Axial Age Essay
If someone would ask “How can we find peace in society today?” what would you say? You may say to talk it out, or to maybe just take a second look at yourself. These ideas originated from the religions and philosophies of the Axial Age. We were able to find peace in the Axial Age through the religion and philosophy of Buddhism, Daoism, and Humanism.
Many Indians found peace by following Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama was the original Buddha, or the Enlightened One. He lived a life in a palace where nothing bad could happen, and he got whatever he wanted. One day he went outside of the palace and saw a sick man, old man, and a dead man. He learned that this would happen to him too at some point. Shortly after this, he left his wife and newborn baby and rode away in the darkness. He became the enlightened one. As the Buddha, he thought that nirvana, or the transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self and other insights could not be taught but they had to be. He taught the Four Noble Truths.
1. Life is suffering
2. Suffering is caused by desire
3. There is a way out of suffering
4. Experience nirvana by following the Eightfold path.
These were the Four Noble truths. The final way he tried teaching nirvana was through the Eightfold Path.
· Right Understanding: Know the truth of the Four Noble Truths;
· Right purpose: Have the urge to follow the path and reach nirvana;
· Right speech: do not lie or slander anyone and do not say things that are unkind;
· Right Conduct: Do not kill, steal, lie, be unchaste or drink;
· Right Livelihood: Choose an occupation that serves humanity and does not self harm;
· Right Effort: Have self-control, especially over your thoughts. Strive for the good;
· Right Awareness: Have psychological insight into your own motives and deeds. Do not be moved by either joy or sorrow;
· Right Concentration: Ponder deeply and meditate until you experience nirvana.
Buddha helped people and offered them a middle way through the Brahmins’ extensive rules and rituals, and the extreme asceticism of Jains and others.
One of the ways the Chinese followed peace during the Axial Age was by following Daoism. Daoism is the thought that all life is interdependent, and human beings and nature exist in harmony. The Daoists believed in unity, and resolving issues without violence. They believed in Yin and Yang, complete opposite characteristics but they have a little of each other inside of them. For example, you have one kid who’s very nice and another whose very mean. They are complete opposites, but that very nice kid has a little mean in him and the mean kid has a little nice in him. Daoists also taught that creating institutions or rewarding knowledge was dangerous since when people compete, they eventually fight. They say:
Of Insufficiencies, none is greater than not to know what’s enough. Of disasters, none is greater than the urge to acquire. So the only “enough” that’s enough is to know what’s enough.
This says that the worst thing to do is to feel the need to acquire more and you need to know when “enough is enough”. Daoists wanted nothing to do with wars or anything violence-related. They wanted tranquility in society, thus a way to keep peace in the Axial Age.
Introduction
Thesis:
We can find peace in the Axial Age through the religion and philosophy of Buddhism, Daoism, and Humanism.
2nd Paragraph
ts: Many Indians found peace by following Buddhism.
· Explain Buddhism
· Explain the “Four Noble Truths” and the “Eightfold Path”
3rd Paragraph
ts: One of the ways the Chinese followed peace during the Axial Age was by following Daoism.
· Explain what Daoism is
· Try and pick 1 primary source quotation for each philosophy
4th Paragraph
ts: Finally, the Greeks found peace through Humanism.
· Explain what Humanism is
· Talk about 1 major Primary Source relating to Humanism
Conclusion
Restate all the information written in the essay
My history essay I'm working on, along with the outline, that I just transferred from Word to Google Drive