Humanities 425 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Humanities 425 - Essay Example Lennox, but still she is able to handle it by busying herself with her passion, that is for agriculture. In the fifth chapter, we notice the change in Mary's disposition as she wanders the moor (page 58). Mary has always known of her connection with nature. She amuses herself by tending to her gardens in India. But back in India, she was kept hidden and deprived of the outdoors. In Misselthwaite Manor however, she was left to roam as she pleased. Both the climate and the landscape presented a determining influence upon her health and well-being. Revelation: Finally knowing the truth that has always been told. Nature gives warnings before natural calamities occur. She also provides cure for diseases of both man and animal. But then, nature can reveal herself only when man is ready to heed her. Chapter eight tells of a gust of wind that brought about Mary's discovery of the door to the secret garden (page 95). It is in that garden that the real improvement in Mary starts to appear. She has changed for the better. She even selflessly shared to Dickon her secret. Renaissance: Starting Anew from an Epiphany. Nature is a part of us and we are a part of nature. Human life cannot be sustained, let alone achieve well-being, apart from the resources of nature. For this, nature must be man's object of moral concern. Colin Craven used to be very frail and ill-tempered. ... Renaissance: Starting Anew from an Epiphany. Nature is a part of us and we are a part of nature. Human life cannot be sustained, let alone achieve well-being, apart from the resources of nature. For this, nature must be man's object of moral concern. Colin Craven used to be very frail and ill-tempered. But when he was shown the garden, he felt very determined to live (page 267). He feels that the garden was especially made for him. He even decided to spend everyday there to aid in his recovery. The human race is made up of differing ideals. Righteous to some may be utterly unacceptable to others. Let us look at the least appropriate relationship man can have with nature. Superiority Complex: A Misconception The Patriarch and a Tiger, a 13th century painting , shows a rather dominating man leaning on a sleeping tiger. Man is not the master of all creation. He is just an overseer. He is allowed to take only what he needs. He is tasked to take care and not to exploit. The greedy beings of the human race use man's superiority in intellect as a lousy excuse to consume nature's resources in order to feed their lust for money and power. This misconception is yet again stated in the book Utopia by Thomas More, "a living according to Nature, and think that we are made by God for that end (Traveling,pg. 48)". To appoint oneself such power over nature is such a disgraceful and even arrogant act. Absolute Knowledge: A Fool's Belief The book Utopia by Thomas More has this certain passage, "They knewastronomy, and were perfectly acquainted with the motions of theheavenly bodies, and have many instruments, well contrived and divided, by which they very accurately compute the course and positions of the sun, moon, and stars (Traveling,pg. 46)". When man starts to think

Philosophy paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Philosophy paper - Essay Example On a comparative approach a major theme that can be retrieved from these books is the aspect of Buddhism as a religion as well as the incorporation of what Kitaro Nishida term as â€Å"Pure Existence†. Introduction This paper will seek to make a comparative study approach to compare and contrast in detail the following physiological texts. These include; â€Å"What the Buddha Taught† by Walpola Rahula and â€Å"An Inquiry Into The Good† by Kitaro Nishida and translated by Masao Abe and Christopher Ives. The notion behind the book, â€Å"What the Buddha Taught† was first to introduce the concept of Buddhism as a religion. Walpola Rahula sought to bring the understanding of the teachings of Buddha and Buddhism as a religion among people. He sought to bring out Buddha as a person who was very simplistic in his nature. Walpola Rahula also introduced the Buddhist attitude on mind that states, â€Å"Man is supreme-one is one’s refuge-responsibility-Doubt -Freedom of Thought-Tolerance†. This indicated that man was a supreme being and he was responsibility, doubt, freedom and tolerance. In other words, man was the only being that was known to exist beyond the super natural. In this light, Walpola Rahula sought to bring about the Four Noble Truths relates to Buddhism. ... Walpola Rahula sought to explain that if the root causes of problems were eliminated from our world, then we would ensure that freedom was existent and he termed this freedom as Nirvana. However he also added that Nirvana was impossible to attain as the root could not be solely eliminated. The fourth noble truth was â€Å"Magga† that is â€Å"The Path†. This was termed as the path that was to lead to Nirvana. As stated Nirvana was freedom that was hard to accomplish because the root causes could also not be completely eliminated. Moreover, the noble path consisted of the following; Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and finally Right Concentration. The Middle Path was a planned path that led to development and progress and an individual who ought to follow the noble path would be guided and protected by the existing law that was referred to as Dhamma. It also added that this path led to a fut ure that was free from misery and unhappiness (â€Å"The Noble Eight-Fold Path†). The Noble Eight-Fold Path was grouped into four categories that include: Wisdom, Morality and Mental Development. According to De Silva (1990) wisdom incorporated Right Understanding and Right Thoughts. Right Understanding was related to having knowledge about the four noble truth and what they are. This also included understanding what karma was and being knowledgeable how it comes around and ways to avoid Karma by making the right decisions. As a result of Right Understanding came Right Thoughts that could lead to thinking in a positive and morally upright manner. Morality incorporated Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. Right Speech involved saying what is true and