Compare And Contrast The Ideas, Background, And Philosophies Of Essay

Compare And Contrast The Ideas, Background, And Philosophies Of Confucius And Buddha - Essay Example On subsequent rides, he encountered a deceased body and a sick one. It was at this point that he became aware of the suffering of humans. Even the wealthy, he realized, were unhappy and frustrated, with all men susceptible to disease and death from the disease. This led him to believe that there existed more in life than pleasures of a transitory nature. Becoming disturbed by all that he had seen, he left the palace, bidding his family farewell and leaving his possessions. He was penniless, as he wandered and made attempts at asceticism, which he later abandoned (Fowler 236). It was at this point that, upon deep reflection, he became convinced that he was the enlightened one, Buddha. Confucius, on the other hand, although, of noble birth, was born to a poor family. Born in the state of LU, his father passed away when he was young, leaving him under the care of a poor mother. He was in minor government service as an official during his youth, resigning the position later. Aged nineteen, he married Qi Quan, and he had a child by her at twenty, named Kong Li. Confucius then spent his next sixteen years as a teacher and his philosophy attracted quite a few disciples. The government of Lu granted him a high position when he was in his fifties, but court enemies brought about his dismissal after four years. Leaving the state, he became an itinerary teacher for thirteen years, before returning to Lu for the final 5 years. In his earlier life, he was reported to be a bookkeeper, clerk, cowherd, and a shepherd (Yao 190). ... This led him to believe that there existed more in life than pleasures of a transitory nature. Becoming disturbed by all that he had seen, he left the palace, bidding his family farewell and leaving his possessions. He was penniless, as he wandered and made attempts at asceticism, which he later abandoned (Fowler 236). It was at this point that, upon deep reflection, he became convinced that he was the enlightened one, Buddha. Confucius, on the other hand, although, of noble birth, was born to a poor family (Yao 190). Born in the state of LU, his father passed away when he was young, leaving him under the care of a poor mother. He was in minor government service as an official during his youth, resigning the position later. Aged nineteen, he married Qi Quan, and he had a child by her at twenty, named Kong Li. Confucius then spent his next sixteen years as a teacher and his philosophy attracted quite a few disciples. The government of Lu granted him a high position when he was in his fifties, but court enemies brought about his dismissal after four years. Leaving the state, he became an itinerary teacher for thirteen years, before returning to Lu for the final 5 years. In his earlier life, he was reported to been a bookkeeper, clerk, cowherd, and a shepherd (Yao 190). After his court dismissal, he embarked on a winding journey that covered Cai, Chen, Song, Wei, and other states in central and northeast China where he articulated political beliefs in their courts, which he did not see implemented. Both Buddha and Confucius challenged authority. Buddha had quite a different view to religion as compared to his native Hinduism (Fowler 240). He felt that Hinduism had begun to degenerate into superstition, magic, rituals, polytheism, and empty philosophical disputes and