Dante's Inferno: Dante's journey to Enlightenment While reading Dante's Inferno I couldn't help but draw 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 apparent; 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 professes to be quite divergent from the Buddhist faith. Yet the similarities are actually quite prevalent when examined from an unbiased perspective. The first similarity I noticed between the two faiths involved the Roman epic poet Virgil, who serves as Dante's mentor and protector as he accompanies him on his extraordinary journey through Hell. This immediately made me think of the spirit guides who Buddhists believe channel them towards salvation. Dante sees Virgil as many Christians see God; as a father figure, from whom guidance, information and forgiveness are actively sought. Dante at first refers to Virgil as "Master", "Guide", "Master", "Poet"; however 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 highlighted even more in Canto XXX, verse 130 – end, in which Dante needs Virgil's forgiveness, which suggests that his clemency possesses some divine power of atonement. This Christian tendency to have a guiding spirit takes on the characteristics of a de regnante. .....middle of paper......the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. Simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and has a cause to bring about its end. The notion of suffering in Buddhism, therefore, is not intended to convey a negative view of the world, but rather to connote a pragmatic perspective that faces the world as it is and subsequently attempts to remedy it. The concept of pleasure is not denied, but rather is recognized as fleeting as the pursuit of pleasure can only sustain 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. Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy: Inferno. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum. Notes Allen Mandelbaum and Gabriel Marruzzo. New York: Bantam Books, 1980