There is no topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

There is no topic - Essay Example As a means to gain enlightenment Gautama practiced meditation under a ‘bodhi’ tree where he finally realized the true path of freedom from suffering towards salvation. He was henceforth known as â€Å"Buddha† or the â€Å"Enlightened one† ( Hawkins 35).The basic ideals of Buddhism are centred on four noble truths that are the tenets of Buddha’s doctrines. The First noble ideal is the truth of suffering that recognizes that suffering exists. The second ideal emphasizes on the cause of suffering in which ignorance and desire are identified as the major causes. The third noble ideal teaches on the end of suffering in the world or in the spiritual sense by achieving Nirvana. Consequently, the fourth noble ideal creates the path towards the end of suffering (Hawkins 29). The monastic ideal of Christianity referred to the practice of seclusion from the world for the purpose of spiritual communion with God and the universe (Markus 19). The origin and spread of the practice is attributed to Saint Anthony of Alexandria in Egypt (Markus 19). At the age of fifteen, he decided to start off a life of seclusion in the desert for the next ninety years. During this period he became famous as more and more young men joined him in the desert. The ancient Eastern customs sought divine intervention. Furthermore, such people were referred to as hermits or â€Å"desert dwellers† (Hawkins 68)They were considered as holy men by the villagers who offered wise advice to the local villagers. During the spiritual enlightenment process, the hermits would subject their bodies to self punishment such as extreme fasting for the purpose of driving out desires of the flesh and strengthen the spirit. The villagers that sought advice from the hermits would carry offerings of food for them. The basic tenets of Christian monasticism were foremost driven by the