Question

Compare the Buddhist way of coping with death with the Socratic view. Can you draw any similarities and any differences?

Answer 1

The death of Socrates brings us, in a strange way, to the life of the Buddha. Socrates came to the conclusion that mental/spiritual enlightenment requires us to renounce bodily craving and our need to perpetually satisfy our sensual desires. Spiritual growth means mastering our desires, and letting go of the attachments of embodied life. In Plato, Socrates is nearly the antithesis of the Homeric hero. As he said himself, to philosophize is to learn how to die.

Nearly identical ideas appear in Buddhism. However, Socrates believed that death freed us to a higher life beyond, and the Buddha made no such claims. While Buddhism is not precisely “atheist”, Siddhartha Gautama speaks little about the afterlife, and claimed not to know. As an apocryphal joke puts it, a student asks a Zen master: “Don’t you know if there’s life after death? Aren’t you a Zen master?” The Zen master replies: “Sure, but I’m not a dead Zen master!”

similarities between Buddha and Socrates. Though they lived in different eras and in different regions, these two philosophers seem to have more in common than what has been expressed in the past. Their cultures are completely different with Buddha living in India while Socrates lived in Greece. Their similarities as described in this article are much clearer in their deaths with slight contrasts coming up due to their cultural and religious practices. The two are leaders of particular groups of people and use their positions to teach people their ideologies and make them more aware of the philosophies they believe in. It is through such comparisons that scholars begin to understand the similarities that existed between great philosophers even when they lived in different places under different circumstances.

One of the similarities between Socrates and Buddha is the openness they express especially when dealing with their students. In order to impart the knowledge they posses to their students, both teachers require a higher form of intelligence. This means having an understanding of their students and which approach is best for that particular group of students. However, one notable thing about these teachers is that they maintain open lines of communication between them and their students such that there is always a chance for a student to ask. First, Socrates clearly creates an open line of communication by telling his students that they are free question his philosophies. He continues to tell them that it is better for them to raise their doubts when in front of him so that he may offer adequate answers. Additionally, he also tells them to raise arguments through which his philosophies can be advanced. On the other hand, Buddha tells the group of monks that he is teaching to ask whatever questions they might have about the teaching he is making. He is ready to receive any criticism or question regarding his teachings thus helping his students understand him in a better way. He even notes that the monks might be afraid of raising doubts due to the respect they have for him as their teacher. If this is the case, he even goes ahead and tells them to ask one another so that in the end all questions are answered. However, in the end, it is also important to note that by allowing their students to question their teachings, these teachers do not intend to change what is considered the truth. The truth will always remain even when doubts among men arise. In this perspective, Buddha and Socrates are similar in that they practice openness especially when dealing with their students.

The kindness, compassion and openness that Socrates and Buddha accord their students extend to the people close to them and those serving them. This is seen the way that both teachers treat the servants who bring them their last meals. For Socrates, the servant has an evil intent when he brings him poisoned food. However, Socrates knows this and accepts the meal graciously. He has no evil feelings for the man who poisons him knowingly. On the other hand, Buddha knows that the meal given to him is poisonous but the servant named Cunda does know this. Buddha says that this man should be treated well and praise since he has always served him well. The two teachers show great compassion for all people, even those who have evil intentions.

Another similarity between these two teachers is the way they face their upcoming death. Even when other men around them see death as a loss, both Buddha and Socrates see it as a way of moving into another word. Additionally, they both face their deaths with extraordinary strength and positive attitudes. On the other hand, their followers have not yet realized that their masters have accepted the reality of death and continue to cry and mourn when they die. For Socrates, death is the ultimate truth since it leads to the separation of the soul from the body. In this instance, he says that a true philosopher should only concern himself with the study of death and dying since it is the only time that the soul truly gains freedom. Buddha, on the other hand sees no importance in holding onto life yet he has already lived eighty years, which is considered the full term of life. He knows that his body is weak and helps his students understand the concept of death by saying that death will bring comfort to him. He too discourages his followers from mourning his death since it the only rightful thing to do. All things that have had a life must eventually pass away.

Both Buddha and Socrates do not want elaborate burial arrangements but they do respect traditional practices in their community. For Socrates, he instructs his followers to not worry too much, about how his body is buried. He tells them to note that they will only be burying his body and not him. In this manner, they should not lay too much emphasis on the funeral arrangements. He tells them that they should feel any remorse when they bury or burn his remains since it is no longer of importance to the human life. However, for Buddha, his followers do conduct an elaborate burial, which is only fitting considering his popularity amongst many people. Another similarity between these two teachers is that they maintain a group of followers who continue to practice their teachings even after their deaths. This creates continuity in their philosophies some of which are still in application even today. Both teachers became respectable philosophers in their native countries and eventually captured the worldwide audience.

The author of this article has done a great job in convincing the reader that there exist some intricate similarities between Buddha and Socrates. However, in order to skillfully critique the arguments presented in this article, it is important to have a background understanding of the teachings of both Buddha and Socrates. From the discussion made above, I feel that the author’s argument is very persuasive and presented in a very convincing manner. This article does challenge my view on the vast differences between ancient India and Greece. I now see the possibility of a united force of philosophies coming from scholars from different regions, living in different times but having similar beliefs. In this perspective, further research on the teachings of Buddha and Socrates will help understand this article better and make it easier to critique.

They have different goals: Socrates renounces sensual desires in hopes of achieving enlightenment in life and spiritual rebirth after death; Plato writes philosophy and theology. The Buddha renounces the same things, but in hopes of living an enlightened life on earth. In many ways, Buddhism evokes both philosophy and psychology. Neither tradition espouses masochistic asceticism as much as peaceful withdrawal.