Contrast the Buddhist ideal of the self with Rousseau's Essay

Contrast the Buddhist ideal of the self with Rousseau's - Essay Example Although the Skandhas are subject to different interpretations, generally, the first heap is the physical form; the second defines human emotions and feelings; the third human perceptions; the fourth includes human predispositions, prejudices and habits; and the fifth, consciousness. Buddha taught that the ideal self is no self. What this means is that the Skandhas are themselves empty considering that they are not qualities that are possessed by the individual. Better stated, according to Buddhism, the ideal self (atman) comes into existence essentially when the sense world and body are subtracted. According to Buddha, when a fire is deprived of fuel leading to its extinction, the stage of Nirvana is reached. Similarly, the ideal man comes into existence when the desires and boundaries of the finite self are removed (Smith 115). The ideal self in this state is incomprehensible, inconceivable, and beyond description. On the other hand, Buddha proposed that the ideal man is one who li ves midway between indulgence and asceticism. Jean-Jacques Rousseau notes that naturally, a human being is like any other animal, motivated to action by two principles: self-preservation and pity (Rousseau 20). The difference between the two is that man has a sense of unrealized perfectibility. Naturally, according to Rousseau, man is essentially happy, has limited needs, has no reason and respects not the concept of evil and good. In other words, Rousseau postulates that the ideal self is one that independent, happy, peaceful and free; devoid of the delusions of perfectibility and harmful reasoning. However, humans have developed and live in civil societies which present a lot of challenges isolating them from their natural selves. Simply stated, when humans are corrupted and enter civil society, they agree to leave their ideal or natural selves. It is under this condition that social inequalities continue to thrive. From the above

None Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

None - Essay Example Moreover, the research also concluded that carbon monoxide produced by private automobiles was 95% higher; production of dangerous organic compounds is 92% greater, two times more emission of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide as compared to public transportation for each person travelling per mile. There was another study conducted in 2004 by Lancaster University, which suggested that switching to train system from the private car or airlines travelling has no significant advantages in terms of environment protection. However, there was an environmental group â€Å"friends of the earth†, who had opposite views regarding the shift and they were not satisfied with the findings of the study conducted by the university (Marston, 2004). They made another study, which revealed that the train system lacked in the modern advancement that had been made for the vehicles and airline industries in terms of better fuel consumption and efficient use of the fuel. A train that travels from London to Edinburgh uses 11.5 liters excess fuel per person as compared to the latest cars working on diesel; and similarly, the trains of Pendolino consumed more fuel per person than the airbus A380 (ABD, 2012). There are some other detailed studies that have concluded that there is a negative and opposite relation between the urban population density and energy consumption per capita. With the help of public transit system, the high urban population densities can be benefited easily and as an inverse relation the use of energy to run the system will be low and the travelling distance will be reduced. Green movements members always are in favor of public transportation because of high benefits in term of less contamination and low pollution than any other travelling system. In 2004, there was a study carried out in the city of Milan, Italy that unveiled the impact of mass transportation on the environment on a day of public transportation strike. The air during 8 days in