Similarities and Differences

Both of the readings are similar in a way that each puts forth the idea of human behavior in perspective to the universe as a whole. In Existentialism there is an example of a boy who is faced with a choice “of leaving for England and joining the Free French forces leaving his mother behind” or “remaining with his mother and helping her carry on” as he was the only source of consolation. The boy had to choose one of the two options if he chooses the first then his mother would be left alone to circumstances that may not always be in her favor and if he chooses the second then his brother’s vengeance would be incomplete. A similar situation is faced in the parable Muddy Road by a monk called Tanzan who is crossing a muddy road and sees a girl struggling to cross the road. He too is faced with two choices: to help the girl cross the road by carrying her or to just continue without bothering because “monks don’t go near females because it is dangerous.” These situations are similar in that they show that life is not always so straightforward there are times when the decision is difficult to make. In the world there are always two choices either to go with the known results or path or to discover new things by exploring something that is unknown.

The main difference between these two readings is that in the Zen Parables there are three explicit lessons. The first one being that you should not live in the past you should live in the present. This is depicted by when Tanzan tells Ekido “are you still carrying her,” this implies that Ekido is still in the past (a monk should not go near women) grasping onto something that he can easily let go. The second lesson is that you should live in the moment. Even when the Buddha is stuck in a situation that can eventually kill him (tiger knaw at vine saving him from being food) he decides to “grasp the vine with one hand and pluck the strawberry with the other.” This implies that the Buddha wasn’t really thinking about his future but currently living his present to the best. The last lesson is that there is a domino effect present in human nature; what one person does is followed even unconsciously by others. This is shown when the first pupil asks the servant to “fix the lamps” that were growing dim. As a result the rest of the pupils speak up either telling the first pupil that they are “not supposed to talk”, complaining about the two pupils talking, or claiming that “I am the only one who has not talked.” Whereas in Existentialism, Sartre explains three terms: anguish, forlornness, and despair to explain his philosophy. He defines anguish as “the man who involves himself and who realizes that he is not only the person he chooses to be, but also a lawmaker who is, at the same time, choosing all mankind as well as himself.” This in turn leads to the responsibility of everything. Forlornness is defined as “god does not exist and that we have to face all the consequences of this.” Basically it states that God should be abolished. Lastly he defines despair as being bitterness. This philosophy takes a more positive outlook than the parables’ lessons.