The Four Noble Truths And The Eightfold Path

Jaleen Carroll A1 11/17/17 Free Response Essay There are many major religions in the world, one of them being Buddhism. Buddhism is a religion founded in India around the fifth century C.E. Throughout time, it made its way to China. While in China, Buddhism was viewed by the people in many ways, both positive and negative.

No one knows whether karma actually exists or if it is superstition. According to the teaching of Hinduism, karma is the results, depending on one’s good or bad action, either in this life or in a reincarnation. Many people do not believe in such invisible connection, but in the world, inexplicable things actually exist. These mysteries are complexly intertwined with each other and passed down to the next generation. Also one’s action is highly affected by human gene.

The deductive problem of evil defines omnipotence as having no bounds to power and being all-good as having the will to prevent and stop any evil that one possibly can. Furthermore, Adams presents how much this problem is amplified when considering horrendous evils that would push the average person to “doubt the positive meaning of their lives”(Adams 300). Adams acknowledges that this definition of God’s qualities alongside the definition of horrendous evils hinders the existence of the Christian God. God is one who is supposed to hold love for all of his creations, but allowing for his creations to suffer needlessly doesn’t align with this love. This problem causes people to question not only God’s love for them but also God’s reasoning in their suffering and their living.

Questions of Suffering Many people tend to ask the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Perhaps the question people are actually getting at is, “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” Suffering occurs to each and every one of us, in different severities and in various ways. Think of the Jews in the Holocaust, a murder of an innocent person, people effected by natural disasters, or a child not knowing when their next meal will be.

The theological problem of evil refers to the problem that comes with a world that acknowledges an “all good” and “all powerful” God, yet evil and pain are still prominent. If God is omnibenevolent and omnipotent, then why does evil still exist? In John Hick’s Evil and the God of Love, Hick attempts to justify the existence of evil in his own Theodicy. Hick’s “soul-making” theodicy” attempts to defend the existence of God with an understanding and acceptance of the existence of evil.

Hinduism is the world’s oldest living faith. Alternately referred to as Sanatana Dharma, this means “ageless religion”. Hinduism is not a religion in the narrow sense of the word. It is a way of life connecting both the moral law and the law of one’s being. Hinduism pupils are taught to turn their attention inward and discover a transcendent reality from within.

Throughout Harper’s book and Kheiyn’s article, I found five main points that stood out to me in relating to helping me understand why bad things happen to good people. First, God did not create pain and suffering, man has through sin and defiance. Second, although suffering is not good, God uses it to achieve good. The third point tells us that the day will come where your misery will no longer exist and God will judge evil. The fourth states that our suffering does not even compare to what God has in store for his followers.

The use of God as a shield works on believers, but not on nonbelievers. The question “why bad things happening to good people” still cannot be answered for the nonbelievers, a common critique of religion itself. Regardless of the problem of theodicy, however, religion has worked really well to create and maintain the reality. Berger explains that it is because religion legitimates effectively. “Religion has been the historically most widespread and effective instrumentality of legitimation….

Buddhism is a religion that has been under pressure for hundreds of years. Specifically in China, the acceptance of the religion was a hard, long battle that formed demise and refute amongst the society. Emperors, Scholars, and even anonymous Chinese writers voiced their opinions for and against Buddhism. Many controversial arguments are held today. Emperor Wu of the Tang Dynasty (845 C.E.), did not respect Buddhism as a religion.

Why the Problem of Evil Suggests There is No God The typical definition of God is an omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly good being. A perfectly good God is expected to protect His creations from evil and/or stop any form of it from happening, but that is not the case in our world. People are responsible for so much pain and suffering today that the problem of evil as John Hick explained is the most believable explanation as to why I do not think there is a God.

Thus in a Christian view, the reality of suffering is explained through evil, which always, in some way refer to good. Suffering is the process of undergoing a painful experience and also we can say that it is the result of evil. The problem of evil and suffering always creates objections for God’s goodness and His omnipotence. Yet, from Christian point of view, these questions lead man to see suffering in a positive way rather than negative.

Everyone suffers. This simple fact of life has plagued humans for centuries, perplexing the wisest thinkers down to the most common among us. It demands an explanation, and history has granted us many - often in the form of religion. Buddhism revolves around the concept of suffering, attempting to explain its origin and how to break free of it. It teaches that no matter how righteous a person acts, they will always suffer until they fully achieve enlightenment.

The Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path have been a major part in Buddhism for years, and still is a huge part in Buddhism today. It makes up the core of Buddhists teachings. All of these have been believed to come from Buddha. Even though The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path came centuries ago from Buddha and was used as a way to end suffering, it has become commonly used and a big part in todays world to help the Buddhists way of life.

The four noble truths are that all is suffering, suffering is caused by desire, the way to be rid of suffering is to be rid of desire, the way to rid yourself of desire is to follow the eight fold path. The four noble truths is the pathway to rid yourself of desire so that you can focus enough to reach enlightenment. Their are many paths the Buddha has lied out for Buddhist. Following the fourth noble truth there’s the concept of the Five Precepts which is part of the Eightfold Path. These percepts are no killing, no stealing, no sexual sin, no lying and no alcohol.

I personally think that suffering helps us to notice and appreciate true happiness. If we did not feel pain, we would not realize how great life is. Aristotle implies we are able to control our happiness in this way. Once we have experienced suffering we know it eventually passes and life carries