What would the Eightfold Path mean if you were to follow it? What would change?


If I was to try and practice right speech, I think that I would run into a bit of difficulty. It's not as if I swear or say innapropriate things a lot, but I'm sure that my behavior would be deemed extremely in-proper to Buddhist monks. I think that it would be pretty embarassing to be in the precense of such religious Buddhists; they would most likely judge me.

In class today we began discussing Buddhism and read the Legend of the Buddha's Life. I don't find the overall concept of Buddhism to be as difficult as Hinduism, but it definitely has a few ideas or central practices that are unlike anything I've ever heard before. Siddhartha leaves his pleasure palace in order to find an alternative to death.

In this story Krishna instructs Arjuna to fight, even though it is against his brother. He also explains Karma Yoga. In the passage, Karma Yoga must be action for duty, without the hope of eventual reward of any kind. Krishna wants Hindus to worth without attachment, and to be even-tempered in success and failure. Also this may not sound extremely difficult, it is not easy to continue doing something without any rewards back. Personally, I would find it very hard to go to school and work hard, if it did not lead to graduation and the hope of going to a good college. But in Hinduism, they say that the reward at the end of the road will be realizing that you are already one with Brahman and achieving Moksha.

Hinduism

I find Hinduism to be an extremely interesting religion. The idea of four goals appeals to me the most. Last class we discussed each of the four goals and which one we would most likely fall into. I decided that as of right now, I identify the most with the idea of Kama. Kama is the goal focused around pleasures in life. I think that I identify the most with this stage because of my age. Age is a huge factor to consider when determining who falls into which category. As I grow up and begin a life on my own, I am almost certain that I will be more focused on Artha and Dharma. Artha is focused around fame, wealth, and success. Dharma is focused around duty. I know that I will want to have a successful career as an adult and I will have a duty to provide for my family.

Primal Religions Reading in Smith

The reading on primal religions started off pretty tough for me. I was very unsure of what the author was talking about, and the overall point of the chapter. As I read on, it became more clear. I went from stumped, to fascinated in a very short amount of time. The part of the chapter that stuck out for me the most was the section in which Smith discussed the role of "place" in primal religions. Place is what makes a specific object (whether animate or inanimate) significant. In primal religions, an object is not admired for what they are or their function, but instead for its permanent location. It is the location that memories and legends are built off of. After understanding how primal religions viewed "place," I thought about whether or not there is anything in my life that is comparable to this idea. Quite the contrary, I concluded that the idea of "place" exists nowhere in my life. In my life, for example, a picture frame is not important because of its specific location on the wall of my room; the significance lies with the memories that it has captured. I cannot speak for the rest of our community, but I think that most will agree that people act as the driving force in our lives. The geographical location means close to nothing.