Dante's Inferno: Dante's Journey to EnlightenmentWhile reading Dante's Inferno, I couldn't help but make parallels between the protagonist's journey and the belief system of the Buddhist religion. Dante believed that we must understand sin before we can reject it, and Buddha believed that before we can reject sin, we must also suffer. Examining these two principles side by side makes the similarities undeniably obvious; they both seem to convey the message that there can be no pain without pleasure, truth without dishonesty, or enlightenment with suffering. Dante's version of hell is based on that of medieval Catholicism, which claims to be quite divergent from the Buddhist faith. Yet the similarities are actually quite widespread when examined from an unbiased perspective. The first similarity I noticed between the two religions involved the Roman epic poet Virgil, who acts as Dante's mentor and protector while accompanying him on his extraordinary journey through Hell. This immediately made me think of the spirit guides that Buddhists believe channel them to salvation. Dante views Virgil as many Christians view God; as a father figure, from whom advice, information and forgiveness are actively sought. Dante refers to Virgil as "Master", "Guide", "Master", "Poet" at the beginning; yet he eventually begins to refer to Virgil as "Lord", implying that he sees Virgil not as a traditional father figure, but as a spiritually divine figure. This is even more evident in Canto XXX, c. 130–end, in which Dante needs Virgil's forgiveness, suggesting that his clemency carries some divine power of atonement. This Christian tendency to have a spiritual guide takes on the characteristics of a leader. ..... middle of paper ...... the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. More simply, suffering exists; there is a cause; it has an end; and he has a cause to bring about his end. The notion of suffering in Buddhism is therefore not intended to convey a negative view of the world, but rather to evoke a pragmatic perspective that treats the world as it is and then attempts to remedy it. The concept of pleasure is not denied, but rather recognized as ephemeral in that the pursuit of pleasure can only fuel what is ultimately an unquenchable thirst. Works Cited[1] Carter, John Ross and Mahinda Palihawadana, trans. and ed. The Dhammapada. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987, verses 116-119.[2] Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Hell. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum. Note Allen Mandelbaum and Gabriel Marruzzo. New York: Bantam Books, 1980