Why Buddhism Appeal to Me :: essays research papers

One of the reasons why I took the course of for religion this semester is to perhaps come closer with my God again. After growing up in an Episcopalian household, it seemed that Christianity was the only accepted religion. I was very much encouraged by my parents, family, and society to say my prayers, attend Sunday school and church services, and be involved in the youth groups within my church. Religion, in some way, became a tedious event for me, and I slowly lost interest in church and Christianity as a whole. As I got older and began making my own decisions, it seemed religion’s importance in my life waxed and waned, and I never completely gained my excitement back--in all honesty, I was bored and I needed something new to try. With the intentions of learning something new (not to convert,) it was then that I began to research Buddhism and its practices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although I had read about many other religions from Taoism to Mormonism, it was Buddhism and its core ideals and beliefs that appealed to me most intensely. Buddhism (which has many roots of Hinduism) began more than 2,500 years ago by an Indian Prince named Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha became dissatisfied with the beliefs of the Hindu religion and sought to find the peace of mind he wanted; Siddhartha left his home and went to search of inner peace. Through much meditation under a Bo tree, he became Buddha, or â€Å"The Enlightened One,† and could then enter nirvana, the Buddhist place for eternal bliss. Buddha didn’t believe in the idea of a soul, but he did believe that there was something eternal in people, and that they cannot be born again, but rather be alive partially in all living things. He called this eternal part of humans karma. Karma is the sum of one’s good and bad deeds, as in the Jainist religion. Karma determines what a per son will come back as in the next life. The idea of karma was the most appealing to me, because it causes one to be cautious of their actions and instills the idea of â€Å"what comes around, goes around.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the beginning of human life, humans have been fighting with each other for what it was that they desired. Peace was destroyed because people were fighting for something they wanted, and most wars broke out because people were fighting for land, etc.