Capstone Paper for each tradition: Given that the goal of inter-religious dialogue is both mutual understanding and respect, please write a one page (single spaced) paper on the tradition that we have just completed studying. Select Buddhism(end of November) and write several paragraphs on your impression of it. Begin with a paragraph on how you used to perceive it, and remark on how your newfound knowledge and insight has bred a deeper understanding of and respect for the tradition. Then in a second paragraph, try to summarize what you believe are the key aspects of the religion, and how its practitioners go about cultivating religious devotion and moral development. In the last paragraph, please discuss what you most respect about the tradition. In other words, if you had to integrate one or two of their beliefs or practices, which one would it be and why. Discuss how the tradition could actually add to your own religious identity. Only put your name in the top left hand corner of the paper. I don’t need anything else, like Georgetown Prep, the date, etc. Proof read your paper out loud. Silent proof reading often means that you’re simply reading what is in your head rather than what’s on the screen. You will, in part, be graded on your grammar. Grammar, content, organization, creativity and clarity will be the main considerations I use to grade your paper. More description of the grading scale is below. Grading Rubric Criteria Needs Work (0-5 pts) Getting There (6-7 pts) Good Effort (8-9 pts) Excellent (10pts) Content: Question is answered clearly and thoughtfully. All sources are referenced – Inside Islam, Obama speech, Muslims video, textbook, & primary sources. Solid presentation of ideas. Submitted to turnitin.com! Organization: Essay is clearly organized, using paragraphs, an intro, body & conclusion. Logical flow of ideas is evident. Depth of understanding is present. Creativity/ Risk: Shows reflection, creative thinking and expression. Essay moves beyond simple summary and synthesizes ideas and insights. Grammar and Format: Proofreading is evident. There are no spelling errors, grammar flows naturally and paper is stapled if needed & both sides of paper are used to save trees! Rubric is stapled to the back or printed on the back of page 3, as page 4 to save paper. X-Factor: Essay demonstrates empathy and real insight. If a follower read your essay, they would appreciate your sensitivity and insight into the question. Comments: Buddhism Awakened One (in Sanskrit) Basic BiographyBorn in Lumbini 500 BCE, current day NepalPrince with a sheltered life (no physical discomforts)His father shelters him but Siddhartha sees 4 realities: aging, sick, dead, & a holy manConcludes “dukkha” (suffering/dissatisfaction)Flees his material privilege and seeks out teachers to ask how to end suffering.No one provides a meaningful answer despite speaking to the greatest teachers around. ...

1. Capstone Paper for each tradition:
Given that the goal of inter-religious dialogue is both mutual
understanding and respect, please write a one page (single
spaced) paper on the tradition that we have just completed
studying. Select Buddhism(end of November) and write several
paragraphs on your impression of it.
Begin with a paragraph on how you used to perceive it, and
remark on how your newfound knowledge and insight has bred a
deeper understanding of and respect for the tradition. Then in a
second paragraph, try to summarize what you believe are the
key aspects of the religion, and how its practitioners go about
cultivating religious devotion and moral development. In the
last paragraph, please discuss what you most respect about the
tradition. In other words, if you had to integrate one or two of
their beliefs or practices, which one would it be and why.
Discuss how the tradition could actually add to your own
religious identity.
Only put your name in the top left hand corner of the paper. I
don’t need anything else, like Georgetown Prep, the date, etc.
Proof read your paper out loud. Silent proof reading often
means that you’re simply reading what is in your head rather
than what’s on the screen. You will, in part, be graded on your
grammar.
Grammar, content, organization, creativity and clarity will be
the main considerations I use to grade your paper.
More description of the grading scale is below.

2. Grading Rubric
Criteria
Needs Work
(0-5 pts)
Getting There
(6-7 pts)
Good Effort
(8-9 pts)
Excellent
(10pts)
Content: Question is answered clearly and thoughtfully. All
sources are referenced – Inside Islam, Obama speech, Muslims
video, textbook, & primary sources. Solid presentation of ideas.
Submitted to turnitin.com!
Organization: Essay is clearly organized, using paragraphs, an
intro, body & conclusion. Logical flow of ideas is evident.
Depth of understanding is present.
Creativity/ Risk: Shows reflection, creative thinking and
expression. Essay moves beyond simple summary and
synthesizes ideas and insights.

3. Grammar and Format:
Proofreading is evident. There are no spelling errors, grammar
flows naturally and paper is stapled if needed & both sides of
paper are used to save trees! Rubric is stapled to the back or
printed on the back of page 3, as page 4 to save paper.
X-Factor: Essay demonstrates empathy and real insight. If a
follower read your essay, they would appreciate your sensitivity
and insight into the question.
Comments:
Buddhism
Awakened One (in Sanskrit)

4. Basic BiographyBorn in Lumbini 500 BCE, current day
NepalPrince with a sheltered life (no physical discomforts)His
father shelters him but Siddhartha sees 4 realities: aging, sick,
dead, & a holy manConcludes “dukkha”
(suffering/dissatisfaction)Flees his material privilege and seeks
out teachers to ask how to end suffering.No one provides a
meaningful answer despite speaking to the greatest teachers
around.
First answer is to become an extreme ascetic because “sin
comes from doing things that make us feel good.”Stops
asceticism Meditates to discover his own answer,and finds the
middle path.Mara, the Evil one, tempts him. Her arrows turn
into flowers, though. [Power of insight]He obtains
enlightenment: “The earth is my witness” under the Bodhi tree,
in Bodgaya, Bihar, India.Teaches from age 30 to 81
The BuddhasThe “Buddha” is the buddha of the present,
Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni (caste)Maitreya is the Buddha
of the future. Boddhisattva is a “saint” – one who has attained
enlightenment but stays in the world to help others (found in
northern buddhism). The southern buddhist equivalent is the
arhat: one who has attained enlightenment. Nirvana – “heaven”
translates as emptinessSamsara – cycle of life and death What
keeps people in samsara are greed, hatred and ignorance We all
are reincarnated until we get it right.
3 jewelsDharma – “to hold,” truth or way The body of teachings

5. Buddha – reverence for his achievement Sangha – community of
practitioners (we cannot do it on our own; and yet we must
meditate as if it depends entirely on our own).Speech should be
useful, gentle, edifying and truthful.Action should be peaceful
and respectful. Livelihood should be non-harming.
4 Noble truths1. Life involves Dhukkha 2. Dissatisfaction is
caused by our desires, cravings, demands (I must have
_______).3. We can end our dissatisfaction if we let go of our
cravings/attachments/demands.[Note: Preferences are okay.
Demands are what cause problems.] 4. The way to achieve
enlightenment is to follow the 8-fold path
8 fold path: the “How”
I Wisdom:
1. Right View
2. Right Intention
II Ethical Conduct:
1. Right Speech
2. Right Action
3. Right Livelihood
III Mental Discipline 1. Right Effort 2. Right Concentration3.
Right Mindfulness
Two schools:Theravada – southern Buddhism (small wheel) uses
only the earliest writings India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand,
CambodiaArhat – goes to nirvana straight awayGreater
emphasis on the monastic tradition. The community gives dona

6. to the monks/nuns. More focus on the individual obtaining
enlightenment, and less on helping others obtain it. “Small
wheel” because little focus on animals, insects, and the cosmos,
but a lot on human activity.
MahayanaAKA Northern Buddhism (big wheel)Focus is more
universal – including animals, insects, and the
interconnectedness of the entire cosmos. Is more open to
immediate enlightenment (satori) and the laity being vessels of
wisdom. Uses both early and later (philosophical)
writingsChina, Korea, JapanBodhisattva – attains enlightenment
but stays behind to help others, to help all sentient beings
Zen: to meditate (chan) Soto and Rinzai are the two Zen
schools. Zazen is the name (verb) of the actual practice of
meditation. A Zafu is the cushion on which one sits. To
meditate is to “sit” (in english).Bodhidarma brought Buddhism
from India to China in the 7th century CE. It mixes
theologically with Taoism. Zen is practiced in Vietnam, Korea,
China and Japan.
Buddhist Philosophy MeditationPresent MomentInsightNon-
dualism Non-attachmentNonviolence
Meditation The purpose is to build mindfulness. If you focus on
your breath and its subtleties, then you take that deepened
concentration into every facet of your life: baseball, family,
romantic love, friends, driving, school, etc… Conscious

7. breathing links the mind to the body. If you slow down, you can
begin to see the invisible, to notice what is not obvious to the
naked eye (wisdom).
Present Moment Stay in the here and now. The kingdom of God
is available in the here and now. It is only in the present
moment that one can attain happiness. The future does not exist.
Planning (future oriented thought) and reflection (thought
regarding the past) are good but not to be done in excess,
instead though in moderation: 15% 70% 15%. “Looking deeply
is the most effective way to transform anger, prejudice and
discrimination.”
Insight If you are a poet, you will clearly see that there is a
cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there will
beno rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without
trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the
paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot
be here either. So we can say that the cloud and the paper inter-
are. If we look into this sheet of paper even more deeply, we
can see the sunshine in it. If the sunshine is not there, the forest
cannot grow… You cannot point out one thing that is not here –
time, space, the Earth, the rain, the minerals in the soil, the
sunshine, the cloud, the river, the heat. Everything coexists with
this piece of paper… This sheet of paper is because everything
else is.
Peace Is Every Step, Thich Nhat Hanh
Non-Dualism Despite appearances, all things are
interconnected; all things are ONE. Evil occurs only when we

8. think things are two: good versus evil. This assessment is an
illusion. Read the poem and discover the application of non-
dualism, how it ushers in nonviolence.
Non–attachment In many cases, it is our attachment to things
that are the very sources of our suffering. All things are
impermanent, therefore we should relinquish our grip on all
things. This creates freedom. Our problems come not from
“reality” or the world, but from our incapacity to adjust to
reality. You are more than your anger. Do not be attached or
controlled by it. Attachment is not love; it is controlling and it
kills love.
Nonviolence Honors the sacredness of each personAddresses
underlying symptoms without completely blaming single actors.
It does NOT mean non-activity. It simply means to address
conflict without causing further harm, exclusively attempting to
solve the problem using love and compassion. Understanding
breeds compassion.
If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. Don’t worship anyone,
not even Mr. Haardt. Rely on yourself. “Work out your own
salvation.”This dovetails with the Gospel’s notion of the
kingdom of God is within you. The entire project of Buddhism
rests on turning one’s arrow inwardly. Our problems/solutions
exist within ourselves. Any external object (person/$) isn’t the
problem, nor the solution. The Buddha is within, never another
person. You, no one else, are the Buddha.

9. Only you can save yourself “Work out your own salvation with
diligence” (the Buddha).There is no reliance on something
outside of yourself, ultimately. The sangha and teachings can
help, but they are not enough. You HAVE to meditate, learning
the truth that is accessible only to committed seekers. The
Buddha preached intense self-reliance: “A true disciple must
know for herself.”
Buddhism II
Pages 211-237
5 Precepts Avoid killingAvoid stealingAvoid lyingAvoid sexual
misconductAvoid intoxicants (alcohol, drugs, etc.)
The last two intersect. One is much more likely to commit
sexual misconduct when under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Be aware of national trends that are coming to victims’ defense
around the issue of date rape, especially on college campuses.
Note: As many as 1/3 of all women are victims of sexual assault
in some form.
Right speechOne only says things that they know are true. Also,
one avoids gossip even if you know it’s true. Gossip causes
harm. It’s entertainment at another’s expense. It invites
judgment and exclusion. How does one speak about others in
ways that invite compassion, humility and social healing? Right
speech is anchored in ahimsa – the concept of non-harming.

10. No SelfThis teaching is in synchronicity with the Pauline idea
that “It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives within me”
(Galatians 2:19).We “sin” from a place of self importance – to
gratify our own ego. Goal is to avoid being reactive from a
place of self importance. Can one see beyond one’s ego? Goal is
to be non-reactive, and to understand. The point here is to
emphasize impermanence and non-attachment, especially as how
they relate to the nature of emotions. See that emotions will rise
and fall, and remember no to be attached to an emotion (“Sorry,
I couldn’t help myself”).
Impermanence For instance with anger, treat it as a mother
treats a crying baby. Rather than ignore it – which will lead to
tension to a point of an emotional explosion - pay attention to
it. Pick up the baby, so to speak, and hold it. Look into the
anger, and try and gain insight into its source. Sift through the
narrative and give others the benefit of the doubt. Be aware of
self importance, and try and see the other’s position. Avoid
right and wrong, and instead aim for harmony and deeper
understanding.
The middle pathAvoid two pitfalls:1. I am right and you are
wrong2. You are right and I am wrongInstead, seek
understanding of both perceptions and focus on the causes and
conditions of reality. The goal should be seeking truth(s), and it
shouldn’t be to win the argument or to be right.
Buddhism and Western PsychologyOverlap in the area of self

11. understanding“Play the tape forward” See the relationship
between greed and ignorance: “If I had _____
(sex,power,possessions), I’d be happy.” Really? One meditates
in order to gain insight. One goes to therapy to gain deeper
understanding of how one’s past conditions one’s present
condition. Both are interested in how to deal with adversity
through deeper understanding, and offer tips on how to live a
more harmonious life.
Dhammapada Huge emphasis on how one thinks, how one sees
the world and the self. Your mind creates your world. Happiness
follows from a skilled mindIf your mind is plagued with raging
passions, your life will be filled with hedonism. Can you tame
those passions by thinking about them with deep insight?If you
hold onto grudges, the world becomes a terrible place. If you let
go, you are free.
“We read the world wrong and then say it has deceived us.”
Rabindranath Tagore Those who have known the valuable as
valuable, and the worthless as worthless: they attain the
valuable. What is valuable, and what is worthless?Why do some
get it wrong? What are the illusions in our society?Many
problems stem from the pursuit of false pleasures – immediately
positive effects but problematic long term results.Sukha is
lasting happiness, ease and comfort.
Dhammapada continuedJust as rain doesn’t penetrate a well
thatched house, so passion fails to enter a well-cultivated mind.
How one thinks determines how one acts. Can you see through
illusions?Temporary gain for long term lossWhat brings

12. temporary sacrifice & long term gain?Knowing the ‘right’ is
insufficient. One must act in accordance with right teaching.
The spiritual fruits of the pathReally, this is about liberation
from one’s cravings. How are you when you don’t get your
way?Ignatius would use the words interior freedom or
indifference. One needs freedom in order to be happy – an
ability to deal with life given all the imperfections and
uncertainties. Life will not always go our way. Are we capable
of dealing with the vicissitudes of life?
How you see the worldMano – represents how one perceives
realityHow do you tell stories about your world, and are those
stories congruent with reality?This raises a key aspect of
Buddhism, which is how pivotal one’s own mind is in whether
liberation or salvation is possible. It’s up to you, ultimately.
The Sangha helps, as does venerating the Buddha and studying
the dharma* but in the end we must save ourselves. *The
dharma’s value is in living in accordance with it. Knowing it
simply isn’t sufficient.
Hungry Ghost or “Preta”…is when someone’s appetite is such
that they are never satisfied. A hungry ghost has a thin, long
neck and a large stomach. No matter how much they consume,
they forever remain hungry. Goal: develop a wide neck and a
small stomach for even when you consume a little, you are
satisfied. Attitude determines happiness, not amount of
possessions.

13. Present moment; only momentOne of the key emphases in
BuddhismHappiness is only possible in the present moment. If
you want to understand the past, look at how one lives in the
present. If you want to understand the future, look in the
present to see how one lives. Additionally, we cannot always
trust our memories, so how true is our past? On the same note,
the future doesn’t exist as we imagine it so why bother with the
projections. Best to simply remain in the present moment.
Lotus Nirvana Teaching Near the end of his life he taught this.
Anybody who recited the Buddha’s name even once planted a
seed in their consciousness that in the future would result in
Buddhahood. Upon hearing this, 5,000 irate disciples stormed
out in protest, thinking that all their efforts were unfairly equal
to one who took one small step. The Buddha thought these
childish monks were selfish, and were far from having the
boundless, giving heart of the dharma. Even small acts can yield
massive returns.
The Metta Sutta Desire universal flourishing for all beings. One
must be gentle and humble; self importance has no place on this
path. Live simply. Materialism hinders growth. Radiate a
boundless love throughout the whole universe. Don’t cling to
views, nor sensual desires.
Equanimity is all about freedom, and mustn’t be understood as
listless apathy or emotional disengagement from the world.
When one has equanimity, one is more able to engage others
lovingly (devoid of selfishness). True love is anchored in the

14. desire for the other to flourish, and certainly isn’t about how
she/he makes ME feel. Integrate “Understanding” into one’s
notion of love, and make it less about emotions. Paying
attention to each day (present moment mindset) allows for one
to continue to deepen one’s love for another by furthering one’s
understanding of the constantly changing partner.
Key teachings May all beings be happyThis idea connects us
with everything. It creates a key common ground, linking all
people together- an interpretive lens through which to view all
interactions benevolently. “As a mother would risk her own life
to protect her only child, cultivate this same boundless heart for
all beings.” Huge focus on service, too. This shrinks the ego to
its proper size
Non attachmentOne shouldn’t even be attached to the idea of
non-attachment. You are already enlightened; you just don’t
know it. Seeking nirvana as though it were something out there
is exactly what keeps one from Nirvana. Before you are
enlightened, a mountain is a mountain; a river a river; and a tree
a tree. Once you are enlightened, a mountain is a mountain; a
river a river, and a tree is a tree. Or, “There is nothing to be
attained.”There is fullness in emptiness and emptiness in
fullness. The spiritual life is all about self-emptying, not filling
yourself with this or that.
Buddhist teachings cont.3 poisons Greed – all about the ego and
can never be fully satisfiedAnger – you want to harm the other;
see the other as separate; filled with illusion and hatredDelusion
– far from the truth, you are lost in a separate narrative that

15. makes reality far from you. With a wrong map, you cannot find
the destination.
Suffering: The 2 Arrows There are two types of suffering:
avoidable and unavoidable. We cannot stop the arrows in life
for we cannot control others. But we can control whether we get
struck by a second arrow, which is the arrow that comes from
how we react to the first arrow. Do we cultivate hatred, non-
acceptance when we are struck by an arrow or do we accept,
move on, learn, and utilize compassion and thus avoid the
second arrow?
Guan Yi – the boddhisattva of compassion. Notice the many
arms (helping others, action oriented, not something strictly
cerebral).
Mount Potala is their Lourdes.
There are stupas (temples) devoted to her.
Vocabulary Satori – immediate awakening, an ‘aha’ moment
Koan – a riddle of sorts that gets one out of linear thinking in
hopes of fostering a mystical, deeper understanding of the
worldSutta – teaching
Metta – loving kindness
84,000 paths to the dharma
Avalokiteshvara – the boddhisattva of listening

16. Buddhism
Aims to bring us to our immediate reality
Pages 191-210
The LotusThe lotus flower only grows in mud. The mud
represents suffering, disatisfaction. The lotus flower is
beautiful, however. The theological import here is that the
Buddha promises that we can attain enlightenment despite the
brokenness of the world, of our own lives. From brokenness
(mud) comes beauty (the lotus flower).
The bodhicitta – the wise heart. Chuan is the Chinese concept of
heart/mind. In the west we think that the heart and the mind are
separate. In fact, this is not the case. One must see that one’s
thoughts profoundly affect one’s feelings. There is co-existence
between these two parts. They are shared according to Chinese
thought.
Nirvana – the endTranslates as “emptiness”No Self (no atman)
is the goal.Christians say that this is in synch with pure union
with God – when all that separates us from God is
removedPurify the mind of three hurdles: ignorance, hatred and
greed. Buddhism demonstrates the problem and solution to the
human condition
Buddhist ThoughtThe Buddha also sought to escape samsara,
and he believed in karma, too. Less interested in doctrine, and

17. more concerned with simply dealing with reality B – critical of
the social restrictions of the caste and gender systems.
Buddhist Thought Suttas – teachings/sayings of the Buddha
Dhammapada – the book of the Buddha’s teachings Our chief
problems stem from this notion of a separate self. If we let go
of this, then we can live more harmoniously. Clinging to the
notion of the separate self (atman) causes an increase in
aversions and attractions and thus less freedom.
More on Buddhist ThoughtWe are imprisoned by a reactive
mind. We do and say things in response to others’ actions or
words. Instead, we should more freely speak and act according
to a system that is anchored to peace, freedom, and truth. This
takes extreme discipline and training of the mind to create
balance and a wholesome condition.Key is to foster
mindfulness: watch the mind, one’s actions, and the experience
of reality. There must be a way imbetween extreme asceticism
and hedonism.
Demonstration of no self“In a famous dialogue between the
Buddhist monk Nagasena and King Melinda, Nagasena asks
what a chariot is the king tells him it is an arrangement of an
axle, wheels, a carriage, and so on. Nagasena presses him to
identify its essence, and the king replies that the chariot has no
essence. This is the same as the self, Nagasena argues; the self
has no essence but self is the conventional term used to describe
the collection of the 5 aggregates” (195).

18. Reality Life is impermanent. This we know for sure. Perhaps
it’s the only thing we can know for certainty. Change is
everywhere. Believing this can allow us to be less attached to
things and people. Knowing their impermanence prepares us to
be more free. Craving, by contrast, comes from believing that
life and things are permanent. We cling to our experience and
this causes, potentially, real suffering. When our
girlfriend/boyfriend wants to break up with us, do we cling to
them or do we gracefully let go so that they can pursue
happiness. We don’t have a self.
Truths Conventional truths (2+2=4)Ultimate truths, which is
what Buddhism is concerned with. With truth, you mustn’t
grasp onto it. It’s like a raft: use it to cross to the other side,
and then let it go. You don’t stay in the raft when you reach the
beach. You go onward.
Meditation: the sina qua nonWithout it there is nothingOne must
“sit” in order to reach enlightenment. The Sangha helps, but
cannot do it for the individual. We must rely on ourselves. You
see the world as it is: Vippassana.Samadhi is the goal: sustained
concentration. The results of meditation are internal: loving
kindness (meta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita)
and equanimity. This represents the ideal way to relate to
others.
What’s gained? Insight is the fruit.If you are a poet, you will
clearly see that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper.
Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees

19. cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The
cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here,
the sheet of paper cannot be here either. So we can say that the
cloud and the paper inter-are. If we look into this sheet of paper
even more deeply, we can see the sunshine in it. If the sunshine
is not there, the forest cannot grow… You cannot point out one
thing that is not here – time, space, the Earth, the rain, the
minerals in the soil, the sunshine, the cloud, the river, the heat.
Everything coexists with this piece of paper… This sheet of
paper is because everything else is.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step
Interconnectedness “By recognizing the delusion of a separate
existence, one also sees that the suffering in the world is really
one’s own suffering and that the release from suffering in the
world is necessary for one’s own release” (198).Goal is to be
like Avalokiteshvara – the boddhisattva/saint of compassion
who has hundreds of arms that help others.
Buddhist PracticesReligious activity – meditation, lighting
candles, praying, offering food – is merit making, and cultivates
one’s devotion to the path. Buddhists extensively utilize
chanting as a form of prayer. Circumambulate temples, stupas,
etc. Real use of the body, unlike Christians who typically go to
service/mass and remain stationary. Buddhist meditation
demands physical rigor with the full or half lotus position.
Pilgrimages are also very popular. Tibetans will go on their
hands and knees all the way to Lhasa, the capital.
Dialogue More fruitful if one looks at common virtues and

20. spiritual compatibility, not doctrine which can create
roadblocks.Buddhism is nontheistic. Truths come from one’s
inner core via diligent spiritual cultivation. Like Hinduism,
Buddhism focuses more on orthopraxy than orthodoxy.
Less hierarchy Buddhists are not told to believe truths, but to
test them and discover them on their own. “Kalamas, when you
know for yourselves that these qualities are skillful, that these
qualities are blameless and these qualities are praised by the
wise, moreover these qualities, when adopted and carried out,
lead to welfare and to happiness, you should undertake them”
(204).
From A PATH WITH HEARTLook at every path closely and
deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then
ask yourself and yourself alone one question. This question is
one that only a very old person asks. My benefactor told me
about it once when I was young and my blood was too vigorous
for me to understand it. Now I do understand it. I will tell you
what it is: Does the path have a heart? If it does, the path is
good. If it doesn’t, it is of no use.
~Jack Kornfield
Spiritual goalsThe goal isn’t to reach divinity but spiritual
awakening. These truths asserted in Buddhism are to be tested
for oneself. Very little interest in adopting doctrine, but instead
encouragement to personally discover the insights that the
Buddha had. The path is inward; it is to transform ignorance
into awareness.

21. The Buddha’s Vow“This is an impossible task; even so, I set my
heart on accomplishing the impossible.”End all afflictionsSave
all sentient beingsMaster the Buddha’s way