...Buddhists believed in order to reach a state of cessation, or nirvana, steps must be taken to achieve elimination of all suffering. These steps are considered to be the Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path consists of eight steps that lead to arhatship, the “state of one who has awakened” (Noss, pg. 182). These steps do not need to be completed in order, but can be obtained simultaneously. The eightfold path was created from the fourth truth of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, one of the most important teachings of Buddhism. A contemporary Buddhist would be able to live a life in our modern times, and be able to follow the eightfold path. The first step is right belief. This path simply means to believe in the Four Noble Truths, and view life in its simplicity. A modern Buddhist would simply need to have a straight- forward way of life, to be able to see the true nature of their environment. The second step is right aspiration or purpose, also called right intention. This is considered to be a commitment to self- improvement, and a commitment to understanding the path to nirvana. This includes resisting the pull of desire, resistance to ill will and bad feelings, and resistance to violence and aggression. This path can be practiced by being kind to others and not having any bad thoughts or feelings towards others. The third step is right speech. Right speech is considered not speaking ill of others, always being honest, and to be genuine with others. This is an easy step...
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...Buddha is regarded as one of the grestest physicians for a variety of reasons. One of these included the Four Noble Truths structure, which is “a central analysis of the human condition as well as a diagnosis: the path toward nirvana.” (413) Furthermore, the Four Noble Truths are as followed: (1) “All life entails suffering,” or the idea that one must accept his or her mortality (2) “The cause of suffering is desire.” Or the need of mental detachment (3) “Removing desire removes suffering,” and (4) “The way for removing desire is to follow the Eightfold Path,” (414). Buddha’s approach to diagnosing each individual was to prescribe the right medicine for that specific individual‘s condition. By analyzing and diagnosing an individual’s condition,...
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...The Buddha believed and taught that everything in this world is related to the three marks of existence, and that everyone and everything is conditioned by the world around them. This is our reality. The three marks are made up of dukkha (suffering), anicca (impermanence), and anatta (non-self). These three fundamental values offer a true insight into the reality of life as well as greater understanding. These are expanded on in the Four Noble Truths, which consist of dukkha (suffering), samudaya (craving), nirodha (cessation), and magga (the Noble Eightfold Path). These two The three marks of existence are so important to Buddhist ideology because it gives them a greater understanding about themselves, as well as their purpose in this state...
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...Explain the Buddha’s teachings and about the nature and ending of suffering. The Buddha taught people that life is imperfect and that it will be full of suffering and how it is unavoidable. He taught that the earth is plagued with it and that you will have to face it, however he did overcome it as he was able to reach nirvana. He also taught people the way of how they can do it as he taught them the four noble truths and of the eightfold path. He taught people about the nature of suffering in the form of Dukkha and the dissatisfaction of it and the ending of Dukkha in the form of nirvana. Dukkha is the first truth that the Buddha taught it is that life is suffering which is caused by craving i.e. life includes pain, getting old, disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, boredom, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. It not only is this the suffering it is the dissatisfaction of the life of suffering that we have to endure and struggle through and that that unsatisfactory feeling is caused by Tanha which is craving. The other truths rest on this dissatisfaction of life and how we can over come it if we can life a dukkha free life. There are also three types of Dukkha which are Dukkha Dukkha, Dukkha Anicca and Dukkha Anatta. Dukkha Dukkha is the natural suffering that goes on in the world and that nothing in life is perfect. Dukkha Anicca is the most important Dukkha as it is the suffering that goes on because...
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...years but never attended full satisfaction. He was offered a bowl of milk-rice from a girl and that was the start of him pursuing a path of equilibrium rather than extremism. The name of this path was Middle Way. Buddhism is a more reformed version of Hinduism. The Four Noble Truths that are included in the religion are the basis for all forms of Buddhist philosophy. These truths are called Dukkha, Samudaya, Nirodha, and Marga. According to dictionary.com, Dukkha is the first of the Four Noble Truths, that all human experience is transient and that suffering results from excessive desire and attachment. According to the Wisdom Library, Samudaya is Second of Four Noble Truths: Suffering is caused by desire. Nirodha is usually translated as "cessation", as in "cessation of suffering", the third noble truth. In a more general sense, Nirodha is often used as a synonym of Nirvana (What is Nirodha, n.d.). Marga (Sanskrit mārga; Pãli magga, "path") in Buddhism refers to the path to enlightenment (Wikipedia, n.d.) The Buddhist Eightfold Path is a method of teaching moderation. This means if you were to follow the path, you would be capable of achieving nirvana. This helps you live a perfect life that would keep you from continuing in samsara. Many of the belifs in Buddhism are close to the ones in Hinduism. They both have the Eightfold Path in order...
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...figures coming from all corners of the planet. Despite having worldwide influences, philosophy is usually divided into eastern and western schools of thought. Eastern philosophy is centered on cognitive dimensions that revolve around meditative thinking in order to reach enlightenment, while the western school of thought subscribes to the idea of attaining salvation through a leap of faith This paper shall put forth two philosophers, one from each school of thought, discussing their unique ideas and then shall continue on to compare and contrast their ideals. Siddhartha Gautama was born into a life of privilege and wealth, being the son of a king. When Siddhartha experienced the suffering in the world, he left his wife and child to pursue a path that would uncover the cause of suffering and its cure. “After six years of wandering and meditation, he found enlightenment.” (Moore & Bruder, 2008, p.530) With this attained enlightenment, Siddhartha Gautama took up the handle that he is known by today, Buddha which means “the Enlightened One.” Siddhartha’s new enlightenment led to the creation of Buddhism, which “essentially was a philosophical response to what might be called the problem of suffering.” (Moore & Bruder, 2008, p.530) Buddha laid out his answer to suffering in his doctrine of the Four Noble Truths. The four truths of this doctrine were as follows: “(1) There is suffering;( 2) suffering has specific and identifiable causes; (3) suffering can be ended; (4) the way...
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...rebirths/reincarnations. All from the greedy desires of mankind. The Buddha gave a solution to end the suffering, an answer to stop the countless rebirths, and a halt to their selfish wants, and once they have been lifted, they will learn the true meaning of the Four Noble Truths. Each of these lessons explains the Buddhist steps in understanding the truth about life, the reasons behind those truths, the possibility of change and the way of life that can lead to a life free of suffering. All Buddhists study, meditate, think and act in ways that are designed to help them come to a full understanding of each of these Four Noble Truths and to stay on the path the Buddha says will lead them to peace and happiness. The Four Noble Truths are: • The truth of dahkka • The truth of the cause of dahkka • The truth of the cessation of duhkka • The truth of the path leading to the cessation of duhkka Dahkka means suffering, a more modern translation of the Four Noble Truths is, • The truth of suffering • The truth of the cause of suffering • The truth of the end of...
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...Buddhism – Week 3 | World View Chart | Origin of All Things | One of the first views on the origins of the Universe came from the Buddhist sūtras, and was formulated in the Abhidharma texts. In the sutras it states that the world was created from the collective karma or actions of living beings in the form of a primordial wind. From the Book of Dzyan the account of the origin of the universe describes it as a light or luminosity,” the actual moment of manifestation is described with the words, “darkness radiates light.” The book goes into more detail explaining that the whole world is dependent on a cause [for creation] because something cannot rise by itself, the cause here is light. From the light comes knowledge, from knowledge comes air, from air the fire, from fire the water and from the water the earth is born. If quoted in reverse this tantra also explains the dissolution of the world. (Reigle, 2013)The origins of the religion itself explain the if we can understand where our suffering comes from we can become free. This means that a person must take responsibility for their own lives, and dutifully practice the religious teachings of Buddha in order to achieve the ultimate goal of liberation from suffering or Nirvana. (Fisher, 2011 p. 135) | Nature of God/Creator | Buddhism is a nontheistic religion, which means they do not believe in any supreme being or God. Many People believe that Buddhists worship Buddha; this however is not the case. The Buddha was a human...
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...Aristotelianism When it comes to Western philosophy, Aristotle is considered to be one of the greatest contributors. He believed that humans were distinctly defined by their character traits rather than their behavior. Aristotle supported this belief by explaining the concept of achieving eudaimonia through living virtuously. Through evaluating his theory of human nature we are given the answers to three of the most common questions humans face today. These common questions are: 1. What should we strive for, and how do we achieve this goal? 2. What makes us special if anything? 3. What tends to go wrong in the pursuit of our goal? Aristotle teaches, “everyone aims, ultimately, for eudaimonia”. Eudaimonia is the Greek term, which means human flourishing. For the ancient Greeks, the term flourishing relates to one being successful in life. “Aristotle realizes, of course, that there are many different opinions about just what eudaimonia is” (to be successful). “In order to sort through these opinions, separating the plausible from the true, Aristotle discerns three preconditions for a proper understanding of eudaimonia”. “According to Aristotle, whatever eudaimonia is, it must be such as to be final, self sufficient, and the end of action”. In order for eudaimonia to be final, it cannot be achieved for the sake of something else. This means that our goal of achieving eudaimonia should not serve to meet another goal. A good example of a non-final goal would be one setting...
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...actions in this lifetime, also known as Karma. The Question of Meaning/Purpose In Buddhism, the primary purpose is to end suffering. The Buddha believed and therefore taught that humans suffer because they are to consumed in things that do not give long lasting happiness and are too busy trying to hold on to things such as friends, material possessions, and things that do not last, and in the end brings upon sorrow. This is where the beliefs of the Four Noble Truths come in: teaches that all life is marked by suffering, suffering is caused by desire and attachment, suffering can be stopped, and the way to end suffering is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. The Question of Morality Respect, love, and compassion are highly valued in Buddhism as are an ethical and moral path is the basis for their model of behavior. The Noble Eightfold Path consist of right knowledge, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. They follow this for their spiritual well-being and are to follow the Five Precepts for the here and now which includes refraining from taking a life, taking what is not given, refrain from involving themselves...
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...Or, your soul is reincarnated, depending on how you lived your previous life. Good deeds are rewarded, bad deeds you are reincarnated into a lower life form. Since all life in sacred, humans and animals have similar essence and are partners in searching for eternal oneness. (Weider & Gutierrez, 2013, p. 67) Meaning Mans purpose is to end reincarnation so that the soul can reach a state of Nirvana, or liberation. In order to do this you must eradicate suffering by eliminating desire. You have to follow the Four Noble Truths which are: 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 Eightfold Path is as followed: A. Wisdom Right View Right...
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...1- to 2-paragraph response for each of the following. 1. Explain the basic Buddhist teachings including the three marks of reality, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path. The three marks of reality are change, no permanent identity, and suffering. Buddha recommended that people look at life as it really is; life is full of impermanence, or constant change. Buddha also urged people to abandon egotism and a fixation on material objects. He denied the existence of the permanent identity of anything. The third characteristic of reality is suffering; meaning that life can never be fully satisfying because of inescapable change. It encompasses the whole range, from horrible suffering to everyday frustration. The Four Noble Truths are a linked chain of truths about life. They are as follows: 1. Suffering exists. 2. It has a cause. 3. It has an end. 4. There is a way to attain release from suffering; specifically, by following the Noble Eightfold Path, (Michael Molloy, 2010). The First Noble Truth: To Live is to Suffer The Second Noble Truth: Suffering Comes from Desire The Third Noble Truth: To End Suffering, End Desire The Fourth Noble Truth: Release from Suffering is Possible and Can Be Attained by Following the Noble Eightfold Path. The eight steps of the path form a program that the Buddha taught that will lead those who follow it toward liberation from the impermanence and suffering of reality, (Michael Molloy, 2010). Even though...
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...After doing some outside reading about this I found a story that speaks the Four Noble Truths in it. "Suppose that a man, in the course of traveling along a path". Now right here describes the first of the Four Noble Truths "All life involves suffering", In order to get to a certain destination involves some sort of traveling; the same way the man must travel to get somewhere, all lives endures suffering. It is something that is a part of a natural order. “He comes up to a great expanse of water, but with neither a ferryboat nor a bridge going from this shore to the other. The thought occurred to him, here is this great expanse of water, with neither a ferryboat nor a bridge going from this shore to the other. This part describe the second of the Four Noble Truths “The origin of suffering is desires, or attachment.” The man stand at edge of the body of water hoping to find a means of transportation across, the same way suffering comes from desires. “What if I were to gather grass, twigs, branches, and leaves and, having bound them together to make a raft, and were to cross over to safety on the other shore in dependence on the raft made by my own effort with my hands and feet? Then the man, having gathered grass, twigs, branches, and leaves, having bound them together to make a raft, would cross over to safety on the other shore in dependence on the raft”. This part describes the third of the Four Noble Truths “Suffering is ended by dispassion, or if all desires cease.” By the...
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...spiritual accretion. (Smith pg. 92) Buddha preached a religion devoid of authority, devoid of ritual, a religion that skirted speculation, devoid of tradition, a religion of intense self-effort, devoid of supernatural. He went on from there to teach the four nobles. First noble truth the dukkha which is the suffering in life. Second noble truth is selfish that is the cause of suffering. Third noble truth is overcoming selfish craving. Fourth noble truth is how to accomplish overcoming selfishness through the Eightfold Path (Smith pg. 99-103). Correct me if I’m wrong but from what I read the meaning of suffering is denying ones flesh of the worldly things that we believe brings us enjoyment. Joy that may become pain as stated in the book (Smith pg. 100). It goes on to say that the for noble truths stands as the axioms of his system that suffering is a part of life, it can be stopped, it came from the desires and attachments and the way to end suffering is by following the eightfold path. Right Views is what life's problem basically is. Right Intent is what we really want. Right Speech is being aware of our speech. Right Conduct is understanding your actions. Right Livelihood is promote life instead of destroying it. Right Effort is not accompanied by effort or action to obtain it. Right Mindfulness is steady awareness of every action that is taken, and stream of consciousness. Right Concentration is a mind that is completely absorbed in God using techniques of Hinduism's raja...
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...Siddhartha’s Journey to Enlightenment When Siddhartha Gautama was about five days old, his father, King Suddhodana, was told by a holy man that his son would either be would be either a great military conqueror or a great spiritual teacher. Upon hearing that, the King decided to raise his son in a life of luxury and shield him from religion and the knowledge of human suffering. He did this because he wanted his son to be a ruler, not a spiritual leader. After twenty-nine years of knowing very little about what went on outside of his kingdom, he decided to step outside his kingdom and see what the outside world was like. He saw suffering all around him and was sickened by it. After awhile the Price saw a wandering ascetic. The Prince’s chariot driver explained that the ascetic was person who had renounced the world and wanted freedom from fear of death and suffering. After returning to his kingdom, he was unhappy. The life he once was content with made him unhappy and he couldn’t go on living ignorantly after being exposed to human suffering. One night, he left the palace so set out on his journey to find enlightenment. Siddhartha began his journey by seeking the teachings of philosophers. The philosopher’s taught him how to mediate and information about different religions, like Hinduism. The Prince also tried to find release from human suffering by physical self-discipline. Siddhartha would hold his breath for periods of time. He would only eat one grain of rice and one drop...
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