(Dear #2996) Essay in Philosophy class Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

(Dear #2996) in Philosophy class - Essay Example This short paper focuses for the main part on the subject of God in addition to the soul, rebirth and the more mundane affair of marriage. We also discuss points that would help to explain this situation that is peculiar to the Buddhist religion. In relation to mundane life, the noble Buddha did not delve extensively on the topic of marriage for example, so no rules were laid down dealing with married life although he did give some basic advice to ensure that people would lead happily married lives. Similarly, there are no direct references to related issues such as divorce or birth control. Nonetheless, worldly concerns were addressed but the focus was on liberation from suffering in this world and general guidance on how to live a good life. The most notable absences however, that one would expect to have been talked about by the founder of a religion, are the subjects of God and soul. A common fallacy is that buddhists deny the existence of both. Some would differ saying that by not proclaiming the existence of God, the noble Buddha in effect denied the existence of God, but even with this position, they cannot claim this with certainty for the very reason that no clear statement was made accepting the existence of God. At the same time, we could also argue that God does exist because there are sufficient records of noble Buddha discussing God in the Buddhist scriptures. In regard to the soul, the position of Buddhism is similar to Islam wherein God responded to a question concerning the soul; that people have only been given a little knowledge. The noble Buddha however was more strict in ensuring that his teachings were kept simple, and he did not intend to cause any confusion. In actual fact, the noble Buddha neither categorically denied God or the soul, nor did he affirm their existence. What the noble Buddha discouraged was speculating on such subjects on which one does not have proper knowledge. The noble Buddhas position was to either remain