Buddhist Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Buddhist Philosophy - Essay Example The Buddha elucidates immersion into Nirvana as achieving ‘deathlessness’ ( in Pali Amata or Amravati) or ‘ the unconditioned’ and the highest spiritual attainment, which can be acquired through following a life of virtuous conduct in accordance with ‘Dharma’ (Bechert, 154). Buddhism approaches the concept of life through a sense of the higher and inner Soul or the â€Å"I† that describes the notion of void and selflessness. In Buddhism ‘Moksha’ or salvation happens when the soul or ‘jivatman’ recognizes its union with the source of all phenomenal existence – the Brahman. Advaita Vedanta says that the Self or Supreme Soul is formless, beyond being and non-being, beyond tangibility and comprehension (Bhaskarananda). An analogy is that the soul is like a drop of water, which upon salvation, merges with the ocean or the Supreme Soul. The concept of non-duality through enlightenment is best summed through the Sanskrit phrase – ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ or ‘Thou Art That’. The quest of life is to break free of separation of the ‘me’ and ‘you’ and see everything as ‘I AM’ (Bhaskarananda, 177). This is the approach of a dignified self-confidence that should one possess while enduring the stress of a modern job. It should be remembered that the ‘I’ here is not the ego but the ‘True Self’. Everything is part of this larger ‘I’ and when awareness shifts from the egocentric ‘me, mine and I† to the real ‘I’, you actually see all that is just you and break free from all duality (Bhaskarananda, 51). Thus the path to selflessness is a deep, truthful understanding of the self rather than creating a void. Moksha is seen as a final release from one's worldly conception of the self and breaking free of the shackle of experiential duality and re-establishment of one's own fundamental nature (Sinha, 88). The state of salvation is seen differently from each ones' perspective depending on the inner soul. This would be best explained in view of a modern American literature. The basic measures of the story "Exchange Value", Charles R Johnson, can be drawn directly from this phase. Charles R Johnson's empathy towards philosophy drove the conclusion of the story towards an end that could justified as completely philosophic in nature. This philosophy is dominantly backed by the teachings of Buddha where the preacher exerts a similar non utilitarian valuation of riches. It is true that the brothers in the story ere predominantly motivated by greed in the first place and it never seized to exist in any part of the story but the main aspect that the author Charles R Johnson incorporated in the story is the ultimate lack of utility or valuation of the fortune that brothers failed to notice. (Roberts, 14) There is always a value for material that could be evaluated at a scale of money, even if it is not utilized but it is still a greater truth that without proper usage any material would loose its current value is remained unutilized. This is exactly what went wrong with the brothers and specifically with the woman before them in the story. Thus, in a way, it