeking the independence of adulthood? What kind of “freedom” is he seeking?
Siddhartha was born into a wealthy family. He was also born with a graceful and beautiful complexion and an admirable intelligence. All of his peers looked up to him because he had everything they strived for. Yet, Siddhartha was unhappy, dissatisfied, and longed to fill an unidentified void. He wanted to pursue his own hunger for personal life experiences and break away from the regime he was born into. This, too many people, seems preposterous because if anyone should be happy and fulfilled, it should be him! In truth, he was right to leave on his journey and abandon his material possessions along with the path his father (or perhaps, parents) had chosen for him.
Siddhartha was not simply seeking the independence of adulthood. He craved to experience for himself what his teachers had been talking about or avoiding talking about. He wanted to know what life truly meant. He knew it meant more than words uttered out of teacher’s mouths. The ‘freedom’ he sought was that of acquiring his own knowledge and understanding through personal experience and surely could not be taught through sermons and teachings.
Siddhartha’s departure from his luxurious life can be compared to many celebrities who have supposedly achieved the ‘American Dream.’ For example, Britney Spears had everything going for her: a successful career as a singer, a marriage, and two beautiful children. Even though she had millions of people looking up to her all over the world and has material wealth more than the majority of people, somehow, it seems that she became disconnected from her image of the aspiring pop star as she let her life spiral out of control. Her luxurious life was not enough to make her truly happy and fulfilled. Many people had become jealous of her because of her success and fame. However, these aspects are superficial. They can entrap anyone and hurt them, just like they did with Britney Spears.
Like Siddhartha, Britney Spears was dissatisfied and unhappy her life at that point, and therefore began self-destructing. Along with her excess partying, she divorced from her husband, lost custody of her children and ended up in a mental institute a few times. Hopefully she will pick up the pieces and rebuild a healthy life.
In conclusion, both Siddhartha and Britney Spears displayed dissatisfaction and unhappiness with their seemingly ‘perfect’ lives. Appearances can, indeed, be quite deceiving.
A video collection of photographs showing Britney’s downfall:
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXxY1sA6b7k&NR=1
An article describing in more detail her downfall and why people are so curious about a celebrity’s problems.
Article: http://collegian.kenyon.edu/article.php?id=2746
Siddhartha was born into a wealthy family. He was also born with a graceful and beautiful complexion and an admirable intelligence. All of his peers looked up to him because he had everything they strived for. Yet, Siddhartha was unhappy, dissatisfied, and longed to fill an unidentified void. He wanted to pursue his own hunger for personal life experiences and break away from the regime he was born into. This, too many people, seems preposterous because if anyone should be happy and fulfilled, it should be him! In truth, he was right to leave on his journey and abandon his material possessions along with the path his father (or perhaps, parents) had chosen for him.
Siddhartha was not simply seeking the independence of adulthood. He craved to experience for himself what his teachers had been talking about or avoiding talking about. He wanted to know what life truly meant. He knew it meant more than words uttered out of teacher’s mouths. The ‘freedom’ he sought was that of acquiring his own knowledge and understanding through personal experience and surely could not be taught through sermons and teachings.
Siddhartha’s departure from his luxurious life can be compared to many celebrities who have supposedly achieved the ‘American Dream.’ For example, Britney Spears had everything going for her: a successful career as a singer, a marriage, and two beautiful children. Even though she had millions of people looking up to her all over the world and has material wealth more than the majority of people, somehow, it seems that she became disconnected from her image of the aspiring pop star as she let her life spiral out of control. Her luxurious life was not enough to make her truly happy and fulfilled. Many people had become jealous of her because of her success and fame. However, these aspects are superficial. They can entrap anyone and hurt them, just like they did with Britney Spears.
Like Siddhartha, Britney Spears was dissatisfied and unhappy her life at that point, and therefore began self-destructing. Along with her excess partying, she divorced from her husband, lost custody of her children and ended up in a mental institute a few times. Hopefully she will pick up the pieces and rebuild a healthy life.
In conclusion, both Siddhartha and Britney Spears displayed dissatisfaction and unhappiness with their seemingly ‘perfect’ lives. Appearances can, indeed, be quite deceiving.
A video collection of photographs showing Britney’s downfall:
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXxY1sA6b7k&NR=1
An article describing in more detail her downfall and why people are so curious about a celebrity’s problems.
Article: http://collegian.kenyon.edu/article.php?id=2746
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