Comparing Eastern And Western Philosophers

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Comparing Eastern and Western Philosophers Timothy Gordon ENG 121 Helen North August 11, 2010 After reading the beliefs and views of both Western and Eastern Philosophers, I found the beliefs and views of the philosophers Siddhartha Gautama and Gottfried Wilhelm, Baron von Leibniz the most intriguing. These philosophers present beliefs which I have found to be true. I can relate to the views and beliefs of these two philosophers because of the similarities to what I believe and how I view certain ideas. Some of the ideas that were shared by these men, as well as their differences, were based on suffering and the principle of sufficient reason, which could be construed as “evil” in this world to meditation while searching for enlightenment. Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha): Eastern Philosopher Siddhartha Gautama (c.563 BCE – 483 BCE), best known as Buddha, meaning “one who has awakened,” was born and raised to a privileged family, growing up sheltered from the troubles and evils of the world outside. The family consisted of Suddhodana, his father, a wealthy king and his mother (Haselhurst & Howie, 2009). Siddhartha was 16 years old when he married Yasodhara; later the couple had a son. Once outside the protective shelter of his mother and father, Siddhartha witnessed the suffering of various people in the city Kapilavastu. The glimpses of people suffering caused the 29 year old Siddhartha to sneak away at night leaving his son and wife behind. Siddhartha sought solitude in the forest seeking a solution to end suffering; he shaved his head and took on the appearance of poverty (Moore & Bruder, 2008). Through these sojourns Siddhartha learned that one must shed oneself of selfishness and ignorance through self-abnegation and meditation and achieve a state of undeviating enlightenment. Buddha believed that an individual could not achieve true

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