The main aim of Buddhism teachings is cultivating the mind with a motive of benefiting others in the society. It advocates for an individual sense of peace and happiness that will contribute to happiness and prosperity of others in the society. The teaching of transforming the mind and creating a positive and responsible attitude towards others is of significant importance in today's society, and each individual has to learn the given set of skills from Buddhism to ensure harmony and peaceful coexistence in the society. Through teachings from Buddhism, individuals can face any problems that life brings as they acquire tremendous confidence, calmness and a high degree of responsibility. The teachings of Buddha Dharma and Mahayana encourage virtues such as love, compassion, generosity, and patience which are of fundamental importance to today's society. Individuals are required to pay attention to the practices of Buddhism as they not only preserve the Buddhist tradition but also promote a peaceful and loving society.
Buddhism according to Shantideva teaches two important principles. The principles are the wisdom of emptiness and aspiration to attain highest good for the sake of others (Shantideva 13). The actual realization of emptiness is not achievable without the highest degree of compassion for others. Through these principles, the mind is trained to have a high level of wisdom and compassion for others. As a result, individuals can do good deeds to others to get blessings and the highest level of good. It is a person's mindset of fearing the consequences of evil that the Buddhist primary use to promote the virtue of doing good and enthusiasm among its followers (Shantideva 14). Through fear of uncertainty in death and infernal torment of souls Buddhist promote a culture of love and compassion among its members for the better good of others including animals, hungry ghosts, and beings in hell. In Bodhisattva's religion, an act is considered evil not because it breaks the rules that were given by the creator but because it bring suffering to the current or future generation. It is evident that one of the main philosophies of this religion is the love and care of others by appreciating, respecting and helping other lower beings.
Anger and sorrow are the significant consequences of suffering for every man (Shantideva 28). Shantideva claims that it is the mind thoughts that create great problems in the society. The thoughts of pride, anger, lust and jealousy must be destroyed to maintain good deeds among Buddhist faithful. From such sentiments, Shantideva advocates for the control of emotions that will otherwise bring havoc in an individual's life and urges people to restraint from such thoughts to be able to reach a high level of doing good. Enemies often increase anger in individuals. Buddhism advocates for cherishing and embracing enemies as they provide an opportunity for testing patience and purification of individual's mind.
Equality of self and others is also essential for a pure altruistic attitude in the society (Shantideva 149). Individuals must always train to protect other peoples' interest and prevent them from suffering. It advocates for protecting of other people in the same way a person defends himself/ herself. Individuals should place themselves in other people's shoes and realize the effect of the consequences they make on such people and make decisions based on that. A person should lower his pride in the society and appreciate the impacts other people have in their life irrespective of how small it may be. Buddhism promotes cherishing other people and acknowledging them as god's creation and helping them tackle their problems. Generosity for the poor is also important as it helps them withdraw from their sufferings and live a better life. By following the teachings of Buddhism, an individual is promised a better life full of blessings from the creator and a good afterlife.
Work cited
Shantideva, Acharya. A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. Library of Tibetan Work & Archives, 1981.
