Essay On Discernment

It seems that most religions teach some form or variation of meditations to reach a discernment or enlightenment. Regarding how attachments to things of the world can affect discernment and one’s path in life, Buddhism, Thomas Merton, and Ignatian Spirituality all share the same views with similar plans to overcome those things. The First Principle and Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises, The Four Noble Truths, and the Practice of the Eightfold Path all share the same concept of nonattachment. One must also be in a certain place in life before taking on these practices or they will not be effective. There is a common theme of freedom from the things in the world that distract us from our ultimate goal in life. Each religion has steps to reach those goals that

Buddha is considered a teacher who advises Buddhists how to live a pure life but does not impose commandments or use fear of hell or punishment. Also, the idea of sin or original sin has no place in Buddhism. An evil man is ignorant and does not need punishment, but more instruction and guidance for his enlightenment. The Christian concept of sin involves suffering, but suffering is not sin. Sin is alienation from God, and that alienation is the cause of suffering. For Buddhists, the cause of suffering is based in the human rather than the divine. For them, suffering flows from the difference between human desires and what reality offers. Here, suffering is yearning, itself, and the answer is simply to stop yearning (Baines, n.d.). Because there is no God in Buddhism, there is no confession or asking for forgiveness as with Christians and Jesuits. Although Buddhists do not pray to Buddha, they pay their respects for his teachings, while the Bible condemns idolatry. There is no blind faith required in Buddhism as with Christianity, only a practice of becoming better until Nirvana is