Essay

Recently your class were asked to investigate different philosophical systems and what
they have to say about human beings. Another class would like to know your findings.
Write about the system you investigated and give your thoughts on its good and bad
points and what you think about it.
Write between 450-600 words

Only For Pessimists? (Title)

I recently read about a religion I have been curious about for a very long time but have
never found time to look into, Buddhism. I was both surprised and, to a certain extent,
disappointed about what I found out. (introduction, general point)

It seems to me that the first thing that most people will notice when reading
about Buddhism is its refreshing simplicity. Buddhism can be summed up in 4
short sentences. Firstly, all life is suffering. Secondly, suffering is caused by desire.
From this it follows that if we stop desire then we will stop suffering. Lastly, the way to
do this is through following Buddha’s eightfold path. This is so much easier to
understand than the majority of other systems and is one of Buddhism’s strongest
points. ( Topic sentence in bold, what the paragraph will be about, and then
examples)

Another very strong point about this system for me is its pacifism. In a world of
endless war and cruelty there is still a religion that practices what it preaches.
Buddhism is the only major world religion, as far as I know, that has never been
involved in any wars throughout its history.(Topic sentence and examples)

However, Buddhism is based on other beliefs that have to be considered. One of

these is the belief in reincarnation according to the law of Karma. Buddhists believe
that we are trapped inside an endless cycle of births and rebirths that only end when
we achieve enlightenment. With this we are released from the cycle of births and
achieve Nirvana, the Buddhist heaven. How we are reborn depends on how we have
lived in our last lives.(Topic sentence and examples)

Although this is a very interesting idea it does have its drawbacks. One of these is
that anyone living an unpleasant incarnation deserves to do so. The opposite is also
true. If you are born into a very good life, maybe being very well off, this is because you
have deserved this life in a previous one. This belief in Karma leads to the idea that we
all deserve the life that we have. As such, social injustice cannot exist and social ills
remedied. (topic sentence and examples)
Another interesting point about Buddhism, which I previously did not know, is
that it has no God. Buddhism is atheistic. This initially seems very strange for a
religion but can be seen by many as a strong point. In an age of science and
technology is belief in a personal God still credible? Many would say no, a definite plus
for atheists. Nevertheless, others may see this atheism as being a disadvantage. If
there is no God other questions arise. Where did everything come from? Who
establishes what is right or wrong? Who will help us in our troubles? If we are alone in
the universe, without a God, the answer is nobody.

To sum up, although there are various elements, I find very attractive, it is the
pessimistic element about Buddhism, its insistence that life is pain and that all
desire is to be avoided, that I find most difficult to accept. Whilst it is the case that
everyone will experience difficulties in their life, it does not mean that this is all there is
or can be. This for me one summed up by Buddha himself in one of his quotes: “He
who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes”. This is just far
too pessimistic for my tastes and is the reason I think I could never be a Buddhist.
Passives: There are various uses of the passive that are very useful in essays
I was surprised
Can be summed up
Suffering is caused
Buddhism is based
We are released
We are reborn
To be avoided
Have to be considered
Phrasal Verbs
Look into
Find out
Summed up

It is important to structure the essay: put a topic sentence, the sentence that says what
the paragraph is about, and then give examples. The topic sentence is usually the 1st
sentence of the paragraph.
Title, introduction, body (4 or 5 paragraphs) conclusion