Comparison of Gandhi, Siddhartha and Malcolm X

Comparison of Gandhi, Siddhartha and Malcolm X

It is the differences between people that make them unique and no matter what an individual’s background, culture or beliefs may be, it is their differences that allow each person to react to experiences in their own special way. Although we are all very different, most of us had religious experiences at some point in our lives. The way in which we interpret these experiences is dependent on who we are as individuals.

Three well-known men, Gandhi, Siddhartha and Malcolm X, each have had personal experiences with religion and have went on to share these experiences and their philosophies on life with the world.

Siddhartha grew up in India and was taught the Hindu teachings by his father, although as a young man he questioned the Hindu beliefs and sought out to find himself and religion. He spent years as a Samana, a “self-exile of society living in self-denial,” with his good friend Govinda.

As a Samana, Siddhartha was introduced to Buddhism, but still did not find the religious fulfillment that he yearned for. Siddhartha had to live a life of sin before making peace with himself, but was able to find true happiness and the meaning of life through following no one’s teachings except his own through his experiences.

Before leaving his family to search for religious fulfillment, Siddhartha wanted to rid himself of worldly possessions and did so by giving a poor man his clothes. He also believed strongly in the concept of “The Self,” shutting himself off from society, destroying all attachments: "When all the Self was conquered and dead, when all passions and desires were silent, then the last must awaken, the innermost of Being that is no longer Self - the great secret!". He did this because he believed that by destroying attachments to the outside world, he would be able to find himself more easily.

In his journey, Siddhartha discovered that he was unable to part with his ‘Self’ and realized that he could not forget his personal identity, comparing the escapism of the Self to the escapism of alcoholics and gamblers, and realized that in the end, everyone must return to reality. Siddhartha still could not find the answers he sought to his questions about life and the world, so he and Govinda went on a journey to find Buddha.

After listening to Buddha’s teachings, Siddhartha decided he was doubtful of Buddhism and set out on his own to find the meaning of life by becoming his own pupil, while his friend Govinda stayed and became a disciple of Buddha. Siddhartha vowed never to follow anyone’s teachings again and became his own teacher.

After leaving Buddhism behind, Siddhartha began to awaken inside through nature, seeing the beauty in things such as flowers, the sun, the wind and the river. It was at this point that Siddhartha was born again, after realizing that he must start a new life himself, embracing this newfound freedom. He realized that his "body was certainly not the Self, not the play of senses, nor thought, nor understanding, nor acquired wisdom or art with which to draw conclusions and from already existing thoughts to spin new thoughts...Both thought and the senses were fine things...it was worthwhile listening to them both...to listen intently to both voices .” He chose to listen to his own voice, instead of denying his true Self