Buddhism from a Philosophical Standpoint

When angiotensin-converting enzyme attempts to put religion under the inquiry of philosophy, in that location is an great thing that must be clarified. One must be sure that philosophy is both a science of systematic thinking and a way of biography. As a science, philosophy explores the ultimate causes and purposes of solely things that exist. It entails hamper to rigorous logic and impassi adeptd critique of nearly all things that whitethorn be put into pick upion. Which is why, it is a strict rational science (if non the most rigorous angiotensin converting enzyme).However, nonpareil postulate to equally remember that philosophy can in any case pertain to a ruler active life, or a life-influencing picture system. To be sure, this second nonion of philosophy enjoys more usage than the previous maven nowadays. For instance, umteen ego-help books promising to give lessons batch new philosophies to help them emerge successful in life remnant up in bookstores as top-sellers and/or top-grosser. One can clapperclaw both of them the philosophic inquiry into things and the less rigorous adherence to rough principles nearly life as philosophies in their experience respects.Studying religion from a philosophic standpoint entails an inquiry figuring in two levels as well. Religion must be seen both as a affair that can be assessed, and a way of life that has to be lived. As an object of philosophic inquiry, religion must be evaluated according to the tenets it holds or the precepts it teaches. As a way of life, religion must be seen in the context of ritual or ethical physical exertions stemming from a tenet system. Thus, in studying religion, wiz is satis situationory to gather philosophical analyses from certain practices and beliefs.In a way, it is the result of combining the two prefatorial recognizeings of philosophy into a single(a) framework. Rationale and Methodology The aim of this paper is to present Buddhism from the standpoint of philosophy. This government agency that some of the basic gather upions that philosophy asks shall be answered in the light of what Buddhism teaches. What could those basic questions be? First, there is a question most ontology. Under this particularised inquiry, one looks at how Buddhism perceives all things that exist.Next, there is cosmology an inquiry which en fits one to ask how does Buddhism understand the population? Other concerns include anthropology (read how do they understand man? ) and ethics (read how do they assess what could be morally unexceptionable or non). But ultimately, since Buddhism is ac doledged as one of the major religions of the human race counterbalance now, a philosophic inquiry should include exploring their basic nonions near matinee idol and thus, theology. After all, religion is essentially nearly a belief in Spiritual Beings (McCutcheon, 2007, p.22) translated most frequently into a belief in a kind of God. Buddhism Hist ory and Core Doctrines Buddhism is a sacred action which started approximately 500 years before Christ (Griffiths, 1997, p. 15). It first riddle across most of the Indian peninsula, only to be dispersed orthogonal the region later on. At present, its influence is embraced not just by Indians but also by those coming from countries which comprise the southwesterly and South East Asia region, a few atomic number 18as in Japan and some provinces of China.It needs to be mentioned that Buddhism is a unearthly phenomenon characterized by diversity in forms and practices. Buddhism, says one author, is a very differentiated religion (Griffiths, 1997, p. 5). One may not find the same strain of Buddhism found, say, in South East Asia, and other one coming from, say, a southern province of India. Right now, there are a myriad of groups claiming to adhere to a unique practice of Buddhism on their own. In effect, it makes Buddhism a kind of religion that sees neither to teach nor requi re uniformity of doctrines from all its adherents.Buddhism is a religion that draws heavily from the ardor lent by its recognized founder, Gautama Sakayamuni (later on to become Gautama Buddha) a somebody who exemplified for them a life of total freedom and perpetual meditation in order to arrive at an utterly blissful state called Nirvana. By and large, it is about an adherence to a lifestyle that seeks authentic enlightenment and not about a longing for the Transcendent which most religions of the world are concerned with. For this causality, some thinkers are entertaining the idea that Buddhism is, after all, not a religion but a way of life (Humphreys, 1997, p.13). Buddhism, as many authors have noted, is a movement associated not so much with a set of doctrinal teachings as a body of teachings with eldritch benefits (Williams, 1989, p. 2). In fact, many Buddhism-inclined literatures encompass teachings not rattling about religious worship, but about way of living, ritual p ractices, devotional meditation (Mitchell, 2002, p. 1), among others. owe much from the teachings which Gautama Buddha has left, Buddhism teaches that life is in a state of perpetual quest for enlightenment marked by a feeling of constant dissatisfaction (Williams, 1989, p.34). Buddha himself was a testament to this. After leaving home at an early age, Gautama ventured on a life-journey to seek for enlightenment a precious state he could not seem to find in the world as he got to know it. As he tried to quell the gripping desolation and instinctive drive to satisfy pleasures, Gautama sought answer and solace through meditation. His meditation led him to see that impermanence, dissatisfaction and a fluid sense of self constitute the basic truths of realness (Williams, 1989, pp.34-36). He further taught that a tender-hearted person is really nothing, but only takes form as somebody constituted by five different aggregates namely, form (material composition), sensation, perception , mental formations and sense (Williams, 1989, p. 37). One should now that one of the chief elements that defines the uniqueness of Buddhism lies in how they image all things to be illusory, since they subscribe to the idea that things are not what they seem (Griffiths, 1997, p. 20).Some of their other teachings about life include the succeeding(a) value for the principle of moderation, belief in Karma and perpetual recurrence of everything that exists, belief in lifes four noble truths (life is damage, the cause of suffering is cravings for pleasure, freedom from suffering is temperance from pleasures, and a way to stop suffering is by following the eight-fold highway), and the practice of the noble eight-fold paths (right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right living, right conduct, right mindfulness and right concentration) in ones life (Mitchell, 2002, pp. 45-47). A Philosophical AnalysisJudging from the ideas raised in the Introduction of this work, it is clear that one must consider Buddhism a type of philosophy that is, as a way of life. Many authors have already proceeded to claim that this particular religious phenomenon is chiefly characterized by the numerous practical precepts which serve as guides towards an tiro living. It is skilful to note that Buddhism, pretty much wish philosophy, is concerned with the hobby of enlightenment or truth. An enlightened self immortalized perhaps in horse opera Philosophy by Platos Allegory of the Cave is surely the close why one enters into philosophical discourses.In so far as Buddhism offers its own distinct ways to attain enlightenment as well, it is therefore with good reasons that one should classify this religion as philosophical in many ways. Buddhism however does not stop at stipulating suggestions for right living alone. As a system of belief, it also offers perspectives about the whole of creation. Like philosophical discourses, Buddhism is a belief system that speaks of its perspective about the ultimate realities like human population, cosmology, human knowledge, ontology and theology.Surely, there is a need to look into these short Buddhisms take on reality encourages an military position of detachment on account of a belief that everything is impermanent (Griffiths, 1997, p. 16), and therefore in a state of constant flux. Much of Buddhisms view about reality rests on the belief that the world is full of diversity, and the more is able to reveal or appreciate it, the closer is one to the truth about the ever passing universe (Williams, 1989, p. 3).This idea is firely shared by an ancient Western philosopher that went by the name Heraclitus, who taught that fire- an element in a perpetual state of movement is the basic element that constitutes reality. Buddhism, one need to remember, is not so much concerned with the rigorous commentary of reality. But in so far it embraces an attitude of non-attachment in relating to all things, Buddhism h as to anchor this belief system on a formidable reason that ones attachment over things is futile given the fact that all things pass away.In fact, most of what Buddhism teaches is drawn from this ontological belief and this doctrine of impermanence must be seen as a recurrent understructure in its whole system of perspective. As far as Epistemology is concerned, the doctrine of impermanence is also maintained. Buddhism teaches that nothing can be known with exact certitude because all things are ephemeral and thus, as mentioned a small-arm ago, they are not what they seem (Griffiths, 1997, p. 19). Everything is subject to veer and passes away.Thus, one may not arrive at a definitive knowledge about things at all. Which is why, Buddha maintained that dissatisfaction is a constant theme that defines the feelings of all who look for knowledge or truth (Mitchell, 2002, p. 33). No one is able to know what reality is and its appearance is often misleading. One may notice that this epistemology is very consistent with Buddhisms anthropology, or, its understanding of human nature. If one checks the teachings of Buddha about man, one can clearly see the doctrine of impermanence as sheer in it too.Buddha believes that human nature is nothing but a constitution of events called materiality, sensation, conceptualization, volition and consciousness (Griffiths, 1997, p. 20). This type of anthropology views man not as an live individual substance (which most of Western Philosophy have understood what human nature is), but an impermanent self constituted by personal events (Griffith, 1997, p. 20). Cosmology for Buddhism follows the same line of logic. Constant flux is plain in its belief that the world follows a rhythm of birth and rebirth, of cycle per second and current, of existence and passage.The bulk of Buddhisms teachings therefore solemnly enjoin its adherents to split an attitude of detachment. Anchored on a belief that nothing in this world ever remain s the same over a period of time, Buddhism points that the path towards Nirvana or ultimate sense of bliss lies in a state of total freedom from what this world actually offers. Lastly, it is quite interesting to point out that Buddhism rarely engages in a question about the ultimate reality or God. Broadly speaking, the whole philosophy of impermanence is at odds with a concept of divinity.The general theory about God stipulates that It is a Supreme Being defined by eternality, omniscience, omnipotence and changelessness. In a belief system where the central truth about reality rests on the ephemeral nature of all things, the concept of God is really something hard to conceive (Griffiths, 1997, p. 22). How can there be such a Being when the general characteristic of all things supposedly including God is change and flux? More importantly, one can ask how can one consider Buddhism a religion at all if one is not willing to reconcile its theology with its ontology?Griffith belie ves that the metaphysics of impermanence makes Buddhism deny the existence of God all together (Griffith, 1997, p. 23). But the image of Buddha as the exemplification of their quest for a exceeding end, translated in Nirvana, is perhaps the only figure of deity Buddhism actually posses. Conclusion Buddhism is both a philosophy and a religious movement. As a philosophy, it offers its adherents a way of life observed in a tradition marked by meditation, introspection, constant purgation of appetency and an unending quest for enlightenment.As a religious movement, it is concerned with the pursuit of transcendent ends (Slater, 1978, p. 6) they call Nirvana. Buddhism offers its own understanding of reality too. Its doctrines are highly influenced by the teachings of its founder Gautama Buddha. In this paper, it has been noted that their belief system can also be evaluated under the categories which Western philosophy uses metaphysics, epistemology, cosmology, anthropology and theology .These aspects are given convey by a pervading concept of impermanence and dissatisfaction. Buddhism draws largely from a belief that everything in the world is impermanent, and that all people are enjoined to meet it with an attitude of detachment and self-control. The path towards true enlightenment happens only when one is able to see beyond what reality offers, and seek the true meaning of existence that lies only within. References Humphreys, C. (1997). A Popular Dictionary of Buddhism.Chicago NTC. Griffiths, P. Buddhism. In Quinn, P. & Taliaferro, C. (Eds. ), A company to Philosophy of Religion. Massachusetts Blackwell. McCutcheon, R. (2007). Studying Religion. An Introduction. London Equinox. Mitchell, D. (2002). Introducing the Buddhist Experience. cutting York Oxford University Slater, P. (1978). The dynamics of Religion. Meaning and Change in Religious Traditions. San Francisco Harper and Row. Williams, P. (1989). Mahayana Buddhism. Doctrinal Foundations. New York Routl edge.