Thursday, October 31, 2019

HAPPINESS AND MORALITY Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HAPPINESS AND MORALITY - Term Paper Example Based on the points raised by virtue ethics, a person is being moral when he is performing moral acts. Therefore, the requisite for cultivating a reputation as being virtuous is through performing acts that are moral or virtuous which makes the person becomes moral or virtuous. This is the heart of her argument regarding the supposed autonomy of happiness and morality with each other. Aristotle postulates â€Å"being moral will make you happy† (qtd. in Vitrano 4), which Vitrano argues saying that the morality and intellectual character of a person do not automatically lead to happiness (3). In her words, Vitrano states â€Å"we do find happy immoralists, people who knowingly break the rules of society and appear unaffected by it† (3). Vitrano makes a plausible explanation for her conclusion that a person who appears to be moral needs first to perform virtuous acts or by being virtuous. One cannot establish his or her image as a virtuous person without doing acts that ha ve intrinsic moral values in it. I agree with Vitrano that an appearance of a virtuous individual entails the actual doing of things which are deemed virtuous. For instance, a president is not seen as a virtuous person without acting like one, such as abolishing the death penalty because it is pro-life. If the president does the opposite by signing the retention of that capital punishment, on a philosophical perspective, he appears to be immoral by doing the exact opposite of a virtuous act. Based on Aristotelian perspective, moral or intellectual virtues are the key to happiness; meaning, failure to appear virtuous by not performing moral acts does not make a person happy. However, I do agree with Vitrano that moral acts do not necessarily result to happiness because it is an independent domain apart from morality and intelligence. This has also the same logic with what Martin says, â€Å"Individuals blessed with every good fortune can be unhappy because they are depressed, and in dividuals with little good fortune can still be happy† (8). In the same way that fortune does not mean happiness, doing moral acts also does not automatically lead to happiness. Pascal’s Wager: Similarities and Differences with Vitrano’s Christine Vitrano’s view of happiness and morality shares some similarities with Pascal’s Wager. Both Vitrano and Pascal acknowledged the subjectivity among humans in terms of reasoning their state of happiness and their religion. Vitrano states that happiness cannot be construed on the volume of material possessions a person has or the moral and intellectual cause of his or her actions (3). Happiness is when humans view their lives positively, albeit fortune or doing things with morality and intellectual purpose as foundations (Vitrano 3). In other words, human happiness depends on the personal outlook of the person regarding the way he or she lives life. This view is embodied in the â€Å"life satisfaction viewâ €  that follows the subjectivity of one’s basis for being in a state of happiness (Vitrano 3). On one hand, Blaise Pascal in his work Pensees, encapsulated in his Wager the rationalization behind every religion. In the same case as Mathematics believes the existence of an infinite number although its appearance has not yet been witnessed, the same case applies to the existence of God. In Pascal’s Wager, he quantifies that God is â€Å"infinitely incomprehensible† because he is not, by affinity, related to us, and that he has neither â€Å"

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Sales of bonds backed by riskier US corporate loans have surged to Essay

Sales of bonds backed by riskier US corporate loans have surged to their highest level in seven years, helping to fuel a leveraged lending boom that is concerning regulators - Essay Example Furthermore, the low-interest-rate environment, more credit spreads, and promising laws have bolstered many performance metrics to better than pre-crisis levels. It is predicted that the asset class will experience growths stemming from the attractive returns offered by the CLOs in comparison to similar collaterals. A collateralized loan obligation can be argued to be the entire structured financial transactions where several degrees of equity and debt are delivered via special service vehicles that are primarily composed of commercial loans. Specifically, a distinction exists between a Collateralized loan obligation and bond obligations or mortgage obligations in that CLO in that they are debt securities that are collateralized by commercial loans. The Collateralized Loan Obligations work on a purchase basis. Typically, the degree and extent of the investment in the Collateralized Loan Obligations depends on the risk tolerance level of the investor, such that, risk tolerant investors receive more returns on their investment relative to risk averse investors. Comparatively, a case of a default on loans leads to the risk averse investors reaping the most (Westerfeld, & Weber, 2010, p. 75) Throughout the third quarter of 2008, the market experienced one of the worst financial crisis ever experienced in the twenty-first century. The crisis was characterized by the failure of major business and reduction in consumer wealth by huge margins (Westerfeld, & Weber, 2010, p. 70). Nevertheless, experts argue that the bursting of the housing bubble in 2006 led to the plummeting of the pricing in the real estate business, an issue that damaged most financial institutions. Key among the players in the causes was the Collateralized Loan Obligations that acted a substantial part in the sub-prime of the housing boom. With the continued growth of the CLO throughout 2005, more focus shifted to the use of subprime mortgages as collateral against

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Advantages and Disadvantages of System Testing

Advantages and Disadvantages of System Testing Assessment and reporting are the means by which learning can be monitored and stakeholders can be informed of achievement. Its educational aspect sees results used to identify strengths and weaknesses and improve future learning, and its instrumental aspect involves grouping of students according to achievement . Parents, teachers and students are interested in its educational function, whereas external stakeholders such as governments are concerned with the instrumental aspect. Movement towards a global and digital economy has necessitated skilled and knowledgeable school leavers, crucial for Australias social and economic prosperity. Governments therefore require schools to demonstrate student achievement at acceptable levels to justify their economic support . This accountability also ensures the community understands provision of funding and services to schools . To provide this information, assessment must be undertaken on a national scale. As the information required differs to that required in the classroom, strategies for assessment differ in design, implementation and reporting. National assessment must be inexpensive, rapid and externally mandated, and results must be transparent and accessible . Herein lie the issues with national testing. Authentic assessment is becoming popular in the classroom, testing real-life experiences and practical knowledge over numerous assessment tasks. In contrast, national tests assess students on one occasion and rely on a pen-and-paper mode of deliver, leading to debate over validity. Benefits of system-wide testing Over the past 40 years, international and national testing has increased substantially. While early implementation assisted selection of students for higher education, more recent national assessment is used to evaluate curriculum implementation . As different curricula operate throughout Australia and internationally, benchmarking has been developed to facilitate comparisons between countries or students and identify strengths and weaknesses . In Australia, the National Assessment Program (NAP) incorporates annual NAP literacy and numeracy (NAPLAN), and three yearly sample assessments in science literacy, civics and citizenship, and information and communication technology literacy. Most debate surrounds NAPLAN, hence it will be discussed further. NAPLAN proceeds under direction of the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA, previously MCEETYA) and is federally funded. It was developed to test skills essential for every child to progress through school and life . Each year, all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are assessed in reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. NAPLAN endeavours to provide data enabling Government to: analyse how well schools are performing identify schools with particular needs determine where resources are most needed to lift attainment identify best practice and innovation conduct national and international comparisons of approaches and performance develop a substantive evidence base on what works . NAPLAN claims to achieve this by collecting a breadth of information that cannot be obtained from classroom assessment. Government benefits from analysis on such large data samples: outcomes for groups including males/females, Indigenous and low socio-economic status students provide an evidence-base to inform policy development and resource allocation . Comparing individual students to others in their state, and national benchmarks provides detailed information for teachers to inform future learning. Individual students can also be mapped over time, to identify areas of improvement or those requiring intervention. In addition, national testing assists students moving schools in that it allows immediate identification of their learning level by their new school . Strict guidelines surround reporting of results to ensure benefits are gained. The Government have committed to ensuring that public reporting: focuses on improving performance and student outcomes is both locally and nationally relevant is timely, consistent and comparable . If NAPLANs implementation follows these guidelines, it will provide great benefit to Australia. However in these early stages of implementation, it is important to consider the troubled experiences of other countries regarding national testing. Lessons to be learnt National assessment was introduced in England in 1992 to establish national targets for education. Students are assessed at ages 7 and 11 in English and mathematics, and at 14 also in science . The no child left behind legislation was implemented in the USA in 2001 to reduce the disparity between high and low ends of student achievement, focussing on literacy and numeracy. Students are assessed yearly between Year 3 and 8, and once between Year 9 and 12. Results are analysed on the basis of socioeconomic and ethnic background, and published as school league tables by the media. Federal funding is linked to school performance . The common issues with both cases will be discussed below. Being a topical issue, the majority of literature on national testing is highly biased towards the authors opinion. However if or when these effects occur, they have the capacity to negatively impact on students. As such, they also need to be considered within the Australian context. Narrowing of the curriculum With funding linked to success, teachers are obliged to ensure students achieve the best result possible in assessed subjects, and can end up teaching to the test. Those teachers who produce successful students using this strategy are rewarded, deepening the problem . Within assessed subjects, increased class time is spent teaching students to take tests and increasing focus on tested areas, leading to reduced emphasis on skills such as creativity and higher order thinking . Furthermore, time spent on subjects not tested is reduced in preference for those that are. This type of teaching has been labelled defensive pedagogy and leads to narrowing of the curriculum . Excluding low-achieving students Reports suggest that some low-performing students are excluded from enrolment or suspended during testing to improve school performance . In one example, students with low scores were prevented from re-enrolling, but were officially labelled as having withdrawn . Compounding this effect, successful schools then have further power to choose students, leading to a widening gap between low and high performing schools; in direct opposition to the reasons for implementing national assessment . disregarding high-achieving students High-achieving students can also be adversely affected, as many results are reported only as percentage achieving benchmarks. Priority is therefore given to students just below benchmarks to ensure they reach them . This has been described as developing cookie-cutter students, all with similar skills . In doing this, students achieving above benchmarks are not challenged, reducing motivation and causing disengagement. Lowered self-esteem In one study, for the three years after national testing was implemented student self-esteem was significantly reduced compared to students the previous two years. Furthermore, attainment in national tests correlated with self-esteem, suggesting that both pressure of testing and the students achievement can influence self-esteem . Increased drop-out rates When compared to schools of similar socio-economic background but without national testing, a significant increase in Year 8-10 students dropping out of school was observed . This may be linked to pressure to suspend students or reduced self-esteem and motivation associated with high-stakes testing. Reporting of league tables National testing results are often reported as league tables, presenting average scores allowing direct comparison between schools. However, results tend to reflect socio-economic status rather than true achievement, and the depiction of schools as successes or failures leads to even further inequity between socio-economic groups . Importantly, the tables give no information as to the cause of low achievement or means for improvement , and therefore do not fulfil their intended purpose. Recent trends have seen publication of value-added data, adjusted for socio-economic status , however the methods of calculation are not explicit, hence their benefit is debatable. disparity from classroom assessment Classroom assessment has become increasingly authentic, with students being assessed on real-world tasks , giving them the best possible chance of demonstrating knowledge and skills. The use of national testing opposes this model, assessing students on one single occasion and leaving teachers uncertain as to appropriate pedagogy. Results obtained during classroom inspections of authentic styles of assessment have been shown to differ to those from national testing , leading to questioning over validity. Ensuring reliability and validity in Australia The issues described above need to be considered to ensure reliability and validity of national testing in the Australian context. Reliability Reliability refers to consistency of assessment, where results should be the same irrespective of when, where and how the assessment was taken and marked . The primary issue is marking consistency throughout Australia. Information technology facilitates accurate marking of simple answers, and Newton suggests computer-based scoring algorithms for constructed responses also improve reliability. Moderation ensures all assessors use the same strategies, and marking by more than one person may also improve reliability. Moderation also assists in maintaining threshold levels over time . Validity Validity refers to the assessment testing what it was designed to test. Construct validity: assessment is relevant, meaningful and fair and provides accurate information about student knowledge Content validity: assessment is linked to a specific curriculum outcome Consequential validity: assessment does not result in a specific group of students consistently performing poorly Concurrent validity: students receive similar results for similar tasks . Debate arises over the capacity of national assessment to demonstrate real-world tasks in meaningful contexts, or deep thinking and problem solving . With diverse cultural and language backgrounds, Australian students bring to school a variety of experiences and beliefs and demonstrate learning differently. The single occasion, pen and paper style delivery of national testing does not capture this diversity and can lead to anxiety . This is evident particularly for students from Indigenous and low socioeconomic backgrounds. One teacher suggested that the assessment is daunting, and skills valued in their culture are not seen as relevant . The concept of silent and individual examination is foreign due to their cultural value of collaboration, and the numeracy assessments are unfair because of their low English literacy (G. Guymer, personal communication, April 2011). Much time is spent teaching students how to complete forms, reducing teaching time already limited by low attendance . The aspiration for equality in Australian education is evident. However, this evidence suggests that rather than closing the gap national testing may actually be increasing it. Reporting of results In the past, rather than publishing league tables Australia has value-added to data by grouping schools with similar characteristics, to track individual students, and identify schools in need . However, this grouping has been challenged, as each school is essentially unique . To address this, the My School website was published in 2010 (http://www.myschool.edu.au), publishing a school profile including information on staffing, facilities and financial resources. The NAPLAN results are reported for each school against national averages as well as against 60 schools with similar socio-economic characteristics throughout Australia . Using results to improve learning Despite the overwhelming negative response to national testing, it is unlikely to disappear. As such, using results to improve student learning is the best response. Some methods used successfully are described below. Diagnostic application Although not designed for the purpose, results can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses for individuals or groups of students. By analysing specific questions, common errors can be identified and inadequacies in thinking inferred . In doing so, national assessment results can be used as a formative assessment to guide future teaching. As NAPLAN is undertaken every three years, results for individual students can also be analysed over time to identify improvement or decline. Consistency of schooling Together with the National Curriculum, results from NAPLAN will ensure students receive the same schooling across Australia. This will reduce difficulty associated with students changing schools, as their achievement level will be immediately accessible. Incorporation of content in the classroom NAP assessment tasks will be based on National Curriculum content once implemented. As students will be exposed to content during class, national testing should not pose an added burden for teachers. Teachers at Ramingining School ensure all worksheets incorporate question formats similar to those on NAPLAN tests, and in primary school tests are undertaken weekly in English or mathematics under test conditions (G. Guymer B. Thomson, personal communication, April 2011). The school therefore does explicitly teach students to take the test. Allocation of funding and resources Arguably the most important outcome of national testing is to identify schools with particular needs and determine where resources are most needed to lift attainment . Appropriate distribution of funding and resources will mean NAPLAN has delivered on these promises. In turn, there should be a closing of the gap between low and high achieving schools, and a reduction in many of the issues discussed. Hopefully, implementation of the National Curriculum will support the purposes of NAPLAN, together leading to equality for young Australians.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Data Essay -- essays research papers

1. Data is something known or assumed. It is anything that fits into a DSS and is valuable. Three examples are grades for a class, a picture of wallpaper, or word of mouth about a new product or company. 2. Words, pictures, and numbers. 3. Information is acquired data that is derived from data and anything that is summarized in numerical or graphical. Information is used for "informing" some one about something. An example of information is a net income on a balance sheet, the average of grades for a class and a graph of how many people use a certain product. 4. Normative approach, subjective approach and realistic approach. The normative approach is when the DSS provides the information that a decision maker wants in order to make a particular decision. This states that the information should meet the guidelines for making the decision. The subjective approach is when the DSS has information that the designs thought would be useful. This does not mean that the information will be useful. The last approach, realistic, is when the designer asks if the decision maker will use this information or not. Each approach has its own useful data. The realistic approach is the better of all the approaches because it takes into account what the DSS will be used for and puts in the needed information. The other two approaches do not put in the information that is needed. 5. The characteristics of useful information is as follows: { Timeliness : information is up to date and st...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Literary Essay †Julius Caesar Essay

As humans, none of us are entirely good or entirely evil. It is the same with the characters in the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. While many are portrayed as good or evil, none really are. This can be more easily explained through the characters Brutus, Marc Antony and Julius Caesar. From the very first mention of Brutus the audience is told that he is the most honorable man in Rome. This would persuade us to believe that he is a good character. From the beginning this is true, but not too far into the play, after some coaxing by Cassius, Brutus’ more evil side is revealed. He contributes to the plot of killing Caesar and says in Act II scene 1 line 10 â€Å"It must be by his death†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This alone is totally the opposite of what an honorable man would do. Nevertheless, he tries to redeem himself by adding in Act II scene 1 line 11-12 â€Å"I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general.† So we are led to believe that â€Å"sacrificing† Caesar is and honorable thing being done for the Roman people not just a well organized murder. This is one example of how no one is entirely good. Next is Caesar’s right hand man, Marc Antony. He loved Caesar very much and was deeply saddened when Caesar was murdered. After this event, he persuades Brutus to let him speak at Caesar’s funeral as a friend. Act III scene 1 line 227-230 â€Å"And am moreover suitor that I may produce his body to the market place; and in the pulpit, as becomes a friend, speak in the order of his funeral† The real reason why Antony wanted to speak at the funeral was to let the people know that Brutus murdered Caesar for no good reason. He expresses his success in Act III scene 2 line 270-271 â€Å"Belike they has some notice of the people, how I had moved them.† Marc Antony never forgives Brutus and the other conspirators for murdering Caesar and even goes to war with them because of it. Antony fighting for his friend’s death shows that he is good. But he tricks the others which show’s some bad in him. The last case is a little different than the others. This last example exactly isn’t of complete good or evil. It just shows how no one is perfect. Caesar was to be the ruler of the Roman Empire. Everyone thought that he was the best person for the job. He was thought of as a god. Gods are perfect  and Caesar was far from it. In Act I scene 2 lines 111 Cassius tells Brutus stories of how weak Caesar is. â€Å"Caesar cried ‘help me, Cassius, or I sink.'† He continues by adding in lines 127-128 â€Å"Alas it cried, ‘give me some drink, Titinius,’ as a sick girl.† This shows how Caesar was not like any god even though that is what the people believed. The whole point of this essay was to show how even in plays that it is impossible to have someone who is entirely good or evil. It’s just too unrealistic. As humans, we all possess good and bad characteristics. They may not be balanced but there isn’t anyone who is totally good or evil.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Presenting Christianity To Buddhism Essay

The last words of Jesus the Christ to his first band of disciples was to â€Å"go and preach the gospel to every creature† (Mk. 16:15). It has become, ever since, the mandate that the church at large has taken upon itself to endeavor to accomplish. Today, this command is commonly known among Christians as the Great Commission, and thus, all of the mission statements crafted by different Christian denominations hinge on these words of Jesus. The command is a major one, and so, must be heeded by the church of every generation. It is therefore incumbent upon the people of God to go and seek opportunities to present the â€Å"good news† to everyone – all peoples of any culture and religion which have no knowledge of God’s prescribed way of salvation as clearly revealed in the gospel. Specifically, this paper is focused on understanding Buddhism and on how to present the Christian faith to its people. Buddhism believes in a particular path of salvation it calls the â€Å"dharma. It (dharma) was realized by its founder, Siddhartha Gautama, of the Sakya tribe in Nepal, while in his deep meditation. After that defining moment of his life, he became the Buddha, or the one who is enlightened. The man was actually a member of the royal family and in fact, a prince. He lived around 566 BCE (Boeree 2000). The following statistics were taken from an internet web site whose concentration is on studies about Buddhism (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet 2008). The ten countries most populated by Buddha adherents are mostly located in Asia. They are: Japan (8,965,000 followers), China (102,000,000 followers), Vietnam (49,690,000 followers), Thailand (55,480,000 adherents), Myanmar (41,610,000 adherents), South Korea (10,920,000 adherents), Sri Lanka (12,540,000 devotees), Taiwan (9,150,000 devotees), Cambodia (9,130,000 followers), India (7,000,000 followers). It is very crucial for those who would take the task upon themselves of reaching the people of other religious background to have enough background of these religions. One major reason for this is, if the particular religion is embraced by the general population of that country, or at the least, it is one among other religions that has a huge following in that area of the globe, it must have been an influence in that particular society. It is therefore a must for missionaries to gain an ample background necessary for them to be effective in the mission of their choice. Background of Buddhism As stated briefly above, the founder of Buddhism was a man whose background was one of royalty. He was a prince, but had chosen instead when he was at an age of twenty-nine to leave the privileges of his royalty in order to understand the meaning of life, and in particular, why is there so much suffering. He was deeply moved by the sufferings that he saw. He therefore embarked on a journey in his life and engaged in an arduous spiritual discipline intent on discovering for himself the answer for all of these sufferings which he saw around him. An account was told of him when he at a particular time had decided instead to just sit under a certain tree, and there, to meditate until an answer is finally found. As the story unfolds, true indeed, Siddhartha Gautama, on that momentous day – as the sun rises, he became the Buddha. He was enlightened (Buddha means â€Å"the enlightened one†). From that point on, the Buddha has taken upon himself the self-less task of teaching to people the â€Å"dharma† – the spiritual path which he discovered in his enlightening encounter. For more or less 50 years, he wandered around the regions of India, and a following started to develop around him from every class devoted to practicing the path. Today, statistics show that the number of Buddhists worldwide has reached 365 million, and are said to be filling up 6% of the population of the world. It is one of the four considered major religions of the world and is the fourth in terms of number. Still, Christianity has the biggest number of followers – next to it is Islam, then next to Islam Hinduism, and as noted, the fourth is Buddhism (Robinson 2008). A. Buddhism’s Development It is commonly believed as reflected by certain historians in their works that Buddhism is to a certain degree has died out in India. In its first 200 years, the teachings of Buddha were preserved through oral tradition. After two hundred years, Disagreements ensued as it was during the following years that its authorities began to convene their â€Å"councils† – and in the course of these councils, splits occurred. And so, from India, Buddhism had become well-established in Sri Lankan soils. And it was from there that it spread out around Asia, and now represented in not less than five major forms: The Theravada Buddhism (Southern Buddhism), Mahayana (Northern Buddhism), Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism, or as some consider it – â€Å"the third path†), Tibetan, and the Zen Buddhism. Nowadays, Buddhism is even becoming a religious trend among the westerns (Calyaneratne 2006). It began to be known in the latter part of the 1800’s in the west when the Europeans then with their colonial occupations had been exploring Asia’s cultures and its religious texts being translated into the native languages of the west. B. Its Teachings There is what Buddhism calls as â€Å"four noble truths. † These are: suffering, its cause, release from suffering, and that there is a way to be released from life’s sufferings. These are, more or less, what constitute the four noble truths as taught by the Buddha. To properly understand the Buddhist’s worldview, it is basic to know and feel their perception of life generally. It is good to start in the so-called â€Å"four noble truths. † First, suffering. As has been noted above under â€Å"Background of Buddhism,† Nepalese Prince Siddhartha Gautama, before experiencing his enlightenment had been wandering already seeking for answers to the widespread suffering which he had seen among people. The hardships which he saw definitely had impacted him so much that it caused him to reconsider his royal comforts. In fact, he left the convenience and security of the wealth of his life, and chose rather to live the life of a hermit. Suffering is â€Å"duhkha† in Sanskrit, and like its English equivalent, it means distress, torment, filled with grief, and pain. For the Buddhist, all these describe imperfection. What aggravates suffering is the anitya; it means that there is no permanence in this life – and it includes human existence. The last words uttered by the Buddha are these words: â€Å"Impermanent are all created things; strive on with awareness† (Boeree 2000). With a very similar outlook to Hinduism, Buddhism also believes that all things in creation are interrelated. Humans have no separate identity. Man therefore has to find that which will align him to everything. Next to suffering, the second noble truth is attachment. Actually, this second truth is somewhat seen as a proof of man’s blindness. Because man naturally does not see things in right perspective, he continually clings to everything considered to be of infinite value, oblivious of the fact that nothing here is permanent. The Sanskrit word â€Å"trishna,† which is translated â€Å"attachment† in English, means many things to Buddhists. It extends from â€Å"clinging,† â€Å"desires† (which in themselves have no obvious implication of evil per se), to â€Å"lusting,† â€Å"greed,† and â€Å"craving,† (which now, considering the implications of those words, have somewhat taken an evil tone). Since all things are in an imperfect state, there is a constant â€Å"clinging. † To humans, the persistent lusting and craving for things results from a mistaken sense that the material world somehow has lasting existence. The effort therefore to hold on to these things stems from valuing too much those which have no real permanence. Hatred and dodging are also forms of clinging. To Buddhism therefore, it is very crucial that the person fully realizes the temporal-ness of things. Without a grasp of this basic truth, humanity in general is currently attached to that which is after all – temporary. Third noble truth: the overcoming of the attachment to things. This third basic truth of Buddhism is often misunderstood. In Sanskrit, the word is â€Å"nirvana. This word is now being misconceived as â€Å"complete nothingness. † The word is actually referring to the release of things. To let go, and to stop clinging. After this note, the reference is to be free of the former attitudes spoken of in the second noble truth, which are expressions of attachment: hatred, lust, greed, and all the negatives, etc. , and to fully and thus happily accept the interconnectedness and imperfection of all things. the fourth noble truth: the path. This is the dharma. The Buddha had become convinced after his spiritual encounter that there is a way. For the Buddha, this path was a kind of a â€Å"middle way† which can bring balance between different and often contrasting philosophies. The path in Buddhism is explained in eight points, and more commonly referred to as the â€Å"eightfold path† (to veer away from plagiarism, the author has changed the exact wordings of the following eight points). 1. Proper Perspective. This is to have properly grasped the so-called â€Å"four noble truths. † 2. Right Ambition. It is a pure desire to liberate the self from its negative attitudes – continually holding on to temporal things; as a result of which, the person remains hateful and ignorant. These first two are considered wisdom, or the prajna. 3. Appropriate Speech. This includes not only the telling of truths, but refraining from any words that might hurt, to abstain from any form of gossip and lying. 4. Proper Behavior. This one embraces the prohibitions of such hurtful actions as murder, promiscuity, robbery, etc. 5. Honest Livelihood. To make one’s living through honest means, including things such as those which might hurt other people and animals. Points 3-5 are taken as shila – these are expressions of morality. 6.  Right Endeavors. This pertains to the application of what are right to actual actions which were first perceived in the mind. Excellent qualities should be cultivated and practically performed. 7. The Possession of the Right Mind. This refers to the cultivation of the right kind of mindset. It again focuses on the elimination of such negative attitudes as hatred, lust, ignorance. 8. Proper Focus. The constant meditation of the temporal-ness, the imperfection, and the interconnectedness of all things in order to progressively arrive at true knowledge. These last three points are considered â€Å"meditations,† the Samadhi (Boeree 2000). Presenting the Christian Faith Having explored the basics of Buddhism, it is now time to look at the gospel. Even to have gained a comprehensive knowledge of Buddhism does not fully prepare the Christian missionary to the task of evangelizing Buddhists. Learning the culture of the target people group is recommendable only after one has fully grasped the Christian teachings. In fact, the Christian can still be effective in evangelism even without knowing beforehand the other people’s culture. It might cause some difficulties though, but a mastery of the gospel teachings will enable the Christian, first, to love the un-reached people, and second, compelled by that love and guided by his understanding of the true wisdom of God, the Christian missionary will at the very least, present the gospel message clearly and leave the people rethinking their worldviews. It’s a matter of how do we understand effectiveness in presenting the gospel. Presenting the gospel today is not different from how the first disciples presented it to the people of their world. For Christian missionaries today, here are some pointers: first, preach the gospel. Remember the basic presumptions of the Christian faith like the true spiritual state of the target people. Nothing can self-defeat the presentation of the gospel more than the attempt on the part of its preachers to somehow change its features with an aim to accommodate the audience. What the Buddhists need is the word of God, and thus, it has to be delivered to them clearly and powerfully without compromise. And of course, as presumed all along in the argument of this paper, a basic knowledge of the culture will give the Christian missionary an extra edge in his presentation. Second, live among them with the heart of a missionary living out the spiritual disciplines of a biblical Christian. When genuine love is there, it becomes almost impossible to miss that fact. People will feel the genuineness of the intention; and when the wisdom of God is presented as expressed in the gospel, it will be either acceptance on the part of the people, or outright rejection of the true truths.