One of the reasons why I took the course of for religion this semester is to perhaps come closer with my God again. As a child growing up in Poland, where Christianity was the only accepted religion, I was very much encouraged by my parents, family, and society to pray at bedtime, attend mass every Sunday, and be enrolled in the mandatory religion classed at my public school. As I got older and began making my own decisions, religion began slowly slipping out of my life. I never took the time to think why, but the only reason that comes to mind is "time". In today's society, people are very busy where time is very limited. As I read the first five chapters of our book, I began to realize that even thought human life is very precious it is eternal, and time is not that important. .
Although so far I have learned new ideas and beliefs of other religions, the one which interested me most is Buddhism. 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 and this became Buddha, or "The Enlightened one", he could than enter nirvana, the Buddhist place for eternal bliss or stay on earth and help others find salvation. Buddha didn't believe in exactly a soul but he did believe that there was something eternal in people and that they cannot be born again, but rather 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 person will come back as in the next life. In his first sermon Buddha revealed the Four Noble Truths which form the basis of the Buddhists beliefs. One of these beliefs is that "all lives, from birth to death, are filled with sufferings" and this suffering is the cause of desire.
