Epicurus has some things in common with the Buddha. Both promise release from suffering through the abandonment of desire. But the Buddha is more realistic in acknowledging that this can be fully achieved only by stepping off the carousel of birth and death – in other words, by ceasing to exist as a distinct individual. Enlightened human beings may experience a state of bliss during their lifetime; but they can be liberated from suffering only when they are no longer going to be reborn.
