Dharma Drum
English Dharma Class
Transformation of Suffering
Thursday October 13th, 2011
The Truth of Suffering
• The Buddha taught two things
• Suffering and the Cessation of Suffering
• “Wanting things to be other than they
are.”
• Four kinds of suffering
•
•
•
•
Pain of life
Being separated from what we love
Being forced to be with what we dislike
Change of body, mind, and conditions
Why is Suffering a Problem?
• Ignorance – not seeing clearly
• misunderstand experience
• greed, hatred, delusion
• Reborn in samsara again and
again
• Buddha as the Great
Physician
• Great Doctor 醫生
• Shakyamuni Buddha
addressed the “problem” of
suffering
• Pain is just sensation,
suffering is a choice
The Wheel
of Life
Four Noble Truths 四諦
• Diagnosis 診斷, Prognosis 預後,
and Prescription 處方
– Illness
– Medicine
– Cure
1.
2.
3.
4.
Truth of Suffering 苦諦
Cause of Suffering 集諦
Cessation of Suffering 滅諦
The Path to the Cessation of
Suffering 道諦
Why are the Truths “Noble”?
• Noble 高尚
– showing “high” character; lofty
• The Four Noble Truths en-noble us:
– They help make us Noble People by helping
us face our lives with wisdom, courage, and
strength.
The Truth of Suffering - 苦諦
• The inability to make
ourselves happy
• Three Marks of Existence
三法印
– Impermanence 無常
• nothing stays the same
– Suffering 苦
• unsatisfactory
– Non-self 無我
• no real control
– (Nirvana is peaceful 寂靜)
• Not seeing suffering
distorts our perception of
our lives
The Cause of Suffering – 苦集
• 聖嚴師父 – Three Causes of Suffering
1. Beginningless Ignorance
• There is no beginning (unlike “original sin” 原罪)
2. Cause and Consequence Cycle of Vexations 煩惱
• Defilements, afflictions, mental disturbances
• That which gets in the way
• The results of our acting upon our greed, hatred,
delusion
3. Vexations that arise from our environment,
relationships, and emotional turmoil
•
greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, or doubt
The basic cause
• Attaching to vexations
• believing in them
• Vexations “color” our
minds
• Clothes are dyed with
color
• Or take on the smells
around them
• Therefore, transforming
our vexations eliminates
suffering
Truth of Cessation – 滅諦
• It is possible to be free from suffering.
• Nirvana 涅槃
• 滅 – Cessation
• 煩惱
• 解脫 – Liberation
• 無為 – the Unconditioned, Unborn, Unformed,
Unmade
• Like a flame going out
• Released – where does the flame go?
Truth of the Way – 道諦
• Noble Eightfold Path - 八正道
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Right View/Understanding – 正見
Right Intention/Thoughts – 正思惟
Right Speech – 正語
Paying
“Right”
Reduce
means:
our
Truth,
Living
an
Meditating
toa
Not
earning
attention
to
Right Action – 正業
• Correct
vexations,
kindness,
Seeing
Thoughts
of
ethical
life
realize
the
living
through
what
weour
are
•
Skillful
increase
consideration
the
Law
of
Kindness,
Right Livelihood – 正命
Truth
harming
saying,
 In doing,
accordance
with
goodness
for
others
Karma
generosity,
Right Effort – 正精進
others
thinking
theand
Dharma.
Letting
go.
Right Mindfulness – 正念
Right Concentration – 正定
The Three Refuges 三歸依
• The importance of refuge
• Three Treasures – 三寶
歸依處處求
求之遍十方
究竟歸依處
三寶最吉祥
People seek refuge
everywhere,
Seeking refuge in all the ten
directions,
Finally realize that the
ultimate place of refuge
Is to be found in the most
auspicious Three Treasures.
The Refuge of the Buddha
•
•
•
•
Refuge in his Awakening
Refuge in his Teaching
Refuge in his Action
Faith in the Buddha
• confidence
The Refuge of the Dharma
• Hearing, studying, and
contemplating
• Four Noble Truths
• Refraining from
suffering
• Training our minds
There is always
something we can do
The Refuge of the Sangha
• “Good spiritual
friends”
• Teachers
• Fellow
practitioners
• All beings
Five Causes of Mental Disturbance
•
•
•
•
•
Greed
Anger
Arrogance
Despair
Doubt
The Great Bodhisattvas are free of these
Five Causes. Their statues show us what
this looks like.
Two Methods of Healing the Mind
• Recitation of the
Buddha’s Name
• Meditation