Buddhism, Tolstoy and Walker
The Buddhist path’s ultimate objective is to free oneself from the cycle of phenomenal existence and its attendant sorrow. The goal is to reach nirvana, a state of enlightenment in which the fires of selfishness, hostility, and ignorance are eliminated or eradicated. In essence, achieving the state of nirvana means that one will be “deleted” from an existence where there are no pleasures or suffering associated with this life.
In contrast, Tolstoy and Walker think that permanent extinction eradicates any hope for meaning in life. The essence of living is based on the optimistic view that there is “more” after death or reincarnation (Tolstoy, nd). More so, the idea that a person may cease to exist means that the current life does not have any significance or importance if there is no life after death. The idea that one may cease to exist after attaining nirvana, as elaborate by Buddhism, does not seem promising. Walter argues that the relevance of most religions is based on the hope that there is a “better” alternative or life after death. Thus if the Buddhist primary goal of extension bombards individuals may render most of the religious practices hopeless or irrelevant. This is because people may not have the ability to phantom beyond their current life or situations.
Coherently, people need to have the need to hope for a better life experience after transitioning from the physical form. Such believes an essential role in guiding intrinsic values such as morality and ethics. Thus, Tolstoy and Walker think that permanent extinction eradicates any hope for meaning in life, which makes their views more promising than those of Buddhism.
Bibliography
Tolstoy, Leo. The Kingdom Of God Is Within You By Leo Tolstoy. BEYOND BOOKS HUB, 2021.
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