Trevor Schultz

PHIL 1100
FINAL ASSIGNMENT

Siddhartha Gantama (Buddha)

Youve heard his name, but not know his teachings. His name is
Siddhartha Gantama (commonly known as Buddha) and he lived from 560480 B.C.E. His teachings and philosophical beliefs essentially shaped the
core foundation(s) of the Buddhism religion along with offering insight into
experiencing the world around us. During his time on Earth, Buddha
educated and taught the masses, but never seemed to preach. He wanted
everyone to hear and understand what he understood from being
enlightened. Since Buddhism is one of the most practiced religions in the
world, some conclude that its not a religion at all, but a way of
life/philosophy.
With over 360 million members worldwide, Buddhism is a very historic
religion whose roots trace back roughly two millennia. Its founder, Siddhartha
Gantama, was born to a warrior-king in the city of Lumbini, now a pilgrimage
site for Buddhists. During his life of being a royal prince, he was surrounded
by several indulgences and lived a life of great privilege. With this in mind,
he also lived a pretty sheltered life. During his time as prince, he came to the
realization that there is more to life than his current scope. After leaving the
royal grounds, he witnessed what is known as the Four Sights. He saw an old
man, an Ascetic, a corpse, and a sick man. These sights helped Buddha
understand that suffering does exist in this world and helped him come to

Trevor Schultz
PHIL 1100
FINAL ASSIGNMENT

the conclusion that in the end, only aging, sickness, and death are certain
and unavoidable.1 At the end of his journey, he consulted the Ascetic man.
The Ascetic devoted himself and his life to try and understand the root of
suffering and why we experience it. Buddha took a great liking to this
philosophy and renounced his title as prince to pursue the Ascetic lifestyle
and to continue the work of the man Buddha has seen. Eventually, he
decided to apply himself to the world and started sharing his philosophy with
others.
Buddha believed in four main things: Dharma, Vipashyana, Karma, and
Nirvana. Dharma is essentially the theory/teachings of Buddha. It also
referred to as the Four Noble Truths. Within these truths, Buddha poses
questions from the origin of suffering to the resolution and complete end of
suffering. He believes that the meaning of life is to suffer and that we
experience such suffering from our natural tendency to indulge in egotism
and greed. He believes that abstinence from these possessions, thoughts,
and actions is crucial to the end result of liberation and freedom.
Vipashyana is another famous teaching of Buddha. Also known as the
Eightfold Path, it helps direct and steer patrons to receiving enlightenment
through complete self-control, physically and mentally. Only five of the eight
paths pertain to everyday individuals and the last three are solely for
1 Sumedho, AJahn. "The Four Noble Truths." The Four Noble Truths. N.p., n.d. Web. 03
Aug. 2016

Trevor Schultz
PHIL 1100
FINAL ASSIGNMENT

professional nuns and monks, looking to achieve enlightenment such as

Buddha once did after his forty day fast. The first path, Panha (wisdom)
covers understanding and purpose in life. The second path, Sila (action) is
the basis for how youre going to attack your own personal eightfold path.
Speech, behavior, and lifestyle are the other three paths that pertain to
commoners and professionals. Effort (total self and emotional control),
Mindfulness (total intellectual self-control), and Phayana (Deep meditation),
is absolute self-control.
The third teaching of Buddha is Karma (Destiny). He believes that there
are three different stages to karma during your life and how you experience
it. He first points out your birth karma, then social life karma, and then
deathbed karma. Since all three stages are within your lifetime, there will be
no shortage of what karma you will experience. This teaching also plays
into Buddhas belief about the structure of the human personality. He states
that two things make our personalities and thats your Ajiva (physical body)
and you Jiva (immortal soul). He believes that they fit hand in hand and are
the sole cause of who you are.
Nirvana (The state of a pure spiritual bliss) is the final teaching of
Buddha. This is essentially enlightenment, but it characterized by two levels.
Level one is Samsara: the kingdom of pleasurable physical existence. Level
two is Alaya-Vijnana: the kingdom of eternal and beautiful ideas. Samsara is
the non-stop reincarnation of our souls. Samsara is endless (The three

Trevor Schultz
PHIL 1100
FINAL ASSIGNMENT

karmas also tie into Samsara). Alaya-Vijnana is when your ajiva becomes
enlightened and you transcend your body to reside forever with you jiva
for eternity.
Buddha has been long gone but that doesnt mean his teachings went
to waste. With his teachings, Buddha was able to acquire quite a following
and we still see a presence of Buddhism worldwide. Buddhas teachings have
impacted nations and the world around us. Buddhism essentially influenced
and created a religious society in Southern Asia, such as Thailand and
Cambodia. He has influenced a culture and multiple nations Still! Some
new age philosophers base their teachings and beliefs off of Buddha.
If it werent for Siddhartha, Buddhism wouldnt exist and we as a
species would have never been blessed with his teachings and beliefs. He is
honestly one of the most influential people that has ever lived and walked
this Earth. With basic teachings, comes a multitude of different
interpretations and followings. The Buddha will forever be inspirational and
is, and will always be, a timeless life.