"An unexamined life is not worth living" is the Socratic phrase explaining that without first looking at one’s own life to determine its faults than it is useless to pick out the faults of others. This thought is explored deeper in The Apology of Socrates written by Plato. The Apology of Socrates tells of the trial of Socrates, actually the trial of Socrates the ideals, which were being scrutinized by the people of Athens for corrupting the youth. At the time of the trial Socrates was nearly seventy years of age and being accused of corrupting the youth by Meletos of the poets, Anytos from the craftsmen and statesmen, and Lycon of the orators. All three of which felt that they had been offended by Socrates ideas since they were unable to defend the reasoning for their writings. Socrates did not consider himself wise or knowledgeable at all and so set out to find someone that could enlighten him. He looked to the poets, orators, and statesmen because they were so greatly reputed for their knowledge but he found out that they were unaware of the fact that they did not know anything. He debated their ideas and found out that there was little reasoning behind their thoughts.

"For after the statesmen, I approached the poets, the composers of tragedies and the composers of dithyrambs, and all the rest as well; there I expected to find myself caught in the act as more ignorant than they were. So I took up their poems, whose which I thought they had taken most pains to perfect, and questioned them as to what they meant, and I hoped to learn something from them at the same time…. Almost all the bystanders, with hardly an exception, one might say, had something better to say than the composers had about their own compositions." (Rouse 428)

These people that were making such statements against Socrates were unable to defend their arguments which was shown through Socrates numerous cross-examinations of their writings and thoughts. Younger Athenians began to notice those cross-examinations of Socrates of the ideals of the bourgeouise, the people who dominated the wealth and power of society, and this is when the accusations of his corruptions occurred.

"The young men, those who have most leisure, sons of the most wealthy houses, follow me of their own accord, delighted to hear people being cross-examined; and they often imitate me, they try themselves to cross-examine, and then, I think, they find plenty of people who believe they know something, when they know little or nothing."(Rouse 429)

Like the Buddha, Socrates considered the path to knowledge or enlightenment an individual task in which one is able to follow others examples to a certain point before they must continue their journey to complete knowledge by themselves. Instead of cross-examining others ideas, Buddha used the method of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to reach complete enlightenment of Nirvana. The Four Noble Truths state that:

1. Suffering exists
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path.

The Buddha serves as the model for reaching nirvana. Although, Buddha is unable to tell exactly how to get to nirvana, but he is able to offer guidance on your path to enlightenment. Buddha says that acceptance and free will are the way to reach perfect harmony.

Both Socrates and Buddha believe in examining in one’s own life to seek out faults so that one will be able to better achieve perfect knowledge and enlightenment. It is their [Buddha and Socrates] individualistic approach to thinking that allows them to question themselves in order to become better people. Socrates felt that he did not have knowledge and set forth to seek knowledge from other people that claimed that they were enlightened. Buddha, however, set forth into deep study of his own personality in order to determine his own faults in order to reach nirvana.

Neither Socrates’ thoughts nor Buddha’s ideals were a religion in fact neither had Gods that they looked up to. Socrates considered himself atheistic even though he mentions about Gods several times in The Apology of Socrates. Buddha set forth to be a model for others while Socrates was seeking his own enlightenment and found followers.