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The 4 noble truths of buddhism essay
The concept of suffering
The 4 noble truths of buddhism essay
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The Great Physician Buddha is often known as “The Great Physician”. This is due to fact that he identifies why humans suffer and how one can stop suffering. Due to all the suffering in the four noble truths, many would look at Buddhism as depressing. This view would be wrong it is not pessimistic nor is it optimistic, but more realistic. Like any great doctor he first comes out with the diagnosis, then a prognosis, and finally the prescription.
The Diagnosis
The Truth of Pain and Suffering The First Noble Truth is the existence of dukkha. Dukkha is pain, suffering, and dissatisfaction. Not one person is exempt from the First Noble Truth. Mary Fisher and Robin Rinehart, the authors of Living Religions textbook, stated this, “At
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Buddha made a way for humans to achieve Nirvana by coming up with the Noble Eightfold Path. Just like the name suggests it has Eight parts. The first part of the path is the right view. The right view means to understanding the Four Noble Truths. After understanding the Four Noble Truths, the next part of the path is the right intention. Right intention meaning living a life of love and nonviolentness. Also, not to only better ourselfs but to better others. The third part of the path is the right speech. Speak postiviely, because words have life and power. Right speech includes not speaking bad about people and not to gossip. The first three aspect of the Noble eightfold path are general good conduct. Right action is the fourth part. This is includes acting as a good person and not a selfish person. It also calls the person not cheat, not to steal, and not to do immoral things that will cause harm to others. Fifth part is right livelihood. It is to live a life that is nonharm and nonviolence. It calls Buddhist to take care of the earth to help it and not to hurt it. Sixth, is right effort. This aspect focus on continually striving to make one self a better person. If one sees someone in need go out and help others. Always trying to become more and more selfless. The fourth thru the sixth are intented for mental development. Seventh aspect is right mindfulness. It is sad to be one of the hardest. Be aware of your mind with each moment, but do not cling on to them. The eight aspect is right meditation. It is intented to quiet the mind. When the mind is quiet that is when you can deeply and clearly reflected on the true natures of many things (Buddha Studies,
Buddhism’s approach to ethics and practices are centred upon the principal beliefs of; the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts. By adhering to these guidelines, Buddhists are ensured that they are taking a step closer to escaping Samsara, and attaining the revered state of Nirvana,
In a world of suffering and pain the Dalai Lama said, “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive”. The Dalai Lama has become a figurehead for Buddhism worldwide for his compassion and warm smiles. Buddhism has extended beyond meditation and even monks such as the Dalai Lama. The basic concepts of compassion and mindfulness in Buddhism are being applied in the daily lives of lay people who need it the most.
In order to understand the concepts of the Four Noble Truths, one needs to understand the aim of Buddhist practice. “The aim of Buddhist practice is to cure craving, the desire conditioned by ignorance that leads to suffering” (Demoss 1).2 Buddhism advocates meditation, and a “…goal of Buddhist meditation is to produce right mindfulness, an alert awareness of what is happening in body, mind, and world at the present moment” (Demoss 318).3 “Traditionally, ‘right action’ is defined in Buddhist ethics by the five percepts: do not kill, do not steal, do not engage in illicit sex, do not lie, and do not become intoxicated” (Demoss 319).4 “According to Buddhism a person does not have an intrinsic permanent changeless identity. There is no core self. The self is empty” (Demoss 1).5 The Four Noble Truths provide a conceptual framework for all Buddhist thought. According to the Four Noble Truths, craving leads to suffering, but craving can cease if one cultivates a path of mental discipline, wisdom, and moral conduct (Demoss 309).6 An understanding of Buddhism is...
Buddhists believe that life is pain, and pain is caused by desire. They believed that ridding themselves of all desire would also end any pain they felt. These beliefs are known as the Four Noble Truths. The last step to end pain is to follow the Eightfold Path. If an individual has right views, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right recollection, right effort, and right meditation all pain would cease (Doc 6). Without the interference of pain, Buddhists strive to reach a state of higher truth, peace, and enlightenment known of nirvana. Reaching nirvana also real eases the soul from its constant cycle of
The founder of Buddhism was a man named Siddharta Gautama. He was born as a prince of a small kingdom located near today’s Nepal, around 500 B.C.E. (Gurinder 1). According to the legends, Siddharta was raised in the lap of luxury. He was given the finest clothes, riches, and a mansion for every season (Fisher 136). Despite having anything his imagination could conjure, he was unconvinced of their value (136). As the story continues, he was presented with the four sights that were being kept from him (136). These sights included death, sickness, old age, and a monk seeking lasting happiness rather than material possessions (136). After these sights, Sidhharta began his long path to enlightenment. After six years of searching, he had reached his goal of an ultimate consciousness called Nirvana, or enlightenment that is above ordinary human states of mind (Gurinder, Numrich, Williams 1-2). After his discovery of the ultimate consciousness, he was given the title of Buhhda, which means “Enlighten One” (2).
Mindfulness meditation is a growth of person`s perception at the present time and some people think is a unique way to overcome anxiety and discover greater wisdom in our minds. A person who practices this meditation tries to get rid of any unwanted thoughts, concentrate on present ones, focus on attention and breathing. Some contemporary psychotherapists suggest that we can train our mind by practicing mindfulness meditation. Often almost all people catch themselves on thoughts that transfers from the present to the past and future. This is called mind wandering. This can be very distracting when a person tries to focus on certain task. Naturally, people who experience less mind wandering demonstrated greater mindfulness, and previous studies showed that practicing mindfulness meditation even for eight minutes can increase and mind wandering will decrease (Hafenbrack, 2013).
Dukkha is the first of the four noble truths of Buddhism. The word means suffering, but just
A man of noble birth, living in the time before the Common Era, preached a way to extinguish the fire of self-centered delusion. This state of Nirvana can be achieved by understanding The Four Noble Truths, suffering in life, he explains can be avoided by following an Eightfold Path. Sounds simple? This must have been an awaking for people of his time seeking a more personal religion, away from the rigidities of a priest-dominated Hinduism of India. The man, the Buddha, spent the rest of his life teaching the religion he discovered and its doctrine based upon his Dharma (cosmic law and order). The first written evidence of the existence of Buddhism is found over 400 years ago after the life of the Buddha. (Kozak) Historians pose the
A person’s actions are right, if their motives behind their actions toward a certain situation have a good intention and they performed appropriate response to certain their situations that life has given to them. For example, a person’s intentions are their motives behind their actions, where as an appropriate action is any response towards any situation which is proper to perform in certain situations that require people to help other people rather than themselves as society deems fit. The following situations are from page 412 of The Philosophical Journey: An interactive approach show about some ethical dilemmas, and the appropriate actions and intentions to figure them out which solution can make an action either right or wrong.
In addition, Buddhism places emphasis on the Four Noble Truths, which is the teaching of Buddha, a guide to enlightenment. These are a set of guidance that basically teaches the followers of Buddha the essence of...
The steps of the Eightfold Path were: 1) Right Views 2) Right Resolve 3) Right Speech 4) Right Conduct 5)
Each day should be lived by moving on and accepting the next obstacle, while still appreciating the fortunate past and enjoying the immediate presence. Without recognition of pain and sorrow, there is no initiation for a solution. According to Buddha, one must accept suffering and live based on the laws of the Eightfold Path in order to achieve salvation. Because of the Four Noble Truths, people have been given a structural opportunity of hope that there is reason to live our lives to the fullest.
The Fourth Noble Truth leads to the end of suffering and provides a practical pathway to the realization of Nibbana in the form of the Noble Eightfold Path. This consists of eight factors: right understanding, right thought,...
The Eightfold Path labels all of the rights of monks and helps guide them to peace within themselves. The Eightfold Path guides monks and nuns towards Nirvana through eight simple principles. The first principle, the Right of Understanding, explains the significance of understanding situations the way they occur instead of understanding things from one’s personal experiences. “Right thought involves our intentions. The spirit in which we approach everything” (Sach). These two rights form into its own category ...
One aspect of the Eightfold Path that I found to be very poignant is the Right Action. The Right Action states “not to kill, not to steal, and not to commit sexual misconduct, Action which preserves life and does not destroy it, action that respects other property and does not misappropriate it,