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Monday, February 11, 2013

Teachings of Buddhism

Buddism began with the birth of the Buddha. Siddhartha Gautama was born about 2500 years ago. He was born into a royal family and was sheltered throughout his childhood (and into his early adult life) from pain, death, sickness, and suffering. When he saw these painful things present in the world, he began to wonder about the "true meaning of life." In order to more fully understand these things, he left the palace and his family (his wife and newborn son) behind. He chose to follow the traditional Indian path of the wandering holy man, a seeker of the truth, "the meaning of life."

He meditated under several different teachers. He then took up ascetic practices, which were based on te belief that one could free the spirit by "denying the flesh". He practiced this so determinedly, that he almost starved to death. After these practices failed to  enlighten him (on the meaning of life), "he abandoned this way, and looked instead into his own heart and mind." "He decided to trust his intuition and learn from direct experience." He sat underneath a pipal tree and vowed to remain there until he gained enlightenment. He stayed there forty days and finally on the full moon in May, Siddhartha (the Buddha), attained "Ultimate Freedom". For the remainder of his life, the Buddha traveled through Northern India, and spread his understanding and teachings.                                                                                                               
Teachings:
-3 Jewels:
Buddhists see life as "a constant change". They believe that "one can change for the better". "The ideals at the heart of Buddhism are collectively known as the "Three Jewels", (also known as "the Three Treasures".). The three jewels are:
1.) The Buddha (the yellow jewel)
2.) The Dharma (the Blue Jewel)
3.) The Sangha (the Red Jewel)
By having these central principles in your life, you become a Buddhist.



- The Threefold Way:
The threefold way  is another formulation of the path, and it is comprised of:
1.) Ethics
2.) Meditation
3.) Wisdom
This path provides "an indispensible basis for meditation". In the Buddhist religion,  meditation is "the ground on whcih wisdom can develop". Meditation is necessary in order for a person to grow in their faith, and in th religion of Buddhism.

- Four Noble Truths:
1.) All existence is Dukkha:
The word Dukkha means "suffering", "anguish", "pain", or "unsatisfactoriness". The Buddha saw that "our lives are a struggle, and we do not find ultimate happiness or satisfaction in anything we experience". He stated that this was the  problem with existence.
2.) The cause of Dukkha is craving:
It is our "natural human tendency" to blame our difficulties on outside influences. Th Buddha teaches that "our actual root is to be found in the mind itself".
3.) The cessation of Dukkha comes with the cessation of craving:
While we are the cause of our suffering, we are also the solution. We cannot change the things that happen to us, but we can change our responses (We cannot control the situations in our lives, but rather we can choose how we respond to those situations when we meet them.).
4.) There is a path that leads from Dukkha:
Although responsibility is placed on the individual, the Buddha taught certain methods "through which we can change ourselves". One example is the Noble Eightfold Path.

-Noble Eightfold Path:
The Noble Eightfold Path is a "further unpacking" of (an expansion of ) the Threefold Way. This path is the most widely known of the Buddha's teachings. It is ancient, and highly vallues as a "treasury of wisdom and practical guideance on how to live our lives". They are also in a "mutual relationship" with one another, and are each "essential elements" in the intigrated approach to Dharma.  The components of the path are:
1.) Right Understanding or Perfect Vision
2.) Right Judgement or Perfect Emotion
3.) Right Speech or Perfect Speech
4.) Right Action or Perfect Action
5.) Right Livelihood or Perfect Livelihood
6.) Right Effort or Perfect Effort
7.) Right Mindfulness or Perfect Awareness
8.) Right Meditation or Perfect Samadhi.




         





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