Week 14 Essay: Learning about the Buddha

Reading Unit Homepage
The Life of Buddha

Buddha Meditating

found on Wikipedia

This week I chose to read the Life of Buddha reading unit. I thought it would be interesting as I’ve always liked learning about other religions and therefore about religious figures. This story of how Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha was broken up nicely so it did not feel tiring to read or boring due to staring at nothing but blocks of text. I enjoyed reading it not only because it had a nice layout, but because it was an easy read and had interesting content. My favorite parts of this reading unit were the three profound encounters that Siddhartha experienced (seeing an old man, a sick man, and a dead man) because it does not seem like seeing those things would have a big impact on someone. We see old people and sick people all the time. Plus most people are aware of and have accepted that death is an unavoidable and often uncontrollable part of life. The idea that a man would see those things and be so upset that he is forced to go on a journey to seek enlightenment seems almost ludicrous in current times. However, I love the idea that someone would desperately seek a way to not only find enlightenment for himself, but to free humanity from old age, death, illness, etc. So many people now are solely focused on themselves that I just always enjoy stories of people doing good by others. I also liked the story of the tree of knowledge and how the Buddha’s light kept him safe in the face of true evil. I’m a big believer in energy and its effect on our lives. I like to think that if you put out positive energy, you will receive it as well. There weren’t any stories I truly disliked, as they were all part of one big story. As such, I think this unit is really well worked out and does not need any other notes or aids to be understood. It also fits in nicely with the readings we’ve been doing so far as it relates closely to the Ramayana through the ways gods are involved in the lives of humans, the characters involved (Rama’s son is mentioned), and through the themes present. Overall, I think this reading unit was a great choice and that it does not need any real changes.